Lucknow: In view of the rise in cases of street dog bites, the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) has proposed to set up shelter homes with a capacity for 1,000 canines on 15,464 sqmt of land in Sarojininagar.The shelter home will be for aggressive street dogs who will be kept there after sterilisation and vaccination as per animal birth control (ABC) norms. The proposal will be placed for the LMC House meeting on Wednesday for approval.“Only high-risk street dogs, identified through complaints or behaviour, will be housed in the home. Experts will assess them before shifting to avoid conflict among dogs,” an official said, adding that NGOs and the civic body will manage feeding and upkeep.When asked about the utility of such shelter homes for street dogs, experts said canines should be kept in such shelerts for a short time for treatment and behaviour management. The stabilised ones should be relocated or managed under norms to prevent overcrowding, they added.Veterinarian Dr Rajneesh Chandra said that the area proposed by the LMC to keep 1,000 dogs is inadequate because the rules recommend at least 200 sqft per dog. He added that dogs have ‘territorial nature’, which may give rise to conflicts among them in the shelter. “A kennel-based model could improve outcomes. Monitoring and coordination with field teams will be key,” he said.Meanwhile, the LMC House will also consider allocating land for a new office for Lucknow’s chief medical officer in Hariharpur.
