SYNOPSIS OF THE DRAFT OF THE 2nd BY-LAW FOR DOG OWNERSHIP.

SYNOPSIS OF THE DRAFT OF THE 2nd BY-LAW FOR DOG OWNERSHIP.


CAPE, SOUTH AFRICA.

People have only to 28 August to comment.

2, 3,

NUMBER OF DOGS ALLOWED: (Special permit needed for more)

-two dogs in or at a dwelling unit;
-three dogs, in or at a dwelling house;
-four dogs, to be kept in or at a large dwelling house;
-six dogs,, to be kept on an agricultural property;
-three dogs, to be kept on or at any other premises.



Dog registration re-introduced

5

NOT ALLOWED

-bitch on heat in any public street or public place;
- to urge any dog to attack,
- cause worry or frighten any person or animal or through negligence fail to prevent any dog from attacking,
worrying or frightening any person or animal, (except where necessary for SELF DEFENSE)
-any dog which causes damage to public property;
-not to remove any dog feces
-keep any dog which barks for more than six minutes in any hour or more than three minutes in any half hour.



DOG DISTURBANCES NOT ALLOWED:

-barking, yelping, howling or whining;
-charging any vehicle, animals, poultry, pigeons or persons
-causes a disturbance or nuisance to inhabitants of the neighbourhood

NOT ALLOWED IN PUBLIC PLACES:

-Dogs suffering from mange or any other infectious or contagious disease;
-ferocious, vicious or dangerous dogs (unless it is muzzled and held on a leash and under control)

DOGS MAY NOT
- trespass on private property;
- constitute a hazard to traffic using any public street;
- constitute a source of danger or injury to any person outside the premises on which such dog is kept;
- NOT ON A LEASH in any public street or public place except on a leash (unless the dog is in an area designated by the Council as a free running area).
- keep any dog which does not have on its collar or micro-chip a 1 name, 2 telephone number and 3 physical address or reference to a society for the prevention of cruelty to animals or registered animal welfare organization.

6

YOU MAY NOT

-provoke, harass or tease any dog.
-terrify or cause stress or fear to any dog with fireworks or by any other means.
-Have animal for the purposes of fighting any other animal.
-Owns, uses or controls any premises or place for the purpose or partly for the purpose of presenting animal fights.

PENALTY: a fine of R 20 000.00

7

DOG IMPOUNDED / DESTROYED WHEN
- is suffering from mange or any other infectious or contagious disease;
-constitutes a hazard to traffic using any public street;
- is at large and apparently without an owner;
- is found in any public place or public street where such a dog is, in the opinion of the authorised official, not on a leash or under proper control

NOT ALLOWED TO:

-Take any dog into custody for the purpose of having it impounded if there are reasonable grounds to believe that the dog is a female dog with un-weaned young, unless such dog and un-weaned young are taken into custody together.
-No person may free any dog which has been taken into custody,
-People can claim their dogs back at a fee and correction of the problem.
-kept at a pound for ten days .

8 (DUTIES OF A POUND MASTER)

THE POUND MAY:
- have any animal destroyed as contemplated in this By-Law and recover any expenses incurred in this regard from the owner

9

FENCING A PROPERTY
-No person shall keep a dog if his or her premises are not properly and adequately fenced.

10 RESCUE OF STRAY DOGS

-A person who rescues a stray dog shall report the date and time of the rescue and a description of the dog to the Council within twenty four hours.

11

-A DOG SHALL NOT BE A SOURCE OF DANGER TO:
-Council's employees entering upon such premises for the purpose of carrying out their duties
(unless a notice to the effect shall be displayed in a conspicuous place at each access point)

12

REMOVAL OF EXCREMENT IN PUBLIC PLACES.
-remove the excrement,
place it in a plastic or paper bag or wrapper and dispose of it in a receptacle provided for the deposit of litter or refuse, excluding a person who is assisted by a guide dog.
-No person shall walk a dog, other than a guide dog, in a public street, public place or public road, without carrying a sufficient number of plastic or paper bags or wrappers, within which to place the excrement of the dog, in the event of the dog defecating.

