First and foremost, I'd like to say a big "THANK YOU" to all 130 of you who visited our blog today.
Obviously scores of you have been waiting eagerly and anxiously for my return from the Majlis Perbandaran Selayang (MPS) Rawang, Selangor dog pound that has been the centre of controversy and debate lately.
Are animals being systematically tortured and killed in this modern-day canine "hell-camp" as some would like us to believe?
Or is this just one of another devious ploy of some unscrupulous individual or group to try and increase their personal kitty from the public?
My visit there yesterday afternoon proved to be quite revealing.
First, it was not a German-styled Auswich death camp for canines that I was somehow expecting.
Hey, don't blame me, but reports about blood on the floor everywhere, dogs dropping dead like flies and ravenous four-legged creatures that hadn't eaten for weeks with only plain white rice as their diet once in awhile made my spine go a little cold too.
There were also chilling pictures to go with the stories. Animal carcasses stuffed in plastic bags, an emaciated puppy that eventually died - and one or two dogs that were almost walking skeletons!
However, to be fair, in those pictures there were also other dogs that looked normal and healthy and didn't seem to be in immediate or any danger at all.
In any case, I didn't come across any of those disturbing images on my visit.
If it really did happen, there was no sign of any of it taking place anymore.
I was taken up by the beauty of the pound that was located somewhat in the outskirts of town.
There were no torture chambers or canine-guillotine devices that one might expect in the worst horror movies about dogs.
I checked: no blood trails on the road, puppies howling in pain - and certainly no human werewolves lurking in the corner.
What my team and I saw instead was a spacious and well-ventilated pound. We were informed by MPS officials that they were upgrading their drainage system at the pound. They expect it to be fixed in a couple of months.
I didn't see any dogs under starvation in the 21-cells in the pound. And yes, there were healthier dogs in the pound that were well-fed.
And no dogs died during our two-hour visit.
I was quite surprised to discover two goats next to the dog pounds. A cow enclosure was only several metres away.
I couldn't help wondering why there were no reports of these other animals being treated cruelly as well. After all, they were equal residents of the giant enclosure.
The place was incredibly clean. I was astounded by the availability of fresh, clean water in each cell. I was told by the caretakers that they promptly make sure to keep this available at least three times a day.
Perhaps the most unexpected discovery made by our team that afternoon is that we were told that the dogs were all let out once a day within the pound's compound to exercise themselves.
Now, I realise that there may be a few of you who think that all these improved features were specially staged for our visit.
But then again, why should it be?
However if the answer is positive, I see it as a good thing rather than negative or something that someone has to react with suspicion.
What does it matter if it was made "only for our visit" that day?
The point is - THE CHANGES HAVE ALREADY STARTED ITS PROCESS.
And what's important now is to keep it going.
What I don't buy, however, is that if someone is not a Christian, Buddhist or Hindu - or wears a tudung to work - he or she automatically or usually should be seen as a dog-hater!
In fact, I'll have you know that some of the most caring people I've come across in my work have been Muslims. And I know many of them are dog lovers.
They are not afraid to tell people that they are.
And let me go even further to say that many of these people hold jobs in local councils.
Back to the MPS pound, I'm not saying that no dogs suffered or could not have been mistreated at the pound.
The pictures and some of the stories showed that they were.
But concluding that the cruelties on these hapless creatures were deliberately inflicted by sadistic council members is to be just as cruel to them as the sufferings were to some of the dogs in the pound.
An expert opined yesterday that the death of a number of dogs in the pound (going by the reports) was very likely due to the spread of disease than a willful act of starving the animals.
I am inclined to take this position.
The bottom line, folks, it is easy to point a finger at local councils or the department of veterinary services and others every time something goes wrong in the way our society ends up treating animals.
But what's more challenging and discerning - and often extremely difficult - is to jump right in there with those we point a finger at and try and help and work with them to get things right.
Through our meeting with MPS yesterday, we've managed to score some positive successes with the local council.
They have agreed to try and work on a long-term plan to switch cooked food to dog kibble because it is more practical and healthier in the long run.
By the way, the pound is equipped with ample uncooked food all the time. The pound's policy is never to serve white rice alone for the dogs. It is always mixed with fish-head gravy.
In addition to food, the MPS have also agreed to comply with some of the immediate animal rights, health and welfare issues affecting the animals in the pound.
The local council has also promised to shelve nabbing puppies for awhile. They are currently also looking into doing the same thing with owners' dogs.
Now I don't know about you.
But I certainly consider all this a positive step forward from all parties in trying to make a meaningful difference in the lives of the animals in the pound.
It's easy for anyone to sit by their computers and choose to shoot down local councils as mere armchair critics.
However, it takes a much, much better and special kind of person to be courageous and come forward work together with local councils for a better world for dogs and all animals.
PET+BLOGSPOT!
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