Stop dumping defenceless pets

MY FRIENDS and I rescued two abandoned pet dogs this week alone.

The dogs, with collars around their necks, were probably dumped because their owners had started to see them as a burden.

Sometimes, people get rid of their pets when they move from landed properties to condominiums or apartments.

How do rescuers know the difference between abandoned dogs and lost ones that are unable to find their way home?

A lost pet would continue to move.

It would keep trying to find its way back home.

That is why more often than not, some lost pets are found miles away from their homes.

A dumped pet dog, on the other hand, would stay at the same spot where it was abandoned, waiting for its owner to take it back home.

It is a very sad situation as canines are astute and emotional animals that experience separation anxiety and sadness when dumped.

Abandonment of pets is very frustrating for animal rescuers as our priority is rescuing injured and old street dogs.

However, ignoring these dumped dogs would only result in them ending up dead after being mowed down by vehicles or, worse, caught by the local councils.

One of the solutions to prevent dumping is allowing condominium and apartment residents to have one dog per family.

In order for this to become a reality, residents of high-rise homes must ensure their pets do not get in the way of their neighbours who do not like animals.

They must also ensure their pets do not soil shared grounds or bark at odd hours.

Non-dog owners on the other hand must learn to tolerate and accept.

They must also not impose ridiculous restrictions such as disallowing dogs to bark at all because barking is a way for canines to communicate.

Speaking about tolerance towards dogs brings to mind a recent incident when we took in a dog caught by dog catchers in Gombak district.

The dog had been in the premises ever since it was a puppy and was fed by some cleaners, staff and outsiders.

The canine was caught by Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) after some visitors to the complex complained about its presence to the council.

The incident was posted on Facebook by a woman who worked at the complex, seeking help to get the dog released from the pound.

According to her, everyone working at the complex was very fond of the dog which they had named Boy and were saddened that it was facing euthanasia at the pound.

An outsider, who was also feeding Boy, contacted us to offer help to get it out of the pound.

With the help of Sentosa assemblyman Gunaraj George, a former MPS councillor, and a letter of undertaking from my rescue group Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better, Boy was released from “doggie death row” with a RM300 compound.

He is now being treated at a clinic, pending neutering and vaccination.

I am narrating this incident to indicate the level of tolerance and acceptance by the people working at Kompleks Islam Daerah Gombak.

Although they are prohibited by religion from voluntarily touching dogs for no reason, they ensured Boy’s safety and even pleaded for help when it was caught by MPS.

This is reflective of the compassion people can have for defenceless canines that depend on human tolerance and kindness to live out their natural lives.

A very far cry indeed from some cruel people, who despite raising their pets from puppyhood, have no qualms about dumping their pets on the streets.