Chennai: The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) will organise free vaccination camps for pet dogs across the city on November 16 and 23, as part of its intensified campaign to enforce mandatory pet licensing and promote responsible ownership.

The camps will run from 8 am to 5 pm at six GCC pet clinics, offering pet owners the opportunity to vaccinate, microchip, and register their dogs in one visit. The initiative follows the civic body’s recent directive, making it compulsory for all dog owners to obtain licences and microchip their pets.

From November 24, GCC health teams will begin door-to-door inspections to check for compliance. Owners of unlicensed dogs face a penalty of ₹5,000, to be imposed by the respective zonal veterinary officer.

The vaccination camps will complement the mass anti-rabies drive launched by the corporation on August 9, which has so far covered over 1.13 lakh stray dogs. The new phase will focus on registered pet dogs, aiming to boost vaccination coverage and improve registration rates.

Despite the mandatory rule, officials said pet registration numbers remain below expectations. The GCC licensed around 260 dogs and microchipped them recently. In 2024, a total of 9,063 pet licences were issued, compared to 3,401 so far this year.

A resolution passed by the GCC Council reaffirmed the importance of compulsory licensing and vaccination to ensure better control of the city’s canine population and to prevent disease transmission.

However, several pet owners have reported technical issues with the GCC’s online licensing portal, including problems with renewal applications and uploading vaccination or sterilisation certificates, forcing many to reapply from scratch.

Officials said these glitches will be resolved before inspections begin later this month, as the civic body seeks to strengthen its public health and animal welfare initiatives through stricter enforcement and accessible services.

IANS