Help me with this!

YES! The good news is, The Klang Municipal Council has suspended the dog catchers. I want to Thank God so much for answering my prayers. FINALLY!! Oh, I'm as happy as ever... But still, animal cruelty is still happening out there.

I thought, well, I'm young... There's nothing much I can do to help these poor animals. But, no. Now, I finally know a way to help these animals. A simple way. I don need to do anything but just make a phone call! I am extremely happy. The SPCA is ready to offer help. They have given permission. It is stated there the number to call. So, I will not hesitate If I see any act of cruelty. I will and I promise. I can do this! Who said I'm afraid to call? And yes, a phone call away can save an animal from further suffering.

I hope my friends would be supportive and cooperate to fight for animal rights. I hope they could spread the word to everyone about animal cruelty. Malaysia is a multi-cultural society, I don see any reason why we can't be united by all the right values.. Your good deed is always appreciated..

If you don have the time to check out the article, then just read below. It is really interesting. I hope everyone can learn something from this.

It’s a doggone cruel world

A DIFFERENT SPIN
By JO-JO STRUYS

Animal cruelty across the board is a serious matter because it’s a reflection of people, not animals.

I LOOKED like I had seen a ghost but that was only because the blood had drained from my face when I first heard about what happened to the dog now referred to as the “KTM dog”.

It pained me to hear how this stray dog was tied to a metal fence at the KTM station with a long wooden pole (the sort you mop your house with) shoved down its throat and left there to die. A passer-by phoned the SPCA, who rushed to the scene but the dog was no longer there. Someone must have removed the stick and untied the dog from the fence.

To think it was wandering around in that state, still alive, is beyond me. SPCA eventually located the dog and rescued it but it eventually died.

Mahatma Gandhi once said: “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”

When I spoke with SPCA Selangor chairman Christine Chin, I was shocked to learn that the fines in Malaysia for animal cruelty is only RM200. That’s less than some parking offences. In Britain, animal cruelty is a criminal offence with a fine of up to £20,000 (RM100,000) and 51 weeks in prison.

Closer to home, offenders in Singapore may be fined S$10,000 (RM24,000) for animal cruelty, imprisoned for up to 12 months or both.

A bone-chilling case on how seriously animal cruelty is viewed in other countries involved the infamous NFL football player Michael Vicks. When I visited the United States in 2007, his name was on everyone’s lips as a national outrage.

Vicks made global news for running an illegal dog-fighting operation where dogs that did not perform up to expectations in the blood sport were killed by electrocution, hanged, drowned or other violent means. He was imprisoned for almost two years.

Cruelty to animals is not only inhumane but it has disturbing repercussions on society. There is a plethora of documented evidence linking animal cruelty to violence.

According to the Humane Society of the US, 85% of physically abused women and 63% of children (in a survey of 50 shelters) had witnessed pet abuse in the family.

As a kid growing up with dogs, I find any form of cruelty heart-breaking because my experience with dogs has shown me how unconditional the love is. There is never a day that goes by without a dog being happy to see its owner.

My first companion in the world was a German Shepherd that would have given up its life for me, if he had to. My parents brought him home when he was a puppy and I was a toddler so that we could grow up together.

They strongly believed that placing a pet into a young child’s care would cultivate values like compassion, nurture instincts and a basic respect for life.

Owning a pet is a lifetime commitment because it becomes a part of your family.

Incredibly, when one of our dogs died, all the others did not eat for an entire day because they were grieving.

This is why abandonment cases riles me. I still remember driving by a particular cemetery in Singapore wondering why there were pedigree dogs on the grounds. I found out that their owners had driven them there to get rid of them.

For instance, there was a pug with a skin problem, so the owner was no longer interested in the dog due to its looks. Just imagine this scenario from a dog’s point of view.

One day, you had a family all around you but all of a sudden, you’re going on a road trip, being pushed out of the car not knowing when you’re getting your next meal or how you’re going to survive because you were never born on the streets. The saddening thing is that these dogs did not move from the spot because they were waiting for their owners to come back (not realising they were never coming back). They just stayed there waiting without food or shelter.

