<figure><img width="800" height="662" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101120/6372088b9c7e80680e0b54f0jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Photo: KAT CENTRE</figcaption></figure>Nepal was declared an open defecation free zone for humans in 2019, but in Pokhara it is the dogs that are creating nuisance.Public complaints about streets strays using sidewalks as lavatories in this picturesque lake-side city have prompted Pokhara’s municipality to make dog registration and licensing compulsory – the first time in Nepal. If successful, the pilot project will be replicated in Kathmandu and other cities with strays and community dogs being microchipped and tagged to keep the canine population in check, and also help control rabies. “Registering in Kathmandu would be more challenging given the sheer number of dogs in the Valley. We will need a separate body for monitoring and proper documentation with microchipping,” says Khageshwaar Sharma of Himalayan Animal Rescue Trust (HART) in Pokhara.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/bhaktapurs-dog-catchers/">Bhaktapur's dog catchers</a>, Monika DeupalaKathmandu municipality’s livestock division already has three years of experience registering street bovines and water buffalos by embedding microchips in them. It has now received Rs5 million from the Prime Minister Employment Program to bulk microchip dogs and cats this year. Officials will soon conduct door-to-door visits to do a canine census, and estimate the total microchips needed.“The census will also give us a more accurate figure for the total number of dog owners, pet shops and clinics, which in turn will allow for mass vaccination against rabies, spaying and neutering of the dogs and formulation of necessary regulations,” says Awadesh Jha, livestock division chief with Kathmandu municipality. <img width="1500" height="1000" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101120/6372088e9c7e80680e0b54f1jpeg.jpg" alt="">Ideally, registration and microchipping of dogs should be done by breeders but in Nepal, the government does not even have a record of the total number of breeders and kennel clubs in the country. In fact, there is no law stipulating breeders have to be registered, adding to the risk of animal abuse.Laws preventing animal abuse are relatively new in Nepal. The Ministry of Livestock Department developed the Animal Welfare Directive only in 2016 and even that has no provision to punish offenders.To be sure, animal abuse is criminalised under the Criminal Code of Nepal. Yet, specific laws for animal welfare are still missing such as the specificity of animal hospitals and clinics, breeding and shops. What this has done is proliferate so-called ‘animal hospitals’ that lack basic veterinary equipment and mostly function as breeders or pet shops.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/saving-chari/">Saving Chari</a>, Nepali Times“With increasing pet ownership, particularly that of canines, we need proper guidelines. Many first generation dog owners need to be taught how to treat their pets well,” says Pramada Shah of Animal Nepal.Diktel municipality in Khotang district became notorious two years ago for brutally beating and killing stray dogs. A video clip of the torture and killing of a dog named Khairey in Banepa last year provoked outrage and street protests. There have been frequent mass poisonings of street dogs. And in 2019, hundreds of street cows were pushed off a cliff in Surkhet by a contractor who was supposed to transport them to a shelter. Animal rights activists say that the central government needs to draw up uniform laws so that offenders, be they pet owners, locals, shops or breeders, can be held accountable.  <figure><img width="2048" height="1365" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101120/637208909c7e80680e0b54f2jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Caring for dogs is also important for rabies control. Nepal needs to achieve the World Health Organisation (WHO) ‘Zero by 30’ global strategic plan to prevent human deaths by dog-mediated rabies by 2030. Rabies is a completely preventable disease but has the highest documented case-fatality rate at close to 100%. Globally, it is responsible for nearly 60,000 deaths a year, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/dog-bites-man-is-still-news-in-nepal/">40% of which are of children under 15</a>.And while rabies occurs in more than 150 countries, it is endemic in South Asia and Africa. India alone accounts for 40% of all annual rabies deaths in the world. Nepal on the other hand has an average of 125 cases a year, but this is a gross underestimation, say experts. Most cases in rural areas never make it to healthcare facilities.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/dog-bites-man-is-still-news-in-nepal/">Dog bites man is still news in Nepal</a>, Sonia AwaleAn anti-rabies injection is often the only way to save a person bitten by a rabid dog and has to be administered immediately after a dog bite. But only a few government healthcare facilities in Nepal have a stock of free vaccines, and in private clinics patients have to pay a hefty fee for a jab.Preventive measures including vaccinating and controlling the canine population are the most cost-effective approach, and dog registration with microchipping can be the first step in ensuring this.For now, Pokhara is leading the way. Says Awadesh Jha: “With registration, owners can find lost pets, animals can be protected from diseases and the government can form plans to control the canine population and take action against irresponsible ownership, breeding or selling. We should microchip every animal so that either dogs or humans don't misbehave.”Read more: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/saving-nepals-last-wild-dogs/">Saving Nepal's last dogs</a>, Yadav Ghimirey<a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/woof-of-fresh-air-for-street-dogs-in-kathmandu,4132">A Woof of fresh air</a>, Ryan Chang

