How DVMF revolutionized animal care in Cebu City

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The City of Cebu, home to hundreds of proud fur parents, is recognized as one of the most ‘pet-friendly’ cities in all of Asia.

The Queen City of the South was recently named as the second most pet-friendly travel destination in the region, based on a ranking released by digital travel platform Agoda.  Manila, on the other hand, landed in 10th place. 

Vietnam’s coastal city Da Nang claimed the top spot as the destination with the highest average number of accommodations that allow guests to bring in their pets.

The recognition came as a pleasant surprise for Dr. Alice Utlang, head of the Cebu City’s Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries (DVMF).

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She recognized that many Cebuanos are animal-lovers who recognize the importance of prioritizing the welfare of all animals, even the strays.

Utlang, who’s been heading the department for 21 years now, takes pride in her efforts that revolutionized the way stray dogs and cats are handled across the country. 

Her programs served as the catalyst for change among the country’s local pounds on how to properly approach impounding, vaccination, and sterilization of pets.

In an interview with CDN Digital, Utlang shared how strategic information dissemination and proper execution significantly transformed how animal welfare is handled in the entire city.

Back in 2009, Utlang and 71 other veterinarians from local government units and non-government organization attended a training program by the Human Society International.

According to her, the program opened her heart and eyes to the changes that needed to be done to provide a more “humane” approach for the animals brought into the city pound.

Utlang, known as a woman of actions, immediately made several changes in the city pound’s procedures one year later.

Use of nets

In the past, stray animals in Cebu City were caught using tire wires – a process which caused some animals to suffocate, bleed, and develop a phobia which then decreased its chances to be adopted.

Utlang instructed animal control officers to use nets instead. This alternative was found to be safer and did not pose a threat of injuring the poor animals.

Euthanasia

Utlang decided to get rid of “tambucho-killing” as a method of putting down dogs and cats. 

This cruel process consists of placing the condemned animals in a small airtight metal box and inserting the tailpipe of a vehicle through a small hole. The vehicle is then started and the exhaust fumes fill up the box, poisoning the trapped animals.

She decided to stop using this method and opted for euthanasia through lethal drugs instead.

Euthanasia is recommended as it puts the the dog to sleep and is painless.

After her decision to destroy the pound’s gas chamber reached the Humane Society International, Utlang was given a P50,000 grant to make the changes possible. This amount was then used to purchase the needed medicine and other supplies for the department.

Aside from the financial grant, the organization provided a vet surgeon and assistant for the city.

Spay and neuter

Utlang then introduced the process of spay and neuter for the population control of pets in Cebu City.

Spaying is the process of removing a female animal’s ovaries and uterus to prevent pregnancy while neutering is the removal of a male animal’s testicles.

Both of these surgical procedures, however, were unfamiliar concepts to most pet-owners.

To address this challenge, the DVMF brought the free ligation services to the barangays and the news was spread through word of mouth. Pet owners only had to pay P200 to have their animals registered.

Over time, more and more locals were able to comprehend the importance of spay and neuter.

Utlang shared that they began seeing a crowd of pet owners lining up at the office to avail the ligation services they were offering daily.

This, however, soon posed a problem as even non-residents of Cebu City were visiting their office.

Due to this, the DVMF has required pet owners to provide both their voter’s ID and billing statement proving their residency.

Implementation of CNVR

Perhaps one of the biggest and most impactful changes that Utlang implemented is the CNVR, which stands for “Catch, Neuter, Vaccinate, and Return or Release.”

She told CDN Digital that this was the first thing she prioritized upon returning to office after five years of working as executive director of the Cebu City Office for Substance Abuse Prevention (COSAP). 

Utlang revived their practice of selective impounding, where they prioritized taking in stray animals that were behaving violently.

“Naa man didto sa city ordinance nga we can impound dogs pero in a form of CNVR – meaning catch, neuter, vaccinate, and i-return or release,” said Utlang.

(There at the city ordinance says that we can impound dogs but in a form of CNVR-meaning catch, neuter, vaccinate, and to return or to release.)

With this procedure, the animals are taken into the pound, neutered, and vaccinated by the vet in charge.

The animals are then released back to where they were found.

Animals deemed to be dangerous, however, are first assessed on whether they are ready for adoption.

The process of adoption involves a visit to the pound to personally see the animal, filling up of forms, and a surprise follow up call to check the status of the pet after taking it in.

Animals of old age with lesser chance of survival, however, are euthanized to allow them to rest.

Through the implementation of CNVR and their various adoption programs, Utlang revealed that they had not put down any animals during the first two months of 2025.

As of March, there are still over 80 dogs and cats at the city pound waiting to find their forever homes.

Utlang emphasized that animal welfare should always be the top priority of all animal organizations and pet owners.

She urged the locals to take good care of their pets, had them vaccinated for rabies, had them undergo ligation, and ensured that they would always be well-nourished.

“In general, kay labi na Rabies Awareness Month ron. Please pabakunahi gyud ang inyong mga iro sa rabies…Sunod nako nga ipanawagan sa mga kaigsuonan nga og naa moy iro, please take care of them…Palihug pud uy pakan-a pud na ang inyong iro sa ensakto. Ayaw pud nang puro bukog,” said Utlang.

(In general, especially that it is now Rabies Awareness Month. Please have your dogs be vaccinated with rabies vaccine…my next call to our brothers and sisters that if you have dots, please take care of them…please also properly feed them. Don’t feed them bones.)

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