JOHOR BARU: Dog owners are no longer allowed to keep canines in high-rise residential buildings under the Johor Baru City Council's (MBJB) jurisdiction.

       Johor Baru mayor Datuk Noorazam Osman said legal action would be taken against those who failed to comply with the ruling.

       He said the provisions come under the MBJB By-Laws for the Licensing of Dogs (Amendment) 2021.

       "We also have the power to seize unlicensed dogs and types of dog breeds which are not allowed to be kept," Noorazam said in his speech during the MBJB full council meeting here Thursday (Feb 24).

       He said the banned breeds, among others, included the pitbull, bulldog and Japanese tosa.

       Norazam also added the number of dogs allowed to be kept at a premises would also be limited.

       He said that only one dog is allowed for a terrace house, two for a semi-detached house, four dogs in a bungalow and stand-alone factory buildings, respectively.

       "I would like to advise dog owners to apply for a licence for their pets if they do not have one," said Noorazam.

       He said the council received 595 complaints on stray dogs in 2021and 106 complaints as of Feb 23, 360 complaints on unlicensed dogs last year and 63 as of Feb 23, 2022.

       Noorazam said 1,865 and 486 stray dogs were caught in 2021 and from Jan 1 to Feb 21, 2022, respectively.