Page 1 of 330 The Monthly National Legislation Report 7/5/2010 ...

The Monthly National Legislation Reporthttp://mnlreport.typepad.com/Page 143 of 3307/5/2010CANADABritish Columbia – Surrey - City Councillor Barinder Rasode says she is ready to re-evaluate the rules surrounding dangerous dogs in light of recent dog attacks. She says she could see tougher legislation, oreven a ban on certain breeds.Cornwall – (8/13/09) - A local woman feels she can't walk along public paths with her baby because some dog owners aren't respecting the city's leash laws. The 31-year-old woman, who asked not to beidentified for fear of retaliation, told the Standard- Freeholder she was in the habit of walking the bike path on Cornwall's waterfront with her infant child in a stroller until she began fearing for her safety.While nothing dangerous has happened to her, the woman, for example, has seen a man out with four pit bulls off their leashes along the bike path. The dogs were swimming in the river. PREDATORS BYNATURE? The woman said she sees pit bulls "as predators by nature." The province has legislation controlling the ownership of pit bulls. She said she watched people on bicycles turn around to avoid suchdogs and their owners, a few of which have snubbed her requests they tie up the dogs. Apparently an animal control officer told her to take down the addresses of the people letting their dogs run loose. But shesaid that isn't practical because she is home alone with her baby while her husband is at work. The family has gone so far as to begin building a fence around their property to keep out stray dogs -- she believessome allegedly come over from Cornwall Island -- and unleashed dogs.CHINAShanghai – (8/21/09) - Public hearings are becoming more and more a part of our daily lives, but who would have thought that getting a dog would require one? Residents from the downtown Luwan District inShanghai are beginning to understand this concept as a new ordinance will require they attend a “dog license hearing” with their neighbors if they wish to keep a dog in their homes. Launched for the sake ofneighborhood amity, the district’s new pilot program will require any home desiring to own a dog to get a nod of approval from five of that household’s nearest neighbors. If anyone dissents, no dog’s licensewill be granted and any pets that are unlicensed will be removed from the household, in question. This “purge and remove” policy takes effect as soon as a resident applies for a dog license. The request is thensent to the neighborhood committee, which then arranges for a hearing between the applicant and their five nearest neighbors who will then vote on the issue after the applicant gives a statement. The newregulations come in the wake of a recent survey conducted by the Shanghai Statistics Bureau, which claimed that pets urinating and defecating in public were major causes of annoyance for local families.INDIANew Delhi – (8/13/09) - It’s not just stray dogs that bring out the mean streak in people. Dog lovers and animal rights activists are finding out that caring for strays in this city gets them the same treatment —they are shooed away, threatened and even beaten up. On Wednesday, a bunch of female volunteers with non-governmental organizations (NGO) trooped into the Delhi High Court to complain that they werebeing “harassed” and “physically assaulted” by locals while moving around immunizing and sterilizing stray dogs. They came from Defence Colony, Vasant Kunj, Saket, Mehrauli, Geeta Colony, Kalkaji andKamala Nagar. There are an estimated 5 lakh (5,00,000) stray dogs in Delhi. “Activists are being abused and threatened. Several complaints have been made to local police stations but they remain apathetic,”said Sonia Ghosh, founder of the NGO Citizens for Welfare and Protection of Animals. On their complaint, the court issued notices to the Delhi Police and to the director (veterinary), Municipal Corporation ofDelhi (MCD). Meera Bhatia, counsel for the Delhi Police, was asked to contact the station house officers of the areas concerned and ensure no harm is done to the activists. Bhatia had earlier argued that thepolice could do precious little as it was essentially the job of the MCD. The NGOs work in coordination with the MCD to sterilize stray canines. The high court had in an order in 2001 said strays should betreated with “compassion” and cruelty should be “avoided”.NEW ZEALANDInvercargill – (8/18/09) - SPCA outraged at dog deathsThe SPCA is appalled the Invercargill City Council killed six "harmless" rottweiler puppies yesterday because of their breed, while the dogs' aggressive mother was returned to its owners for a fee. TheSouthland Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals is also upset it was effectively used as a "death row for dogs" after the council housed the puppies in its kennels last week. Council chief executiveRichard King said the dogs were impounded last Tuesday after the mother was found barking at school children in Elles Rd as the pups wandered around unchecked. The pups were given a lethal injection byanimal control yesterday because the council considered rottweilers dangerous, Mr King said, despite them only being six weeks old. However, the puppies mother, which was now classed as "menacing" by thecouncil, was given back to its owners because they paid an $80 fee, he said. It was also the opinion of the council's animal rangers that the puppies owners were not good owners, he said. Royal New ZealandSPCA national chief executive Robyn Kippenberger was disgusted the council went ahead with the killings despite its offer to find new homes for the puppies or move them out of Invercargill. "This council'sway of deciding what lives and what dies is appalling." "The fact they can wrench these puppies away from an SPCA that's prepared to look after them, and merrily execute them is rubbish," she said. Mr. Kingsaid the decision to destroy the puppies was also based on the fact the owners did not want them back. "In general, rottweilers tend to be quite dangerous dogs. The puppies might look nice and fluffy at that agebut they don't stay that way for long," he said. "In this particular case, we felt the SPCA could not find suitable homes for them."SWITZERLAND – adding Rottweilers to Dangerous Dog List(8/24/09) - A minister from the canton of Schaffhausen is calling for Rottweilers to be added to the canton’s list of dangerous dogs, after two children were seriously injured in separate incidents in recentweeks. Ursula Hafner-Wipf says the list, which currently includes four breeds of dogs, must now be updated. People wishing to adopt dogs from the listed breeds must first obtain a special permit. Mrs Hafner-Wipf’s campaign follows a similar move in the Canton of Zurich, where a series of incidents has led campaigners to call for rottweilers to be listed as dangerous.VIETNAMHanoi – (8/20/09) - Dog owners will have to muzzle their pets in public and dog breeders will have to register their dogs under a new regulation that aims to curb rabies. The regulation, outlined in a newcircular from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, will come into effect on September 19. It will not initially apply in remote and mountainous areas. Under the circular, all dog breeders willhave to register with heads of villages, hamlets or wards, in a move that aims to improve management of these businesses. Registered dog breeders will receive dog management booklets, used to recordinformation relating to their dogs, such as the date of vaccination against rabies. The circular regulates that households are allowed to raise dogs within the grounds of the household. The new law also meansthat anyone who walks his or her dog in public must have it muzzled. If a dog does bite a person, the dog’s owner will have to compensate victims for any health treatment they have to undertake. Director ofthe Animal Health Department Bui Quang Anh said dog breeders who failed to register with local authorities should be fined. "The fine will be decided by each locality," said Anh. "If any household wants toraise five dogs or more, they must get approval from local authorities, who will ensure the dog raising meets certain requirements." Anh said authorities would put down any dog caught roaming in public anddisplaying symptoms of rabies if their owners did not pick them up within three days of being caught. "The move is expected to help Viet Nam fulfil its target of stamping out rabies by 2015," said Anh.