Some Of The Best Methods To Catch Stray Dogs

PETPOSITIVE NOTE: Thanks to PETPOSITIVE supporter RL from Subang Jaya who sent us the following message that is said to have been posted in a forum by the Taiwan SPCA.


It is about dog-catching. Please read it carefully and see if you agree with the views. Please feel free to share with PET+BLOGSPOT what you agree or disagree with the points that are suggested.


What you share with us could prove useful to the Canine Advisory Teams of Petaling Jaya, Klang and even Selayang when we meet to discuss the most effective methods of dog-catching.


Please share your views in Our COMMENTS section. Thank you!


"We use different methods, depending on the situation, but things will be much easier when we ship over humane traps from the States.

If you can get close enough, loop something over the dog's head (we have a dog-catching pole). This works fine if you can get close enough.

If the dog avoids the 'noose', the next thing to do is to chase the dog down; many dogs will stop running and cower on their backs, ready to defend themselves, and this is the ideal chance pin the dog down by its neck using the stick while grabbing for the scruff. You can try to calm the dog at this point, as many will now let you handle them as they feel you have domintaed them (they are in a submissive position). Lots of dogs who tried to bite me just accepted their fate once they'd gone to their backs.

Another method is to put food in a wire cage; have wire tied to the door and fed through the roof of the cage so that you can pull the door shut from behind. A wire cage is better than a crate, as it doesn't seem like a confined space to a dog.

If you can get your hands on some, you can buy a quick-working sedative from the States that you can put in the food; it will knock the dog out in about 20 minutes. Savedogs also use a tranquiliser gun or blowdart. Both of these methods should be used with caution, by someone with experience.

Other methods that animal welfare groups use in Asia are a net - literally a huge butterfly net, which you can throw over the dog. Once again, if the dog becomes really scared while not too far away, it might turn and cower ot bear its teeth, and this is an excellent time to use the net. Some groups prefere to use a sack, as it blocks the dog's vision, which helps to calm it. We've used a duvet in a similar fashion and it worked well.

In some situations, you will have the dog pinned down or draped in a net or blanket, and just by talking calmly and reassuringly to the dog while asserting your dominance with your stance and position over the animal, you can start to get ut used to your touch, by tickling the base of its tail, then slowly moving up. Do this carefuly and watch the eyes and the lips for signs that the dog will try to bite. A sharp 'Ah ah' will actually stop many attempts. If you can start to stroke the scruff of the neck, you are in an excellent position to get a muzzle on the dog, which must be done slowly but deliberately. You'd be surprised how many dogs will let you do this once you've dominated and calmed them.

You can also lay a net on the ground and put food in the middle, and rig up some way to pull up at least two adjacent corners as the dog steps in.

Finally, you can often just walk up to the dog and put a collar and leash on it - by far the best method, if the dog is willing. :wink: This is actually quite easy to do if you gain the dog's trust over time, and this method has proved very effective for us in the past. The best person to do this is the one who has been feeding it.

I'm sure there are more ways, but I can't think of any right now. In all cases the key is to wholeheartedly commit to the act of capture; any animal will take huge advantage of your hesitation or uncertainty.

Good luck, and keep us posted. (And do be extremely careful about being bitten; it does happen.)"

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DOG-CRUELTY - Did The Council Err Or Did We?

MPSJ "DOG-CRUELTY" UPDATE:

 




So was I or was I not happy with my meeting with the Majlis Perbandaran Subang Jaya (MPSJ) this morning?

Folks, I have to be honest and tell you that I WAS SATISFIED with their answers.

And why am I feeling guilty for confessing this to you? 

Why is it that the local councils always seem to be the bad guys in the eyes of animal rights NGOs?

Can they do no good for a change?

Okay, yes, many local councils have not had a good record when it comes to handling dogs in the past. 

Who can forget the Seremban council that literally went on a shooting spree a few years ago and blew the brains out of more than a dozen stray dogs that were looked after in an elderly couple's home.

And more recently, there were a few more nasty incidents. The SPCA alleges that there are still other cases of cruelty secretly going on with local councils to this day.

But I think that some of us tend to forget that there is a new government in Selangor now since almost two years. And with that have come some interesting changes in which special interests groups have become connected at last with local governments. 

The Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya (MBPJ) is one of them where the disabled, for example, have their own monthly committee meetings with the local council. 

And so do pet lovers in the form of the Canine Advisory Team. 

Once a month, councils throughout Selangor also take the opportunity to attend the meetings. This, so that they can share experiences and learn from each other how best to treat and tackle the - shall we say, "dog problem" in our midst.

MPSJ is one such member. And so, was with a certain amount of caution (and friendship) that I, as chairman of CAT, went to visit the town council this morning. 

The head of the dog catching company which MPSJ employs to round up strays was also present (at my request).   

I was told that it was MPSJ that decided to call for the press coverage of their dog catching exercise which was illustrated in The Star this week containing the "offending" picture. 


So what this means is that if the bad guys had anything to hide, this was certainly not a brainy decision on their part so as to have the exercise whilst having the voracious press breathing down your back.


I was also told that the puppy in the picture was caught by hand because the company doesn't use lasso ropes attached to poles to catch young dogs.

This is because they didn't want to get the animals injured or killed in the process.

Now, that's quite a noble intention, don't you think for a council to do which has a reputation to be a monster for canines.  


Most puppies are bodily carried into the van. Only certain exceptions are made to puppies that bite out of fear or in extreme situations - aggression. 

