Canine owners living within the Subang Jaya Municipal Council's (MPSJ) jurisdiction are unhappy with its plan for a new guideline requiring them to obtain consent from their immediate neighbours before licences can be issued for their dogs.

Objections to the implementation of the guideline introduced in Jan1 this year have not only come from dog owners but dog lovers who are angered by what they see as an infringement of their rights.

They also demand the council to stop being biased and handle the situation on a case-to-case basis as the number of relatively minor complaints against dog owners does not justify the implementation of an across the board ruling.

MPSJ received just over 400 complaints last year against errant dog owners and less than half of that number from Jan-July 2004. There are 475,000 residents within Subang Jaya, Puchong and Seri Kembangan in the MPSJ municipality.

Man's best friend

Describing the new guideline as unjustifiable, dog-owner N Nagarajah from Subang Jaya said he was shocked and surprised to find out about it.

"It cannot be justified based on these statistics but regardless whether the percentage of complaints are small or big, the council must not deprive us of our rights.

"I regard my dog as my child and nobody will take it away from me. It's unfair for a living creature to suffer in dog shelters or pounds just because a neighbour doesn't like it," he said.

Another resident of Subang Jaya and a dog lover, who only wanted be known as Mano, argued that MPSJ are creating steps to "deprive a man of his best friend".

"This is grossly unfair to dog lovers who will be denied the joy of having a pet within their premises just because a neighbour will not consent to it," he said.

Mano added that MPSJ should be doing more to enforce existing guidelines which are adequate in tackling the complaints against errant owners.

"The complaints average to about 35 a month - one a day - is that so difficult for the council to handle? Given the small number of complaints, it should be handled as and when a situation arises," said the irate pet lover.

The council issued 267 notices and 162 compounds to dog owners last year.

The controversial guideline, an addition to existing rules on dog licencing, has been temporarily put on hold pending a meeting between MPSJ and residents committees appointed by the council which may be held early next month.

However the council's public relations official Azfarizal Abdul Rashid has gone on record as saying that the final decision to enforce the new rule was MPSJ's.

The usual complaints received by the council, according to Azfarizal, ranged from noisy dogs, unclean up-keeping of dogs in and around the homes to public safety when owners walk their dogs.

Both the dog lovers who malaysiakini spoke to this afternoon agreed that errant dog owners should be taken to task but at the same time the council must not implement an arbitrary rule that would punish all owners.

"It is not right to burden neighbours with the authority to give consent when the responsibility to take care of these animals belong to the owner and there are enough extensive guidelines now to reprimand those who break them," asserted Mano.

Nagarajah slammed the council for wanting to "penalise people who take good care of their dogs and abide by the current guidelines".

Only dogs targetted

Fears of the rule being abused were articulated by both men and they further questioned the prejudice of the new guideline.

"And why is it just the dogs that are being targetted in this move? There is a large problem of cats owned by people in my area that sneak into houses and not only litter the place but sometimes make away with our food," said the puzzled Nagarajah.

Mano who also questioned why dogs were "being picked on" added that the new guideline would allow a person who resents a neighbour to refuse consent resulting in owners being forced to give up their pets.

The council has said that such cases may be considered on its merit and as renewal of these licences are done annually, the ruling would mean that dog owners would need to get consent from current neighbours at any one time.

Asked what these dog lovers plan to do once the rule was enforced, both said they would pursue the matter to its extremes to ensure the rights of dog owners are protected.

"The council shouldn't go overboard with its move but in the event the guideline is enforced, I will take the matter to higher authorities to fight this. I will approach government ministries while consulting with lawyers to establish if the council's guideline has any legality," said Nagarajah.

Mano urged residents who are in the same predicament to stand up and fight for their rights using all means and avenues available to them.

Of the almost half a million residents subjected to MPSJ's laws, 35 percent are Indians, 40 percent Malays and 45 percent Chinese.

Contacted today, Petaling Jaya Municipal Council and Kuala Lumpur City Hall said they have no immediate plans to introduce a similar guideline in their areas.

However, it has been reported that the municipalities in Selayang, Ampang Jaya and Shah Alam welcome the move by MPSJ.