Dog-friendly parks await city dwellers with the implementation of final structural plans, City Environment and Parks Management Office (CEPMO) Assistant Dept. Head Atty. Rhenan Diwas disclosed during the Ugnayan last week.
According to Diwas, most of the city parks are designed as amusement, recreation and eco-parks thus dog-friendly implements shall be installed, with a dog waste receptacle to be piloted in Bayan Park, Aurora Hill.
However he called on pet-owners to be responsible when walking pets anywhere inside the city. Pets should be properly leashed, with owners providing dog waste catchment containers.
It may be recalled that Republic Act 9482 or the Anti-rabies Act of 2007 mandates the local government a system of control, prevention or spread and eventual eradication of human and animal rabies through responsible pet ownership.
The law further mandates that dogs are properly immunized, registered and issued a dog tag, and confined within the dog-owner’s fenced surroundings.
City Ordinance 60 series of 2020 which amends Ordinance 500, series of 1934 states that dogs are considered a nuisance and to be impounded, if the dog has bitten a person outside the house, cause threat or fear to passerby, or on not less than three occasions, disturb peace and quiet of the neighborhood or defecated outside owner’s premises. Responsible owners should clean up after the pet, it was stated.
The amendment also states that unless dogs are leashed and held by owners, they may be seized and impounded when in public places, highways, schools, parks, public playgrounds, churches and public place or in premises other than its owner’s fenced area.
In a query for an exclusive dog park, Diwas said a multi-use park is preferred given the limited space within city bounds. (Julie G. Fianza, Photo by Joe Manzano)