13 STERILISATION.

- No person, other than a person who has been granted permission by the Council to keep kennels, or the owner of a dog registered by the Kennel Union of South Africa, the Boxer Federation, the SA Sheepdog Association, the German Shepherd Dog Federation or SA Field Trials shall keep a dog, other than a sterilized dog, provided that a person in possession of an unsterilized dog on the date of promulgation of this By-Law, may keep such dog until it dies or is disposed of




TO READ THE FULL DRAFT - CLICK HERE WWW.CAPETOWN.GOV.CO.ZA

backyard abattoirs

In South Africa, backyard abattoirs cause suffering for animals.
It is also very unhygienic.

By-laws to restrain dogs - Cape Town - South Africa

The proposed by-laws through the eyes of my dog. 25-09-2008

There are so many complaints about dogs, barking, dogs running loose and dogs attacks, it is difficult to distinguish between the genuine complaints and those coming from “bekrampte” people, who are so miserable that they can not stand seeing anything else being happy.

During the thirty years of taking my dogs for two walks a day, they have only been involved in fights twice. Only once was it necessary for medical treatment after a dogfight. Not one of my dogs ever attacked other dogs. Interestingly, the two who were attacked were both spayed females being attacked by un-sterilized male dogs.

Tobie, a local dog does not like my female dog one little bit. If he gets half a chance he will do some damage. I do not know what male dogs have against spayed females. Perhaps they give off a strange odor.

Animals are born to be free. Dogs particularly have an abundance of energy, while young, with a body structure and nature to run and roam around.

Animal lovers cannot always afford large back yards, for their dogs, which does not mean that they should be denied the loving companionship of a dog for a pet. Other people choose to have dogs for protection.

Dogs, like people and wild animals, have needs. One of those needs is to be able to just run free and have fun. Dogs need to exercise and most of them love swimming in the sea. They have in their DNA that memory of being children of the bush. They yearn to explore, sniff around and to experience new things.

Keeping a dog in a small enclosed back yard and then on a leash for a slow walk for the rest of his life is cruel.

Such a by-law would be cruel.

When the Cape City council approves bylaws regarding dog ownership, they should also set aside areas of beach, as well as open space in each region, where dogs can roam

We must also remember that stray animals are not necessary a sign of negligence.

Animals often stray after a burglary or because workers left a gate open without the owner's knowledge.

Lets hope that those who make the bylaws regarding dog ownership, are able to see life through the eyes of a dog.

While we are on the subject of council bylaws, I hope that there will be a bylaw to prevent people, bordering on nature reserves, from owning cats. It is near impossible to keep cats out of reserves.

Imagine the damage cats can do among chicks from nests that are on the ground and who are unable to fly, like the plovers on the beach, or the various bird and duck species that breed at Rietvlei reserve. One year Mother Goose, at Rietvlei, lost all twelve of her chicks. Every day there would be one or two missing.

Another consideration could be that ID chips are implanted in animals at their first vaccination.

Such a chip could also record the breeder, or adopted parent’s ID number and vehicle registration number.

This could help to re-unite stray animals, with their owners, and to trace their medical history. The veterinary surgeon that does the implanting of the chip should be responsible for keeping the database of the animal's history (both social and medical). The vet's practice number can also be recorded on the chip.

These records can prevent illegal trading with animals and identify people who abuse animals.

Unfortunately, any such bylaws will only apply to the middle and the upper class. People living in low-cost and informal settlements will still do as they please. Animals come low down on their priority list of fighting crime.

When one considers the free-for-all when it comes to breaking rules and laws by those governing the nation, animal by-laws seem petty and unnecessary. When one considers the country's inability to cope with serious crime, it will only place further strain on an already stressed legal system.

One can end up with a situation where someone is jailed, for not being able to pay the fines for a barking dog, while a murderer roams the streets.