PETALING JAYA: She had no proper name, but to the people who fed her, the little puppy was known as “Drama Queen”.
The stray earned the nickname because she would whine whenever she was frightened, making her presence known around the shops at Bandar Springhill in Port Dickson, Negri Sembilan.
For about two months, she was a familiar sight there.
Accountant Margaret Joji Babu would leave food for her before heading into the office, while colleagues and workers at nearby shops would feed her when she was away.
“She was friendly, playful and naughty like a normal puppy,” said Margaret, 32, in an interview yesterday.
Margaret had taken her to a veterinary clinic once, where she was treated for wounds on one of her legs.
“She was estimated to be about three months old. The plan was to vaccinate her, then have her spayed later,” she said.
Margaret hoped the plan would give the puppy a better chance of finding a safe home rather than being abandoned after having a litter.
But that future never came.
On Thursday night, the puppy was resting near a parking area when a white four-wheel-drive vehicle slowly entered.
CCTV footage showed the vehicle running over the puppy.
The vehicle stopped briefly, with the passenger-side door opening before closing. It then reversed, ran over the puppy a second time, swerved away and left the scene.
Margaret initially thought the puppy had simply been hit by a vehicle travelling too fast and found the CCTV footage difficult to watch.
But after seeing it, she felt the incident was “too cruel to remain silent about”.
Margaret has since lodged a police report and a complaint with the Department of Veterinary Services, hoping authorities can identify the vehicle and investigate the incident.
“She may have been ‘just a stray’ to some, but to me, she was a life I cared about. She mattered. Her life mattered.”
Margaret has also rejected calls online for people to identify the vehicle themselves, saying she does not want an innocent person to be wrongly accused.
“I am not seeking revenge. I am asking for accountability and justice for a voiceless animal who had no way to defend herself.
“I don’t understand how someone can have the heart to do such a thing. We may not be able to shelter every stray, but we can be more responsible and compassionate,” she said.
Meanwhile, Lawyers for Animal Rights has called for an urgent investigation into the puppy’s death.
Its representative Rajesh Nagarajan said the incident should not be dismissed as a momentary lapse of attention, negligence or an unfortunate accident.
“What makes this case so troubling is not simply that a defenceless animal was struck by a vehicle, but that the vehicle returned and struck the same animal a second time,” he said in a statement.
The group urged authorities to investigate the case under Sections 29(1)(a) and 29(1)(e) of the Animal Welfare Act 2015, which deal with cruelty involving the beating, terrifying or torturing of an animal.
Port Dickson deputy OCPD Deputy Supt Mohd Ruslan Mat Kib confirmed that a report had been lodged in Lukut and that the case had been referred to the Department of Veterinary Services.
“There was no incident of the dog being deliberately killed; it was treated as an accident case,” he said when contacted.