Aria Shree Parasai

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Microchipping Nepal’s dogs

Kathmandu’s <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/woof-of-fresh-air-for-street-dogs-in-kathmandu,4132" target="_blank">community canines</a> already seem to sense that their special day is coming soon on 14 November, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/mexico-adopts-kukur-tihar/" target="_blank">Kukur Tihar</a>. That is when they are ritually garlanded &nbsp;and offered treats as the messengers of Yamaraj, the god of death. But for Rashmi Tuladhar, every day is dog day. Ever since she was a child, she took care of <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/kukur-biralo-tihar/" target="_blank">the dogs and cats</a> in her tole – these were not abandoned strays but community pets. No one owns them, but everyone does. <div class="embed-block"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181116/636be0f89c7e80680e083e21jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1502" height="1000">Rashmi at home with one of her dozen resident dogs. All photos: SHRISTI SHERCHAN</div> Over the years, Rashmi’s bond with dogs in her neighbourhood grew, and today at age 46 she has been taking care of several generations of dogs, while keeping some of the more needy ones in her own house in Asan. The pandemic has been <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/singha-darbar-dogs-go-hungry-in-lockdown/" target="_blank">tough on Kathmandu’s community dogs</a> &nbsp;there is less food to rummage through and many butcher and food shops are closed. And, ironically, while dogs will be worshipped on Saturday morning by being fed and feted, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/in-an-animal-farm/" target="_blank">Tihar fire crackers will scare the wits out of them in the evening</a>. Rashmi Didi, as she is affectionately known in her neighbourhood, gets up before dawn every morning. Not to visit the temples as some of her neighbours, but to prepare the morning meal for the 100 <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/bhaktapurs-dog-catchers/" target="_blank">community canines</a> that she cares for: from Asan to Ratna Park, and as far as Ghanta Ghar. Rashmi keeps another dozen or so seniors and injured dogs in her cramped ancestral home. “Many people just see them as filthy animals who are always breeding endlessly, so they either do not take care of them or mistreat them,” says Rashmi while on her daily rounds to check up on the dogs in her neighbourhood. <div class="embed-block"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181116/636be0fc9c7e80680e083e22jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="956">Rashmi Tuladhar's simple ancestral home in Asan at the heart of old Kathmandu.</div> The dogs recognise her from afar, and run towards Rashmi, tails wagging furiously. For Rashmi, there is less of a religious motivation to appease the gods in this work. She is driven more by <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=19767#.X6yhfS17GCQ" target="_blank">compassion for fellow sentient beings</a>. She gets help from animal welfare organisations Animal Nepal and Catmandu Lovers to sterilise and vaccinate the dogs and cats, and also treat those who are sick or injured. “Their help has made me realise that there are good people in this world too,” she says. <div class="embed-block"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181116/636be0fe9c7e80680e083e23jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1506" height="1000">Rashmi Tuladhar feeding community dogs in her neighbourhood in Asan during her morning feeding round.</div> Rashmi herself is handicapped, her right hand is partly paralysed. From a young age, she faced discrimination and bullying for being a ‘cripple’. She says she still cannot understand how people can be so cruel, adding that her special bond with dogs probably comes from identifying with the way the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/dog-bites-man-is-still-news-in-nepal/" target="_blank">animals are also mistreated by humankind</a>. “For me, humans are the ones more difficult to deal with in this world,” she explains matter-of-factly. “I have seen people abandoning their own pets on the streets, some leave them to suffer in cages. I cannot understand why they bring home a dog or a cat only to leave them on the streets.” While on her morning rounds, Rashmi's neighbours stop by to chat with her. Strangers sometimes ask her why she is feeding the dogs, and they cannot understand why she does it. “These animals cannot express themselves in a way we humans understand, they cannot ask for help. People are mean to them, they throw hot water or rocks, beat them with sticks,” she says. “Some people even say hurtful things even while I am feeding them. But at least these <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/a-dog-with-altitude/" target="_blank">dogs</a> know not all humans are nasty in this life that we are living together.” Although she may sound despondent, Rashmi see hope in young people in her neighbourhood who stop by to pet the dogs she is feeding. Many say they do not have dogs are home, but would like to have one. Rashmi recognises every dog on the streets by their names, and introduces them to the children. <div class="embed-block"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181116/636be1019c7e80680e083e24jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1002">One of Rashmi’s resident senior dog looks out of the window awaiting her return from her feeding round.</div> After completing her daily round, Rashmi heads home to feed and care for her own resident <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/saving-nepals-last-wild-dogs/" target="_blank">dogs</a>, who yelp happily to see her return. She says: “This is what makes me happy. My disability does not affect me so why should it affect others? I just hope people were kinder.”

