No dogs allowed: Bekasi neighborhood’s pet ban draws criticism

Who in their right mind would ban that?
Who in their right mind would ban that?

A neighborhood in the Indonesian city of Bekasi is facing criticism for implementing a ban separating man from his best friend.

Recently, a circular from the Mustikasari sub-district announcing that pets, specifically dogs, were banned from the RT 02 RW 07 neighborhood went viral online. As picked up by Kompas, the neighborhood enforced a policy that pet dogs were “unconditionally banned” and that any that are found will be taken away by authorities.

According to Mustikasari sub-district head Deden Yosep Septiana, the ban — which he later clarified also includes other domesticated animals — was enforced after residents of the densely populated neighborhood had complained about waste from pets being left on public facilities.

“The management of RT 02 RW 07 issued their own rules regarding the rights and prohibitions for the neighborhood’s residents. One of them was the ban of keeping pets or livestock. Not just dogs,” Deden said.

Dewi Aicu, resident of the neighborhood and dog owner, said she has been forced to take her dog to one of her children’s house in Jakarta ever since the ban was enforced.

“What else is there to do? First there were notices not to let (the dogs) loose, but now all of a sudden we’re banned from keeping dogs,” she said, as quoted by Kompas yesterday.

Following criticism of the ban, the Bekasi city administration said there are existing regulations on pet ownership in the city, but there are no total bans on pets.

“I asked the sub-district head to revise the circular,” said Fatia Sriwijayanti, head of the Livestock Agency in Bekasi, as quoted by Kompas.

There is so far no update on whether or not the city administration has officially overturned the ban, and if people like Dewi are now allowed to be reunited with their dogs.



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