ANM calls for rethink of dog muzzling proposal

The New Macau Association (ANM) sent a letter to the president of the First Standing Committee of the Legislative Assembly this week, calling for the removal of a rule that would force pet owners to muzzle their dogs in public places at all times.
The rule has been proposed as part of the Animal Protection Bill, which is seeking to provide greater security for animals and impose harsher penalties on those found guilty of animal cruelty.
“In the absence of a significant number of cases of dog aggression in Macau, compulsory dog muzzling will defeat the original purpose of the bill, to protect animals,” reads ANM’s letter.
The association added that after initial research into muzzling laws in other countries, they “discovered no precedent in jurisdictions in the developed world echoing that requirement.”
In places where regulations over muzzling dogs do exist, “the requirement usually applies to particular aggressive breeds or individual dogs with a history of aggression toward humans.” DB