Conference abstract

Critical appraisal of dog’s law, knowledge and orientation in Nigeria: a study of Ibadan metropolis

Pan African Medical Journal - Conference Proceedings. 2019:10(23).10 Apr 2019.
doi: 10.11604/pamj-cp.2019.10.23.850
Archived on: 10 Apr 2019
Contact the corresponding author
Keywords: Dogs law, knowledge, viewpoint, Ibadan city, Oyo State
Oral presentation

Critical appraisal of dog’s law, knowledge and orientation in Nigeria: a study of Ibadan metropolis

Oluyemisi Collins1,&

1Ministry of Justice, Oyo State Secretariat, Ibadan, Nigeria

&Corresponding author
Oluyemisi Collins, Ministry of Justice, Oyo State Secretariat, Ibadan, Nigeria

Abstract

Introduction: dogs, like any other form of property in the legal system, may be regulated to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the people; hence the need to review dog’s law to encourage responsible dog’s ownership in Ibadan, the capital city of Oyo State, Nigeria. Dogs Act is the law, in Nigeria, to regulate the licensing of dogs and to provide for suppression of rabies. The aim was to determine how much of this law does the citizens know? What is their expectation of what the Law should do?

Methods: a cross sectional study of 110 residents in Ibadan metropolis was conducted, using structured questionnaire. The socio-demographic characteristics, viewpoint and expectations of respondents on dogs’ law were scored on a scale of ten-point domain. A score ≥ 8 points were regarded as satisfactory. The data was subjected to descriptive and categorical analysis at 5% significance level.

Results: of the 110 respondents, 80 persons own dogs and 84 knew that dogs law was in existence. None of the respondents had obtained copies of the dogs’ law or seen the law, nor knew the time the law was promulgated, and the contents. None of the respondents knew whether there exists dog-owner liability in case of dog bite.

Conclusion: the presence of gaps in knowledge, viewpoint and expectations on Dogs law and their enforcement among Ibadan residents needs to be addressed through public enlightenment. It is trite to suppose that State laws dealing with dogs attempt to strike a balance between protecting people and respecting owners' rights.