ADOPTION DRIVE

Several of the puppies rescued from the Selayang Municipal Council pound are finally well enough to be adopted.
Canine welfare group Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better’s (MDDB) adoption coordinator Christina Lai said the puppies were now awaiting adoption at a veterinary clinic in Subang Jaya.
“Those interested in giving these puppies homes, that had gone against all the odds stacked against them and survived, can contact us,’’ said Lai.
In addition to the pound puppies, MDDB also many new rescued puppies and dogs for adoption.
“People have now resorted to coming and leaving puppies at our doorstep and we are once again overwhelmed with countless puppies and dogs,’’ she said.
As usual MDDB will be having its monthly adoption drive at the Summit Subang Jaya on Sunday, May 16 from 11.00am to 7.00pm.
“We hope people come and show us their support by adopting these unfortunate puppies and dogs,’’ said Lai.
She said MDDB could continue their rescue work only if the puppies and dogs that were currently with them were all adopted out.
“We hope our puppies will all be adopted this Sunday as there are many more puppies that are roaming the streets and would probably all end-up dead soon if we don’t rescue them as soon as possible,’’ said Lai.
She also added that MDDB has also started taking in cats and kittens.
“There are just far too many strays due to poor management techniques by the local councils. The Best method is always the Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) method and it’s a pity that the authorities here are not receptive to the idea.
Lai said MDDB also looked forward to receiving contribution in cash and kind to help the organisation continue with its mission.
Those wanting to donate rice, dry and canned dog, puppy, cat and kitten food, dog and cat shampoo, rice, towels and old newspapers could drop the items at the adoption drive.
Details visit www.malaysiandogsdeservebetter.blogspot.com or call 019-3576477 or 012-3739007.

PLEASE ATTEND

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Remember them?

Little Forrest now

Senior White now

Ms Husky now

Senior White then

Little Forrest then

Ms Husky then - on the day of her rescue from the pound

Remember Senior White, Ms Husky and Litte Forrest? They were among the 20-odd puppies that were rescued from the evil Selayang Pound several months ago. Many of their peers died of various infections but these three battled. Now having fought a tough battle, they are all well and ready for adoption. Please call us or write to us if you can provide them a loving home - they deserve a chance.

KTM

R.I.P

When it rains, it pours. KTM, the dog abused by the KTM workers, died in his sleep yesterday. He was very frail but had a hearty appetite. It was only on his last day that he showed some respiratory problems and it is believed he was infected with distemper. We think he must have been infected in the ten days he spent at the Selayang pound given that almost all the puppies rescued there by Animalcare tested distemper positive. Many had died from the time of rescue. There was someone called Leong who wanted to see KTM and claimed she had been feeding him for the last two to three years at the station. Leong also told us that the KTM workers often tormented and abused the poor dog. When we told her to wait for a while until he stopped being so panicky, Leong had said KTM may die soon because he had been very frail. We are sorry Leong, for telling you to wait - because you were right - he was indeed frail and died before you could see him. But we are still not able to understand why someone who cared so much for him allowed him to be continuously abused by the KTM workers. The only comfort we have now is knowing that KTM was given love and attention for the period he spent under the care of our fosterer - who ensured that he was fed with his favourite chicken everyday. What has happened to KTM will only push us to pursue our civil suit against KTM, the Selayang Municipal council and also the Klang Municipal Council. We had initially not planned to initiate legal action against the Klang Municipal Council but after learning that their dog catchers had to actually be taught to catch dogs - we were told we had grounds to sue.

WE THINK WE MADE A MISTAKE

DUMEX ON DRIPS AT THE HOSPITAL

DUMEX ON HER ARRIVAL AT OUR PLACE

DUMEX ON THE DAY OF HER CAPTURE

DUMEX ON THE DAY OF HER CAPTURE

In Feb this year a young lady e-mailed us about a 7 to 8 month old black puppy she had started feeding near her rented room in Cheras. The puppy, which had a serious skin problem, was frightened of people and would run off whenever the young lady tried to touch it. We advised her to befriend the dog and the young lady diligently fed the dog daily and spent time trying to gain its confidence. She succeded several weeks later and asked us if she could bring the puppy to us in Klang. We were afraid to take the pup in given the distemper cases we were taking care off. So, we asked another rescue group to help out and we believe we made the biggest mistake in doing so. She was first boarding in a clinic - where the vet says she was doing fine - but removed and taken to their place where she became gravely ill. It was not distemper or parvo - but we now believe that since the puppy is known to be frightened of people - she had kept away from the people as well as the other dogs there..... to the extent of starcving herself. In the process, she became undernourished and developed ulcers. She must also have tried to run from the other dogs as there was a deep cut on one of her paws - which led to her suffering in pain and trying to bite of the infected paw. We took her in a week ago and tried to help her regain her health but the poor girl showed little improvement. So we rushed her to an animal hospital on Sunday night where she was immediately put on drips and given antibiotics and pain-killers. We hope that the pup named Dumex - will survive - otherwise we would all be very deeply effected with what had happened to her. Sometimes, it is so difficult to help some strays - which are just too frightened to trust people. Please pray for Dumex.

GOOD NEWS

LESTER, ON THE DAY HE WAS RESCUED

WORTH EVERY CENT. THANK YOU FOLKS FOR HELPING US TO HELP LESTER.

