Eye on Selesa strays
Published on: Tuesday, October 27, 2020
By: Sidney Skinner
The number of dogs being reared at one of the homes on this Kepayan road seems to be increasing as evidenced by the puppy seen above.
City Hall is monitoring the goings-on in Taman Selesa to ensure that the housing roads in this Kepayan neighbourhood are kept free of strays.A spokesman for the agency said its dog-control unit would endeavour to catch any canines found wandering about unsupervised on these stretches.
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He said the unit went to the neighbourhood two days after the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) came into affect in October but no dogs were sighted in the common areas there that morning.
“Our Health and Environment Department remains operational but work involving face-to-face exchanges with the public, including dog-owners, has temporarily been put on hold,” he said.
“We are keen to minimise the risk of our personnel and rate-payers becoming infected by the Coronavirus due to personal interaction.”
He said any inspections, where such meetings were involved, would be pursued once the CMCO had been lifted.
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“Nevertheless, our staff will keep an eye on the housing roads in Taman Selesa and endeavour to catch any canines sighted on the housing road,” he said.
“Dog-owners should ensure that they obtain a licence for the pets.
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“They should also keep their canines on a leash, or at the very least supervise their activities, when these dogs are in the common places around the neighbourhood.”
The spokesman was responding to a Kepayan homeowner’s claims that City Hall was failing to crackdown on the number of dogs which her neighbour was rearing.
The individual claimed that the original pair inside this property had given birth twice this year, most recently in August.
She wanted to know how the agency could be turning a blind eye to these developments as the situation seemed to be getting out of hand.
The rate-payer provided Hotline with the location of the home where the canines were being reared. This information was forwarded to City Hall.
The spokesman refuted the allegation that the dog woes in his area were being ignored by the agency, saying that the unit had checked on the housing road several times.
A Kepayan dog owner allows his pets to roam about freely on his housing road.
“In one instance, they even managed to catch a canine which was wandering about unsupervised on the stretch,” he said.
He said the agency’s staff conducted an investigation shortly after becoming aware about the new additions among the dog-owner’s pets.
“They confirmed the presence of the puppies inside the compound and had a word with the owner, who agreed to relocate the young canines,” he said.
He said the pet-owner was asked to ensure that his dogs remained inside his compound and to accompany them if they went out onto the housing road.
“If he fails to do so after this by the time the CMCO is over, then further action will be taken.”
DONISIA of Kepayan expressed her displeasure about the nuisance created by the noise and foul smell coming from her neighbour’s pets.
She said the female dog had recently given birth and the puppies barked all night, depriving the other residents of a good night’s sleep.
On top of this, he said, the pet-owner did not clean up after these canines.
“This makes it most uncomfortable for me and my family to be outside our home for very long,” she said.
“We have to keep our doors and windows closed to prevent the stench from coming in.”
She said she was reluctant to entertain visitors in his home lest they remark about this problem.
Donisia said the pet owner also allowed the five adult canines to wander in the common areas around the neighbourhood, even when he was not at home.
“The dogs can be seen on the housing road during the day and, sometimes, even at night.”
She said the canines often soiled the section of the stretch immediately in front of his house.
“We have to check the road each time, before we leave or return to our homes, to avoid unknowingly stepping in or driving into the canines’ stool.”
“All of us are fed up of having to hose down the stretch whenever it is used as a toilet by the dogs.”
Donisia also bemoaned the mess left behind when the canines foraged for food among his household waste.
“They tip over my bin and bite through the plastic bags inside, giving me extra work after they leave.”
She said the pet owner did not seem to be bothered that his canines had become a public nuisance.
“I have nothing against the dogs, but I feel that the owner should at least keep an eye on his pets when they are outside his house before the situation gets out of control.”
She said she hated to imagine what would happen if an innocent passer-by, including any of the neighbourhood children or an elderly pedestrian, was bitten or mauled by the canines.
She said she had, once or twice, seen the dogs chasing cars and even motorcycles which used the housing road.
“Some of those living here have voiced their displeasure to City Hall about these goings-on to him but, so far, their pleas have fallen on deaf ears.
“One of my neighbours contacted the agency at the beginning of March about this. He was assured that action would be taken
“He phoned City Hall on and off a few times after this and received the same assurance in each instance.
Donisia was at a loss to understand why City Hall had failed to address these dog woes.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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