I am beginning to think that our local councils are headed by inept and unqualified people.
Recently the Selayang Local Council launched a ridiculous and inhumane dog catching competition.
See Stop Dog Catching Competition
Thankfully this barbaric competition was stopped due to incredible pressure by various NGOs and a bunch of animal lovers, i.e. the Coalition of Animal Lovers Malaysia.
Today, the Malay Mail highlighted yet another poorly thought out plan by another local council. This time it is the Subang Jaya Council.
The Council, in its bid to reduce the stray dog population has decided that it will pick up unwanted dogs from their owners. There is no mention of what happens to the dogs that are picked up. Will the council put them up for adoption or will these poor dogs be put to sleep just because their owners decided that they are no longer wanted. If they are put to sleep, how will they be put to sleep? Will the Council use humane methods?
How on earth is this going to reduce the stray population I don't know, as it has been proven by many studies in America and other developed countries, that the only way of reducing the stray population of dogs and cats is spaying / neutering... For as long as there are un-neutered animals, there will be new litters of kittens and puppies.
The only thing I see coming out of this stupid move is more irresponsible pet owners. This will be a perfect avenue for irresponsible owners to get rid of their pets as and when they like. Therefore, this means sick pets or aged pets can be easily disposed off by their owners to make way for new healthy pets. This is certainly not the type of mentality that we want to encourage. For when people start treating their pets as they would a toy, it won't be long before they start treating humans the same way.
If we allow people to dump their sick and aged pets now, what is there to stop them from dumping their sick and aged parents later???
The council should instead impose fines on people who decide to "dump" their pets. They should also ban people who "dump" their pets from ever owning pets in the future. They should carry out campaigns on the benefits of spaying / neutering and responsible pet ownership, like that carried out by the Selayang Council on Nov 10, 2007.
I am urging MPSJ to review their plan, as this will not reduce the stray dog population in the long term. This is merely a short term remedy to the problem.
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Extracted from The Malay Mail, Nov 13 2007
Pick-up service for unwanted dogs
DON’T turn your dogs out into the streets and reduce them to stray. Instead, call the Subang Jaya Municipal Council for help. In its bid to reduce the stray dog population in the municipality, MPSJ is offering a pick-up service for owners who no longer want their dogs.
MPSJ public relations assistant director Azfarizal Abdul Rashid said this is to curb the number of stray dogs in Subang Jaya. The council had carried out scheduled dog-catching operations, focusing on dif- ferent areas at a time. Yesterday, MPSJ’s operations focused on Taman Batu 3, Taman Intan, Taman Pinggiran Subang and Taman Subang Mas.
Azfarizal said by focusing on certain areas, the chances of gathering more dogs were higher as opposed to holding blanket operations throughout the municipality.
To date, MPSJ had netted 79 strays. Yesterday’s operation, which started at 6.30am, focused on nabbing the stray dogs while attending to complaints by residents.
Azfarizal said last year, MPSJ received 834 com- plaints on stray dogs, while 504 complaints were recorded this year.
He said, in Subang Jaya, only two dogs are allowed for a residence measuring under 1,000 sq ft, while larger residences are allowed to have three. “Residents are advised to neuter or spay their dogs,” he said, adding that 15 staff were involved in the operation with help from three private companies.
Those residents who claimed that the dogs caught are theirs, have to come to the council to claim the dogs. The dogs will be kept in MPSJ’s impound in Puchong for three days before being ‘put to sleep’.
5 comments:
Its so sad to see the strays being handled this way. Many years back in Singapore, the authority get rid of stray dogs by shooting them dead. We ever witnessing a dog being shot and the half dead dog being dragged across the road and loaded onto the vehicle. Its just aweful!
The shooting of the strays was reviewed after they accidentally shot a hoooman dead. It was said that the man was reliefing himself in the bushes in some deserted area and these dogs killer mistake him to be a stray dog and shot at him...
Right now, as told by my stray feeder friends, they now control the population of the strays by engaging pest control company. These idoits "catch" the stray dogs by leaving baits (food with poison) around the area where strays are seen. You can imagine the pain the dog has to face before they died.
Is there any better ways to help the strays?
Hmmm...But even if they don't pick up the unwanted dogs, the owners will still let them loose around the neighborhood or maybe abuse them too. This idea may be bad to most of you but if you think about it again, at least the dogs won't be running around loose & being neglected or abuse at a certain point. The dogs will be starved, neglected, abused & chained up 24/7 even if they surrender them to the dog catchers. The owners won't do a thing too by sending them to PAWS or SPCA or even find them new homes. The dogs will also get abused, run over or whatever when the owners no longer want them. So it's the same if they are at the dog pound or in the streets struggling to survive. But don't get me wrong, I'm not supporting any dog catchers but I'm just looking at it again, bringing them to the dog pound or living in the streets are just the same. Both ways, they also suffer. And the worst thing is, nobody cares about them & nobody will adopt them. 1 out of 500 strays are lucky to get adopted but even still, owners don't really care about them & will just neglect them & beat them all day.
Love licks,
Solid Gold Dancer
Hi Amber
Don't get me wrong... I believe that the stray population should be reduced... but these methods employed by the councils are the wrong way of going about it.
And MPSJ's stupid idea will just encourage more irresponsible owners... where they can just dump their dogs when they get tired of them...
Plus pound conditions are TERRIBLE!!!
There are other ways...
Hugs
Cleo
Yes yes yes! This is actually the wrong way to reduce the strays coz the owners can get new ones anytime & then will get a free pick up to get rid of their dogs. Should actually fine & ban them from having any dogs again. That's the better way. Since these dog catchers are sooo into money. Use the money to clean up their pound lah & take care of the dogs before they are put to sleep.
Love licks,
Solid Gold Dancer
What an awful "solution". Unfortunately, there are plenty of people who think animals are just possessions to be disposed after "useful" life. The animals in your area are lucky to have someone fighting for them when the "authorities" are so mis-guided. Keep up the good work. It seems it will never end.
Roxie, Sammy & Andy
The Dachsies
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