Canines On Death Row Saved From Hulu Selangor Recently

PETPOSITIVE NEWS:

DATELINE KUALA KUBU BHARU: 

(KKB Stray pictures courtesy by SPCA.) 

A NUMBER OF DOGS trapped by the Hulu Selangor Local Council District (MDHS) and facing certain death, were rescued at the last minute last week. 

This, thanks largely to the initiatives made by several animal rights and welfare organisations in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur.

The first to spot the stray canines on death row were Mrs Pat Lim from Klang and Raymond Wee from Johor. 

The two went to KKB on a fact-finding and rescue mission after hearing reports of a possible animal abuse there.

"When we arrived our worst fears were confirmed," said Pat Lim to PET+BLOGSPOT! 

Pat is a member of Noah's Ark Natural Animal Sanctuary (NANAS) in Johor.

"What was extremely sad was that the strays caught by the MDHS were packed in small cages with no shelter from the rain and sun all day," added the 60-something year old animal activist. 

She also sits in the monthly Canine Advisory Team (CAT) committee of the Klang municipal council section on dogs. 

Raymond Wee, the founder of NANAS, wasted no time in launching a rescue effort for all the canines at the site. The exercise took several days to accomplish. 

The animals were immediately provided with food and water and temporarily shaded from the elements. The sick dogs were painlessly put down whilst NANAS adopted the healthy dogs by transporting them without delay to their sanctuary.  

Petpositive President Anthony SB Thanasayan who is also CAT chairman of MBPJ and MPK contacted MDHS Councillor Santokh Singh (019 210 8137) and urged him to act on the situation. 

He did. He managed to get the Yang DiPertua Tukiman B Nail to go down to the site where the stray dogs are being kept to assess the situation for himself.

The YDP apparently was very concerned and moved by what he saw. He promised to get the council to build a proper dog pound very soon.


The Selangor Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in Jalan Ayer Kerja Lama recently reported that no strays will be rounded up by the MDHS from now on. 

They will only start to catch dogs again when they have built a proper pound, said SPCA Inspector Cunera Kimlon who visited KKB on Tuesday.

According to the SPCA, the Department of Veterinary Services also made an immediate visit when the issue was first highlighted to them. 

They apparently issued a stern warning to the council regarding the cruel conditions the dogs were subjected to by the council.

Meanwhile, YB Dr Xavier Jayakumar, who is Selangor state's chairman of health, plantation workers, the poor and the caring goverment has been informed of the latest developments.

He told PET+BLOGSPOT! that he is watching the events closely.  



PET+BLOGSPOT! thinks that it is wonderful how the various animal interest groups banded together to tackle this latest dog-cruelty issue.

And once again, we have discovered that it is always much better to engage local councils in meaningful dialogue rather than in unfair council- bashing.  

Well done, animal NGOs!

PET+BLOGSPOT!   
 
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Shocking Press Statement From SPCA On Harassment of SPCA Worker

Press Statement From SPCA Selangor

For Release on May 29^th 2009

SPCA’s message to all animal rescuers, animal lovers and the public

The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the rescue of abandoned animals, who have no voice but suffer miserable lives as strays, is indeed a noble cause and develops kindness and compassion in people and in turn this creates a better society that is caring, humane and protective of the vulnerable. In all good causes there will be transgressions by extremist groups who take things into their own hands, violating the privacy of people and not adhering to proper procedures in their efforts.

SPCA urges all animal rescuers to respect the privacy of all in their cause and to put an end to bickering that often stem from unwarranted sources. Sensationalising and distorting an issue, discourteous slandering of characters and general misinformation without finding out the truth are appearing in unchecked blogs and toxic forums.

Visit At Midnight To SPCA Volunteers House

SPCA is extremely distressed that Furry Friends Farm (FFF) supporter and volunteer, Daniel together with YB Edward Lee of MBPJ and his son Simon and Mark (from MBPJ) went to an SPCA volunteer Jorg Bandlow’s house at almost midnight on Wednesday, 27^th of May 2009.

