Name and shame abusers in public

RECENTLY, my friend in Puchong shared her traumatic experience watching her neighbour who is a teacher killing her two pedigree dogs by slowly starving them and leaving them to die in their cages.

Relating the story to me, she said that about two years ago when her neighbours moved in as newlyweds, they bought two beautiful pedigree dogs which they kept indoors.

After the birth of their child, the neighbour and her husband got two cages measuring 61cm high, 61cm wide and 61cm deep. The poor dogs were put inside the cages and simply left there, sometimes with no water and food.

My friend repeatedly begged them to give the poor dogs food and water but to no avail. My friend even offered to find them loving homes and the couple ini- tially agreed. But when she finally found one, the wife declined to give the dogs away.

The poor abused dogs were left day and night in the cages, living with faeces and urine, had no exercise and were in poor health.

My helpless friend tried very hard to beg them to do something for the dogs but her pleas fell on deaf ears. For nearly two years, the poor dogs suffered. Eventually, one died from some kind of wound and the other died from malnutrition. They were just bundles of skin and bones by then.

My friend took photos and showed them to me. I nearly cried looking at them, and I was reminded of how my poor father died in a public hospital.

How could someone be so cruel? What caused these people to become so cruel? Is it the food they eat? Is it our education system? The environment? The shows they watch? What is it?

While it is good that the Animal Welfare Act is now in place, we, animal lovers, are still suffering because we live next to such cruel neighbours. If we report them to the authorities, we will bear the backlash. Can someone tell us how to report such cruel abusers while still maintaining our safety?

I feel that people who abuse any living being (including the elderly, maid, children, wife, animals, etc), when found guilty ought to be named and shamed in public or via social media.

In the meantime, my friend is struggling to recover from the trauma and fears the couple may just buy another dog, and the abuse would start all over again.