Spare a thought to strays

Letter to the Editor, The Star

THE report, “Mall security guard allegedly bashes street dog to death” (Sunday Star, April 3), was a terrible and tragic piece of news.

What happened to the poor stray animal should serve as a lesson to all of us. All dogs belong in a loving home, not on the streets where each day is a life of suffering and survival of the fittest for them.

They should never become statistics of road kills, or be poisoned by residents because a local council didn’t act on time to remove them. They should never be put in a situation where they become a nuisance or a danger to others, especially to vulnerable groups like children, the disabled or the elderly in parks and other public places.

It is not right to blame children or anyone else when stray dogs attack them. That is what dogs do when they end up in packs and are left to make jungle decisions for themselves.

This is why we should appreciate the dogcatchers from our local councils. They have the dangerous task of removing strays from the streets to protect human beings as well as the animals.

Animal welfare NGOs should work with the local councils to ensure that they perform their tasks in a humane way instead of inflicting more cruelty on the innocent animals they capture.

Each dog should be kept for at least seven days in their respective local pounds and then put up for adoption.

For those that are left behind, let’s be realistic: It is better to put them down painlessly than to send them back to a slow, painful and hellish life on the streets.

#MYANIMALJUSTICE

Kuala Lumpur

FMT: Please stop the suffering of street dogs

On FMT Letters today

By #MyAnimalJustice

I refer to the incident last week where a stray dog was bludgeoned to death in a Kuala Lumpur mall. It was a terrible and tragic piece of news for all Malaysians to read.

The relevant authorities such as the Department of Veterinary Services, the police and Kuala Lumpur City Hall should not rest until justice is served to the perpetrator of the heinous act, even though it had been committed against a dog which was treated as an outcast in our society.

It was never the dog’s fault. Instead it was really ours – and our apathy towards all stray canines (and cats) in our environment.

What happened to the poor stray animal should serve as a lesson to all of us. All dogs belong in a loving home which they deserve; not in the streets where each day is a life of suffering and a survival of the fittest for them.

They deserve basic rights, such as shelter instead of having to run into the car park of a shopping centre when the elements such as the rain or sun are against them. They need to be in a loving home where they can received prompt veterinary care when they are sick – not die of maggot-infested wounds which are highly preventable and others.

They should never become statistics of road kills, or be poisoned by residents because local councils do not act on time in removing them. They should never be put in a situation where they become a nuisance or a danger to others, especially to vulnerable groups like children, the disabled or the elderly in parks and other public places.

It is not right at all to blame children or anyone else when stray dogs attack human beings. That is what they inevitably do, when canines end up in packs and are left in a position to make jungle decisions for themselves.

It is this reason why we should appreciate our dogcatchers from our local councils. They have the dangerous task of removing strays from the streets to protect human beings as well as the animals themselves so that what happened to the dog that was bludgeoned, does not happen to them.

Animal welfare NGOs should work with all the local councils to ensure that they perform their tasks in a humane way instead of inflicting any cruelty on the innocent animals they capture. Each dog should be kept for at least seven days in their respective local pounds and put up for adoption and be spayed.

For those that do not make it, let’s be realistic, it is better to put them down painlessly than to send them back to a slow, painful and hellish life on our streets.

With a firm belief in freedom of expression and without prejudice, FMT tries its best to share reliable content from third parties. Such articles are strictly the writer’s personal opinion. FMT does not necessarily endorse the views or opinions given by any third party content provider.

Are Our Local Councils Preparing For A New Breed Of Residents - The Elderly?

PETPOSITIVE SAYS: 

Are we taking enough care of the elderly in Malaysian society?

I come across an increasing number of children of elderly parents who are shirking from their responsibilities in caring for their parents when they get older, especially when disability becomes a factor. 

Here is a story about how British society takes care of their elderly. The amazing part is that the local councils are the ones that provide for such service.

Especially for "vulnerable people." 

The time is ripe for our local councils to also start in such a direction. Especially when you consider two major facts mentioned by experts about an ageing nation in Malaysia. 

By 2030, Malaysia will officially have a population of eldery within the 10% bracket. This, according to the United Nations will immediately qualify the country to be seen as an ageing nation.

By 2035 it has been projected that there will be more elderly people in Malaysia than children. 

And yet, we have to ask if our local councils are ready for ageing population?    

Councils 'will struggle with ageing population'

By Nick Triggle Health reporter, BBC News

Social care is currently means-tested in England

Councils will struggle to cope with the financial challenge posed by England's ageing population, a watchdog says.

The Audit Commission said the £9bn a year social care bill will double by 2026 if current practices continue.

The warning comes as ministers are considering a revamp of the funding system for social care.

But the Commission said councils needed to look at new and innovative ways to provide services, particularly by embracing technology.
It highlighted a number of examples of how "telecare" was being used to provide electronic links between services and people living in their own homes.

The variation between local authorities is unacceptable Stephen Burke, Counsel and Care

It cited examples where councils had fitted exit sensors, fall detectors and flood alerts - in case people left taps running - to monitor vulnerable people in their own homes.

The watchdog also said an increased involvement of neighbours was another solution to the growing demands.

