Galkot (Baglung), July 1: The Baglung Municipality has run a dog hostel for managing community and stray dogs within the municipality. The municipality has started rescuing stray dogs by setting up a ‘dog hostel.’ After problems increased due to the menace of stray dogs in the town, the municipality arranged land, shelter, and a playground for dogs to ensure their sustainable management.
Baglung Municipality has stated that the ‘dog hostel’ has the capacity to accommodate 50 dogs. Currently, 20 stray, sick, and weak community dogs have been sheltered in the hostel in the first phase. Mitra Prasad Sapkota, the head of the municipal animal branch, said that the hostel for dogs was built with fencing on a five-ropani land plot in Baglung Municipality–3 at a cost of Rs 10 million, and staff and food arrangements have been made to take care of the dogs.
The hostel was built with an investment of Rs 3.5 million from Baglung Municipality and Rs 6.5 million from the Chief Minister’s Office. The municipality had set a goal two years ago to build a dog hostel as part of policies and programmes for managing community dogs.
“We’re even sterilizing dogs and have plans to manage stray dogs in the hostel with food and care. The hostel was built because people used to abandon their pets in the market when they got old and sick, which led to them biting passersby and causing accidents,” said Mayor Basant Kumar Shrestha.
The municipality has made it mandatory to register pet dogs. Also, arrangements have been made for issuing identification card to pet dogs as well as for providing medicine and vaccinations. The municipality’s animal branch has stated that provision has been made to make the owner responsible if a registered dog is abandoned and comes onto the street. A fee of Rs 200 must be paid for pet dog registration.
