Baguio City’s animal welfare efforts have come a long way, especially with the recent success of the City Veterinary and Agriculture Office (CVAO) in vaccinating more animals than targeted.
According to a 2024 report, over 40,176 dogs and cats were vaccinated against rabies—slightly exceeding their goal of 40,000 and bringing the city’s vaccination rate to 100.44%. This kind of result deserves recognition. But a deeper look into the broader situation reveals why this achievement should not signal a job finished.
Alongside vaccination drives, the CVAO has also been active in spay and neuter programs. These are essential steps in controlling the animal population and improving community safety.
As pointed out by Furvent Animal Rescue and Advocacy (in its comments on PIO Baguio’s post about the CVAO’s achievements), a local animal welfare group, one statistic in the same report stands out, and not in a good way: 3,046 stray dogs were impounded by the city in just one year.
That’s roughly eight dogs per day. The city pound, as it stands, is already struggling to accommodate the influx. It’s either always at capacity or nearly full. This signals a growing and unsustainable problem that vaccinations alone cannot solve.
Stray dogs don’t just appear out of nowhere. Most are abandoned, neglected, or allowed to roam freely by owners who simply do not take responsibility for them. Each impounded dog is proof of the failure of some owners to provide proper pet care. Thing is, most dog owners view their “pets” as free security guards. Some don’t even bother to feed or provide water for their supposed pet.
Go on social media and you’ll be confronted by several examples of the animal cruelty that’s prevalent across the country. You’ll see dogs and cats being kicked, maimed, and even killed. Others are treated like playthings while many are simply ignored.
And in most cases, it’s the dog or cat that suffers the consequences of their owners’ irresponsibility.
There are also instances where eyewitnesses or reporters of animal neglect or cruelty also experience being ignored or disregarded by barangay officials and law enforcers (some of whom are also guilty of breaking the law). Shouldn’t this change?
It’s admirable that the city’s veterinary office does not resort to euthanasia immediately—despite being legally allowed to do so after just three days—the reality is that many of these dogs are never reclaimed. Rehoming efforts, while well-meaning, cannot keep up with the number of animals being left behind.
The issue is less about dogs on the street, and more about the people behind them.
Animal abandonment is a form of neglect, and in many cases, abuse. But enforcement against irresponsible owners has been weak. There is already an ordinance in Baguio requiring pet registration and tagging. In theory, this should allow the city to trace impounded dogs back to their owners. In practice, however, compliance remains low. Without consistent monitoring or penalties, the ordinance lacks teeth.
If pet registration were fully enforced, and owners were properly fined for violations—such as letting pets roam unsupervised, failure to vaccinate, or abandoning animals—the city could begin to reverse the cycle. Not only would this reduce the number of strays over time, but it would also send a clear message: pet ownership comes with accountability.
Issuing citation tickets or fines can help set standards for how animals should be treated and ensure that the burden of stray population control isn’t placed solely on volunteers and the government. Responsible pet ownership is part of public health, animal welfare, and community safety. Failing to address it at the root causes results in wasted resources, overcrowded pounds, and needless suffering.
The city should expand its focus from treating symptoms—strays on the street—to addressing causes, including noncompliance with laws and a general lack of awareness or disregard of the law.
Education campaigns, stronger enforcement at the barangay level, and the proper tracking of pet registration data are key.
So is political will. The current vaccination milestone shows that targeted, organized efforts can succeed. It’s time to apply the same energy to preventing dogs (and cats) from ending up in the pound in the first place.
Strays are not the problem. People who abandon, neglect, or fail to control their animals are.
Until Baguio holds pet owners and local government units accountable, the cycle will continue, and animals will keep paying the price.
