HOLIDAY WEEKEND VIEW: A NEW ERA IN ANIMAL WELFARE AND RIGHTS IN MALAYSIA

PETPOSITIVE NEWS:

DATELINE MPK KLANG: 

The movement for animal rights and welfare in Malaysia took a significant step forward with the formation of a brand new committee called CAT in the Majlis Perbandaran Klang or MPK recently.

This was announced at a major press conference that was held at the MPK last Wednesday.
 

CAT which stands for Canine Advisory Team comprises experts from the health division of the local government, the department of veterinary services (DVS) of Malaysia and several animal concern nongovernmental organisations.

The NGOs who make up CAT are the Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (PETPOSITIVE), Save-A-Stray (SAS) and the Selangor Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to  Animals (SPCA). 

CAT is also represented by Mrs Pat Lim, an individual and expert animal rescuer and resident from Klang.  

The committee is headed by Anthony SB Thanasayan who is also the head of Petaling Jaya City Council's own CAT team.

A number of positive changes have already gone into effect, particularly in the pound at Northport, since the CAT team was established in MPK.


"The pound is clean and washed down at least four times a day," pointed out Jacqueline Tsang from SAS. 



Pat Lim said she is overwhelmed by the support that MPK has been giving to the dogs under their care. 

"The canines are always wagging their tails happily when approached by the kennel care staff which shows that the caretakers are kind to the animals," she observed.

"If they are not; the animals would cower in fear," she added.

Pat is in charge of the pound site from the NGO side.

Shenaaz Khan who is Acting Secretary of Petpositive said she is happy that MPK has temporarily shelved catching dogs with collars (that belong to owners) and nabbing strays at night.

A major reason for this consideration is to prevent overcrowding at the pound.

"Why invite unnecessary problems at this time when the pound is currently not able to handle more dogs?" She explained. 

Puppies will no longer be caught by the MPK unless under special circumstances that cannot be avoided from complaints received from the residents. 

Diseased dogs that are caught will be taken straight to the local DVS and put down. Only a veterinarian or a veterinary assistant who is trained in administrating euthanasia will do this.

The situation in the pound will be monitored regularly. These will be done by the top level MPK officers from the health department, representatives from the DVS as well as CAT members headed by Mrs Pat Lim.

Cooked food is provided by the SPCA on Tuesdays and Fridays. The MPK van is used to collect the food twice a week. 

There is always need for volunteers and donations of dog food. If you think you can help, kindly contact Pat at 016 656 8997 or aNt at 012 220 3146.

All dogs (and puppies) at the MPK pound may be adopted free of charge by anyone. Owners of canines may collect their pets once they settle their fines for allowing their dogs to roam the streets.

CAT from MPK side are Encik Zakaria and Cik Aina who are led by Encik Zulkifly Abbas, the Acting Director of Health.


Kindly feel free to forward this message to anyone whom you think may be able to help our hapless canines.

Pictures courtesy by MPK, MBPJ & SPCA.

More details on the MPK pound


Thank you!

PET+BLOGSPOT       



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

Animal Welfare Organisations Should Seize Every Opportunity To Work With Local Councils Says Animal Activist

PETPOSITIVE NEWS

DATELINE KLANG MPK DOG POUND:

Two committee members of the Canine Advisory Team (CAT) visited Northport today again where stray dogs are housed. 

Jacqueline Tsang and Pat Lim turned up at the pound in the afternoon of Wednesday to see how things were progressing since several measures of dog care had been suggested to the Majlis Perbandaran Klang (MPK)

"Our unplanned visit there revealed the kennels in clean conditions," said a smiling Jacqueline Tsang. 

"There was no dog poo because of the regular cleaning by the caretakers as things are better organised now since CAT was formed in MPK," she added.

She was pleased to see the wet floors in the pound. The caretakers had hosed the area to keep the dogs cool on a particularly hot day.


Jacqueline who gives a strong seven out of a ten rating to the pound had gone there to adopt a dog.

The animal activist ended up taking a mother and her two three-month old pups home with her. 

"All I needed to do was to fill up an adoption form with my contact details before I placed mummy and her babies in the back seat of my car and drove back," explained Jacqueline who is one of four directors of Save-A-Stay animal NGO that was registered almost a year ago.