The group harassed Jorg, and his wife SPCA employee, Education Officer, Shahrul Baharin. The couple are dedicated animal rescuers and have rescued 13 dogs and several cats that share their humble home. Living this life to help dogs and working for SPCA to educate the new generation to be kind to animals has brought them so much distress that Shahrul, who is 3 months pregnant, is suffering from the trauma of this intimidation. Shahrul has lodged a police report (attached) that they harassed her and her husband, alleging that Jorg had stolen a dog called Kuning from Pulau Selat Kering, where the SPCA rescue and relief team were rescuing abandoned dogs. Jorg had told them that he did not take the dog, and the visitors were allowed to take a tour of the house to search for him – he was not there as stated.

SPCA Chairperson receives call at midnight

SPCA Chairperson, Christine Chin, received a call around midnight on 27^th May 2009 urging me to call Jorg to “let us in to look for Kuning”. Despite my pleas that it’s almost midnight and why this witch-hunt is on, the caller says ‘ask him to open and let us in if he does not have the dog”. I said it was so late and it’s the house-owners prerogative but he would not listen. I was afraid that anything untoward may have happened and I called Jorg immediately who said the 4 men just left and they have their names and were going to make a police report straightaway.

Clarifying rumours that have appeared in blogs and frums

1. Rumors About FFF Eviction

Many rumors are circulating that SPCA is trying to influence the owner of the Furry Friends Farm land to evict them. However, to the contrary – The owner has been contacting SPCA since late last year to help her, as she had been trying unsuccessfully to get FFF to move away. The owner of the property said she was only worried about the welfare of the 80 plus dogs there, and asked SPCA if they could take the dogs in. However, SPCA declined as our shelter is really full, and we are constantly overwhelmed with the amount of animals being surrendered here. We leave it to the owner to decide how she wants to proceed.

2. Trespassers to FFF

There are also allegations that SPCA is involved in trespassing into the FFF compound in the last few weeks, but this is completely untrue. We have no idea who has been going in, they allege that someone has gone in and released all the dogs from their cages.

Note To Editors:

· The Society For Prevention of Cruelty To Animals (SPCA) Selangor is an NGO which serves Selangor and The Federal Territory.

· SPCA Selangor was established in 1958, with the aim of protecting defenseless animals and alleviating their suffering.

· The SPCA does not receive any government funding, relying entirely on donations from the public to support its services & activities.

· The SPCA Animal Shelter & Adoption Centre at Ampang Jaya temporarily homes 300-350 unwanted animals at any one time while seeking new homes for them. The animals are made up of surrendered pets, rescued cruelty case animals and stray or abandoned animals brought in by Good Samaritans.

· The SPCA would like to work closely with the people of Malaysia to elevate the welfare standards for our Malaysian animals – ensuring they responsibly neuter their pets, provide adequate food, space, exercise, care and medical attention, as well as encouraging them to be responsible neighbours.

PET+BLOGSPOT is the online blog of the Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (Petpositive) You may also visit our homepage which is www.petpositive.com.my

Woof at first sight - Malay Mail

Woof at first sight

• adopt
• christina chin
• dogs
• Pulau Ketam
• SPCA
• Life

SPCA chairman Chin adopts two rejected ‘island’ canines

NADIRAH H. RODZI

Friday, May 22nd, 2009 06:05:00

EAT UP: Chin feeding her adopted dog from Pulau Ketam

WHEN Christina Chin set eyes on two dogs rescued from an island off Pulau Ketam, she knew she had to own them.

"They are just adorable," said Chin, who named the two female dogs Piccola and Piccolo.

Piccola is a two-year-old bitch and Piccolo, believed to be Piccola's baby, is only a few months old.

Asked why she decided to adopt the dogs, Chin, who is the chairman of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said: "Piccola and Piccolo touched me in a way I can't describe. When I laid my eyes on them I was possessed. Maybe it was their eyes and the way they looked at me."

She said usually, when there was a problem regarding animals, the SPCA would help to find places for them to stay.

"Once in a while I would adopt a dog, but never two at the same time," she said.
She added that Piccolo was in a slightly better condition than her mother who had a bad skin condition
when first rescued.

"Picollo was traumatised and depressed while Piccola was nervous and fierce.

"It was understandable because on the island they were fighting for survival. They looked very sad.

"Both dogs were scared of my presence and subdued. But now, they're becoming a little more active.

Although they are still traumatised, they have opened up a bit," she said.

