DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 1 Aug)—The Digos City local government unit is bound to sign a memorandum of agreement with animal welfare advocate groups to “strengthen animal welfare,” which includes converting the city’s local dog pound into a dog shelter.
An animal welfare advocate checks on a dog at the Digos City dog pound. Photo from the Happy Animals Club Facebook page
“This commitment includes providing necessary resources and backing initiatives to create a better shelter environment for stray animals housed in the pound,” the local government unit said in a statement posted in the city government’s Facebook page Wednesday afternoon.
This is in response to the call of animal welfare advocates such as the Davao City-based Happy Animals Club, which has an animal shelter, which called out the city dog pound personnel there who apparently had “no empathy” to their volunteers.
On Saturday, July 27, the group started a petition to “remove or re-assign” all Digos City LGU dog pound staff as they were only allegedly “catching dogs and interfering with volunteers who do actual work.”
The club started to go to the dog pound adopting dogs as early as February 28, after receiving pictures of a dead dog being consumed by other dogs in Digos City’s dog pound.
“We offered to feed the dogs in the pound and get them adopted, and were granted access to the pound by the CVO to take photos and feed the dogs,” the animal shelter said in a statement.
The club also commented that the municipal dog pound staff in Digos City showed hostility, neglect, and lack of cooperation, making it difficult to care for and adopt out the impounded dogs.
Despite their efforts to feed and find homes for the dogs, the pound staff’s alleged unprofessional behavior, including threats and refusal to follow animal welfare directives, hindered efforts to adopt dogs from the pound.
The organization urged the Mayor’s Office to replace the current pound staff with empathetic and trained personnel to ensure the dogs’ proper care and adherence to the Animal Welfare Act.
Digos Mayor Josef Cagas meets with animal rights advocates to discuss what to do with the city’s dog pound. Photo from the City Government of Digos Facebook page
In response to the animal shelter’s complaints, Digos Mayor Josef Cagas held a meeting with representatives from the Happy Animals Club, Zoophilist Animal Rescue Group from Digos City, PAW Watch Davao del Sur, the City Veterinary Office, and the Digos City Government last Wednesday.
Cagas said the discussions were focused on converting the city pound into a more animal-friendly facility and regulating dog ownership, breeding, and controlling the dog population. Other issues discussed include dog health, vaccination and deworming, addressing stray dogs, and promoting responsible pet ownership.
“I have instructed the City Veterinary Office to promptly investigate the complaints regarding the treatment and care of dogs in the pound and to address urgent concerns as soon as possible,” the city mayor said in a Facebook post Tuesday afternoon. (Ian Carl Espinosa / MindaNews)