And it raised concerns about the variation in spending levels on services such as meals, care at home, assessment systems and nursing support. In some areas, these cost three times more than in others.

Highest needs

Audit Commission chairman Michael O'Higgins said: "There are huge financial pressures on councils in the years ahead, but redesigning services and exploiting technology can make them better, more efficient and more personal."

Stephen Burke, chief executive of the Counsel and Care charity, added: "The variation between local authorities is unacceptable."

But David Rogers, of the Local Government Association, said local authorities were well aware of the issues.
"We are acutely aware that the future will mean doing things differently to cope with an ageing population, developing new technology with less funding from the public purse and are already making huge strides to adapt to the future."

The report comes as the government prepares to publish detailed plans in the coming months into how social care should be funded.

The current system is means-tested, but campaigners and the political parties all agree the arrangements are unfair, as more and more people are being excluded from services by greater restrictions on eligibility which are being imposed by councils.

Labour has pledged to introduce free personal care so people with the "highest needs" can stay at home.
The party has put forward several proposals, including a compulsory levy on people's estates which the Conservatives have dubbed a "death tax".

Note: The above story first appeared on BBC Online on February 18, 2010.

PET+BLOGSPOT is the official online blog of the Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (Petpositive).

We take pride in the fact that everything you read in our blog is ACCURATE, RELIABLE and THE LATEST.

Our blog which was first established in October 2007 currently has more than 35,000 hits. PET+BLOGSPOT is updated frequently.

Kindly take note that views expressed in this blog are not necessarily those of Petpositive.

You may also visit our Webpage by browsing: www.petpositive.com.my

Disabled Groups Are Meeting MPS Today To Demand A Representation In The Local Council

PETPOSITIVE BREAKING NEWS!

DATELINE MAJLIS PERBANDARAN SELAYANG: 

A KEY MEETING ON DISABILITY CONCERNS will be held later this morning at the headquarters of the Majlis Perbandaran Selayang (MPS) in Bandar Baru Selayang, Selangor.

A top level representative of the local council's town planning department will be meeting a group of disabled persons to set up a special committee on disability concerns within the MPS. 

The special body is expected to be made up of people with disabilities as well as experts from the various key departments of the local council.

In addition to town planning, representatives from the engineering and building concerns will also be involved. 

The special committee on disability is expected to sit monthly and offer technical advice on how to make Selayang and Rawang more disabled friendly. 

The committee will be fashioned much like the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ)'s Disability Technical Committee that was responsible to bring about much changes in handicapped-friendly facilities in PJ since the middle of 2008. 

The disability meeting in MPS was first initiated by the then disabled local councillor Gurdip Kaur and MBPJ's Anthony SB Thanasayan. 

A special initiative meeting was held last year in MPS by Puan Sharipah Marhaini, head of planning for MBPJ. 

However, there was no follow up after that until a month ago. 

Several disabled persons led by Francis Siva, president of the Independent Living and Training Centre (ILTC) handed over a memorandum to MPS' Yang DiPertua Dato Haji Zainal Abidin demanding that follow up action be carried out to the earlier historic discussion.

The disability NGOs who will be attending this morning's meeting are the ILTC, The Lone OKU and PETPOSITIVE.

Fingers crossed, everyone, for a most positive meeting today. 

(Please scroll below for the background story to today's MPS' meeting.)

Note: All file pictures courtesy of ILTC.

PET+BLOGSPOT 

Wednesday January 20, 2010

Disabled group wants council to do more
By STUART MICHAEL

THE Independent Living and Training Centre (ILTC) in Rawang handed over a memorandum to the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) recently to build disabled-friendly facilities.

The memorandum asked the council to implement and enforce Local Building By-Laws to make the environment friendly to the disabled.
Speaking out: ILTC members gathering outside the council before handing over the memorandum.

According to ILTC president Francis Siva, people with disabilities do not want a welfare-based approach but prefer initiatives based on individual rights.

“In Malaysia, we urgently need significant improvement in our quality of life.

“We are part of the community and deserve equal treatment.

“We are disappointed with the council as there has been no progress and development in the infrastructure for the disabled in Rawang and Selayang.

“They should have taken into account proper accessible walkway pavements, elevators and toilets for the disabled and the elderly,” Siva said.

Siva added that last year, at a MPS full board meeting, the council decided that a lift and a ramp would be built for the disabled at the old MPS building and a Technical Working Committee For The Disabled’s Facilities would be set-up.

“Despite many promises made by the MPS there has been no progress.

“We demand to know if the needs of the disabled will henceforth be included in the planning.

“We will be speaking out on our struggle, plight and challenges and against prejudice of the disabled,” he added.

Twelve disabled members from ILTC were present at the MPS building to hand over the memorandum and voice out their concerns.

 


PET+BLOGSPOT is the official online blog of the Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (Petpositive).


We take pride in the fact that everything you read in our blog is ACCURATE, RELIABLE and THE LATEST.

Our blog which was first established in October 2007 currently has more than 35,000 hits. PET+BLOGSPOT is updated frequently.


Kindly take note that views expressed in this blog are not necessarily those of Petpositive.


You may also visit our Webpage by browsing: www.petpositive.com.my