Mailbox: Get NGOs to handle strays

December 04, 2008 Categories: Mailbox

There seems to be no end to the problem of council workers and private contractors being cruel to stray dogs while trying to catch them.

Regardless of whether the State is run by a BN or Pakatan Rakyat government, the same people run the local councils and, therefore, the dog-catchers have not changed.

After more than half a century of independence, we still cannot come up with a solution. Allow me to propose a viable solution to the problem of capturing stray dogs.

I suggest that Selangor set an example by taking away the authority to catch stray dogs from the local councils and private contractors.

Who would do it then? Selangor should consult with the SPCA and PAWS and should they agree, both these organisations could be provided with a yearly grant to take over the task, rehabilitating and re-homing of strays in Selangor.

Selangor could also provide land to be used as an animal sanctuary/hospital where all strays captured would be taken to and treated for any illnesses or injuries and be allowed to reside in. Only those dogs with incurable illnesses will be put to sleep.

The yearly State government grants will allow these organisations to buy their own fleet of vans and hire well-trained professional dog-catchers who can handle the strays in a humane manner.

SPCA and PAWS can work with animal welfare groups like the Independent Pet Rescuers to re-home the animals and do the usual follow-up checks on all these animals.

Groups like the Independent Pet Rescuers (IPR) with their wide social networking in the community are ideal partners for SPCA and PAWS in the re-homing process. This move will also remove the financial burden on IPR which has to use its own financial resources to treat the animals rescued.

By taking away the authority to catch stray dogs and other pet animals from the local councils in Selangor and giving the mandate to the SPCA and PAWS, it immediately cuts off the source of cruelty to stray dogs — namely council workers and private contractors.

The yearly grants to both these organisations will be taxpayers’ money well-spent as it allows two competent animal welfare organisations to take over the professional task of removing stray dogs from the community and housing them in a safe, healthy environment until they are re-homed.

While we digest the above, we should also chew on what the late Gandhi had to say on animal welfare: "The greatness of a nation can be seen by the way it treats its animals."

And all is not lost too for the now jobless council dog-catchers and private contractors.

With their animal-catching skills, I am sure they can be re-deployed to catch law-breaking Mat Rempit and snatch thieves at RM45 per capture.

Stray Dog
Petaling Jaya

This article was taken from: The Malay Mail: Mailbox 4 December 2008