And so they are nabbed by their hind legs so as to prevent the dog catchers from getting bitten. 

I am told that many of them end up getting bitten in their profession. 

I also discovered later that some animal rescuers also use this method in special exceptions when dealing with aggressive puppies.

When it is executed, it is done as quickly as possible, frequnetly lasting only a few seconds so as NOT to stress the traumatised canines any further. 

When I suggested that they use a towel to cover the face of a puppy in future (as suggested to me by the SPCA) or use protective gloves, this was well received as a good suggestion to the dog catchers.

It was also pointed out that the dog catchers in the picture (the Indian lad/s) are all dog lovers at heart. Many of them would pat and play with the dogs that were caught and would also feel very sorry when any of the creatures had to be put down.)

To be honest, I also heard complaints about animal NGOs for a change. They are accused of not helping local councils enough to arm them with proper knowledge on how to treat dogs. 

"They seem to only criticize but never offer concrete suggestions on how to solve problems," said somebody. 

The meeting lasted for more than an hour. 

As CAT Chairperson of MBPJ, I seized the opportunity to invite the representative from the dog catching company to come to our meeting on Thursday where we could discuss the proper way to trap canines more effectively. 

So guys, that's it. You are most welcome to read whatever or whichever way you want of my account. 

However, as far as I am concerned for now, the incident was most unfortunate to say the best. 

I always prefer to engage local councils into effective dialogue than to merely throw brickbats at them when they have erred.

Such actions, frankly, don't help the canines.  

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.

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Dog catchers need to undergo training on humane animal care

PETPOSITIVE NEWS:

Yesterday's news in StarMetro caught the eye of many a dog-lover, including Petpositive's Acting Secretary Shenaaz Khan who always raises her heckles when it comes to abuse of animal rights.

Holding any animal by its hind legs is certainly NOT an acceptable way of handling them.

I called Dr Roslan at once and set a meeting with him to discuss the matter.

I've also asked if he could have MPSJ's dog catchers present so that I can find out more about their techniques in catching dogs. 

The meeting is scheduled for this morning at 9.15.

It's important not to jump to conclusions or make judgments by just one picture. 

However, it is imperative to get down to the truth of the matter.

There could be a possibility that the puppy or young dog in the picture tried to escape. The dog catcher might have grabbed it instantly to quickly put it back in the van. 

Or it could be another type of isolated case with a different scenario. 

If after putting together all the facts, it is revealed that the dog catchers make it a practice to grab canines indiscriminately - the hind legs or any other part of the dog, then it is totally unacceptable.

Which underscores the need for all dog catchers to go through special training on how to catch dogs.  

On record, however, Majlis Perbandaran Subang Jaya's (MPSJ) is one of the most cooperative local councils among other local governtments in Selangor who sit in Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya's (MBPJ) Canine Advisory Team committee.

Next month, a major dog and cat workshop will be held in MPSJ to come out with effective and humane ways of dealing with canine and feline issues.

The event to be launched by YB Dr Xavier Jayakumar and will be attended by local councils in Selangor and NGO's for animal concerns. 

PET+BLOGSPOT

   

Monday February 8, 2010

On the hunt for stray dogs

Story and photos by OH ING YEEN

A TOTAL of 15 dogs were caught in an operation by the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) at an abandoned building last Friday.
The building is situated next to the Kampung Sri Aman flats along SK6/1, Seri Kembangan, where a resident was reported to have been bitten by a stray dog on Feb 1.

Gotcha: A dogcatcher grabbing a stray by its hind legs.

The operation, a collaborative effort between MPSJ and a private company, involved 11 officers.

Health Department assistant director Dr Roslan Mohd Hussin said: “We carried out an operation on the day we received the complaint and caught seven dogs. Today’s operation is to catch the remaining strays. It’s difficult to catch them all as they will escape through the alleys,” he said.

Flat dweller Ng Kim Chee said the victim was bitten when she tried to protect her child.

Ng lauded MPSJ’s dog-catching operation.

Another flat dweller, who wanted to be only known as Chew, said the number of stray dogs had increased in the last two years.

Food for dogs: The overflowing rubbish bin is a magnet for stray dogs.

“When I take out the trash, I can see many dogs near the rubbish bins as they are not afraid of people. It’s very noisy at night, too, with the dogs barking.

“The female dogs would bite those who approach the brood as they think that you are trying to harm the puppies,” she said.

The dogs will also gnaw through the wires under the car. Another resident, who only wanted to be known as Cheah, said the dogs usually come out between 7pm and 8pm.

MPSJ councillor Pooi Weng Keong said there were nine complaints on stray dogs last year in the Kampung Sri Aman flats and 13 dogs were caught. In the first two months of this year, they received two complaints and seven dogs were caught.

Dr Roslan said: “The dogs will be put to sleep three days later. We will wait for a week for owners to claim the dogs if there are any.

“Those that are not claimed within the seven-day period will be put to sleep, too.

“We used to collaborate with NGOs that will take in the strays dogs caught but after a few times, they, too, do not have enough space to house the dogs,” he said.

Meanwhile, residents complained that outsiders would come into the flat area to dump their rubbish there.
Councillor Tai Cheng Heng urged residents to take photos of those who dump rubbish indiscriminately as the photos could be used as evidence in court.

“A reward of RM500 will be offered to those who provide the photos if the perpetrator is successfully charged in court,” he said.

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