Public safety is main concern — Ministry
We received the call at 10.30am and therefore alerted the dog team and dispatched them immediately to the scene. When we arrived at the scene, we saw the offensive dog standing next to the body of a dead dog.
KUCHING: The Ministry of Local Government and Housing as well as local authorities are placing the safety of the public above all in light of the recent rabies outbreak.
The ministry’s public health head Dr Cheong Yaw Liang said the authorities have nothing against dogs or their owners, but cannot leave rabid or aggressive dogs roaming freely.
He explained that the Padawan Municipal Council ( MPP) had received a complaint from the public about a very aggressive dog on Wednesday.
“We received the call at 10.30am and therefore alerted the dog team and dispatched them immediately to the scene. When we arrived at the scene, we saw the offensive dog standing next to the body of a dead dog.
“Blood was all over the dogs. The neighbour had confirmed that was the offensive dog and we tranquillised the offensive dog immediately,” he told The Borneo Post yesterday.
Dr Cheong was responding to dog owner Queennie Cheng’s complaints that she had not been updated on the status of the dog, which was caught by MPP.
He explained that the dog was delivered to the Department of Veterinary Services ( DVS) after it was captured by the council.
Dr Cheong also pointed out the MPP dog team had only tranquilised the dog as shown in a video, adding, “We did it in the most humane way.”
“We have to remove aggressive dogs because it is our job to keep the people safe,” he stressed.
“Imagine a child was out there and then the child could potentially be injured.”
He pointed out aggressive dogs could endanger the public or cause a nuisance and therefore must be removed.
“What happened to the dog is purely the decision of the DVS. The job of the council is to capture roaming dogs and send to them,” he said.
Dr Cheong added he could not explain why DVS had yet to provide Cheng with the status of her dog.
Attempts to get comments from DVS failed as of press time.
Meanwhile, Dr Cheong also explained that licensed dogs with council tags caught roaming around without exhibiting signs of rabies would be kept for 48 hours, during which they could be claimed by their owners, who would need to settle the compound fee and have the dogs vaccinated.
Dogs that remained unclaimed after 48 hours would be put to sleep.
He said owners who had claimed their dogs would be advised to keep them within the house compound
Dr Cheong Yaw Liang, Ministry of Local Government and Huosing public health head
for 28 days after release.
“Any registered dog which is caught while roaming with signs and symptoms of rabies would be put to sleep and sampled,” he said.
He explained this is stipulated under Section (4) of the Veterinary Public Health Ordinance, “Any dog found within a rabies-infected area which is not under effective control in accordance with subsection ( 3) may be destroyed by any person authorised in writing in that behalf by the State Veterinary Authority and any person so authorised may enter any land, building or premises for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this subsection.”
An article under ‘ Destruction or detention of animal suspected to be infected with rabies’ of the same Ordinance reads, “Where the State Veterinary Authority or any authorised person reasonably suspects that any animal may be infected with rabies or has been exposed to rabies infection, it may in its discretion either cause the animal to be destroyed forthwith or may order the owner or person in charge of such animal to take it forthwith to an animal quarantine station for detention and observation.”