(MY) dog nuisance

[Guest guest]

Thursday December 1, 2005 The Star

 

Seeking to check dog nuisance

 

KUALA LUMPUR: A group of people who are upset over the nuisance caused

by neighbourhood dogs are looking towards China for advice on the

impact of the animals on the environment and health.

 

Low Kim Hean, the chairman of the pro tem Committee Against Nuisance

of Neighbourhood Dogs for Peninsular Malaysia, will be making a trip

there for this purpose.

 

The reason the group chose China is because most dog owners in

Malaysia are Chinese.

 

" We want to prove that our stand on this whole dog issue, that dogs

can cause negative impacts on human beings, is right, " he said.

 

Apart from noise pollution caused by their barking, dogs were also

parasite carriers which could cause various diseases in people, Low

said.

 

" The nuisance caused by barking, with the lowest at 150 decibels, can

also cause lethargy, stress to those affected, and loss of harmony

among neighbours, " he claimed.

 

However, Low pointed out that his group was not an anti-dog group or

that it was infringing on human rights as alleged by certain quarters.

 

" We don't hate dogs, we just hate the nuisance caused by dogs which

are not well taken care of by their owners, " he said, adding that some

group members also kept dogs.

 

The group, formed in December 2004, also called on all local councils

to implement stricter rules on dog rearing.

 

He said the group " practised flexibility " with regard to the keeping

of dogs, stressing that owners must be willing to take care of their

dogs and their welfare.

 

" We are concerned about the welfare of people who don't keep dogs but

are affected by the nuisance caused by dogs, " he said.

 

Low suggested that people intending to keep dogs obtain prior

permission from their neighbours and that local authorities impose

high fines on owners who neglect their dogs or when their dogs are a

nuisance to others. – Bernama