Finally.

We were told cages were sent to the Klang pound to prevent overcrowding - in addition to detergent and everything else required. Anyway, its good the DVS is putting in the extra cages even if it is only done after we had sent a cage over to drive across the message that extra cages were urgently needed.

The DVS is finally doing what it should have done ages ago. It is sad it has to come to a situation where we had to push them to do these things. Had we merely resorted to pleading and pleading with the MPK - the situation would not have changed a bit.

We are happy that the DVS and MPK have finally seen the light. We will now gladly make way for the late comers - who didn't give a puppy's bottom - about the situation to move in and take over now. Hold your series of meetings and do what you must now that we have cleared the path for you.

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all our friends and volunteers who had gone to the pound and initiated the change. Thank you Mandy - for delivering food for the pound dogs every week.

And finally a big THANK YOU to AnimalCare which had gone in and rescued 50 over canines and relocated them when no other organisation had cared to do so.

We have received more than 20 puppies from this batch and some have died due to various diseases contracted from the pound. We are still fighting very hard to ensure that the survivors will make it and will rehome them as soon as they recover.

We will continue delivering the food until we are sure that sufficient food is being provided for the dogs.

We hope this piece of news is true

We have been duly informed that the Veterinary Services Department had gone to the Klang Pound with medicines and disinfectants. The pound workers were also briefed on how to disinfect the place. We hope this is indeed true and if it is - we would like to thank MPK and DVS for putting right what has been so very wrong. We would also like to congratulate the MPK's acting director of health En Zul Abbas for taking the constructive criticism levelled against him and his department and working to improve the situation. No dogs were apparently put to sleep today. For now, this is what we gather. However, if this is not true - we will continue with our advocacy work. We will update once we have checked the pound.

ALERT

We have been alerted that the DVS will be going to the Klang Pound tomorrow morning to put down some dogs. Surprisingly, we were also informed that they would be bringing food for the dogs that would be spared the syringe. Bringing food for the dogs is a good move but should have been done before all the demonstrations and pressure from the public.

Now on another matter, we also want to ensure that the dogs, that will be euthanised, are put down according to way stipulated in the DVS guidebook.

Meaning that they would first have to be administered with sedatives and only then euthanised. So, each dog that is put down will receive two injections - the first one to make it fall asleep and once the poor dog is asleep - the second jab to stop its heart.

Its now left to be seen if the DVS vets follow guidelines tomorrow.

A nation's greatness and moral progress can be judged by the way it treats its animals. - M. K Gandhi

Would our authorities ever do this?


Dog bites its rescuer (We think a better headline would be - Firefighter risks life to save dog)


LOS ANGELES: A German shepherd hoisted to safety from the storm-swollen Los Angeles river Friday is fine, authorities said, but the firefighter who splashed down in the daring helicopter rescue was hospitalised after being bitten by the dog.

Los Angeles fire officials said 50-year-old Joe St. Georges, who suffered severe hand and arm injuries, was taken to County USC Medical Center.

“He has significant injuries, bites and punctures, to his hand and arm and is being seen by a specialist,” Los Angeles fire Capt Steve Ruda said. The 25-year department veteran was in good condition, Ruda said.

The dog, nicknamed Vernon after the Southern California town where he was found, did not have a name tag or computer chip, said Sgt. Charles Miller of the Southeast Area Animal Control Authority in Downey.

It was quarantined to be monitored for rabies, but “appears to be well-maintained and cared for,” Miller said.

At least 50 firefighters responded to reports that the dog was in the river. For an hour, firefighters stood at the top of the steep, concrete banks, throwing life vest and float rings, hoping the dog would grab on.

Most of the time, the canine walked along a pipe or ledge in the centre of the river, sometimes slipping. One firefighter got into the river and tried to catch him, but the dog took off. Soon the pipe was submerged.

When the helicopter hovered overhead, the dog scrambled to the side of the river and tried to climb the slippery sides, only to slip each time.

St. Georges finally splashed down from the helicopter, wrestled with the frightened canine and lifted it to safety, using the dog’s collar and a rope to hoist him up. Despite St. Georges’ injuries, he didn’t fail the dog.

At a late afternoon news conference, helicopter pilot Scott Bowman said St. Georges took a muzzle with him but he wasn’t able to get it on, “so he decided to go for the capture.”

Miller said the dog had some scrapes and worn nails, but was otherwise fine. “He was fearful when he first got here, understandably. He went through a big ordeal,” Miller said.

