Animal NGOs Respond To Dog Attack - Some Of Their Bite Is Worse Than Their Bark

aNt's aNgle: There is a flurry of reports in The Star today on the dog-mauling incident that took the life of an elderly jogger two days ago.

Whilst I can appreciate the many views being proffered on what might have caused the breed of dog, that is now being branded as a "miniature bull terrier cross", some of them are not only questionable but rather ludicrous as well!

Suddenly, everyone seems an expert as to what went wrong - from animal rescuers to dog trainers. 

That is, if the newspaper quoted them correctly. 

What, for instance, is SPCA Selangor saying when it refers to a dog with an aggressive nature? Are you referring to a particular dog or an entire breed?

What does Second Chance mean by "banned breeds"? Are you referring to the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) booklet? I'm okay with the word "restricted breeds" meanings that owners who are not ready to meet the demands of particular breeds should never be allowed to own them.

As my quote in today's StarMetro says:

“Blaming the breeds is a fallacy. Any dog — regardless of breed — has a potential to attack anyone. The question is, how did it become a monster, and who trained it to attack people?”

What does MDDB mean in its amateurish remark about "indiscriminate cross breeding" when expert breeders say there should be no cross-breeding at all!

One dog-trainer raises a complete codswallop about bull terriers having a "mechanism in the jaw that allows it to lock up when it is clamped shut" which has absolutely no scientific backing. 

And another trainer wants the dog to be handed over to him.

I sincerely hope that it is to rehabilitate the pooch and give him over to an owner far, far away from civilisation to live out the rest of its days - and not to sell it back as a guard dog!

Anyway, read on guys and see what you think:

StarMetro:  

Thursday May 10, 2012

Extra care for aggressive dogs

By THO XIN YI
thoxinyi@thestar.com.my

OWNERS should be held responsible for the problems caused by their pets especially dogs.

Commenting on the bull terrier that mauled a 74-year-old man in Subang Jaya on Tuesday, Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Selangor chairman Christine Chin said owners must be very careful when handling dogs that are aggressive in nature.

“Owners must realise that big, working dogs need regular work-outs.

Escape route: The dog that attacked the elderly man apparently ran out through the garbage bin compartment of the house.

“We do not know how the dog in question was handled, but if a dog has been caged and leashed for a long period, it is likely that its energy is repressed,” she said.

Chin cautioned against caging up dogs without attending to their exercise needs.

“It’s dangerous for owners to just tie up the dogs as guard dogs, and not allocate time to exercise. These are the factors that make the dogs even more aggressive,” she said.

Chin also recommended dog owners to sign up for regular dog training sessions because the canines need exercise as well as social interactions.

Furry Friends Farm co-founder Sabrina Yeap is worried that dog owners would start chaining up their dogs and caging them throughout the day because of this incident.

She warned that it was a form of abuse to the pets.

“If the dogs need to be caged or chained up for a short period of time because they are sick or there are visitors, make sure that the cages are large enough for them to rest, and the chains are long enough for them to move,” she said.

Yeap said people tend to blame dogs’ behaviour, but the animal could be trained from young.

She said the aggressive behaviour of the dogs could be caused by the way they were handled by their owners or breeders.

“We don’t know how the overseas breeders raised their dogs. The process might be inhumane.

“We must give the dogs a loving environment,” she said.

Ho Lai Peng, from an independent dog rescue group called Second Chance, felt that the burden was on the authority to get to the root of the problem.

“They should find out whether anyone is breeding the dogs in Malaysia. How come this breed is so easily available? It is scary to say the least.

“People who own the forbidden breeds, too, should surrender their dogs voluntarily,” she said.

On the other hand, Petpositive president Anthony Thanasayan said the breeds should not be blamed for the accidents, but the way the canines were bred and brought up.

“Blaming the breeds is a fallacy. Any dog — regardless of breed — has a potential to attack anyone. The question is, how did it become a monster, and who trained it to attack people?” he said.

Dog trainers, in his opinion, must register with the local councils, and educate the animals to co-exist with people.

Dog breeders, too, have to evaluate dogs carefully before breeding them.

He also pointed out that the local councils did not provide a condusive environment for dogs.

“Their movements are restricted and dog owners are forced to keep the dogs within the house compound.

“The councils should educate pet owners on how to look after the dogs, and teach the public on how to avoid dog attacks,” he said.

Anthony was strongly against the idea of keeping dogs as guard dogs as the owners might not know the correct way of looking after the dogs.

