MBPJ’s new rule for claiming lost pets involves microchipping and vaccinating them

Losing a pet is one the worst feelings in life. You worry about it going hungry, not having shelter, running across a really busy road, or nasty people throwing stones it. It could mean sleepless nights until you are reunited with your furkid.

In the event that council animal catchers pick it up, however, they will bring it to the pound. In fact, the pound is one of the first places you should look for lost pets.

Recently, PAWS reached out to Cilisos to educat us on the new council guidelines on lost pets. We spoke to Edward Lim, PAWS Shelter Manager to find out what pet owners must do once this new rule is enforced come 1st January 2018.

Now it’s compulsory for the pound to microchip and vaccinate your pet

After you’ve overcome the initial shock of learning that your lil’ doggo or catto is missing, your first thought might be to scour the neighbourhood, paste flyers, Facebook it, or S.O.S it on Petfinder. But really, one of first places you might want to search is the pound.

Lost or stray animals picked up on the streets by animal catchers will be taken to local council pounds. It is a council ruling. For those who stay in PJ (MBPJ) and Shah Alam (MBSA), that would be PAWS. As for other areas, you can call your own local council to find out where.

The old procedure was for the owners (licensed pet) or feeders to go to the pound and identify their pets, present the licence, pay a fine for losing them, and then they will be released. The penalty is RM110 for dogs or puppies, and RM80 for cats or kittens. But with the new guidelines from MBPJ, any lost pet will have to be microchipped and vaccinated by PAWS, and optionally neutered. For strays, all 3 are compulsory, but the feeder/rescuer who wants to claim the animal back will be charged a fee.

“For lost pets, the microchip and vaccination are compulsory, while neutering/spaying is up to the owner. Whereas for strays, all 3 steps are now compulsory.” – Ed told CILISOS on the phone

For the compulsory microchip, PAWS will charge owners RM20, whilst for vaccination and deworming it is RM50, and for the optional neutering it is RM150 + 6% GST and RM15 per day for boarding for dogs, or RM130 + 6% GST and RM15 per day of boarding for cats. Of course, you can get all that done at the vet too.

Sounds cheap right? According to Ed, it’s more expensive if you bring to the vet because they need to make a profit, whereas PAWS is providing a service.

The new guidelines aim to protect animals and people better… by neutering animals, we can reduce the number of unwanted strays on the streets. By vaccinating them, it protects animals from diseases that may be transmitted to humans as well, such leptospirosis, rabies and distemper. Lastly, by making microchips compulsory, Ed tells us that PAWS can create a tracking system where the owner or rescuer can be easily contacted in case the animal gets lost (again), plus it’s to make sure that the dog is not neglected.

But if your pet is at the pound, GO FAST!

Like we mentioned, the pound might be one of the best places to look for your lost pet. But you might wanna go fast, as soon as you realise your pet is missing, because they do not keep the animals for long.

“The time frame under council guidelines is 1 week, depending on the town council, some up to 14 days. After that the animal will be put down.” – Ed told CILISOS on the phone

Sick or unclaimed animals will eventually be euthanised to make room for more animals coming in (and there are a lot). With the population of strays ever rising, putting the animals to sleep is standard practice in an effort to reduce their numbers on the streets. Many people criticise this, saying that, one, the method used to catch animals is cruel, and two, culling is also cruel.

In fact, there is controversy surrounding this matter as private catchers are hired by local councils and paid a sum for every dog or cat they catch (uh-oh, you can see where this is going). Kuala Selangor Council (MDKS) for example, revealed that they hired a company called Vet Fine Sdn. Bhd. However, MBPJ doesn’t outsource and has their own team, our MBPJ source told us.

Last year, Johor prince Tunku Idris Iskandar Sultan Ibrahim Ismail reprimanded Pasir Gudang Council (MPPG) after learning about their flyer which offered people RM55 as reward for every dog caught.

When animal rights group Malaysia Independent Animal Rescue (MIAR) claimed town councils strangled and buried dogs, it went viral and upset many. However, the council in question, Kuala Selangor (MDKS) denied the allegations and explained that their standard operating procedure was looping, trapping or netting. After it was caught, the dog would be kept in the pound for 7 days if it had a licence, 2 days if it did not.

“Dogs that are diseased and those that are not claimed within the specified time will be put down by means of injection and are pronounced dead by the veterinary officer as per the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1974. Dog carcasses are then taken to a landfill for burial or cremated in incinerators.” – Noraini Roslan, MDKS President, The Star

However, senior SPCA volunteer Wong Ee Lynn reiterates that using poles and rope nooses are cruel because it can cause neck and spinal injury, even death. There are some councils who have introduced new tools that are more humane though… Klang Council (MPK) is using a pain-free fish net type called Skynet-01. With the push of a button, the net would spread out and trap the running animal. The Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) and Kuching South City Council (MBKS) also ordered nets from Sarawak SPCA.

So, the best thing is just to make sure your pet doesn’t get lost

You may be interested to know that any dog unaccompanied outside its compound may be picked up by the council even if it has a collar, licence and name tag! It is the owner’s responsibility to keep their pets inside the compound and accompany it on a leash when outside.

But we’ve even read shocking cases of violation where council workers allegedly trespassed someone’s house to shoot a licensed puppy. There was another case where council staff rescued a pet stuck in a drain… only to euthanise it on the spot! Ok, the owner couldn’t produce its licence coz she lost it, but the council staff had not followed SOP  – only vets are permitted to perform euthanasia, also they have to wait 7 days not euthanise immediately. Besides, even if the owner lost the licence, the council would have records, so why did they not check?

However, MBPJ doesn’t catch pets (accidentally or otherwise), our source from the council claims, because they don’t hire private catchers, but have their own team to do it. As such, they don’t see RM when they see a pet walking by. If such a case were to happen, they would kena marah, said our source.

Apart from that, pedigree animals have been known to be petnapped from inside or outside the owner’s premises and sold off elsewhere. So, it’s up to the owner to take these necessary steps to protect their pets.

Microchipping is one of the ways. Don’t mistake it for a tracking device though, it cannot pinpoint the exact location of your pet. Each chip stores a unique identity number (like an IC number) that can be read with a scanner. This number is recorded on a database with details about the animal and its owner. Vets, animal shelters, the Malaysian Kennel Association (MKA), Petfinder, and local councils can scan your pet and contact you using the database. As for cost, some sources say it’s between RM20-RM30, this one says RM34 (RM22 for chip, RM12 for implanting it)

Getting your pet a collar with a tag is another good idea. At least people will not mistake it for a stray. Besides, kind hoomans who find your details on the dog’s tag might try to contact you. Other practical methods are to ensure your house compound is secure so that the pet cannot escape and to always walk your dog on a leash rather than allow it to roam on its own outside.

So, these new guidelines from MBPJ to microchip, vaccinate and neuter pets, that Ed shared with us is a good step to responsible and safe pet ownership, that is if you haven’t already.  😉