“There has been enough awareness since 2019. It’s time for stricter enforcement, and to be fair, if you want to own pets, make sure you’re a responsible pet owner—it applies to everyone,” he said.

He also stated that enforcement operations would not be pre-announced to encourage consistent compliance.

“We will not disclose which areas we are targeting first, so people should be prepared and there will be no more excuses,” he said.

During today’s event, over 80 pets received rabies vaccinations, and more than 50 dog licences were issued.

On the issue of stray dogs, Wee highlighted the importance of microchipping to distinguish between owned animals and strays, a step seen as essential in controlling the stray population effectively.

Meanwhile, Sarawak Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) president Datin Dona Drury-Wee unveiled a new initiative made possible through a grant from Yayasan Khazanah.

The initiative will focus on the neutering, vaccination, and treatment of 100 community dogs, which will be marked with ‘SSPCA’ tail tags for easy identification.

“We’ll be working closely with the state Ministry of Public Health, Housing and Local Government, local councils and DVSS and hope to roll it out very soon,” she said.

She added that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is currently being finalised and will soon be signed with Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian, who is also state Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government.