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CITY HALL’s Animal Control Unit (ACU) is keeping tabs on the goings-on in Taman Ridgeview Phase 9 and Taman Selesa to minimise the canine-related nuisances in these Kepayan neighbourhoods.

Earlier this week, a ratepayer at the former property was instructed to reduce the number of dogs he/she was rearing, while three others at the latter were reminded not to allow their pets to wander unaccompanied in the common areas outside their homes.

This action was prompted by feedback about strays roaming about on Lorong Ridgview 1 and Lorong Rampai. 

The individuals, who spoke out about this inconvenience, separately provided Hotline with the pertinent details regarding their grievances. This information was forwarded to the agency.

A spokeswoman for City Hall’s Environmental Health Department said inspections were made of Taman Ridgeview Phase 9 and Taman Selesa on Monday, shortly after it learned about what had been transpiring at these housing areas.

She said ACU personnel found four dogs inside the compound of a home in Taman Ridgeview.

“They had a word with the pet-owner who was told that he/ she could only keep up to two canines at any one time,” she said. 

“He/she was informed to have his pets licensed.”

She said a check of the agency’s records revealed that none of his/ her dogs were registered.

“The ratepayer was asked to remove the unlicensed canines, including the possibility of having them adopted.”

A notice to this affect was given to the pet-owner, according to her.

The spokeswoman said the individual had been given a grace period in which to comply with the guidelines set-out in City Hall’s Registration and Control of Dogs By-Laws 1963 (Amendment 2008).

“Should he/ she fail to do so, then further action will be taken.”

She warned that dog-owners could be compounded up to RM500 for contravening the Registration and Control of Dogs By-laws.

“Repeat offenders risk being taken to court. If found guilty, they could be subject to a fine for as much as RM5,000.”

The spokeswoman said the Taman Ridgeview ratepayer was also advised to refrain from feeding the canines which roamed about outside his/her gate.

“We were made to understand that he/she was in the habit of putting out food for the strays on Lorong Ridgeview 1 late at night,” she said. 

“The dogs gather in front of his unit and, if they start barking, then all the other pets inside homes here apparently follow suit.

“The dog-owner assured us that he would co-operate with this request, in the interest of preventing the nuisance created by this commotion.”

The spokeswoman said three ratepayers in Taman Selesa were given similar advice. She explained that that two of this number each had a pair of canines, while the other had a single pet. 

“They were urged to take steps to ensure that his/her pets did not inconvenience his/her neighbours by barking non-stop. The trio were also offered guidance on how to keep the kennel clean and dispose of the canine waste properly.”

On top of this, ACU staff also called on them to ensure that their dogs were properly vaccinated, according to her.

She said these pointers were included in the pamphlet on the agency’s dog-rearing guidelines, which were either personally handed over to the pet-owners or left behind in their post-boxes.

“Those whom our personnel met were given a verbal refresher on our requirements.”

The spokeswoman said action was also taken to try and catch any dogs found wandering unsupervised on Lorong Ridgeview 1 and Lorong Rampai during the respective checks.

“The seven ACU members walked around the common areas at these locations but came back empty handed in this instance.”

The Unit was authorised to apprehend any dogs which were unaccompanied, regardless of whether they were licensed or not, according to her.

“Canines with tags will be impounded, with their owners given a grace period to claim them.”

On top of having to pay a compound, she said these individuals would also have to agree to abide by the agency’s guidelines on dog-rearing before their pets were surrendered back into their care.