Action For Singapore Dogs (a non-profit organisation with the mission to improve the welfare of stray and abandoned dogs in Singapore) rescued the abandoned pedigrees with heavy hearts because they realised the dogs were still not willing to leave the cemetery in case their owners came back.

On the home front, dog owners seriously need to be responsible about how they keep their dogs. A dog on a chain or caged all day, where its only interaction with its owners is when it’s being fed at the back of the house, would inevitably bark incessantly for attention or out of downright boredom.

Dog owners are also mistaken if they think a big yard or garden is good enough. It doesn’t replace the importance of walking your dog every day. They need exercise to drain all that pent-up tension in their system.

Dogs kept in poor conditions or without exercise become frustrated, unbalanced animals whereas dogs that are walked regularly are easier to train and are happier and more balanced.

As for dog owners who are trying to be responsible, it is disheartening to have almost nowhere to go in KL because public parks disallow dogs on their grounds. The only park I can think of where dog owners can walk their dogs without being stopped is Desa Parkcity in Kepong (where I’ve been walking my dogs for years) and people travel from far and wide just to walk their dogs there.

However, word has it that this stunning park will also become the property of a municipal town council one day, which would automatically mean no dogs. So, where do dog owners like me trying to do right by our pets go? Sad to say, these conditions could lead to more dogs being cooped up, which is a form of cruelty.

Of course, Malaysia is a multi-cultural society with different races, different customs and even different pets but there is no reason why we can’t be united by all the right values. For instance, several of my Muslim friends on Facebook were horrified about what happened to the “KTM dog” despite the fact they’ve never owned a canine pet.

The suffering of that dog transcended cultural barriers because it’s inhumane and as humans, we cannot stand by and accept such senseless cruelty against those who have no voice.

If you ever witness an act of cruelty on the streets or in your own neighbourhood, don’t hesitate to call the SPCA at 03-4256 5312 because your phone call could save an animal from further suffering.

Dog catchers in Klang ‘leashed’

KLANG: The Klang Muni­cipal Council has suspended its team of dog catchers following allegations of mistreatment of the animal and extortion of owners.

Its acting health director Zulkifli Abbas said the council had been embarrassed and disgraced by the team’s alleged behaviour.

“The council will look into the mistreatment of dogs seriously. We are glad this issue was brought up,” he said at a press conference organised by a group called Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better here yesterday.

Zulkifli, who had a 90-minute discussion with the group and dog owners, said that the council wanted a positive relationship with the public.

“The team’s actions are an embarrassment and a disgrace to me and the council,” he added.

He said he was not aware of the situation as reports handed in by the team were different from the grouses filed by residents.

Klang MP Charles Santiago, who represented Taman Radzi residents, said he had received numerous complaints that the team of four dog catchers had used looped wires to catch hold of dogs, even those on leash being taken for a walk by their owners, and threw them into a van.

“It all boils down to attitude and a lack of will to change. Dogs should be treated with some respect,” Santiago said.

Resident Sarasvathy Nalliah, 60, whose two dogs were taken away recently by the team told The Star that her pets were mishandled by the team.

She said her maid had taken the mongrels, who were leashed, for a walk when they were stopped by the dog catchers.

“They threatened to slap her if she did not give up the dogs,” she said, adding that the men then grabbed both leashes and looped the necks of both dogs and dragged them.

“They twisted a wire around Major’s neck and he started choking. Although we tried to negotiate with them, they ignored us,” she said.

“Although our dogs are now back home they did not deserve to go through that trauma,” she added.

Another dog lover Lucas Chee, 25, was upset with the way dog catchers misused their authority to abuse dogs, even those with the owners.

He accused dog catchers of “abducting” his dog, which had a licence, and even tried to extort RM20 from him to release the pet.

“We have no choice as they had dragged our dog away so we gave in,” he added.

For the original copy, go to staronline.com

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/6/21/nation/6493903&sec=nation

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/6/21/nation/6511132&sec=nation