Saturday, February 8, 2025

Gaborone City Council goes to the dogs

The Gaborone City Council’s Legal Service Division has embarked on a campaign to encourage dog owners to get licenses for their pets.

The City Clerk issues a dog license on application and upon the production of a rabies certificate.
In an interview with The Sunday Standard, the GCC By-law Technician, Phemelo Matome, said that any person who keeps a dog of the nature described in the by-law shall display, at the principal entrance of the property where the dog is kept, a clearly legible sign, reading “BEWARE OF THE DOG”.
“From six months upwards, dogs must have licenses; they must, however, have been given rabies vaccination before the dog license is issued,” said Matome.

He also highlighted the penalty of contravening the provisions of this by-law as an offence, saying that, if convicted, the owner of the dog shall be liable, to a fine of P15 or two months imprisonment.

This year, the Department of Veterinary Services will conduct a rabies campaign injecting dogs around the country.

“We are planning to start soon in Phakalane and other areas around the city. No person shall allow any troublesome, ferocious or dangerous dog, or any dog which is suffering from contagious or infectious disease, to be at large, away from the premises on which the animal is normally kept,” said Matome.

According to the Township Act (1968), “rabies certificate” is a certificate signed by a veterinary surgeon within a period of three years prior to its production, stating that the dog had been vaccinated for rabies.

“Dogs should be kept away from public places and this includes any road, street, thoroughfare, bridge, foot pavement, open space or park and any enclosure vested in the Council. Where any dog detained under the provision of the sub-by-law is not claimed by or on behalf of its owner within a period of two weeks of such detention, it shall be deemed to be abandoned and, in such event, the Council may destroy or otherwise dispose of such dog,” said Matome.

RELATED STORIES

Read this week's paper