Bengaluru pet dog rules are set for a significant expansion, with the Greater Bengaluru Authority preparing draft guidelines that may make annual licensing, registration, microchipping and rabies vaccination mandatory for dog owners. The proposed rules are awaiting approval from the Karnataka government before they can be formally notified and implemented.
The guidelines are intended to regulate pet ownership while encouraging responsible care, according to the report carried by Vijay Karnataka, which cited a Deccan Herald report. The proposals would place greater responsibility on owners for the safety, health and public behaviour of their dogs.
Under the draft, pet owners may have to obtain a licence every year and renew it annually. Dogs would also have to be fitted with microchips at the owner’s expense. The microchip would help authorities identify the owner if a dog is lost or abandoned on the streets. Owners may also be required to obtain rabies vaccination certificates issued by veterinarians recognised by the GBA.
The draft proposes limits on the number of dogs that can be kept in a home. Independent houses may be allowed to keep a maximum of three dogs. In apartment buildings, the guidelines are expected to impose a limit for each household, citing constraints of space and safety. The specific apartment limit was not stated in the supplied report.
The proposed rules would also require sterilisation for pet dogs older than 12 months, although medical exemptions may be permitted. Owners taking dogs out for walks would have to use a belt or leash. If a dog defecates in a public place, the owner would be responsible for cleaning it.
The draft also outlines consequences for dogs taken into custody. Owners would have three days to reclaim a seized dog. If they failed to do so, a daily fee could be imposed, and the animal could eventually be handed over to animal welfare organisations after the specified period.
The proposed pet ownership framework is being prepared alongside the GBA’s plans for managing stray dogs. Since April, the authority has been preparing to build a shelter with capacity for around 500 stray dogs at an estimated cost of Rs 2 crore. A five-acre site has reportedly been identified at Bingipura in the Anekal area for relocation and shelter-related activities.
The authority has also been conducting surveys across the jurisdictions of five civic bodies, including locations such as schools, colleges, hospitals, bus stands, stadiums and playgrounds. The work follows a Supreme Court direction mentioned in the report. The GBA had invited tenders from voluntary organisations to manage stray-dog shelters, but no companies reportedly submitted bids.
The proposed rules come amid continuing questions over responsibility when pet dogs cause injury or are abandoned. The report recalled a warning by the Karnataka High Court that owners would be responsible if their pet dogs bit someone. However, the measures described remain draft proposals until the state government issues an official notification. The next formal step is approval and notification of the guidelines by the Karnataka government.