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Every day is Dog Day

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108101132/636a22d49c7e80680e0417adjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1400" height="876"/><figcaption>BLOOD BOND: Jenny, a street dog injured after being hit by a car, received a blood transfusion from a fellow canine that helped save its life. Dogs at Sneha Care animal shelter regularly donate blood, which is used to help other dogs in need.</figcaption></figure>Sneha Shrestha and four <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/woof-of-fresh-air-for-street-dogs-in-kathmandu,4132" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rescued dogs</a> at her Sneha Care shelter are saving abandoned canines -- one blood transfusion at a time.For four years dogs at the shelter have been providing blood for dog surgeries and transfusions, and have saved many lives while helping vets across Kathmandu when they are in need of blood donation.“Before I had the shelter I found a dog on the street who was very sick and didn’t have a lot of blood,” Shrestha recalls. “I took the dog to the clinic, and it needed surgery but there was no blood available. The doctor asked if I had a healthy and disease-free dog at home who could donate.”Read also: <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/woof-of-fresh-air-for-street-dogs-in-kathmandu,4132" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A woof of fresh air</a>, Ryan Chang<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108101132/636a22d79c7e80680e0417aejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="1067">Shrestha brought her Jenny who donated the first pint of blood to the needy dog at the surgeon’s table, and that made her realise that her dogs could help save other dogs. Four years later, Shrestha is proud of her dogs whose loyalty goes beyond being man’s best friend to also serving as dog’s best friend.“I take the dogs to a private clinic every three months for the donations because I don’t have the correct equipment at my shelter, it is expensive but the dogs are worth it, one day I aim to have all of the equipment,” Shrestha told Nepali Times.Veterinarian Sushil Kumar Paudel at the Animal Medical Centre says he is very grateful for Sneha Shrestha’s dogs and their blood because it can be hard to find appropriate canine donors.“There is a criteria that a dog must meet in order to donate blood,” Paudel explains, “they should be between 1-7 years of age, in healthy condition, disease free and preferably weigh more than 20kg.” This last requirement can sometimes be overlooked if the transfusion required is small:  only a 350ml bag instead of 450ml.“It’s also difficult sometimes to convince dog owners to do the donation procedure, it’s completely safe but some owners still worry,” he adds.Read also: <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/caring-for-abandoned-dogs,3852" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Woman's best friend</a>, Sonia Awale<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108101132/636a22da9c7e80680e0417afjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1400" height="1050"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Just as with human donors, after the dogs donate blood the clinic provides them with iron supplements and vitamins to ensure a speedy recovery of blood cells. There are no sedatives used during the donation procedure unless the dogs are particularly aggressive. Most of the time the dogs cooperate and are happy to be held in place, and sedatives are discouraged because they affect the quality of the blood.Blood transfusions are a novelty among dogs and are not used very frequently due to time and money limitations, as most owners prefer to treat their dogs with medicine rather than an expensive blood transfusion.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/bhaktapurs-dog-catchers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bhaktapur's dog catchers</a>, Monika Deupala“There are incidents when a blood transfusion is unavoidable: with internal bleeding or long surgeries where the blood loss is high. But if the procedure is minor we often find alternatives to blood transfusion,” Paudel adds.On average the Animal Medical Centre performs approximately two or three blood transfusions per month. One of the dog blood donors, a handsome German Shepherd named Jack has been adopted and flew off to Canada this week.Cats may also be able to donate blood in the future, but currently their population in Kathmandu is small and their general health would need to improve before they can be donors, like their canine colleagues.