What happened to the dogs of Pulau Ketam recently touched a lot of people, even those who do not have pets.
Chin said the people felt the pain and agony of the 300 dogs abandoned on an uninhabited island off Pulau Ketam without food and water and left to fend for themselves.

Since then, efforts have been made to find and bring the dogs back. Some have already been brought back and are being cared for by SPCA and other animal welfare organisations.

"It's sad to see these lovable animals suffer. You can actually hear them cry from far away," said Chin.
While many are furious with the action taken by the villagers of the island for abandoning man's best friend on the deserted island, many are now lending a hand.

Two dogs were rescued on May 11 and another 10 dogs were rescued a few days later.

They are currently being treated mostly by the SPCA for dehydration, food deprivation and depression.

weekend view: PETPOSITIVE AT SPCA

Pictures by Sivaraman Kannan. Story by aNt

SAY the word “disabled” and “volunteers” – and most of us would likely conjure up images of able-bodied people all helping the handicapped.

But what if the roles were reversed for a change?

Could people with disabilities themselves be volunteers?

Or would their handicapping conditions make it impossible for such a dream to ever come true for them?

This was exactly what about 30-people and I attempted to find out last week.

We were at the most unlikely of places to make the discovery: The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in Selangor.

In its 50 years of existence, the SPCA in Jalan Ampang had never experienced anything quite like what happened in the morning of Tuesday, June 24.

The event was organised by the animal shelter – as well as Petpositive – the animal-assisted therapy for the disabled and elderly society where I am a volunteer.

Nearly a dozen of the participants who turned up were made up of persons with disabilities, their families or caregivers.

Getting there was not as easy as we had thought.

A blind participant who had applied for leave from his office waited for more than an hour outside his flat for a taxi before giving up.

Unable to see cabs approaching his residence, he had to rely on his mobile phone for a call to inform him. And it was difficult to tell if the cab company had finally refused to take him because of the traffic jam or because of his condition.

Refusals from taxis are not uncommon when it involves customers with disabilities.

The visually-impaired chap was so looking forward to do something he never done before in his life since being a blind child. We had planned to get him to bathe one of the abandoned puppies in the SPCA.

Another participant in a wheelchair shrieked in delight when a tiny puppy was placed on her lap. “My heart almost stopped when that happened,” the woman with brittle bones told me later.

“I was suddenly entrusted with the huge responsibility of ensuring that the tiny creature did not fall off my lap,” she added.

I could understand her excitement over her task perfectly.

It is not often when responsibilities are given to people with disabilities. This is sad because people still see us as “incapable” or “helpless”.

Looking after the puppy even if it was only for a brief period; helped my friend to feel useful and needed with the rest of the crowd.

The participant who benefited the most from the session I thought was a young man with cerebral palsy. The 26-year old resides with his single mother at the other end of Selangor.

With no transport, he rarely has a chance to go out and meet other people in wheelchairs like himself.

Our session was an excellent opportunity for him to do just that.

Despite his limited social opportunities, it was remarkable to see how friendly and easygoing he was in exploring the SPCA – from the office to the puppies and kitten areas.

In fact, one of the SPCA volunteers was so taken up by him that she offered to anonymously sponsor a brand new computer for the young man. This includes a teacher to arm him with basic computer knowledge.

His only pal, a mongrel also got lucky that day.

After learning that the mutt had come down with skin problems, the SPCA graciously decided to treat his four-footed friend for free in his home.

This includes sending a veterinarian over to inspect the dog. And also bring it to the SPCA if needed.

The young man is, not surprisingly, jobless.

On our part Petpositive will take up his case with the Welfare department so that he can qualify for the RM300 disability monthly allowance.

What is so unfortunate is that the allowance is given only to those who have jobs – whose income does not exceed RM1200 a month.

From what I understand (it is regretful that these things are never made clear) is that allowances for unemployed handicapped persons are decided on a case by case basis.

This is terribly unfair. How can persons who have no transport find jobs? What about bedridden persons?

They are that way not because they are lazy or deliberately want to be that way. But simply because the disabled in Malaysia unfortunately still live in a society that is very disabling and apathetic to their special needs.

The visit to the SPCA was also eye-opening for the non disabled.

Remarked SPCA Chairman Christine Chin after the event:

“We have held countless events at the SPCA but never anything quite like this!

