Accusations against dog catching teams not true, says MCC

MIRI: Miri City Council ( MCC) has dismissed as baseless the allegation that its dog catching teams have been intruding into and shooting the canines in private compounds.

In a press statement yesterday, MCC condemned postings on Facebook which had gone viral the last two days on the false accusations, which it said was slanderous.

MCC said it had conducted an internal investigation and found the accusations were totally untrue.

The council said further its dog catching teams are well trained and they comply with the standard operating procedure (SOP) when carrying out their duties.

“There are clear instructions to our dog catching teams to only catch dogs roaming on the streets and in public places and not to intrude into any private compound.

“Moreover, we have not received any report or complaint on our dog catching teams for shooting dogs within people’s compound.”

In this regard, the council called for total cooperation from dog owners to immediately report to it if such shooting ever occurs.

At the meantime, MCC said it will intensify its efforts to address the rabies outbreak that has hit several places in the city.

In latest news released by State Disaster Management Committee, it confirmed that rabies-positive dogs had been detected at the airport area and Kuala Baram.

In the effort to bring rabies outbreak in Miri under control, MCC would need the full support, understanding and cooperation from the public.

It will always place human lives above all else while carrying out the responsibility to clear stray dogs form public places, the statement added.