‘Dog Control Act 2017’: Series of consultative meetings ends |25 July 2017

The ‘Dog Control Act of 2017’ is a newly proposed bill that seeks to provide for the control of dogs and to regulate the manner in which dogs are kept by their owners.

After several weeks of public discussions on the ‘Dog Control Act 2017’ White paper, the series of consultations came to a conclusion in its sixth and final meeting held at Mont Fleuri community centre.

The meeting was held at the weekend for the residents of Plaisance, Roche Caiman, Les Mamelles, Mont Fleuri and Bel Air.

Present at the meeting were Dr Maria Tirant, a veterinary officer; Antoine-Marie Moustache, the principal secretary for agriculture; Marc Naiken, the chief executive of the National Biosecurity Agency (NBA); as well as Michelle St Ange, state counsel in the Attorney General’s Chambers.

Public consultations to raise awareness on this new piece of legislation have been ongoing in different districts all over the main islands since July 1.

The new legislation’s objective is to address the desperate need to tackle the country’s stray dog problems and decrease the amount of nuisance caused by dogs.

Once enforced the Act will re-introduce identification of dogs whereby owners will be required to register dogs above three months in age. Registration is expected to come with a fee which is hitherto unknown.

While registering their animals, owners will need to provide certain details such as their address, name, and compounds where their dog will inhabit.

Consequently any registered dog will be required to wear a registration tag of a colour specified by the regulation, hence any dog found without one will be deemed a stray and will be picked up by the authorities.

Pet societies will be setting up dog shelters on the three main islands to shelter these dogs and unreclaimed or unadopted dogs will be put down “humanely”.

Moreover Section 4 of the Act stresses on owner responsibility, stating that owners are obliged to:

(a)        ensure that the dog is registered in accordance with this Act, and that all relevant authorities are promptly notified of any change of address or ownership of the dog;

(b)       ensure that the dog is kept under control at all times;

(c)       ensure that the dog receives proper care and attention and is supplied with proper and sufficient food, water and shelter;

(d)       ensure that the dog receives adequate exercise;

(e)       take all reasonable steps to ensure that the dog does not cause a nuisance to any other person, whether by persistent and loud barking or howling or by any other means;

(f)       take all reasonable steps to ensure that the dog does not injure, endanger, or cause distress to any stock, poultry, domestic animal, or protected wildlife;

(g)       take all reasonable steps to ensure that the dog does not damage or endanger any property belonging to another person;

(h)      comply with the requirements of this Act and of all regulations made under this Act.

 “It is high time owners take up their responsibilities towards their pets. The issue lies with irresponsible pet owners who do not maintain their dogs properly because this leads to various problems such as abandonment of unwanted dogs,” Dr Tirant explained.

Additionally it will be mandatory to microchip dogs considered as dangerous by the bill. Provisions have also been made under the Act in relations to breeding of dogs.

Under the bill a dog control officer will gain additional authority as they will be able to enter compounds and seize dogs if they are not being treated correctly.

A person who fails to conform to these laws may find themselves faced with a fine of up to 50,000 rupees, depending on the circumstances.

During the consultations it was hard pressed to find someone who disagreed on the fact that new legislation on the control and welfare of dogs is a must.

However they raised pertinent issues concerning the bill such as the fact that the bill should limit how many dogs one can have per household rather than limit per person.

Some even claimed the drafted document is a knee-jerk policymaking on dog control and it is not stringent enough.

“The majority of the points raised during the series of consultation will be amended in the bill before the final document reaches the National Assembly. Once approved by everyone concerned we will have to get the necessary elements in order such as employ more dog control officers and equip them with the necessary tools,” Mr Naiken said.

If approved by the parliament in September the bill will repeal and replace the old and ineffective Dog Control Act of 1982.