SSPCA calls for microchipping before imposing law to euthanize dogs
KUCHING: Sarawak Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) says the law to put dogs to sleep after 48 hours of seizure from the street by any local council should be enforced only when proper microchipping is put in place.
The NGO also wanted the 26 councils throughout Sarawak to work out some arrangement with rescue groups to adopt some of the animals that are caught, with the hope of re-homing them after neutering and vaccination.
Its president Datin Dona DruryWee said it would be proper if the authorities make effort to contact the owners before the 48 hours is up.
“We hope the (26) councils (in Sarawak) will make efforts to contact the owners before the 48 hours is up. With microchipping, the owners contact info will be accessible to the councils. The councils must ensure that the caught animals are kept in clean premises, with fresh water and fresh food. We will work with the authorities to ensure that animal welfare guidelines are adhered to when they enforce the law,” Wee told The Borneo Post yesterday.
Wee said SSPCA had been asking the Ministry of Local Government and Housing to enforce microchipping as this will help owners and pets to be reunited quickly and will help the councils collect their licensing fee which they (SSPCA) hope will be redirected to more joint neutering campaigns.
“This will also help to prevent indiscriminate abandonment of animals, as owners can be traced with the info in the microchip, and they can be fined or prosecuted according to the law,” she said.
Wee was responding to Assistant Minister of Local Government Datuk Dr Penguang Manggil’s announcement that a new ByLaw would be put in place to cope with the current geo-environment circumstances that prevail around the people of Sarawak.
All the 26 dog licence by-laws in Sarawak have been consolidated into one law for purpose of uniformity and consistency in the licensing and in the manner how dog population is controlled.
Cited as Local Authorities (Dog Licensing and Control) ByLaws, 2018, the new by-law had been tabled and approved by the Sarawak Cabinet on Oct 18 and will come to force effective Dec 1 this year.
“We all know there is an outbreak of rabies in Sarawak, which leads to an urgent need to control the population of dogs, especially the stray ones,” he said.
Penguang also announced that each household can only have three dogs effective Dec 1, 2018 and that a permit needs to be obtained for the fourth dog.
Wee argued that enforcement of having not more than three dogs in any home should take into account the size of the house as it is sometimes not practical for a small terraced house to have 10 dogs.
“We know of cases where this has caused conflicts between neighbours. Three dogs is a very manageable number per household. It is not that they won’t be allowed to have more than three dogs, they can apply for a permit and may have to pay a higher licence fee,” she said.