KUCHING: A total of 74 dog licences have been issued by Kuching North City Commission (DBKU) so far this year.
For the whole of last year, DBKU issued a total of 401 dog licences to dog owners within its areas of jurisdiction.
DBKU’s recent call to the public to ensure that their dogs are licenced should be welcomed and taken seriously as it is an effort to stamp out the problem and rid the city of stray dogs roaming the streets.
As the result of complacency and the public not giving their full cooperation to the issue, stray dogs can still be found roaming in the streets, markets, commercial and residential areas.
Increasing population of stray dogs in the city may cause a lot of problems such as making noise and barking and howling at night and spreading rabies which is a fatal disease which can be transmitted to humans.
Therefore, local authorities should be more aggressive in enforcing the rules and regulations in tackling the stray dog problem in their respective areas.
Dog owners can be fined if they fail to obtain a Dog Licence as provided by the DBKU ( Dog Licence) By-laws 1991.
Owners not complying with the law be fined up to RM500 for the first offence and R$M1000 for subsequent offences.
Issuing of dog licence will facilitate the commission in monitoring, taking prevention, and control the spread of rabies and other diseases.
To obtain the licence, pet owners are required to ensure their pets remain in their compound of the house; should not be allowed to roam outside; must be restrained, guarded and under the care of owners when taking them for a walk; and that the pet dog will not attack or harm the public, livestock or cause damage to public property.
The annual licence fee for one dog is RM10 and each premise is allowed a maximum of three dogs. However, those exceeding the three-dog limit can pay RM30 for each additional dog.
