Kota Kinabalu

When we received several emails about the the recent incident in Kota Kinabalu attached with pictures, we were the least shocked. Having seen the extent of cruelty that Malaysians were capable of exerting on poor defenseless dogs, the manner in which the dogs were brutalised was not surprising at all. We may not have been shocked but we were certainly angry.......matter of fact we were very very angry. First and foremost this should not be happening when there are so many animal welfare and protection groups in existence in Malaysia. We should also have been able to collectively pressure the relevant authorities to ensure that the perpetrators were quickly and duly dealt with.


Another issue that really angered us was the ludicrous statements made by the KK SPCA president Mohd Iskandar Ali. He should be ashamed of himself and his organisation which is not only toothless but also completely useless.
“I cannot reveal details of the report as the case is under investigation,” Iskandar said yesterday.

Why are you speaking like a civil servant, you idiot? These animal lovers and activists had done you job for you and have gone and lodged police reports. You owe it to them to tell them what's going on instead of shutting them out. Iskandar said the Kota Kinabalu SPCA animal welfare unit conducted special training on Saturday for the employees of the company on humane methods to catch stray dogs. Yeah right! And after the training they are going to pamper and gallivant with the pooches before clunking them on their heads to kill the poor dogs off? This stupid statement brings to mind another equally or perhaps doubly stupid statement that was made by another idiot here when we exposed the atrocities in the Klang Pound. The idiot set-up a committee and conducted training and then announced that the dog catchers were 'noble' people who will henceforth treat dogs better. Several days later we were alerted to an incident whereby the same 'noble' dog catchers had gone out and brutalised a couple of pets in spite of the so-called training given to them. We made sure we pursued the matter and it paid off with the dog catchers being suspended from their jobs for a week.

He added, however, that lodging police reports or issuing warnings were not the best option as past experiences showed that many recipients of such warnings retaliated by more abuses of animals.

Duh! What experience? What has KK SPCA done so far in terms of acquiring experience as claimed by this dufus? We have on many occasions made police reports and demonstrated whenever there was cruelty. We can proudly lay claim to the fact that animal activism in regards to dogs became strong only after Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better's emergence. It was only after this the current ongoing changes to canine and feline welfare is taking shape. Given this, Iskandar's contention holds no water. So we hope the newly formed group http://www.facebook.com/groups/169480346446878/#!/groups/animalsfriendskk/
that came into being after the incident will play an active role in ensuring that animals are protected there and that the KK SPCA is kept on its feet to make sure that something is done.

What we would suggest is for them to find out if the company which had allegedly paid the brutes to brutalise the dogs is listed on Bursa Malaysia. There are many things that can be done in order to hold the culprits responsible.

KK SPCA must also be told that changes cannot be brought about with merely banter, sipping of Teh O and munching on curry puffs with the authorities. This has been proven by the what we heard about the dog shooting in Ipoh. Apparently dogs are still being shot in spite of a big group meeting the local council head and having a discussion over kueh muih and Teh O.

It would also be the right thing to do for KK SPCA to include representatives of the independent group in Kota Kinabalu in its discussions with the authorities and the company.

When people can accept strong political activism, such as the Bersih rally etc - why can't they accept strong animal activism? Why do people have this misguided perception that animal rescuers must be Mother Theresas? This is both misguided and lame. ANIMALS HAVE NO RIGHTS. IF YOU WANT TO FIGHT FOR THEM, YOU HAVE TO NOT ONLY BE HEARD BUT ALSO TAKEN VERY VERY SERIOUSLY.

To http://www.facebook.com/groups/169480346446878/#!/groups/animalsfriendskk/ - you have our support and we will be there for you all the way.

DOGATHON 2011

Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better is one of the NGOs at the event and besides having our T-shirts for sale - MDDB will also have a small exhibition on animal cruelty, our success cases as well as our adoption campaigns. We will also be bringing about five puppies for adoption. Please join us there.

Three little different stories

Given that we are always busy doing so many things at the same time - we do not update our blog or FB page with what goes on in and around MDDB. Herewith three different stories that had come our way the last month or so.

STORY 1

Just over a month ago we received a frantic call from a young lady saying she saw a dog sitting on a divider along the busy Federal Highway stretch near Angkasapuri. We asked her if she could rescue the dog and hand it over to us the next morning given that it was already late. She agreed but when she took the dog home, her mother refused to allow it in and the girl walked out of the house and drove around before calling us. We frantically looked for someone who could go and take the dog from her. While we were doing this she parked her car and took the dog out and waited for our call. It was almost midnight by then and while she was waiting, three guys walked past her and gestured threateningly at the dog. The petrified dog rushed into some nearby bushes and the girl gave chase. She then called us and burst into tears as she narrated what had just happened. She hung-up and said she would go in search for the dog - but could not find it anywhere. Instead, she stumbled upon a mother dog and a single puppy hidden away under some undergrowth. She took both mother and pup and handed them over to our contact Naga. She never called back after that and if she is reading this MDDB would like to thank her from the bottom of our heart. What she did was a true show compassion - and we wish her all the best and pray that she will be blessed manifold for her selfless act. The dog is at our half-way home now and it gave birth to five more puppies at Naga's house. Unfortunately the first puppy that was in the bushes with her died a day after the rescue.

Giving birth at Naga's house

The mother with her first puppy which unfortunately died

With the rest of her brood

STORY 2

Back to being a pet again

3) One night last month Darren from Puchong called to say that he had spotted a dog that looked like a lost pet at some food stalls. He said the dog also had a wound on its head. Since it was already late, Darren said he would keep the dog for the night and hand it over to us the next day. When we called the following day, Darren said that there was a veterinary clinic nearby and that he would take the dog there. We felt it was a good idea as the dog could also be neutered there. He made all the necessary arrangements and after the dog had be neutered and healed of its head wound - it was put up for adoption and is now back to being a pet again. Thank you Darran for going the extra mile.

When found by Darren

STORY 3

3) A guy posted this message on our FB wall:
"Last call. If there's no 1 wanna adopt this puppy, I will drop her at SPCA. They said may 'put her down' if too packed. I'm sorry but I really can't take care of her already."
We told him to bring her to our adoption drive which he did. He told us he had saved the dog from imminent death but could not care for it anymore as he was going to travel. Half-way through the adoption drive he said had somewhere to go and so we told him to take the dog and admit it to one of our panel clinics as we wanted her to be neutered and vaccinated. We also told him to make a small contribution at the clinic which he said he would do. Later in the day when we called the clinic, we were told the dog was not sent there. When we contacted him he said he had handed the dog over to his friend and she had taken it to PAWS. Our Myers went to PAWS and true enough the dog was there and we found out that it was the guy himself who had taken her there. We removed her from there, neutered and managed to get her adopted.

With members of her new family

Picture posted by her 'previous owner'