The Housing Department reminds tenants that the application period for keeping dogs in public housing estates under the temporary permission rule will close on October 31. Late applications will not be considered.

Acting Deputy Director of Housing in charge of estate management Wong Bay said it is a one-off exercise and the application period will not be extended. The department is determined to take tough action against unauthorised dog keeping in public estates, and violations could result in eviction.

Subject to the approval of the Housing Authority's Subsidised Housing Committee, tenants are allowed to register and keep dogs weighing under 20 kilograms, provided they were already being kept before August 1.

However, fighting breeds, known dangerous dogs or large dogs, as defined under the Dogs & Cats Ordinance (Cap 167) will be banned from estates.

Tenants must prove through a declaration that they were already keeping dogs before August 1. An applicant may be held criminally liable for filing a false declaration.

Supporting documents on licensing, vaccination, microchipping and desexing arrangements must be submitted within three months of the time of application. Failure will result in cancellation of the application and removal of the animal.

2,000 applications received

Since the application period began in October, about 2,000 submissions have been received.

The department will adopt a zero-tolerance policy towards dog owners who fail to exercise self-discipline or observe the 'no-nuisance' rule.

The temporary permission may be revoked if there are two substantiated nuisance cases, either as a result of complaints by neighbours or violations reported by estate staff.

Tenants who keep unregistered pets or allow their pets to defecate in public areas will be assessed five penalty points for each offence. A tenant who accumulates 16 points in two years will be served with a notice-to-quit.