Guest guest Posted May 24, 2005 Report Share Posted May 24, 2005 This message was forwarded to you by yitzeling. Comment from sender: This article is from The Star Online URL: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/5/22/focus/11001784 & sec=focus ________________________ Sunday May 22, 2005 Putting a leash on dog owners <b>Is the Shah Alam City Council being unfair with its ban on rottweilers and imposition of strict regulations on ownership of dogs? LOONG MENG YEE digs in on the issue.</b> THE Ng family is thinking of owning a dog. Thus, they are thankful to be staying in USJ instead of Shah Alam, which is a mere five minutes’ drive away. Although neighbours, the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) and the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) are worlds apart when it comes to the keeping of dogs as pets. MPSJ will only take action if a dog created trouble for others whereas MBSA, feeling the need to be pro-active to avert trouble, is imposing severe pre-ownership regulations. In MPSJ, according to its councillor Datuk Lee Hwa Beng, it’s a pretty straightforward procedure to apply for a dog licence. Dogs, he said, were recognised as a kind of pet that owners enjoyed having for companionship and security. But irresponsible dog owners can raise the ire of neighbours if they allow their pets out of their compound unattended. Complaints include dogs defecating in open areas, parks and in the neighbours’ gardens, and, worse, chasing after children, biting them even. Another cause for complaint is a dog’s incessant barking at night. Take the case of Mrs Chin. The neighbours on her right and left both rear dogs. The neighbour on the left moved in about a year ago. He keeps four dogs. He does not take the dogs for walks and allows them to do their business in the garden of his corner-lot double-storey house. Neither does he wash the dogs frequently. The stench of smelly dogs waft over to Mrs Chin’s house, making life uncomfortable for her and her family. Her three children have started to sneeze and experience breathing difficulties. Worse, the dogs shed fur, which gets blown to her house, ending up on her furniture, her lawn and, on occasions, in her food. Efforts to get her neighbour to clean the dogs have fallen on deaf ears. Unlike the Ngs, Mrs Chin prefers to be in Shah Alam. “I will definitely not give my consent to the irresponsible owner,” she declared. Other victims, comprising people of all races, had taken their grouses to the MPSJ, demanding that action be taken against irresponsible dog owners. Better still, they said, banish the offending dogs so that there will be peace in the neighbourhood. Statistics compiled by the council showed that it received 1,891 complaints about dogs and 153 complaints about cats from 2003 to March last year. Hard pressed for action, the MPSJ mooted a proposal last year that require residents in the municipality to get the permission of their neighbours before they could keep dogs. What the municipal officers had not expected was the avalanche of disagreement that poured in. Many objected to the proposal, saying it violated a private property right to keep pets inside their compound. Some said the ruling was biased against responsible owners. More importantly, there was concern that certain neighbours might not sign the consent form even if the pets were well kept. Lee said he had supported the proposal at first, admitting that he had no fondness for dogs after one had bitten his wife. “However, I have to respect the rights of others,” said Lee, who subsequently objected to the proposal at the council meeting. Nevertheless, he said, one must accept the fact that tactful tolerance is needed among the various races in this country. “Some rear cats, others rear dogs. Dogs, cats and other pets will create trouble if they are neglected. The point here is not to penalise pet owners, but to have strict enforcement against irresponsible owners,” he said. He added that cats, although exempted from licensing, must be cared for properly and the owners must make sure their felines do not trouble the neighbours. “We have acted against owners with misbehaving cats. We investigated the cases under the ‘nuisance’ clause and issued the appropriate warnings,” Lee said. Owners took heed of the warnings, reducing the number of cats in their homes and preventing their pets from wandering into their neighbours’ compound. In Shah Alam, the council has subjected dog owners to a few new stringent regulations. Apart from banning certain breeds of dogs, including rottweilers, the council requires an owner to first obtain the consent of neighbours to the back, front, left and right of him. MBSA deputy mayor Za’aba Che Rus had said the additional requirements were needed to ensure the safety of other residents and that the rules were imposed to instil a higher sense of responsibility among dog owners as well. The council had also been flooded with hundreds of complaints about dogs disturbing the peace in the neighbourhood and littering in public places. MBSA councillor Lim Kim Hwi was once asked by The Star why cats and other pets were not subjected to the same licensing rule as dogs despite their potential to be nuisances and health hazards. His response was: “We have fewer complaints about cats. They give less trouble. Have you heard of cats attacking humans?” Christine Chin, chairman of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), does not accept this reasoning. “Why discriminate against dogs? Cats can be linked to the spread of diseases,” she stated. “We can go on and on, but that is not the issue.” “The issue here is to have rules and education to make owners more responsible towards their pets,” she said, adding that measures such as banning rottweilers and compulsory permission from neighbours were unfair. It would be more beneficial, she suggested, to adopt proven measures, including making owners attend responsible pet ownership courses before giving them the licences. She also suggested differential licensing, which involves offering cheaper rates to owners who had spayed or neutered their pets. This will help reduce what Chin calls the “oops” litters – the thousands of kittens and puppies ending up as strays each year as a result of accidental pregnancies. Chin also suggested that dog owners be made to attend refresher courses every three years. “Sad to say, many cases of pet nuisance or attacks are a result of neglect and irresponsibility on the part of the owners,” she said. “Rottweilers, for instance, are from a working breed that can be a wonderful, loyal companion. But they must be trained, and given sufficient space and exercise.” Many Malaysians, Chin said, buy the working dogs to guard their houses but keep them locked up. “When there is lack of care, the dogs can become difficult to control,” she said. On the need to obtain the immediate neighbours’ consent for keeping dogs, Chin said a better alternative could be adapted from Europe. “Over there, the local councils will investigate if there are more than three complaints from the neighbours about a particular pet. It means that one takes action when the problem arises, instead of the other way around where responsible pet owners are also subjected to hardship,” Chin said. <b>Related Story:</b> <a href= " http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/5/22/focus/11002365 & sec=fo\ cus " >Pets play a part in developing a caring society</a> <p> ________________________ Your one-stop information portal: The Star Online http://thestar.com.my http://biz.thestar.com.my http://classifieds.thestar.com.my http://cards.thestar.com.my http://search.thestar.com.my http://star-motoring.com http://star-space.com http://star-jobs.com http://star-ecentral.com http://star-techcentral.com 1995-2004 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Star Publications is prohibited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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