Man’s best friend — dog — does not have any home in Patna. That’s what the civic body records claim.

Since Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) came into existence in 1952, only one pet dog has been registered with it. According to the PMC Act, 1951, owners must register their pets with the civic body. After registration, pet owners are provided with licences.

Santosh Mehta — who was the deputy mayor between 2002 and 2007 — was the only person ever to get his pet registered.

“I made it a point to get Stephie, my Labrador, registered annually. When he died in 2008, the practice stopped,” said Mehta, now councillor of ward number 62.

He added that the corporation does not take the provision of the PMC Act seriously, and many pet owners are not even aware of the rule.

“People are unaware of the norm, so they do not get their dogs registered. The PMC is responsible for the poor response to the rule. The civic body has never undertaken any initiative, like organising camps for registering animals and providing licence to dog owners,” Mehta said.

He added: “When even pets are not registered, you can understand how serious the corporation is about managing stray animals.”

Mehta stressed the need of initiating efforts to publicise the importance of getting pets registered, through media.

Dog owners in the state capital also expressed oblivion when asked about the norm.

“I am unaware that it is essential to register pets. I don’t know what procedures need to be followed to get my dogs registered,” said Parijat Bhardwaj, a resident of Kidwaipuri, who owns two dogs.

He added that he was also in the dark about how getting his pet registered would help him.

“If any pet is lost, the licence and the registration number of the dog can make it easier for the corporation and the owner to trace it,” said a PMC official.

He added: “If a dog is registered, it also proves that it has been given proper vaccination. During the registration process, a doctor’s prescription for rabies vaccination is required.”

Asked why the corporation had not taken any initiative in this regard, the official said lack of manpower and low revenue possibility has made the civic official reluctant about enforcing this rule.

“Dog owners have to pay only Re 1 to get their pets registered. This would generate only negligible revenue for the civic body. As a result, no one is interested to enforce it,” said the official.