“We not only thoroughly enjoyed the visit but felt particularly touched and healed that morning.

“The pleasure and smiles expressed on everyone’s faces coupled with the tail wags of our shelter’s residents said a thousand million words!”

The End

DISABLED & ELDERY TO VOLUNTEER AT SPCA SELANGOR

PETPOSITIVE NEWS:

It is confirmed! And plans are underway at this moment to make it happen.

Early next week, five disabled and elderly members will be taking a trip to the Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in Selangor to volunteer their time and learn more about what this well-known non governmental organisation is doing to help animals in our society.

The event, organised by PETPOSITIVE will include the blind and the physically handicapped.

Besides manning the telephones for a while, Our Society's members will also help bathe, groom and feed the puppies at the SPCA. There will also be an opportunity to play with some of the resident kittens of the animal shelter.

The purpose of the trip is to educate the disabled and elderly about animal welfare and rights and also to promote animal-assisted therapy for them.

This will be the first time that PETPOSITIVE is having a project in the SPCA. It is also the first time that the SPCA is doing something like this with disabled and elderly people.

The last time the venue had several disabled people was when SPCA had invited Bivai Special Dogs to their shelter to help a disabled man have a pet.

A dog (not from the SPCA) was trained for almost a year under Bivai Special Dogs for the wheelchair user as a service dog.

The human candidate unfortunately however, passed away a year later - just when his service dog was about to graduate. The training was sponsored by the Lion's Club.

On another note, scroll below for a special feature - just for laughs - that was submitted to us recently by PETPOSITIVE volunteer Sally Addington.

aNt
PET+BLOGSPOT

HERE ARE FIVE SITUATIONS WHEN YOU KNOW YOU ARE REALLY IN DEEP TROUBLE:

Animal Heroes

PETPOSITIVE INVITED TO SPCA DINNER/Animal Care Petition Launched By SPCA
(Story by aNt. Pictures by Andrew Martin)


Dateline Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur:

The Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (PETPOSITIVE) attended a charity dinner earlier tonight.


It was hosted by the Selangor Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).


Petpositive's invitation came from the SPCA.




Having fun: (Left to right) Cynthia, Edwin
aNt & Suren.

Our Society was represented by three persons. The President, Anthony Thanasayan, the Assistant Treasurer, Andrew Martin and Petpositive's Legal Adviser N Surendran.
Surendran also participated in his capacity as President of ROAR, a protem Society formed to champion the rights of animals in Malaysia.

About 500 dinner guests and SPCA supporters watched a touching video on stray animals and heard several speeches as they tucked into their sumptuous pork-free Chinese dinner.


Electrifying and soulful: Radford (Right)
wooed animal-lovers.

The evening concluded with a highly entertaining rhythm and blues vocal performance by Donne Ray Radford. Guests howled in delight as he churned out their favourite tunes.

Some of his best numbers were "Grapevine," "Superstition" (by Stevie Wonder) and Ben E King's "Stand By Me."

Audiences were so enthralled by his performances that they couldn't resist going up to the front of the stage and dancing along.

SPCA Honorary Chairman Christine Chin in her speech at the beginning of the dinner thanked the many animal rescuers, volunteers and activists for speaking out for defenseless animals in our society.


Christine Chin: True Champions

Calling them "heroes and heroines", she also praised everyone for joining voices with the SPCA to "spread the message of spay and neuter campaigns, as well as the importance of responsible pet ownership."

The dinner also paid a special tribute to Mrs Mea Wheatley who four years ago handed the chairman's post over to Christine.

Wheatley first joined the SPCA with her husband in 1959 - a year after the Ampang Jaya society was formed by five expatriates.

The evening also saw the official launch of "Animals Matter To Me," a petition campaign initiated by the World Society For The Protection of Animals (WSPCA).

The global effort - billed as the biggest to date to call on governments to protect animals - has been a success with the support of hundreds of animal concern groups all over the world.

To know more about the noble cause, please click here.

End

COMING SOON IN PETPOSITIVE NEXT MONTH:

• Deepavali Do for about 50 disabled persons and their families at the Hanuman Temple in Brickfields, KL. Keep it right here on this blog for details on how you can participate if you are disabled or elderly.