‘Apply for dog licence to keep rabies at bay’
MIRI: The people are urged to apply for a dog licence which came into effect from Dec 1 in an effort to support the current operation on stray dogs against rabies.
Mayor Adam Yii said the requirement is being carried out under The Local Authorities ( Dog Licensing and Control) By-Laws, 2018.
“The By- Laws is applicable to all 26 local authorities throughout Sarawak.
“Under this By- Laws, all dog owners have to apply for a dog licence,” he said when touching on the dog licensing agenda during the full Miri City Council ( MCC) meeting yesterday.
The dog licence is RM39 for each sterilised dog and RM90 for nonsterilised dog, to run for three years. Those who submit their dog licence applications between Dec 3 and February next year, will be given a one-year ( licensing fee) exemption.
The exemption is effective from Dec 1 to Nov 30 next year.
Yii thus encouraged all dog owners to apply for a dog licence during the exemption period.
Pet shops and dog breeders are also required to apply for a licence from the council under the new dog licensing and control by-laws.
The licence fee for pet shops is RM200 per annum while a dog breeder needs to pay RM1,000 per annum.
Since the state disaster management committee has declared a few areas in Miri as rabies-infected areas, Yii updated the meeting on the council’s effort to clear stray dogs from public areas by expanding the dog catching team to three, operating from 8am to 10pm.
“The operation to control stray dogs is on- going and members of the public may assist the council by reporting any stray dogs in public areas through its hotline WhatsApp number at 0198960370.”
After the outbreak was declared in Kuching in July 2017, Yii said MCC had caught a total of 461 dogs from July until December 2017, and 1,933 in the period from January to Dec 19 this year.
Members of public can access the Sarawak Disaster Information Facebook page, Instagram and YouTube for more updated information regarding upcoming Anti- Rabies Mass Vaccination, and to get the latest updates on the current situation of rabies in Sarawak.