Cebu City to Round up Stray Dogs for Sinulog

Stray dogs are a huge problem in the Philippines. It seems the problem is so out of hand that nothing can be done. However, that is not the case as shown by the City of Cebu.

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/550542/stray-dogs-to-be-impounded-for-safety-during-fiesta-senor-sinulog-festival

Stray dogs in Cebu City are being impounded by the Cebu City Veterinary Department for safety of both dogs and attendees during the Fiesta Señor and Sinulog Festival 2024.

Doctor Jessica Maribojoc, the head of the Cebu City Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries, mentioned that dogs without owners and deemed as nuisances in the community will be removed, as the safety of both dogs and the community is crucial during the celebration of the Fiesta Señor and Sinulog Festival.

"On our part with the government, those that we took, based on the report or based on the request, are the ones to take and then I mentioned that it is possible that he (dog) is a stray. Whether it is in our ordinance that 12 meters away from the owners or there are no owners, we can get it," Maribojoc said in an interview on Frinday, January 12.

Cebu City is rounding up dogs for Sinulog in the name of safety. They say "the safety of both dogs and the community is crucial" during the upcoming celebration. But what about the rest of the year? Is not the safety of dogs and the community crucial al year round? Why does the city allow these dogs to roam?

Even though the city is rounding up dogs for some of them it will be far from safe. 

Dogs that are impounded and not claimed within two weeks may be considered for euthanasia if they become sick.

For context, euthanasia is the practice of ending the life of a patient to alleviate their suffering.

However, dogs that remain unclaimed in the pound for more than two weeks but remain healthy have a “possibility” of becoming candidates for adoption.

Two weeks and then death for some of these dogs. Sad but at least it shows the problem of stray dogs can be dealt with. In fact it is the city's duty to take care of this problem.

Maribojoc said this is a request from several barangays and also their duty as an indirect part of the Sinulog cluster.

Less stray dogs means less garbage all over the place, less rabies cases, less bites, and a safer community. Why wait until a festival and allow the problem to compound exponentially?

This story proves the Philippine government has the power to make the nation safe. What it lacks is the will to do so.