97 dogs rescued from MPKL pound

Many dogs at the Kuala Langat Municipal Council pound were crowded into small enclosures. — Photo courtesy of The Star reader Austin

A WOMAN who had gone to Kuala Langat Municipal Council (MPKL) dog pound on Tuesday looking for her missing pet was shocked to see the terrible conditions there.

Some of the dogs looked emaciated and to make matters worse, she did not see any food in the crowded enclosures.

The pet owner posted a video about the grim conditions on social media, where it spread like wildfire and caught the eye of animal lovers who sprang into action.

The good news is that the canines will now be getting a second chance.

Siti Fauziah Abdul Jabbar of Fauziah Paws Care along with independent rescuers Belinda Yeap and Peter Hoo came together to rescue the dogs and send them to a temple shelter in Johor.

“We could not bear seeing the 97 dogs there in such a pitiful condition,’’ said Fauziah.

She added that MPKL had waived the payment required to “bail out” dogs from the pound.

The council staff also helped rescuers load the canines into lorries to be transported to Johor.

“The dogs are under quarantine and some are very sick,’’ Fauziah told StarMetro.

The latest situation has brought to light the inhumane treatment of dogs by some local councils, especially in Selangor.

Canine welfare project Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better (MDDB) director Irene Low said more tenable methods such as trap-neuter-release-manage (TNRM) were needed.

She said the local councils should work with animal rescue groups to explain TNRM to the public to create greater awareness.

Furry Friends Farm president Myza Nordin said she believed the dogs at the pound were not being fed to prevent them from soiling the area.

“That is why you can see in the videos that the place is quite clean.

“They were probably just given water until a vet comes to put them down.

“Furthermore, when dogs don’t eat, they become weak and this prevents them from fighting in the enclosures,’’ she noted.

Myza said the authorities must stop catching and putting dogs into enclosures and start practising TNRM instead.

She said TNRM would also prevent donations going towards bailing out the animals from pounds, and instead be put to better use such as spaying and neutering.

Sungai Pelek assemblyman Ronnie Liu said it was time local councils sat down with animal rescue groups to formulate a more humane and sustainable method to manage the stray population.

“What happened at the MPKL pound was a sad episode and such incidents must not be taken lightly,” said Liu when contacted.

MPKL, in a statement, said it took animal welfare issues raised by the public seriously.

It also claimed that the dogs in the pound were fed twice a day.