The dog will be quarantined for 10 days, unless the owner shows up with proof of rabies vaccination, Miller said. Then, the dog could be monitored at home. If the owner doesn’t show up, officials will try to find the dog a new home.

Distemper and Parvo

This is Victor. He was rescued from the Setapak dog pound and came down with distemper. His condition was so bad that his eyes even became cloudy. We were advised to euthanize him but are glad we never listened to the advice given to us. Victor, who now lives Subang Jaya, survived the ordeal and has grown into a cool cool canine dude.

This is Patches and she too was rescued from the Setapak pound. patches too was infected with distemper but we did not give up on her. She currently lives in Subang Jaya and has a penchant for chapatis.

Patches during her distemper days.

Our friend Evelyn called us today telling us that there is a parvo outbreak which is affecting stray puppies. She said some pets were not spared as well and we reckon they must have been infected when taken out for walks. The next thing she said was very troubling - according to her vets were advising owners to euthanize their infected pets as 'it was difficult' to care for them. Taking care of a sick animal or person for that matter is not easy - but it is our moral obligation to stand-by our pets when they need us the most.
It is also a practice here to euthanize dogs down with distemper due to the fallacy that there was no cure. This is also not true because we have cured many dogs and puppies down with distemper. So folks, when your dog is down with parvo or distemper - do not listen to your vet and put them down. Care for them - contact us and we'll teach you how to do it.

We received this in the mail today.

We received this from a Mr Tan today and are hoping that the International Aid for the Protection and Welfare of Animals (Iapwa)would look this way too.


Sabah’s stray animals attract international attention

KOTA KINABALU, Jan 21 — The International Aid for the Protection and Welfare of Animals (Iapwa), a non-profit organisation based in the United Kingdom, is looking forward to working closely with the Sabah government in dealing with stray animals, such as dogs and cats, menacing public places in the state.
Its co-founder, Nicola Stevens said Sabah is popular for its wildlife conservation efforts which should also be extended to stray animals. “We have lots of people from the UK visiting Sabah and they tell us how marvelous and beautiful Sabah was.
“But we do have those who bring back stories of poor conditions of dogs or cats they saw here and said that the Sabah people were cruel and did not know how to take care of these small creatures.
“In the end, there is this bad perception of Sabah when it comes to dealing with animals which could also affect your tourism industry. We want to change that perception because so many people keep coming here and we want them to bring back only good news of your country,” she told Bernama after meeting State Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Hajiji Noor here today.
Stevens, who was accompanied by co-founder Lynsey Gill, and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Kota Kinabalu (SPCAKK) president Iskandar Mohd Ali said Iapwa would be formulating the best practice template for Kota Kinabalu to follow which would then be duplicated by other district councils.
“This is not something easy to do and we cannot implement something and see results overnight. “We are delighted that the government acknowledges our concern and willing to work with us in finding short-term and long-term solutions in dealing with the problem as well as providing financial assistance,” she said.
Stevens and Gill were here to establish a network with the local government and other related bodies on the protection of animals in the state.
Meanwhile, Hajiji welcomed IAPWA’s assistance and requested the organisation conduct a briefing with district council officers on how to deal with stray animals in a humane way.
He said it was important that international bodies point out what was needed to be addressed in Sabah to minimise bad reporting of the state in other countries. — Bernama

The unlucky Lucky.

We first heard of Lucky several months ago when one of our supporters spotted him. We couldn't do much but several of our volunteers and supporters alerted all the relevant authorities about Lucky's sad plight. He was tied all the time and took shelter under a lorry if it was parked there - otherwise he would be expose to the elements. Our friends spoke to the owner and told him that Lucky deserved a better life - he promised to change things but never did. A few days ago one of our volunteers passed-by Lucky's place and saw the poor dog lying motionless. He was also not chained up as he usually was. Upon speaking to the owner, our friend was told that Lucky was sick and was left there to die. Our friend rushed Lucky to one of our regular vest where he was tested positive for parvo. He brought Lucky to us and we admitted Lucky to our panel clinic where he was medicated and put on drips. We had hoped to give Lucky a better life but he died this morning. We are rankled and pissed off again because none of the relevant authorities had bothered to help Lucky even though they were informed of his plight. All those who want to bring real change to the way animals are treated here - join us in our legal action. Write to malaysiandogsdeservebetter2@gmail.com

R.I.P Lucky.