Registration of pet dogs starts in Karachi

• CBC takes decision after two pet dogs attacked a senior lawyer in Karachi's DHA.
• Once owners submit their forms, it will be up to CBC to determine whether they can keep their dogs or not.
• The rate of the form has been fixed at Rs250, while the registration fee will Rs2000 per dog.

KARACHI: The Cantonment Board Clifton on Monday made registration of pet dogs mandatory, days after two dogs attacked a senior lawyer in the metropolis' upscale Defence area.

The CBC, in a notification, said under section 119 and the Cantonment Act 1924, it is required for all dog owners to get their pets registered. The rate of the form has been fixed at Rs250, while the registration fee will be Rs2,000 per dog.

The form consists of the name of the dog owner, ID card number, address of the place where the dog is kept, mobile number, email ID, the colour of the dog, breed, sex, and reason behind keeping it.

The date of vaccination of the dog will also be entered in the form.

A vaccination card, with the signature of the dog owner, a photograph of the dog, a copy of the owner's ID card, the vaccination report given by the doctors, and a copy of the fee payment challan will be attached along with the form.

Once the form is submitted, it will be the prerogative of the CBC whether it will allow the residents to keep the dog or not.

The CBC said the non-registration of a dog will make it impossible for the board to determine whether the dog has been muzzled and is disease-free or not.

Thus, keeping an unregistered dog will be illegal and it will lead to the detention or culling of the dog, imposition of fines, or legal actions.

The dog registration form can be acquired from the cantonment board's office.

What led to the step?

Last week, CCTV footage showed that Advocate Mirza Ali Akhtar was walking in Phase 6, Defence Housing Authority neighbourhood when two dogs darted towards him and tackled him to the ground.

Another man, who appeared to be a caretaker of the dogs, tried hard to separate the animals from Ali but to no avail.

The caretaker ran off to find another man and they both then rescued the lawyer from the dogs.

The footage showed the two caretakers left the lawyer injured on the road and took the dogs away.

Police registered a case against the dogs' owner, Humayun Khan, and nominated the two caretakers in the case as well.

Court orders the arrest of owner

On Saturday, a Karachi court had ordered the police to arrest the owner of two pet dogs who attacked a lawyer five days ago.

The Additional District and Sessions Judge South issued the directives after rejecting the appeal for pre-arrest bail of the owner, Humayun Khan, whose two dogs had attacked veteran lawyer Mirza Ali Akhtar on Monday, leaving him severely injured.

The court said that "it was due to the negligence of the owner that the dogs attacked the lawyer, whose life is now in danger".