The last time
the local authority conducted an exercise to shoot stray dogs was in 2015.
Dog owners who
keep more than two animals in a property less than 2 000 square metres, not
fenced or walled and gated and allow the canines to roam outside their premises
without restraint, are in violation of the Bulawayo City Council’s Dog
Licensing and Control by-laws, council said.
A hedge is not
considered sufficient enclosure to keep dogs confined in a property. Dog owners
in low density suburbs are allowed to keep not more than four canines while
those residing in high density areas can only keep a maximum of two dogs.
In a latest
notice, council stated that no person shall keep a dog aged six months or more
without a valid license and that all dogs in the city must be vaccinated
against rabies. It is also against city by-laws for residents to breed dogs
without a licence.
“A dog licence
is valid for a year and can be obtained from any City of Bulawayo revenue
office upon production of a valid vaccination certificate and payment of a fee
of US$24 for a male dog and US$27 for a female dog,” said council.
“Dog owners who
no longer need their dogs are advised to surrender them to the Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).”
Residents who
spoke to Chronicle yesterday said stray dogs are a menace in the city,
especially in areas where there are tshisanyamas or where cooked food is sold
such as at backyard restaurants at shopping centres.
In areas such
as KoChigumira Shopping Centre in Luveve suburb where there are five
tshisanyamas, stray dogs roam around the place in search for left-over food.
“People come to
braai meat while drinking and hanging out at the business centre and throw away
left-over food. Some dog owners have stopped feeding their dogs and as such
they roam around the shopping centre scavenging for food,” said Mr Michael
Ndaba from Luveve.
He said of
concern is that some of the stray dogs have not been vaccinated against rabies.
“The fear is
that children or even adults might be attacked by dogs that have not been
vaccinated against rabies,” he said.
In Mzilikazi,
at a popular leisure centre known as KoMadamara, residents also face a similar
problem of stray dogs scavenging for left-over food thrown away by imbibers.
The joint is frequented by many people especially at weekends.
“There are
about five dogs that literally stay at the shopping centre scavenging for food.
During weekends people from all over the city come here to braai meat and drink
beer and as such there is no shortage of meat and bones for the dogs,” said a
vendor Miss Eva Mpala. Chronicle
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