DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 25 October) – The City Health Office (CHO) has given the Happy Animals Club two months to implement the recommendations from various local government agencies involving complaints against the animal shelter.
Rescued animals. Photo from the Facebook page of Happy Animals Club
Luzminda Paig, CHO’s Environmental Sanitation Division chief, said the animal shelter, which requested for more time, will be ordered to relocate if the measures won’t be put in place by the end of the year.
The city government padlocked the shelter last October 13 in response to complaints on the alleged noise and foul odor coming from the facility.
The recommendations were discussed during a dialogue on Tuesday also attended by representatives from the Business Bureau, City Planning and Development Office, City Legal Office, City Veterinarian Office, and the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO).
These measures include mitigating measures for noise, odor and waste management, and the disposal of animal carcasses.
In a sanitary order from the CHO issued to Happy Animals on October 20, it said than an inspector recorded a decibel reading of 78 dB at 1:30 p.m. and 2:10 p.m. taken from an adjacent property at least 25 meters away from the shelter.
Atty. Neil Jao, Happy Animals counsel, admitted the rescued pets make intermittent noises at the center, but pointed out that the 78 dB is equivalent to a noise of a washing machine.
While the noise level of the shelter is compliant, it agreed to follow the recommendation from the CHO to rearrange the setup inside its facility.
The ideal arrangement would be to move the dogs away from the entrance to avoid the barks directed at the passersby, and transfer the kitchen away from the wall near their neighbors to abate the unpleasant smell from cooking dog food, the CHO said.
Leah Daño, shelter spokesperson, said the animal shelter will follow the CHO’s recommendations, plus it will fix the exhaust fan in their kitchen.
Based on CENRO guidelines, animal carcasses must be properly buried and must not be thrown at garbage collection points, which the shelter follows.
Daño said the shelter buried dead animals in a nearby vacant property with the consent of the subdivision management, which the CENRO has yet to investigate.
The City Veterinarian’s Office recommended and offered assistance on the installation of a backyard biogas facility, which Happy Animal vowed to comply with if the cost is affordable.
Atty. Benigno Masungcad, of the City Legal Office, said the closure order would be lifted and the shelter can remain at its current location if the standards are followed in the agreed time. (Miah Christine Bontilao / MindaNews)
