I was shocked to read this! What if a stray bullet accidentally struck some child in the house?

The dog was purportedly making noise and causing nuisance and these guys just came over, shot the dog, and ran off with the body like thieves. They are also trespassing on private property, another crime.

Guess what, the dog was barking because of Raya time, people playing firecrackers which irritate (most) dogs. Loud noises like sirens, horns and firecrackers makes dogs irritated because for them the noise is much louder.

And the Minister quoting sections in the law which seems to prove the actions of the local council/district council/vet officer workers are wrong!

The dog has license, inside the compound, and don’t seem to have any earlier warning given by council to the owners for noise or nuisance by the dog.

Since the firecrackers caused the dogs to bark, should we shoot those who play firecrackers? That’s how these killers logic seem to work.

The initial story:

SEREMBAN: A 55-year-old security guard never thought a brutal act would take away the puppy he found two years ago at a market near his house in Taman Minang, Tampin.

But this was the ordeal S. Singaravelu had to go through.

Singaravelu, who kept his pet, Johnny, at his son’s vacant house, found it missing on Aug 24.

“Johnny was barking continuously that night. Since it was the Hari Raya season, many people in my area were lighting up firecrackers and I thought his restless barking was due to the loud noise.

“However, at 12.40am, I heard an unusually loud bang and suddenly, Johnny’s barking stopped.

“I opened the window and saw three vehicles, including a van and a lorry, moving away from my son’s house. When I went out of my house, which is just beside my son’s house, Johnny was no longer there,” a sobbing Singaravelu told The Malay Mail during a telephone interview.

“I decided to follow the vehicles on my motorbike. After frantically looking for the vehicles, I found them parked in Taman Batu Belang and upon closer inspection they turned out to be the Tampin Municipal Council’s vehicles.

“When I approached the vehicles, I was shocked to see my two-yearold Johnny lying lifeless in a pool of blood inside the lorry.”

Singaravelu then questioned the 10 men, including one who had a gun, whether there was a new law which allows for shooting of a licensed dog inside a house compound.

“They said Johnny was a nuisance to many people and they had to shoot him due to the numerous complaints received.

“They even challenged me to make a police report. They did not allow me to bring back Johnny’s carcass and in the end, I just removed his licence. I then lodged a report at the Tampin police station at 2am.”

At 11am the next day, Singaravelu was shocked when he found the carcass of his dog at a jungle in Taman Batu Belang.

“I brought his carcass back and we had a small funeral for him. My wife, who loved Johnny like her own child, was also traumatised by his death,” said the father-of-three.

Singaravelu, who wants justice for his dog, travelled all the way to Ampang to meet up with officials of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Selangor on Aug 26.

The next day, SPCA animal inspectors Danny Thang and V. Murugan visited Singaravelu to investigate the incident.

“We also contacted the Seremban Municipal Council but we were told that they stopped shooting dogs in 2002. We are trying to meet up with them to resolve this matter,” said Thang.

The Paper That Cares also contacted the Seremban Municipal Council but we were told that Singaravelu’s house falls under the Tampin Municipal Council.

When contacted, a spokesman for the Tampin Municipal Council said they would be investigating Singaravelu’s claim.

And feedback from the officers, minister and NGOs:

There is no guideline that the authorities assigned to shoot stray dogs can do so inside the compounds of people’s houses, the Tampin Municipal Council said yesterday.

Its secretary, Zulhilmi Marzuki, told this to The Malay Mail when contacted for comments on the brutal shooting of S. Singaravelu’s dog, Johnny, inside the compound of his son’s house in Tampin, Negri Sembilan, on Aug 24.

Singaravelu alleged the council staff were responsible for the death of his two-year-old pet.

“We are only allowed to shoot dogs which are wild and are threatening the safety of our staff. We are not allowed to shoot such dogs inside the compound of people’s houses,” said Zulhilmi.

He said the shooting orders were only carried out if the council received complaints from residents about dogs which are a nuisance.

Zulhilmi, who was surprised to learn about the incident from The Paper That Cares, said three bodies were involved in executing the dog-shooting orders in the Tampin district.

“These are the Tampin Municipal Council’s enforcement department, Tampin district veterinary department and Tampin district office,” he said, adding that he would liaise with the council’s enforcement department to investigate Singaravelu’s allegation.

When contacted by The Malay Mail, the council’s enforcement and safety division chief, Endy Dzulkarnaen Ariffin, also promised to investigate the matter.

Meanwhile, Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Wira Chor Chee Heung cited the Local Government Act when asked to comment on the issue.

He said Section 9 of the Local Government Act stated any dog over the age of three months found at large or in a public area not wearing its current metal badge and any diseased ones not under treatment by a vet, may be destroyed by the authority.

“The person authorised by the local council can enter any land or premises other than dwelling houses for the purpose of securing, impounding or destroying the dog.”

Chor said one of the Sections of the by-law also stated any dog, whether licensed or not, whose owner is not found, may be destroyed in a manner as directed by the council.

He said further checks were needed before he could comment further on the issue.

Charge the killers, say NGOs

PETALING JAYA: Charge those who “illegally” killed Johnny the dog in the house compound, say non-governmental organisations (NGOs) whose views were sought by The Malay Mail.

Said Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better (MDDB) administrative coordinator M. Mala: “The local councils are the worst animal abusers in the country and this has been proven again and again. What happened to Johnny is reflective of this.

“If it’s true that the council officers shot Johnny on private property, then we urge Johnny’s owner to take legal action against those who shot his dog.”

She said MDDB is also prepared to provide free legal assistance to Johnny’s owner in this matter.

“This incident also raises the question of how much knowledge council employees have about canine behaviour and proper enforcement,” said Mala.

“MDDB is upset with the abuse of animals by local council staff in the guise of enforcement. Dogs have a sense of hearing which is many times sharper than humans and when exposed to loud explosive sounds like firecrackers during festive seasons, they understandably would bark loudly.”

Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Selangor chairman Christine Chin, said the incident was a brutal act by brutal men.

She said all local councils have adopted standard by-laws regarding dog ownership as outlined by The Local Government Act 1976 and Licensing of Dogs and Kennel Establishments By-Laws 2007.

“Any contravention of these by-laws penalises the owner with a fine and/or prison sentence. Johnny was licensed and in a compound owned by the owner’s relative, so the 10 officers from the Tampin Municipal Council had no legal right to harm or take the dog away,” said Chin.

“SPCA strongly urges the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) to charge the killers using the Animal Act 1953 for cruelty to animals and also urges the police to charge the killers for trespassing and destruction of property.”

Said Paws Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) Petaling Jaya marketing and communications director, Dave Avran: “To shoot a licensed dog in a private compound, also without issuing a letter of warning to the dog’s owner or carrying out an appropriate behavioural assessment of the dog, amounts to high-handedness by the Tampin Municipal Council officers.”

Avran said if there had been multiple complaints against the dog, the proper procedure would be to issue a letter of warning to the owner.

“If the owner fails to comply, the dog should be sent to a registered shelter or animal welfare organisation,” he said.

“PAWS is against brutal actions against animals and calls for an end to highhanded attitudes which seem to be occurring with alarming regularity in Malaysia whenever the welfare of animals is involved.”

The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated” ~Gandhi (1869-1948)

“I hold that the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man” ~M. Gandhi (1869-1948)

“The measure of a society can be how well its people treat its animals.” ~Mohandas Gandhi