Is the dog park ready in all aspects?
HYDERABAD : As GHMC’s one-of-a-kind dog park is ready to be inaugurated in Gachibowli, pet owners and pet lovers have been curious on how safe these parks would be for the pooches and for the humans. Though the park has a paid entry with officials saying there would be due checks in place, experts point that most of the community pet recreation areas in the city are low on hygiene levels.
The dog park in Necklace road for instance has no boundaries or facilities for the pet dogs. There is no mechanism in place to check for the due vaccinations and medications that the dog’s who enter the place have received. “These places could be a breeding ground, because there is no checking of the vaccination cards,” informed Priyanka, a behaviourist. The small area sees over 200-250 dogs on an average every Sunday.
Not only is there a threat of diseases to the dogs, but there is also a fear at large on it getting transmitted to humans. “Though most pet owners are responsible in vaccinating their dogs, there could be chances of diseases like tapeworm, hookworm, parasitic diseases, fungal diseases, and external parasites getting transmitted onto the humans if the dog is not vaccinated and medicated, which maybe the case with strays,” explained K Srinivas, Veterinarian. Some of the diseases that dogs with weak immunity can get include kneel cough, canine influenza, corona virus etc.
Even in the new 1.19 acre park located in Gachibowli, there are some elements like the artificial grass and pools which require cleaning daily and may turn into breeding grounds for zoonotic diseases if not maintained. “We are hoping the GHMC authorities would be changing the water daily to avoid spread of infections onto other dogs,” added Priyanka, a canine trainer.
However, senior officials from the department maintained that all due care would be taken and pet registration cum pet vaccination booths would be set up within the new park to ensure no lapses.
The latest dog park which will be the first of its kind not just in the city but also country, has a space for a dog shop, dog spa, up to four dog toilets, a bone shaped pool, a play area. It also has various sophisticated dog obstacles for wholesome development of the dogs.