Pets in Penang: dog licences, rabies, adopting and lost animals

The short version

If you keep a dog in Penang, license it with your city council every year: MBPP if you live on the island, MBSP if you live in Seberang Perai on the mainland. Some breeds cannot be licensed at all, MBSP's by-law limits how many dogs each type of home may keep, and a dog must wear its licence tag on its collar.

• Island (MBPP): apply online at elesen.mbpp.gov.my or at the Veterinary Unit on Jalan Sungai. MBPP's charter says a dog licence application is decided immediately.
• Mainland (MBSP): apply online through the council's animal information system (SPMH, spmh.mbsp.gov.my) or at the counter. A licence runs to 31 December each year.
• Rabies: Penang has had no human rabies case since 1975, Bernama reported in October 2026. If an animal bites you, get medical attention straight away.
• Adopting: SPCA Penang in Jelutong rehomes dogs and cats; its published minimum fees start at RM150 for a male dog.

Dog licences on the island (MBPP)

MBPP's Environmental Health Department issues, renews and enforces dog licences through its Veterinary Unit.

• Where: Unit Veterinar, Jabatan Kesihatan Persekitaran, Pusat Kawalan Vektor dan Veterinar, Jalan Sungai, 10150 Pulau Pinang. Phone 04-2810850 (Veterinary Unit), as MBPP published in 2022.
• Online: elesen.mbpp.gov.my.
• Fee: as published in 2015, MBPP (then MPPP) said the licence fee was RM10 a year, and owners whose dogs were found without the licence on the collar could be fined between RM100 and RM250. Ask its Veterinary Unit for the current fee.
• The rules behind it: MBPP acts under the Municipal Council of Penang Island (Dogs) By-Laws 1977. In September 2026 it cancelled a dog's licence and compounded the owner RM250 after a dog attack at Pearl Hill, Tanjung Bungah, The Star reported.
• Parks and beaches: in December 2024 the mayor said there was no rule barring pets from beaches, but dogs are prohibited in public parks under existing by-laws, and owners must have valid MBPP licences.

Banned and restricted breeds. As published in 2024, MBPP said it does not license seven breeds listed by the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS): Akita, American Bulldog, Dogo Argentino, Fila Braziliero, Japanese Tosa, Neapolitan Mastiff and Pit Bull Terrier, and that keeping one can bring a RM200 fine and seizure of the dog. As published in 2015, owners of breeds such as the Rottweiler, German Shepherd, Doberman, Bullmastiff, Bull Terrier and Perro De Presa Canario needed special permits from the council and DVS.

Sources: MBPP dog licence notice, 2022, MBPP Clients Charter, MBPP Environmental Health Department, NST, 2015, Sinar Harian, 2024, The Star, 1 September 2026 and The Sun, December 2024, read 2026-10-14.

Dog licences on the mainland (MBSP)

• How to apply: online at spmh.mbsp.gov.my, or at the counter. MBSP says the licence is valid only to 31 December of the year applied for, as published in 2022.
• Enforcement: MBSP's veterinary division inspects premises; owners found with an unlicensed dog, without the dog tag displayed, or with more dogs than allowed can be compounded (as published in 2017).

What MBSP's dog by-law says. MBSP's Control of Dogs By-Laws 1982 (published on its website as a scanned PDF, as published in 1982) say:

• every dog kept in Seberang Perai must be licensed from the age of 3 months, for a fee of ten ringgit, paid in advance;
• the licence fee is due in the first seven days of January;
• every dog must wear a collar with its registration badge;
• limits by type of home: no more than one dog in a flat (rumah pangsa), two in a terrace or link house, three in a semi-detached house and four in a bungalow, unless the council approves more;
• owners must stop their dog becoming a nuisance through long barking.

No current MBSP page confirms whether the fee is still ten ringgit.

Sources: MBSP SPMH notice, MBSP Control of Dogs By-Laws 1982 and MBSP, 2017, read 2026-10-14.

Rabies

In October 2026 Bernama reported that Penang had recorded no human rabies case since the last two, in 1975, and quoted the state health committee chairman saying no new cases had been reported. The state is working with the Department of Veterinary Services to monitor rabies. The same report noted that a man from Kubang Pasu, Kedah, died of rabies on 27 September 2026 after a stray dog bite.

If an animal bites you: the state advises following Ministry of Health guidelines, including getting medical attention at any healthcare facility straight away. An MBPP councillor has also said that licensing, vaccination and sterilisation remain crucial parts of responsible pet ownership.

Sources: Bernama, October 2026 and Malay Mail, July 2026, read 2026-10-14.

Adopting a dog or cat

SPCA Penang is a temporary shelter for dogs and cats at Jalan Jeti Jelutong, 11600 Penang. Phone 604-2816559 or 6016-4166559; out of hours 6016-4203373, which SPCA says should be answered until 7pm every day. Email info@spca-penang.net.

Its published minimum adoption fees:

The deposit comes back once you send SPCA proof that a vet has neutered the animal. The fee covers first vaccinations, deworming, defleaing and deticking.

What SPCA asks of adopters: you sign an adoption agreement; SPCA may refuse an application, may visit your home, and may take the animal back if the agreement is not kept. You must provide vet treatment if the animal is ill or hurt.

On the mainland, the Seberang Perai SPCA runs a shelter in Juru, Malay Mail reported in July 2026.

Sources: SPCA Penang, SPCA adoption costs, SPCA adoption guideline and Malay Mail, July 2026, read 2026-10-14.

If you lose or find an animal

SPCA Penang's guidance for people in Penang:

• A healthy dog or cat that looks owned: take a photo. If you can, confine it in your compound. Send the photo, details and location to as many shelters as you can find online; SPCA Penang says it will post it on social media to help find the owner.
• No owner after about a week: ask friends and family to adopt, or post it on petfinder.my or SPCA's third-party adoption page. If that fails, contact your council, then shelters.
• A sick or injured animal: take it to a vet if you can. If not, contact your council to see if it can collect the animal.
• Strays causing noise, smell or aggression: contact your council. SPCA says councils are responsible for strays, and most shelters do not catch them.
• Newborn kittens or puppies: look for the mother first; she may be away looking for food.

SPCA warns that all shelters are very full and cannot take in every animal.

Council contacts: MBPP's Veterinary Unit is on 04-2810850; MBSP's complaints call centre is on 04-269 6969 (office hours) or aduan@mbsp.gov.my. For other animal problems, see Stray dogs, snakes and wildlife: who handles what.

Sources: SPCA Penang, How to Handle Strays, MBPP dog licence notice, 2022 and MBSP home page, read 2026-10-14.

Related

• Stray dogs, snakes and wildlife: who handles what
• MBPP or MBSP: which council