WEEKEND VIEW #1
IT’S amazing at what one
can do even if you are in a wheelchair.
And greater still, the wonderful
people out there who simply refuse to see handicaps in front of them.
These human gems – who don’t
have disabilities themselves – would much rather focus on the abilities of each
individual person they come in contact with in their daily lives to offer the
best support possible for people with disabilities.
Last week was an occasion with
loads of lessons about this personally for me – as I got down to tackle one of
my most favourite issues next to disability: Dogs!
After a three-month “temporary
absence” as councillor for the city of Petaling Jaya (MBPJ), I managed to get
our once-a-month Canine Advisory Team (CAT) where I serve as chairman going
again on Monday.
CAT is a special committee
primarily to look into issues of canines in the city and come up with effective
and more importantly humane methods in solving them.
It was a terrific start as the
meeting was packed with representatives not only from MBPJ but other local
councils as well.
They came from virtually every
corner of the state: Sabak Bernam, Sepang, Kuala Selangor, Selayang, Subang
Jaya, Shah Alam and Klang.
The all-important Department of
Veterinary Services (DVS) from Selangor was also with us, along with the
Malaysian Small Animal Veterinary Association made up of private
veterinarians.
Of course, animal welfare NGOs
and individuals who were pet lovers were also present.
Unusually, we had two students
from University Malaya who were doing a research on animal-assisted therapy in
Malaysia. They were given last minute invites.
The three-hour meeting was a
blast. We managed to cover an incredible number of topics in such a “relatively
short” time span.
A main focus was for the need to
have dog parks so that pets can have access to regular exercise. It was pointed
out that not only human beings found it extremely therapeutic for healthy
living to walk in the park but dogs do too.
Canines that are confined at
home or in a cage would be better adjusted socially and be less of a nuisance
problem to local councils if they had a park to go to for regular exercise and
exposure.
CAT decided to set up a
committee at once to identify suitable areas to start a “test-case park” where
owners who brought their dogs would be responsible for their pets. This means
keeping them on a leash all the time and promptly picking up after them.
On Wednesday it was another CAT
meeting, this time with the Klang Municipality (MPK) where I also serve as chairman.
I met up with the Health
Director Zulkifli Abbas to talk about the special launching of their local
pound later this year.
MPK’s pound is set to become the
nation’s first to follow to the letter the guidelines set by the DVS in
Putrajaya on pound management.
In doing so, it is hoped that
MPK’s pound will be a model to all other pounds in the country for its
effectiveness and care for the animals during their stay.
Incidentally, the MPK pound and
PJ dog park, will be wheelchair-friendly, to allow people with disabilities to
also participate.
On Friday the close to 90 year
old Malaysian Kennel Association and Petpositive – where I serve as president –
met up with the Director-General Datuk Dr Abdul Aziz Jamaluddin of the DVS in
Putrajaya to express our concern about targeting dogs instead of irresponsible
pet owners who are really to blame when canines misbehave.
The positive outcome of that
meeting is that the DVS will be coming up with a dog owner’s guidebook in
October of this year that will have all the necessary and accurate facts in
choosing a dog and bringing it up responsibly.
The chief message: No bad dogs;
only bad owners. Syabas DVS!
My “dog adventure” week ended on
Saturday with another triumphant note on responsible pet ownership. I was
invited to a dog seminar where MKA educated an audience of dog lovers on how to
bring up their pets responsibly.
During the questions from the
floor, someone insinuated that the recent dog mauling case of an elderly jogger
in Subang Jaya was because he must have provoked the animal.
The statement alleged and
implied as if what transpired from the incident was “okay” when a dog is
provoked.
My response from Petpositive was
to point out to him that no matter how much we loved dogs, no one should
condone an animal attack especially when a death had occurred.
Every person has the right to a
safe environment outside their houses – more so if they are disabled, elderly
or children. Dogs do and always should be used for positive purposes such as
for therapy and healing – never for violence, injury or harm.
As a councillor I reiterated: No
dogs should be let outside its compound without being accompanied by its owner
– no matter how “well trained” owners claim they are.
A problem dog is the result of
an irresponsible owner.
THE END
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