LESTER AS A PUP BEFORE HE WAS ABANDONED AT THE PETALING JAYA OLD TOWN MARKET.

LESTER ON HIS WAY TO HIS NEW HOME.

CAN'T WAIT TO LEAVE THE CLINIC.

ON HIS WAY TO A BRAND NEW LIFE.

We have some good news - Lester was adopted today by one Datin Jeniffer Khoo and has finally left the veterinary clinic to go and live in a nice big house in Petaling Jaya.

We are happy that we gave him a second chance in life and did not bow to pressure to put him to sleep.

His entire treatment cost RM5,600 but the vet gave us a RM600 discount.

Every sent spent was worth seeing how happy Lester was to finally leave the clinic.

He has healed well and merely needs good food and TLC to get back on his feet.

We learnt a bit more about him from the lady who has been feeding Lester for the past five years.

Apparently, he was adopted by a family she knows as a puppy but the family dumped him at the market when he was about a year old.

That was five years ago - although the lady had been feeding him the last five years - we do not understand why she had condoned him being turned into a stray.

She has forwarded a pix of him as a pup and we can see how much he must have suffered after being dumped.

Because he was lived on the streets for that many years - Lester is anemic and according to the vet has to be on medication for life.

Anyway, we are happy that he now has a good family to take care of him.

Defender of animal abusers

KTM is examined after it was handed over to MDDB. — Pictures courtesy of MDDB

Canine group to sue KTMB over stick-in-a-dog

By Boo Su-Lyn

KUALA LUMPUR, April 24 — Tying up a stray dog with a stick shoved down in throat could see national rail operator Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) in a court house soon.Canine welfare group, Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better (MDDB), is pursuing legal action against KTMB for allegedly torturing the dog, ironically named KTM for the place where it was found.

“We’ll file a civil suit,” MDDB coordinator M. Mala told The Malaysian Insider.

“Once we file, it’ll be a precedent.”

The KTM dog incident first garnered public attention through a complaint letter titled “Ghastly animal abuse at Kepong KTM Station,” written by M. Nisha to Malaysiakini on March 17 this year, where the writer explained how she and a group of commuters had found the dog in a tortured condition two days earlier.

KTMB had issued a statement in response, admitting that their staff had caught the stray dog and tied it to a fence. However, KTMB denied intentionally shoving a piece of wood down the dog’s throat, stating that the dog bit on the wood and refused to let go of it after KTMB staff tried to use the wood as bait.

KTMB further explained that the reason they caught the stray dog was because it had bitten passengers before, though none resulted in serious injuries.But concerned commuters alerted the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) which immediately went to the station but failed to find the dog as it had been released.

However, the SPCA team managed to locate the brown patchy dog at the Selayang dog pound about a week later, upon which they handed it to MDDB.

“Our lawyers are looking at how members of the public can be plaintiffs,” said Mala.

Currently, the lawyers are in the process of drafting an affidavit. The civil suit is expected to be filed in a couple of months, Mala added.

“We have animal activists coming up offering to be plaintiffs,” she said.

When asked on the amount of damages MDDB is seeking from KTMB, Mala said that they are not seeking for damages.

“We don’t want their money,” said Mala point-blank.

Instead, Mala said that they want KTMB to contribute to any animal welfare group, though not necessarily MDDB.

In terms of contribution, KTMB could contribute to things like infrastructure, she added.MDDB is a canine welfare initiative spearheaded by the NGO Community Development and Integration Initiative (CDII).

They have rescued and placed hundreds of puppies in homes since 2008, according to Mala.The dog, KTM, is now residing at a veterinary services clinic, she said, and the MDDB is currently looking to adopt him or foster him.

Reactions from other animal groups towards the alleged KTM dog abuse have been varied.

“We have all the laws. Unfortunately, authorities don’t use it,” SPCA chairman Christine Chin told The Malaysian Insider.

Malaysian laws on animal cruelty are considered weak compared to similar laws in other countries. Section 44 of the Animal Act 1953 (2006 Amendment) punishes animal cruelty offenders with a RM200 fine or six months imprisonment.

In contrast, Singapore imposes a RM23,000 fine or one year imprisonment. Hong Kong animal cruelty offenders are fined RM90,400 or three years imprisonment. Thailand’s fines for animal cruelty range from RM100 to RM10,000.

Although animal lovers had petitioned the government in 2007 to increase the fine from RM200 to RM10,000, and to increase the jail term from six months to two years after the horrific abuse of a German Shepherd named Sheena came to light, nothing was changed.

“Where there is no enforcement, abuse continues,” Chin said.

However, Petpositive president, Anthony Thanasayan, said that animal groups should not demonise KTMB as there was no proof that KTMB had abused the dog.

“(The abuse) could have happened, but I find it unlikely that KTM would do such a thing,” said Anthony.

Petpositive is an NGO dedicated to providing animal-assisted therapy for the disabled and elderly.

“NGOs must be responsible in their accusations, not go around on a witch hunt to call KTM monsters,” Anthony added.

“No one was there. No one could prove anything.”Anthony, who is also the chairman of Canine Advisory Teams of the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) and the Klang Municipal Council, added that animal groups need to work together in their lobby for animal rights.