A dog's best friend

https://youtu.be/3hBQgP67QrgWhile packs of <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/caring-for-abandoned-dogs,3852" target="_blank" rel="noopener">street dogs</a> howling at night are annoying for those of us trying to sleep, there are more serious issues about their presence that need addressing: overpopulation and <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=19652#.Wz7EY9gzYnU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rabies</a>.Neither are a new phenomenon, but <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/woof-of-fresh-air-for-street-dogs-in-kathmandu,4132" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bhaktapur Municipality’s approach to the problem</a> is. Instead of poisoning them, it is taking a more humane approach to eradicate rabies and control the dog population.Read also: <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/woof-of-fresh-air-for-street-dogs-in-kathmandu,4132" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A woof of fresh air</a>, Ryan Chang The canine squad wakes up early in Gahiti of Bhaktapur, as they lure female dogs into the truck with biscuits. They also keep their eyes peeled for unvaccinated males. The team is a mix of uniformed officials, volunteers, and vets, who are combing the streets as part of the Sanitation Department’s Street Dog Sterilisation and Anti-Rabies Vaccination Campaign.Complaints of locals and tourists being bitten or attacked by strays are serious. Two-hundred deaths per year are attributed to rabies, and the number is rising. There are about 35,000 courses of shots distributed each year. The treatment for rabies comes at a serious cost too: Rs2,000 per course of four injections.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107121140/6368ef6e9c7e80680e03597djpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"/><figcaption>Photos: MONIKA DEUPALA</figcaption></figure>This takes some explaining to the locals, but there is nothing sinister going on. Most respond positively as the team tells them what they are doing, and that it is not an act against nature or god. The dogs are not being culled, rather spayed, given an orange collar or notched ear for identification, and released.Sanitisation Department chief Dilip Kumar Suwal believes this is going to benefit the city’s overall canine health. It should also help eradicate rabies, which was the reason for several complaints of stray dog attacks.It’s a far more <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=17934#.Wz7DvNgzYnU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">humane alternative to the previous quarterly poisonings</a>, the city had a record of killing up to 500 dogs a year. The new technique could replace the culling, Suwal says.This is the first time the municipality has taken responsibility for controlling the dog population. Previously animal rights groups were the only ones to do anything about the problem. The street dog program began in March and has spayed 137 females and vaccinated 311 thus far. The goal is simple and obvious: reduce the dog population and make urban living healthier. But the issue is not confined to the city. Outlying villages in the district also face the dog menace. Farmers are losing cattle, infected dogs put the elderly at risk of skin diseases, and the dogs cause traffic incidents.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107121140/6368ef729c7e80680e03597ejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000">Pranav Joshi of Vet for Your Pet clinic believes dog population management is pertinent. But it is not limited to the dogs themselves, city residents should also clean up their neighbourhoods and not leave garbage lying around.“Dogs roam places where there is food. Bhaktapur has many festivals and feasts, and this leaves a lot of edible garbage lying around, leading to chronic diseases,” Joshi explains. As a veterinarian, Joshi does not want to see the streets clear of dogs, but wants to see them b<a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=16143#.Wz7EaNgzYnU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">eing adopted and loved as part of people’s families</a>. Clinic promoter Sandeep Joshi says this means distinguishing between household pet dogs, community dogs and strays.The campaign has been put on hold for now and will resume after the rains. But given Bhaktapur’s positive results thus far, the only question is whether, and when, the rest of Nepal’s municipalities will follow suit, given the ever-present danger of rabies.Read also: <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=17934#.Wz7DvNgzYnU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A dog's best friend</a>, Michael CoxDog Needs HomeThis abandoned puppy, found in Bakhundole, is now in temporary care, putting on weight and being playful again.Looking for a loving family.Text: 9818414269<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107121140/6368ef759c7e80680e03597fjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="370">