"I drove them straight to SAS's vet Dr Bun Kiang Eh La practice in Kuala Lumpur," she added.

Dr Bun is also a director of SAS.

SAS saves strays by sterilising them before they are rehomed by the organisation to new pet owners. Funds for this project are paid mostly by the directors themselves along with a few supporters.

"SAS is also particularly interested in another stray outside the pound which helps to herd some cows in the area," said Jacqueline.

The female dog that SAS is eying is two-years old. SAS will sponsor her vaccination, sterilization and even treat her ear problem.

"The girl needs a bath first and an effective tick wash," laughed Jacqueline before SAS approaches the MPK to obtain a dog license for her.

As a member of CAT, Jacqueline says that she is in the best opportunity now to share her expertise as a seasoned pet rescuer - a mission that she has been pursuing for most of her life.

"I think it is simply marvelous that NGOs have been invited to participate with the local councils.

"Animal welfare and rights organisations should seize every opportunity they can to work with local councils - after all, it is the animals that we really care for in the end."

As for the attitude of those in MPK, Jacqueline is pleased that everyone is very positive and open to practical suggestions on how the dogs at the pound and strays in Klang can be helped.

"I think it's brilliant that they are very cooperative to our ideas and understand our points," said Jacqueline.

"SAS is very happy and honored to be able to serve in the CAT committee.

"In the meantime, the best thing to do for the dogs in the pound is to adopt them," concluded Jacqueline who can be contacted at 012 207 0436.

Note: Picture courtesy of Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya.


PET+BLOGSPOT   


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

MPK DOG POUND MAKING GOOD PROGRESS

PETPOSITIVE NEWS: 

Things are continuing to improve at the dog pound in Klang, Selangor. 

The pound received a satisfactory rating by members of Majlis Perbandaran Klang's Canine Advisory Team or CAT when they made a spot-check on Monday. 

CAT was pleased to discover that the cages were clean and clear of any foul stench. 

Water and food was also available for the dogs; thanks largely to the two dedicated workers in the pound.

The situation improved significantly after more people started coming forward to donate sacks of kibble to the animals that are generally on death-row if no one adopts them. 

The Selangor SPCA is now donating cooked food to the pound at least twice a week. 

However, this is on a temporary basis. It is hoped that over the weeks, the council will be able to obtain enough funds to provide for the dogs.   


The pound itself is designed in such a way where the dogs have proper shelter from the elements. There is also plenty of fresh air ventilation from the outside.

All dogs that are put down are done so only by a veterinarian or a veterinary assistant from the Department of Veterinary Services.

What is most striking is the way the dogs appear to be generally settled down in the pound. 

Many of them wag their tails and offer licks to the pound's caretakers when they enter their area. 

A media conference is being planned for sometime next week to announce the formation of the new CAT committee.

MPK will also announce some of the positive measures the council will take in their care towards dogs and cats. 

Resident associations as well as animal welfare NGOs are expected to be called in later for a dialogue. 

Other programmes include hands-on-training on dog care and management for the pound caretakers, training on effective and humane dog-catching methods and many more.      
Meanwhile, PET+BLOGSPOT has learnt that there is currently an attempt by one or two quarters to try and deliberately discredit the positive and progressive changes that are taking place in MPK's pound through CAT.

CAT advises all animal lovers to be extremely careful to differentiate disinformation from the facts. 

Members of CAT are currently the only animal NGOs that have access to the pound and what is going on with the dogs at the pound.

"Please be careful about pictures that are outdated or information that are taken out of context and mischievously and maliciously posted in blogs," cautions CAT.

The dogs at the MPK dog pound need our help as animal lovers.

The best way is to adopt a canine and take them out of the pound at once. 

This can done without any cost as the dogs are being offered by MPK free of charge. 


For more information on how you can make a difference in helping the canines at the pound, please contact Mrs Pat Lim, a member of CAT, at 016-656 8997.

For all the accurate, reliable and latest news on the MPK pound, please visit us again.

Pictures courtesy by MPK



PET-BLOGSPOT   


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

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