I recently moved back to Kuching with my now 9 month old shiba inu, and I was disappointed to find out that the MBKS park and Taman Sahabat park had signs prohibiting pets. These two parks were the most pet friendly parks I knew when I was growing up in Kuching. We used to frequent MBKS park for weekly meet ups with the dog show community. Taman Sahabat was where we went with our smaller puppers because it was such a great place for small breed dogs. 

Now I live in a neighbourhood that is overrun by stray dogs who are unvaccinated, unleashed and unsupervised. Although there are parks near me, none of the parks feel safe. Taman Sahabat is the closest other public park to me that is safe, and well lit at night. It is also a family friendly park, but I cannot go there because I have a dog. 

I recently visited Resevior Park and the Sarawak Botanical Garden with my dog (managed by DBKU) and there were no pet prohibition signs. Instead, there were signs for dogs to be leashed. This is a policy advocating responsible dog ownership, which should be the way forward to provide equal access to enjoyment of public spaces. If DBKU parks allow pets, why can't MBKS parks do the same?

When I enquired with MBKS, they informed me that the policy at Taman Sahabat came into place due to complaints by joggers. However, no further information was provided. If this were the only reason, a pet prohibition seems a little drastic as a rule that requires all dogs to be leashed is sufficient. Further, to keep parks clean, why not just make it mandatory for dog owners to pick up after their dogs? 

It's disappointing to know that I moved back to a city that makes dogs and dog lovers feel unwelcomed at public spaces. The dog community in Kuching used to be vibrant. I hope the City Council (MBKS) can heed to our appeal to review the fairness of the City's policy to ban vaccinated and safe pets from our favourite public parks, as dog lovers and their dogs should have the right to enjoy these public spaces too!