Perak Dog Licensing By-Laws Review Expected To Be Completed By Year-End 

GOPENG, May 24 (Bernama) -- The review and enhancement study of the existing Dog Licensing By-Laws is expected to be completed by the end of this year, said Perak Housing and Local Government Committee chairman Sandrea Ng Shy Ching.

She said among the proposals being studied are imposing different dog licence rates to encourage owners to neuter their pets, mandatory neutering, and the use of microchipping for pet dogs.

“We hope to complete it this year so that implementation can begin as soon as possible, hopefully next year. The main point, as I mentioned earlier, is to impose different rates because currently most local authorities (PBT) only charge RM10 for dog licences.

“So we see a need to impose stricter conditions so that owners are responsible and fully aware, and before applying for a licence they understand the implications, legal responsibilities and so on,” she said.

She said this when met after the closing ceremony of the Perak Pawsitive Initiative Gopeng Programme (Subsidised Cat Neutering Campaign) at the Kampung Baru Lawan Kuda Multipurpose Hall here today.

Sandrea said all the proposals were being refined to ensure their implementation would be practical and not burden pet owners.

Meanwhile, she said the issue of stray animals remains among the highest number of complaints received by local authorities each year, and enforcement measures alone are insufficient to resolve the problem.

“Today also marks the 10th programme under the Perak Pawsitive Initiative, an important milestone for us, and today’s programme is slightly different from previous ones because we successfully gathered veterinary clinics, NGOs and veterinarians to form our own team in Perak.

“Previously, we had to collaborate with teams from outside the state, including the Selangor SPCA, because they had the expertise and experience in handling large-scale programmes like this. However, after nearly three years, we have successfully brought together clinics and veterinarians who support this initiative into our own Perak team,” she said.

She said since the pilot project began in Gopeng in 2024 until last April, a total of 1,651 dogs and cats had been neutered through the programme, while 1,220 dog licences had been issued or renewed.

She added that the programme has now been expanded to several other districts including Taiping, Manjung and Kerian with the support of local veterinary clinics and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

-- BERNAMA