Saturday June 16, 2012
Dog licence tags not good enough
By IVAN LOH
ivanloh@thestar.com.my
DOG licence tags issued by the Ipoh City Council tend to break easily, thus causing the animals to be passed off as strays.
Noah’s Ark Ipoh (NAI) president Malika Ramiah Oates said as a result, unnecessary confusion arises during operations to nab strays.
“When dogs manage to escape their owner’s homes, dog catchers will think they are strays and they end up getting caught,” she told The Star, adding that NAI had raised the issue during their last meeting with the council in May.
Flimsy: The ring on the dog licence tag (left) tends to break easily and gets lost. Malika said NAI had even demonstrated to the council how easily the tags snap off from the rings, which connect the tags to the dog collars.
“Dog owners renewing their pet’s licences have been complaining about this.
“There are also grouses that there are insufficient dog licence tags for sale by the council,” she said, adding that each tag costs RM10.
Last Saturday, NAI members and animal lovers held a candlelight vigil outside the Mentri Besar’s official residence, pleading with Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir to intervene against purported animal cruelty by the council.
They alleged that a contractor hired by the council had caught and cruelly killed dogs, including pet dogs.
Datuk Bandar Datuk Roshidi Hashim had later responded by saying that its contractor had acted professionally and only used lethal injection to put down the animals.
Malika also advised dog owners to be mindful of their pets running out of their house compound.
“Do not leave your dog outside unattended even if you feel it is not aggressive as certain circumstances may trigger it to be.
“Dogs can also cause road accidents when they run into oncoming traffic, which can prove fatal to both road users and the animals,” she said, stressing that pets were solely the responsibility of their owners.
Malika suggested that the council fine owners for leaving their dogs unattended, perhaps a RM200 fine, to deter them from letting their pets loose.
“The money can then be channelled back into helping animal welfare non-governmental organisations with education seminars,” she said.
She also stressed that pet owners should neuter or spay their animals if they did not plan on breeding them.
“This can also prevent some of these animals from going outside to mate with other strays,” she said, adding that the public should be made aware of responsible pet ownership.
“People need to remember that a pet is for life. If they cannot accept it, then do not have one as animals need a lot of care.
“Abandoning cats and dogs through human negligence is unacceptable. It is because of these people that there are stray animals around,” she said.
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