Pet dogs bite more, not stray dogs

CEBU, Philippines — Bite cases in Cebu City are more rampant among house dogs than strays, said Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries (DVMF) head Dr. Alice Utlang.

In an interview yesterday, Utlang said they have received reports of dog bite cases but don’t have the data yet, as it is only available with the Cebu City Health Department.

Despite this, Utlang clarified that contrary to what has been reported, bite cases are more common among house dogs than stray dogs, which are usually linked to rabies cases. She added that based on diagnostic clinics, most rabies cases originate from house dogs, not roaming dogs.

“Even the bite cases, mas daghang namaak sa house dogs kaysa sa roaming dogs, or stray dogs,” said Utlang.

According to her, stray dogs are already accustomed to the presence of people, making them more comfortable with human touch. House dogs, on the other hand, are mostly kept inside homes or cages, making them less familiar with and more skeptical of human interaction.

“Ang iro man gud are territorial, so kung naa sya sa iyang territory mao ng mamaak sya labi na og wa sya ma-expose to other dogs or other human,” said Utlang.

She further said that regarding social media posts circulating about house dogs becoming aggressive and biting their owners, this mostly happens with dogs that are in heat, especially male dogs.

“Sipukon ilang ulo kay gusto sila mangita kadtong asa dapit to ang namiga,” said Utlang.

Utlang also stated that she personally finds it unfair to attribute rabies cases to stray dogs, as vaccination efforts by veterinarians have been extensive, particularly in Cebu City.

It was reported that to stop people from abusing the Cebu City Government’s public services for pets, the DVMF announced the cancellation of the weekly city-wide “Cats and Dogs” Day.

Utlang previously explained that they used to organize an “Iro and Iring Day” every Thursday and Friday, which provided free services to dogs and cats, particularly spaying and neutering.

However, Utlang said that they recently decided to cancel this and instead bring the services directly to the barangay level.

“Kay mas maayo pa didto nga klaro g’yud kaayo nga ang mga iro nga gidala taga Cebu City,” said Utlang.

Utlang explained that they arrived at this decision following reports that non-Cebu City residents were taking advantage of the services, which drained their supplies and created an unfair situation for actual city residents.

As of April this year, Utlang reported that eight rabies cases have been recorded. For the entirety of 2024, the DVMF has logged 27 rabies cases.

Utlang said they do not take these figures for granted, as their goal is to eliminate rabies in Cebu City. She added that they have trained vaccinators to further promote responsible pet ownership. — (FREEMAN)