Nonetheless, he felt that irresponsible dog owners, who let their pets wander freely, should be punished.

He hopes the authority will try its best to rehabilitate the bull terrier in this case instead of putting it to sleep.

Meanwhile, Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) assistant corporate director Azfarizal Abdul Rashid confirmed that the dog owner has a licence for the bull terrier.

However the owner has to adhere to the rules listed in the MPSJ Licensing of Dogs and Kennel Establishments Bylaws 2012.

“The dogs should be leashed and controlled by the owners when they are out of the premises. The owners cannot let their dogs wander freely.

“If the owners are found negligent and at fault, they could be fined RM1,000 and the dogs will be seized,” he said. Azfarizal added the case was still being investigated by the police and Selangor Veterinary Services Department.

Thursday May 10, 2012

Killer dog’s owners make appearance at victim’s funeral

By LOSHANA K. SHAGAR
loshana@thestar.com.my

PETALING JAYA: Barely 24 hours after 74-year-old Yip Sun Wah was mauled to death by a neighbour's miniature bull terrier cross, both families came together in the spirit of forgiveness.
The body of Yip, who celebrated his birthday 11 days ago, lay in a brown coffin at the Gui Yuan Crematorium in Petaling Jaya. As his family members grieved over his tragic death, the family that owned the dog that killed Yip early Tuesday morning came to pay their last respects.

They seemed apprehensive at first as they were unsure of the victim's family's response, but were embraced by Yip's wife Lim Yoke Kim, 73, and their eldest son Hon Mun, 51. Yip also leaves behind three other sons and two grandchildren.

Hon Mun said although they were bitter at first, it dissipated when the family came.

Words of comfort: The dog owner’s parents (right) console Lim while Hon Mun (left) is seen in the background at the Gui Yuan Crematorium in Petaling Jaya Wednesday. — RAYMOND OOI/The Star

“Nobody wanted this to happen, but we do not want this to linger and cause pain to everyone in the years to come.

“It's good that they (dog owner's family) came, we can see that they were very sincere and that's all I could ask for,” Hon Mun said.

The dog owner shed tears as did her parents and a friend who came with her.

They lit joss sticks and prayed before Yip's photograph, after which both families gathered for a 10-minute talk.

Hon Mun said he last saw his father just 45 minutes before he was killed while jogging in the neighbourhood.

“The last thing he said to me was thank you for the food and money'. One moment I was talking to him and the next moment he had left me.”

Yip, a former signboard maker, was described as a friendly person who would wave to people while jogging.

Right after Yip was attacked, a passer-by used his mobile phone to contact Hon Mun, who rushed to the scene.

“It was a horrifying sight to see your loved one lying motionless on the road in a pool of blood,” he said.

Earlier yesterday, Hon Mun sent an e-mail to his neighbours thanking them for their assistance.
In the e-mail, he expressed the wish that dog owners would learn to be more responsible for their pets.

“If my father's death can be a wake-up call to all dog owners, his death would not have been in vain,” he said.

Yip will be cremated at 2pm on Saturday at the Gui Yuan Crematorium here.

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Thursday May 10, 2012

Cross-bred bull terrier a restricted breed, says vet dept D-G

PETALING JAYA: The dog that attacked and killed 74-year-old Yip Sun Wah is a miniature bull terrier cross which is a restricted breed in Malaysia.

Restricted breeds were not suitable as household pets, said Veterinary Services Department (DVS) director-general Datuk Dr Abdul Aziz Jamaluddin.

Such breeds, he added, were only meant for the use of military and enforcement agencies and not to be kept as pets.

He added that bull terriers were allowed to be kept as guard dogs providing they were given proper training and schooling.

“When an application is made to the local council for a licence for a restricted breed, the municipal agency will only issue the licence based on our recommendation,” said Dr Abdul Aziz. He said the DVS has published a guidebook to outline breed classification.

The guidelines can also be obtained at http://www.dvs.gov.my/web/guest/listband.

Dr Abdul Aziz also said restricted breeds were not supposed to be sold in pet shops.
He added that the DVS was currently doing a trace to determine the supplier and find out how a restricted breed could have been made available to the owner.

“I will instruct our enforcement unit to check all pet shops to see if they are selling banned and restricted dog breeds,” said Dr Abdul Aziz.

Meanwhile, dog trainer Wellington Ho said bull terriers have very powerful jaws.

“There is a mechanism in the jaw which tends to lock up when it is clamped shut,” he said.
However, Ho was quick to point out that he personally knew of domesticated bull terriers that have been properly socialised.

