JOHOR BARU: Dog lovers are up in arms over what they claimed as inhumane manner in which some councils here are treating the animals, including overcrowding in dog pounds and catching them at night.
They claim that dog-catching exercises by private contractors have increased significantly as councils try to achieve quotas or manage their key performance indicators, a move that has resulted in the animals being kept in inhumane conditions, causing deaths or injuries.
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The overcrowding is so bad that an animal shelter from Sungai Buloh in Selangor has been sending volunteers to Johor Baru to take away more than 100 dogs from the Johor Baru City Council (MBJB) pound in Jalan Tahana in Larkin since June.
Johor-based Companion Animal Rescue Effort Society president Joseph Chia said dog-catching in the city had increased in the last two months.
Rescue mission: Founder of Fauziah Paws Care Siti Fauziah Abdul Jabbar transferring some of the dogs from the Johor Baru City Council pound in Larkin, Johor. — Photo courtesy of Persatuan Perlindungan Haiwan Terbiar Sungai Buloh
“Previously, they were catching whenever there was a complaint. Now they are catching and packing animals into the MBJB pound almost on a daily basis.
“If the animals are not rescued or removed, we are not sure what happens to them,” he said, adding that it was quite heartbreaking going to the pound.
Chia, whose own shelter in Iskandar Puteri is already full with about 300 animals, said that while they understood councils might have their own constraints, especially with tight budgets, the councils should not overcrowd their shelters.
He added that they should be willing to work with NGOs if they were serious about tackling the stray population.
“MBJB uses containers to house their animals – three for dogs and one for cats.
“The conditions have improved over the years, but more can be done including working with NGOs to trap, neuter and release (TNR),” he said, adding that it was pointless to catch and release the animals in jungles as it was just transferring the problem to another place.
Chia said it was good that MBJB was now engaging with some NGOs and he was willing to help treat some of the wounded dogs at the MBJB pound if needed.
He also argued that councils should make it compulsory for owners to neuter their dogs before they are given a licence.
Meanwhile, an animal lover who wanted to be known only as Sheila, who has rescued at least 10 puppies since 2021 in Kluang and Johor Baru, said the Kluang Municipal Council (MPK) was catching dogs at night.
“They claim they have targets to meet,” she said, adding that she believed that many of the caught animals did not survive.
As at press time, MPK president Azurawati Wahid could not be reached for comments on the dog-catching operations in Kluang as she was busy with the Mahkota by-election.
Recalling a recent case in Johor Baru, Sheila said she was supposed to rescue two puppies that were being kept at the pound mid-August.
“I wanted to rescue the mother and her puppies. When I was at the pound, the condition was so heartbreaking.
“I went into the container where the puppies that were caught over three days were kept, and it was so filthy. There were about 50 dogs crammed in that small space, with the animals moving around in their own faeces,” she said, adding that she was barred from taking pictures inside.
Sheila said that unlike the dog shelter, the container housing the cats was clean and well kept.
“The council should also employ more non-Malay staff to care for the dogs,” she said, adding that many of the dogs at the pound had collars, which meant they have owners.
To get any animal out, the owner has to pay a fine of RM500 for each stray, and on top of this, RM30 for each day the animal is held in the pound.
Meanwhile, the administrator of Selangor’s Persatuan Perlindungan Haiwan Terbiar Sungai Buloh (also known as Fauziah Paws Care) known as Isabel, said they had found various issues with the MBJB pound according to feedback from NGOs based in Singapore, which wanted the shelter to assist them in June.
“We immediately came to Johor but were not allowed to take the dogs. We just parked our lorry outside the pound for three days before they agreed to meet us and hand over the dogs.
“Since June 20, we have made five trips, spending about RM15,000 to hire our own lorry and get our own cages. We rescued about 100 dogs and some cats that were all brought back to Selangor,” she said, adding that they also spent their own money to treat and neuter about 60 dogs.
“We also supplied cleaning chemicals to the pound after discovering the dogs were crammed in unsanitary conditions surrounded by faeces and blood,” she adding, that at least 20% of the dogs rescued had died due to illness and malnutrition.
She said they successfully neutered the 60 dogs with the help of donors from Singapore.
Isabel said MBJB, being a major city hall in the country, should take the lead to reform how strays are managed among the 16 local councils in Johor.
“MBJB can help fund a TNR programme, similar to what we have successfully done with the Hulu Langat Municipal council in Selangor for about a year,” she said, adding that they neutered the dogs caught by the council on a weekly basis, and give them back to the council to release in designated areas.
To date, they have vaccinated and neutered close to 500 dogs under the TNR programme.
She said she hoped councils in Johor would adopt TNR programmes as the many reports about dog abuses in Johor Baru were heartbreaking.
