By Kim Rahn
The government will require the owners to register all pet dogs with the local authorities from 2013 in a move to reduce stray animals. Those failing to meet the regulation will face up to 1 million won ($865) in fines.
The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries announced Sunday an ordinance on the registration of pet dogs ahead of the implementation of the revised Animal Protection Law.
Whether the new rule will be carried out as planned remains to be seen as cracking down on unregistered dogs and their owners will not be easy.
“The nation is seeing a growing number of companion pets. But the number of stray animals is also rising due to an overall lack of a sense of responsibility. This negligence is a huge financial burden on local authorities to control the stray animal population. Such animals can spread epidemics, so we are promoting the plan,” a ministry official said.
Dogs aged over three months will be subject to the new rule. Dogs will have a microchip containing registration numbers, the owners’ phone numbers and addresses implanted under their skin.
Some local authorities independently adopted the system in 2009, including Busan, Incheon, Daejeon, Jeju and Gyeonggi Province. The central government aims to apply the rule across the nation.
Up to 1 million won in fines will be slapped on dog owners who don’t register their pets or fail to report changed information including new phone numbers. Those who report their animal missing and fail to report finding them will also face fines.
The registration will be made at animal hospitals designated by local authorities. The fee for the registration hasn’t been fixed yet.
“Such registration procedure is a globally-adopted system to protect animals and reduce stray animals. We’ll actively publicize the rule next year before it takes effect in 2013,” the official said.
The ministry’s data showed some 100,800 animals were abandoned last year, about a fourfold increase from 25,200 in 2003. The government spent 10.2 billion won on housing and euthanizing stray animals.
“We’ll begin with dogs because dogs make up the majority of strays. If the system is accepted, we may expand it to cats and other animals,” he said.
After collecting public opinion on the system by Nov. 4, the ministry will have the ordinance passed at a Cabinet meeting and finalized.
Dog owners and the public generally consented to the idea, but raised doubt on the effectiveness and expressed concerns over other implications.
A 33-year-old with three dogs said, “I like the idea as there are many people who don’t properly take care of their pets. But as the registration requires some money, I bet many will abandon their dogs before the system takes effect. The nation should prepare for massive abandonment.”
A blogger named gaeul said on a portal site, “The law says those who raise dogs as companions should not abandon their pets but those who raise animals for ‘food’ are exempted from responsibility for abandonment. The rule should be applied equally.”
Another blogger, zero-sum, said, “We need other measures for dog owners who become unable to keep their animals for some reason or other.”