No one said dog parenting is as easy. It comes with its own challenges but you have to try and give these creatures the best care; which includes restricting their movement and not letting them roam anywhere.
‘Stray Dogs’
At any given time in our lives, we have all come across the term ‘’Stray Dogs’’, which is a name given to the dogs that love to loiter in the peri- urban market places, in search for food and water. These dogs have been thought to be expressing their natural behavior by feeding on the rotten debris in the garbage pits but this is not the case.
The truth is that they have been neglected by their owners. So, the term ‘stray dog’ should not even exist because each dog has an owner. The proper name should be roaming dogs and this act is termed as irresponsible dog ownership.
Irresponsible dog ownership the main cause of rabies
Despite it being easy to treat, rabies still persists. The main cause of rabies is believed to be irresponsible dog ownership. Dogs are let to roam freely, posing a number of risks to the community.
During the vaccination campaigns conducted in the counties, these dogs do not receive the rabies vaccination because no one claims their ownership. Failure to not getting vaccinated, they bite people, infecting them with rabies.
If the bites are not treated immediately, they become fatal and can later lead to death
World Rabies Day
World Rabies Day is a global health observance started in 2007 to raise awareness about rabies and bring together partners to enhance prevention and control efforts worldwide. World Rabies Day is observed in many countries, including Kenya.
As World Rabies Day fast approaches on 28th September, people are encouraged to have their dogs get vaccinated against rabies, so as to reduce the number of deaths that occur globally as a result of bites from dogs that are infected with rabies.
Government’s Rabies elimination strategy
The Kenyan government has a strategy to eliminate rabies country wide by 2020. Statistics show that 80% of dogs in Kenya are owned, hence rabies elimination can be achieved through mass dog vaccination, a project which is ongoing in different counties in Kenya.
They have been working with Ministry of Health and Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries as partners.
World animal protection, an animal welfare organization that works closely with both national and county governments in protection of animals, has also been involved in rabies elimination. In collaboration with Makueni county government, they have been undertaking mass dog vaccination and the county residents have been responding positively by bringing their dogs for vaccination against rabies.
