With just four days left for the Greater Chennai Corporation’s (GCC) mandatory pet licensing deadline, only about 31 per cent out of the city's estimated 1 lakh pet owners have obtained the licences.
As the Greater Chennai Corporation’s (GCC) last date for mandatory pet licensing falls on November 24, 2025, only around 31,000 applications for licences have been filed to date. The compliance levels are low despite a Rs 5,000 fine is expected to be imposed on pet owners for not obtaining a licence or not microchipping their pets.
Purpose of pet licences
With the rise in dog bite cases and the growing problem of pet abandonment, the GCC introduced this move to ensure greater accountability among pet owners. This government initiative requires pets to be vaccinated, microchipped, and registered in order to obtain licences. Veterinarians also say that the dog bite cases are not just from strays but even the bites from pet dogs should not be ignored.
Therefore, licensing, which also keeps a track of a dog's vaccination is a measure to ensure prevention of rabies deaths.
It is to be noted that there is a nine per cent spike in dog bites in Chennai, which recorded 5.25 lakh cases in 2025, while it was about 4.7 lakh in 2024. Though the spike in cases of dog bites is a cause of concern, the silver lining seems to be the slight dip in the rabies death cases due to dog bites. As many as 28 rabies deaths have been recorded in 2025, while it was 43 in 2024.
Registration challenges
The licensing mandate, rolled out in October, aims to keep a track on pets, enforce vaccinations, and curb abandonment that fuels the stray population. Door-to-door verification is expected to start after November 24, 2025, with fines also being imposed if pets do not have a leash or are unmuzzled in public spaces.
However, many pet owners blame technical glitches on the online portal including login failures, uploading errors and sometimes, rejection of the licence.
"We tried applying on the Greater Chennai Corporation portal, but I was redirected to the same page repeatedly and could not submit the registration. I have to apply again," S Suriya, a Chennai-based dog owner complained to The Federal.
Some of the pet owners also say that their pet licences were rejected for reasons unknown and they are confused if they should apply again. "I had applied for the licence much before the deadline was announced. Despite giving all the details on vaccination, picture, address and other features asked on the portal, the licence was rejected. They should at least specify the reason for rejection," rued K Suresh, another dog owner in the city.
Explaining that there are a lot of difficulties for dog owners to register on the portal, another Chennai-based dog rescuer said that the pet parents are going in large numbers to overcrowded government centers to get their pets registered. The private clinics are charging a bomb for the microchipping, vaccination and other processes, he said.
"If the government needs to ensure that everyone complies with its licensing rule, they need to do it as a special initiative with a special camp across the city and not just in selected areas to ensure that it is done in each ward. This can also be done on a door-to-door basis. The deadline is nearing but people are going for microchipping only on weekends. There are technical errors as well while people are trying to apply through the GCC website," the rescuer told The Federal.
Pets abandoned
The pet licensing mandate has created another major problem.
NGOs like Blue Cross India report a spike in abandonment inquiries, with 245 cases in Chennai alone over the past six months, fearing the policy could backfire by swelling stray numbers. Places like Marina Beach and Elliots Beach are becoming common spots for pet owners to abandon the pets.
Shanthi, a dog caretaker in Besant Nagar said, "We found two dogs at the beach, both wearing leashes and name tags, yet abandoned by their owners. It's so unfortunate that people do not want to commit to raising a dog and simply leave them when they grow up."
Meanwhile, the Greater Chennai Corporation officials, on condition of anonymity said that they are extending support to pet owners at six veterinary centers by offering free microchipping for dogs. However, not many pet parents are aware of this facility.
Humane solutions
Calling the enforcement of pet licensing as a "positive step", Kirthana, Founder of Hope for Critters said, "However, the current portal allows registration only up to a limited number of pets per user, which becomes a genuine issue for rescuers and fosters who often care for several animals indoors. Clarification and flexibility from the Corporation on this matter would make the process more inclusive and practical," she added.
On microchipping for dogs, she said though it is an important tool to trace abandoned animals and ensure responsible ownership, the deadline to complete the processes is extremely short. Moreover, the Rs 5,000 penalty is a steep one, pointed out Kirthana.
"The process is further complicated by technical glitches in the portal. Instead of demanding extreme measures like banning dogs from public spaces, the focus should be on strengthening what is already working and addressing the existing gaps through humane solutions not through relocation or mass impounding," said Kirthana.
"Either the deadline needs to be extended or the Corporation must upgrade and stabilise the system to make compliance feasible. Moreover, if the Corporation is levying such a high penalty on pet parents for missing the microchipping requirement, there must also be equal clarity on the fine or action that will be taken against those who abandon their pets and are later traced through the microchip. Accountability should be uniform, not one-sided," added Kirthana.
Spike in dog bite cases
Meanwhile, there has been a spike in dog bite cases in Chennai, which has caused a lot of concern. Addressing this issue, dog rescuers said the numbers are high due to better awareness and reporting.
"The rise in numbers of dog bites could also be because of better reporting of these cases and the dip in rabies deaths. This is also because more number people are probably getting vaccinated even if they get a scratch. "Children also need to be informed and educated as we are seeing more number of dog bite cases in children," said a Chennai-based animal rescuer, requesting anonymity.
The officials from the Tamil Nadu Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine also urged people to vaccinate even of their pet dog bites them.
"Very often, family members ignore pet dog bites if there is not much blood loss or skin tear. But in such cases too, there is a need to vaccinate against rabies. The bites from pets or familiar dogs are not harmless and it's important to vaccinate and complete the four-dose schedule," said Dr A Somasundaram, director of public health. The directorate registers dog bite cases and provide vaccination against dog bites.
He added that while there is a surge in the number of dog bites, the rabies deaths have seen a dip due to adequate availability of anti- rabies vaccination and Rabies Immunoglobulin (RIG) in Chennai.
