SEREMBAN: An animal rescue organisation finds 35 dogs and several carcasses of animals in a house in Port Dickson near here.
FurryKids Safehaven head Jeskiran Kaur Bhatt said her team had to cut padlocks to get into the single-storey bungalow.
In addition to the 35 dogs, they also found the carcasses of several dogs and cats inside the locked unit.
"All these dogs didn't deserve to be treated this way. We believe one mother dog even had to eat her pups to survive, and a few other dogs and cats died of starvation," she said.
On April 14, an 18-minute video clip of Jeskiran and her team rescuing the animals from the house went viral.
"We aim to rehabilitate all the dogs," she said, adding that preliminary checks showed that most of the dogs had not been neutered.
Jeskiran said 20 dogs were found within the house's compound while the remaining were locked inside.
Concerned neighbours had been feeding the dogs in the compound but couldn't feed those inside.
"There were carcasses of at least four dogs and eight cats. We evacuated all 35 dogs that were alive and buried the dead ones," she said, adding that about 10 other dogs were believed to have escaped through holes in the fence.
Jeskiran said her team would try to capture the escaped dogs and take them to their shelter.
"I was made to understand that the dogs had been cared for well until January this year when the owner of the animals ran into some problems.
"This is a very sad case. The house owner had also told the rescuer to vacate the house immediately upon seeing the condition of the unit," she said, adding that the house owner lived in Kuala Lumpur and had no clue that the house had been in a mess.
Jeskiran also appealed to the public to help the shelter provide food and treat the rescued animals.
"The total cost for the 35 dogs is around RM9,500. Please support our rescue mission for these voiceless souls," she said.
She said it would cost some RM4,680 to spay the 27 females and another RM1,050 to neuter the seven males.
Another RM3,675 is needed to provide three vaccinations each to all 35 dogs.
Donations can be made to the shelter's account 8009081090 (Persatuan Penyelamat Haiwan Terbiar Furrykids Safehaven) at CIMB.
"We need your support as we are financially drained. We also welcome food or kibble donations," she said.
Furrykids currently has more than 2,000 dogs at its shelter here.
When contacted, state Veterinary Services Department director Dr Kamarulrizal Mat Isa said his team was investigating the case.
"I have checked with my team in Port Dickson, and they are unaware of the case as no complaint was made.
"My officers will visit the house tomorrow (April 16) to get more information, and we will take it from there," he said.
Dr Kamarulrizal said action could be taken against the owner under the Animal Welfare Act 2015 if there was evidence to suggest animal cruelty or if the dogs and cats had been deliberately neglected.