“They have very sweet temperaments once they are properly socialised,” he said.

The dog that killed Yip had a valid licence issued by the Subang Jaya Municipal Council.

The case will be investigated by the police under Section 304(a) of the Penal Code for causing death by negligence, which carries a maximum of two years' jail, a fine or both.

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Thursday May 10, 2012

Time to regulate pet shops, say canine welfare groups

PETALING JAYA: Canine welfare groups are outraged over the death of 74-year-old Yip Sun Wah after he was mauled by a miniature bull terrier cross.

They claimed that one of the reasons behind Yip's death was the poor regulation of pet shops, which sell restricted breeds suspected of being obtained from backyard breeders.

Save a Stray founder Jacqueline Tsang said Yip's tragic death was due to irresponsible breeders who did not ensure the bull terrier's owner had the expertise to handle the dog.
“I also hold the enforcers liable for not ensuring the restriction (on restricted breeds) was being properly implemented,” said Tsang.

Canine rescue project Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better coordinator Irene Low said it was time for the authorities to seriously regulate pet shops that sold such animals.

“Only then can backyard breeders, who carry out unethical breeding, be put out of business as they would not have a platform to sell their dogs and puppies,” she said.

According to Low, unethical breeders also had a tendency to cross-breed dogs that were not compatible with each other.

“When indiscriminate cross-breeding is done, it can seriously affect the dogs' temperament,” she said.

Furry Friends Farm founder Sabrina Yeap said the temperament of a dog was usually influenced by the environment it was brought up in.

“Whatever the breed, what matters most is the upbringing. I personally know of bull terriers that are loving family pets,” said Yeap.

KL Pooch Rescue co-founder Shannon Lam said the loss of a father and husband to any violent attack was unspeakable.

“Equally tragic is a society that seeks to punish a beast for behaving as such rather than punishing those who are behind its aggression,” she added.

Meanwhile, sources say several rescue groups are getting together to request the authorities not to euthanise the dog.

Dog trainer and G-Pet Boarding and Training Centre Carlos Huertez said he would take the dog in if the authorities were willing to hand over the bull terrier.

FROM NST today:

 KUALA LUMPUR: THE family of a senior citizen who was killed by a dog hoped that his death would be a wake-up call to all other dog owners.

"My father's death should not be in vain. Dog owners should realise the huge responsibility they have if they own fierce dogs," said Yip Hon Mun, the eldest son of the victim, Yip Sin Hua.

Hon Mun was speaking to reporters outside the Kuala Lumpur Hospital mortuary where he was waiting to claim the body of his father who was attacked by a dog, said to be a crossbreed between an American Staffordshire and miniature bull terrier.

"My family is still in shock. It is our hope now that owners will be more responsible by taking all necessary measures to ensure their dogs do not pose a danger to anyone," said the 51-year-old Hon Mun, who runs a trading company.

"Anyone could have fallen victim to that dog."

He said his family does not hold any grudges against the owner of the dog, which answers to the name Beacon.

"The dog owner and her family visited my family yesterday to apologise and pay their last respects to my dad," said Hon Mun.

"We are leaving the investigations to the authorities and will not pursue the matter."
The victim, Yip, who turned 74 on April 28, was a retired signboard maker in the family-owned business.

On Tuesday morning, while out on his regular jog along Jalan SS19/5B in Subang Jaya, he was attacked by Beacon who had escaped from its owner's house.

"My parents had been living in the area for more than 20 years. My father was probably the only senior citizen in the area who still jogged at that age. He was well-known in the SS19 neighbourhood. He was a pleasant person with a big heart," Hon Mun said.

"I was the last person to speak to my father when I called him just before he went for his jog."
Witnesses said two people hit the dog on the head with an umbrella and a stick but the canine did not let go of its grip of Yip's neck. The victim was believed to have been killed on the spot.
Veterinary Services Department officials later sedated the dog before taking it away.

The dog is now under the care of the department, which will monitor its behaviour for two weeks, apart from checking for various diseases.

The owner of the dog, said to be a 25-year-old female accountant, is being investigated for causing death by negligence. She faces a maximum jail sentence of two years, a fine, or both upon conviction. Additional reporting by V. Shuman

Read more: Jogger's death a wake-up call for dog owners - General - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/nation/general/jogger-s-death-a-wake-up-call-for-dog-owners-1.82299#ixzz1uRefbSBQ

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