Stray dogs roaming around a residential area in Ulu Kinta. — RONNIE CHIN/The Star
Perak government is looking at roping in several organisations for its Perak Pawsitive Initiative to keep the number of strays in check.
State housing and local government committee chairman Sandrea Ng Shy Ching said she was trying to get organisations such as Perak Real Estate and Housing Developers Association of Malaysia (Rehda) to join the initiative which was aimed at neutering both stray and pet dogs and cats at a subsidised rate.
She said the Pawsitive pilot project was carried out with Kampar District Council in Gopeng from Sept 27 to 29, where 93 dogs (pets and strays) were neutered.
During the event, 96 dogs received free rabies vaccination, 136 dogs had free vaccination shots, 38 applications and renewal of licences were received while five stray dogs were adopted.
Ng (left) at the launch of the Perak Pawsitive Initiative in Tanjung Malim in October. — Courtesy photo
Ng said a programme was also held on Oct 19 in Tanjung Malim where the focus was on cats, with some 200 spayed.
“Next year, we intend to expand this programme to other local councils in Perak.
“That is why we need active local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to help us.
“I also urge assemblymen and MPs to support this programme by providing matching grants.
“It is essential for us to work with veterinarians, as it will be easier to organise the programme,” she added.
Pawsitive is Perak’s current strategy to deal with strays.
Ng said the objective was to encourage people to be responsible and neuter their pets.
In Tanjung Malim, the programme was co-organised with a veterinary clinic, she said.
A pet owner getting his dog vaccinated at the Perak Pawsitive Initiative in Gopeng. — Courtesy photo
In Gopeng, she said the state government worked with Selangor Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) which had experience handling large-scale neutering programmes.
According to Ng, 3,516 complaints on stray dogs were received by Perak local councils between January and October.
The local councils, she said, carried out 1,478 operations to handle the complaints, and caught 6,164 dogs.
“The state government is serious about addressing strays and is working to find effective solutions,” she assured.
Strays in remote areas
Ng said some NGOs had suggested neutering dogs living at farms, factories and construction sites where strays could be found.
“There are many farm, factory and construction site operators who may not look into licensing their dogs, given the remoteness of these areas.
“However, I agree with the NGOs that these are areas we need to pay attention to in addressing the rising number of stray dogs and even cats.”
Ng was responding to a suggestion from Noah’s Ark Ipoh founder and veterinarian Dr Ranjit Kaur Mendhir, who recommended that the state government make it compulsory for owners of farms, factories and construction sites to neuter their dogs.
Dr Ranjit: Besides neutering, those keeping dogs must vaccinate the animals against rabies.
In a The Star report on Nov 28, Dr Ranjit said guard dogs were common at industrial areas and farms in Perak.
She said it would be ideal for people to adopt neutered dogs from animal shelters such as Noah’s Ark.
While neutering was important, pet owners as well as those keeping dogs at farms, factories and construction sites must also vaccinate the animals against rabies, said Dr Ranjit.
Meanwhile, Ng also emphasised on an effective adoption drive.
“I really appreciate the NGO’s trap-neuter-release-manage (TNRM) initiative.
“However, the number of strays keeps increasing because even neutered dogs are not being adopted.
“TNRM alone is not a feasible solution.
“We know that people will keep on lodging complaints with local councils, requesting for strays in their areas to be relocated,” she added.
Policy pros and cons
Perak government is currently reviewing the pros and cons of making neutering compulsory.
Ng said several issues had to be taken into account before neutering was made mandatory, in order for owners to apply or renew their pet licence.
“Firstly, not all dog owners are willing to neuter their pets, especially those with special breeds.
“Secondly, the cost of neutering is not cheap.
“Imposing this condition might make it unaffordable for some dog or cat owners,” said Ng.
She had received feedback from her counterpart in Negri Sembilan where neutering was made compulsory, but despite offering subsidies, the response was still poor.
“The state (Negri Sembilan) also noticed a drop in the number of licence renewals and applications as some owners are choosing to keep dogs without applying for a licence because of the policy,” she said.
“As such, we need to consider all aspects and ensure the move we take solves issues instead of creating new ones.”
Fire and Rescue Department’s K9 team helping to create awareness on how dogs can help in search and rescue operations at the Perak Pawsitive Initiative programme in Gopeng. — Courtesy photo
Addressing animal welfare
Ng said regulations on animal welfare and management were outlined under the Animal Welfare Act 2015 with the Veterinary Services Department (DVS) playing a key role as per the Act.
“Cooperation between various parties will continue to be strengthened to ensure this issue is comprehensively addressed.
“A coordination meeting was held recently to align the roles of DVS, local councils and other departments,” she said.
“Among matters raised were the need to strengthen enforcement as well as raising awareness among pet owners about their responsibilities to prevent the issue of strays.”
Ng said DVS was also taking steps to establish the Perak State Animal Welfare Committee.
She said the committee would serve as the primary platform on setting up directions and planning for the management of strays.
The committee would discuss issues related to stray animals with district and land offices, local councils as well as relevant departments and agencies, she added.
Ng said the state government acknowledged that NGOs played an important role in addressing the issue of strays, saying steps had been drawn up to build a strategic cooperation with them.
“Perak is also opening up opportunities for NGOs in need of land to build animal shelters.
“The NGOs can apply for government land at nominal cost,” she said.
Positive response
When contacted, Perak Rehda chairman Loh Ban Ho said the association supported the Perak Pawsitive Initiative.
He said he would also encourage association members to adopt neutered dogs from animal shelters and NGOs.
“We can always allocate part of the association’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) fund for Pawsitive,” said Loh who supported the move to create awareness of neutering.
“The association is also keen to invite animal NGOs to give short talks during our meetings, which are attended by developers and contractors.
“It is important for both developers and contractors to be provided with adequate information on adoption, neutering and licensing of dogs,” he said.
Loh: Perak Rehda is interested in getting animal NGOs to give short talks at meetings.
According to Loh, the current practice when construction begins on a development site is to bring in stray dogs to look after the area and workers will care for them.
“It is important for contractors or developers to have plans in place for the dogs once the project is completed,” he said.
“By leaving the dogs behind once a project is completed, the numbers will double or even triple.
“And because of food shortage, the dogs will roam elsewhere,” Loh added.
Dr Ranjit said Noah’s Ark welcomed the opportunity to give awareness talks to build awareness of caring for strays.
“By working together with the state government, we can organise a mass spaying camp.
“We can provide veterinarians, our time and expertise if the Perak government provides the funds and space,” she added.
Dr Ranjit said Noah’s Ark was also willing to look for companies to sponsor free rabies vaccination and other important shots.
“Noah’s Ark has been neutering strays since 2011, with between 30 and 35 dogs neutered a month,” she said.
“Yayasan Hasanah has been contributing the funds for this.”
