Bad news for animal lovers in QC

THE QUEZON City Council has approved an ordinance which limits to four the number of cats and dogs residents can keep in their households.

Ordinance No. 2386, authored by Councilors Raquel Malañgen and Jessica Castelo Daza, is only awaiting Mayor Herbert Bautista’s signature for it to take effect.

The ordinance, which the city council passed on March 13, provides for “comprehensive animal regulation and control in Quezon City.”

It consolidates previous regulations covering pet ownership in the city, including Ordinance No. 2155 approved in 2012 which requires the registration, vaccination and tagging of pets and Ordinance No. 1373 passed in 2004 which empowers the city veterinarian to regulate stray animals.

Section No. 6 of the new ordinance, however, sets a new restriction for animal lovers: “Pets should be kept to a maximum number of four per household.” The ordinance’s definition of “domesticated animals” covers only cats and dogs.

However, domesticated animals “that are not space-consuming” such as fish and lovebirds, can exceed four but not more than 30, it pointed out.

If pet owners want to keep more than the allowed number, they will have to secure the P500 special permit required of commercial breeders, traders and trainers. They should also comply with other requirements such as vaccination and the space to be occupied by the animals. Based on the ordinance, this will depend on the pet’s size. For cats and dogs, these can be between 12 and 24 square feet.

This is on top of the pre-existing requirement for owners to register their pets with the city veterinarian for P200 each once these reach three months of age. Pets are also required to have an antirabies vaccination before they can be registered.

According to the explanatory portion of the ordinance, “there is an increasing number of incidents of animal bites in Quezon City, and the city places consistently high in positive rabies cases in the National Capital Region.”

Aside from rabies, the ordinance authors also expressed apprehension over “zoonotic diseases” or diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans such as salmonella and ringworm.

Violators of the ordinance, depending on the number of times they are apprehended, can be fined up to P2,000. Their pets may also be confiscated or their permits revoked.