Owners Can Be Fined For Keeping Banned Dog Breeds - MBPP

GEORGE TOWN, Sept 25 (Bernama) -- Penang Island City Council (MBPP) will impose an RM200 fine on pet owners found keeping dogs on the prohibited breed list and confiscate the animals if they fail to remove them within the set period.

MBPP Councillor Quah Boon Lim said the Department of Veterinary Services (JPV) had listed seven types of prohibited dog breeds, which cannot be brought into the country or kept as pets for fear of causing injuries to the public even if they are well-kept based on factors of heredity and genetics.

He said the breeds consisted of Akita, American Bulldog, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, Japanese Tosa, Neapolitan Mastiff, and (American) Pit Bull Terrier, adding that MBPP does not issue licences for these dog breeds.

"The council takes the issue of attacks by banned dog breeds seriously, as they threaten public safety, and wants to raise public awareness that the keeping of banned dog breeds is strictly prohibited for the safety and well-being of the community.

"This year alone, eight cases of dog bites were reported to the Penang JPV, with one case involving a prohibited pit bull, which occurred in the Bukit Gambir area in February. The dog was taken by the MBPP and sent to an animal shelter," he told reporters at the MBPP Environmental Health Department's Vector Control and Veterinary Centre here today.

Meanwhile, MBPP Public Education subcommittee chairman, Benji Ang Ming Quan, said a 'Forbidden Dog Breed' poster would be uploaded to the council's official social media accounts, such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, and distributed to the service centre for Members of Parliament and state assemblymen on the island to educate the public.

-- BERNAMA