Luanshya Council embarks on dog registration

By Esther Banda

Dogs are human beings best friend but if not properly taken care of and vaccinated can be a danger not only to the owner but to the society.

Rabies is a deadly and highly contagious disease among human once bitten by a rabid dog.

This is why the Luanshya Municipal Council on the Copperbelt has embarked on a dog registration exercise which will officially commence on 9th September 2013 as a way of curbing the spread of rabies in the district.

The councils department of environment, housing and social services which is caring out the exercise has given dog owners 90 days from thing time of commencement to ensure they register their pets.

Council Public Relations Manager, Gideon Thole says the council is registering dogs which are vaccinated and after 10th December 2013, all unregistered dogs will be killed.

Only two dogs must be registered per household according with the DOG ACT CAP 247 of the laws of Zambia and those who have puppies are encouraged to give them away in order to maintain the legal number.

The registration exercise will be done at the Mikomfwa Welfare Center in Luanshya and will cost k30 for peri-urban owners and k50 for urban areas.

And Beza Hanyama, a Luanshya resident says the dog registration exercise is a good move to ensure safety of the residents.

“Most people have many dogs which they can not even afford to take care of and confine within their yards,” said Beza.