Lazatin orders spaying and neutering of stray animals near 53 Angeles schools

ANGELES CITY — Putting premium on the welfare of animals, Mayor Carmelo Lazatin, Jr. has ordered the trap-neuter-release (TNR) and anti-rabies vaccination of stray dogs and cats in the premises of 53 public schools here.

The Angeles City Veterinary Office headed by Dr. Christian Arcilla spayed and neutered stray dogs and cats in the vicinity of 53 public schools as per order of Mayor Carmelo Lazatin Jr. to control animal population in the city. Chief adviser Ic Calaguas, also an animal advocate and one of the implementors of the spay and neuter program, looks on. (Photo by Angeles City Information Office.)

This is Mayor Lazatin’s assistance to public schools’ administrations on the rapid population growth of stray animals living in the vicinity of schools, and at the same time, ensure the safety of children once classes start.

“We understand the concerns of our schools in taking good care of stray pets practically living in the school,” Lazatin, a known animal advocate, said.

This is the recovery station for fixed pets or strays. Why spay or neuter (fix) cats? A cat gives birth to around 12,000 kittens during its lifetime. Spaying one cat thus means saving 12,000 kittens from ending up as stray cats, homeless and hungry and even hurt by cruel people on the streets. (Photo by Angeles City Information Office )

Lazatin said that with the TNR program he launched in 2020, the city has seen an effective way of helping control animal population, specifically the “unwanted animal population.”

Lazatin will deploy the officers of the City Veterinary Office led by Dr. Christian Arcilla to the 53 public schools via agreed schedules.

The Angeles City veterinarian office, with the assistance of some colleagues and volunteers, has spayed 671 dogs and cats in 2020 and 578 in 2021. (Photo by Angeles City Information Office )

The TNR program is being supervised by two of the city’s known animal lovers, Chief Adviser IC Calaguas and Executive Assistant IV Reina Manuel. Calaguas and Manuel are both advocates of the TNR and are giving shelter to stray dogs and cats.

Calaguas has implemented TNR in the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency National Headquarters in 2019 and Clark International Airport Corporation in 2021.

Dogs recovering from spaying or neutering. A dog who has been spayed will be saved from developing pyometra or an infection in the uterus which can lead to death if there is no medical intervention. Surgery for pyometra costs around P12,000.00 without bloodworks which cost about P4,200.00 (Photo by Angeles City Information Office)

Arcilla said the TNR is also a way to stop the increasing cases of rabies.

During the launching of the free spaying and neutering in August 2020, 671 dogs and cats were fixed, while 578 animals benefitted from the program in 2021. More than 1,000 pets have already been spayed and neutered.

Executive Assistant IV Reina Mauel and adviser IC Calaguas are advocates of trap-neuter-return (TNR). The more dogs are spayed and neutered, the less birth of puppies, most of whom will end up as stray dogs who are hurt by heartless humans, or who scavenge for food from trash bins. Eating food from trash is one of the ways a dog develops rabies. A human can get infected with rabies when bitten by a dog with rabies. (Photo by Angeles City Information Office )

Dr. Christian Arcilla (left), adviser IC Calaguas (middle) and executive assistant IV Reina Manuel (right) discuss ongoing mass spay-neuter project in Angeles City. (Photo by Angeles City Information Office)

The city government is also conducting an ongoing house-to-house vaccination of anti-rabies to pets in the 33 barangays. (City Information Office Angeles City)