Mistreatment of man’s best friend

Dogs are loyal and loving creatures but can the same be said of their two-legged companions?

HONEST, friendly, faithful, loyal, smart, straightforward with a strong sense of responsibility.

Does this describe the one person you trust? Your best friend perhaps? If it does, these are also traits of man’s best friend – the dog.

Ranked as the 11th animal in the lunar calendar, Chinese New Year and the Year of the Dog will be upon us in exactly one week’s time. According to the Chinese Zodiac, dogs are the truest friends and the most reliable partner one can have.

As a dog lover myself, I would not disagree with that assessment. The bond between humans and canines is unmistakable.

Since their domestication 15,000 to 30,000 years ago, dogs have helped us in so many ways and expect little in return. They have hunted with us, kept vermin and pests away, served the military and police and assisted the disabled.

But more than anything, they have remained the most loyal, faithful companions to humans, loving us unconditionally and expecting nothing in return but our love.

But 2018 isn’t turning out the way animal lovers would want it to. Canine mistreatment is rife.

Just last week, netizens expressed shock and disgust over a dog rape case. A contract worker allegedly had sexual intercourse with a pregnant dog in Bukit Mertajam, leading to its death. Dog lovers, upset by the savage and barbaric act, took to social media to express their anger.

On the same day, two men who dragged a dog chained to a motorcycle for more than 2km were sentenced to a mere week’s jail and fined RM7,800 each.

Both these cases highlight the brutal treatment that is dished out onto canines, and come hot on the heels of Furby, the lovable mongrel that was mercilessly attacked with a helmet in Puchong. The incident was captured on video, went viral on social media and was widely reported. Furby’s Singaporean attacker later paid a small RM8,000 fine for the brutal assault.

In the case of the dog that was dragged by a motorcycle, one of the perpetrators was actually the owner. One can only imagine what was going through his mind when he planned to dispose of his own pet animal.

But worryingly, this isn’t something out of the ordinary; you’d be surprised by the sheer number of pet dogs that are dumped by callous and heartless Malaysians.

Janice Shun, a dog lover, says the number of pedigree dogs she picks up off the streets is alarming.

“I believe these dogs are abandoned because they are old, no longer cute or have served their purpose as a pet,” she says. Shun is an active volunteer with Cherish Life, a home for dogs in Hulu Langat that rescues, rehabilitates and finds adoption for strays.

She believes the surge in online purchasing of dogs is due to the numerous “puppy mills” that have sprouted to meet the increasing demand for pure breeds.

Since puppy mills focus on generating profit, those dogs are often bred with little regard for genetic quality. Female dogs are bred at every opportunity with little to no recovery time between litters, and they are often killed or dumped somewhere when they can no longer reproduce.

Animals from puppy mills are housed in shockingly poor conditions with improper medical care, and are often very sick and behaviourally troubled as a result. And if you’re thinking of buying your pet over the Internet, be aware that illness and disease are common in dogs from puppy mills.

I can vouch for this because my last dog, a beagle, was bought online (I didn’t know better back then). Daisy succumbed to cancer when she was only four years old. I haven’t had a pet since, not because I’ve given up on dogs but simply because I live in an apartment and I think it would be unfair for an animal to be cooped up in an enclosed space without room to exercise.

“Adopt, don’t shop” is a phrase you’ve probably heard and it’s something that I personally support. If I do get another dog eventually, it will be from a shelter.

“And when you do get your pet from a shelter, please spay or neuter your dog,” Shun says, adding that spaying or neutering your pet will also help to control the population of stray dogs.

“I work with TNRM or Trap, Neuter, Release and Manage, a group that has helped me tackle the stray dog problem in Taman Bukit Serdang, where I live.

“It won’t solve the problem but at least it will stop these strays from multiplying,” she says.

Ultimately, the decision to keep a pet comes with responsibilities. Owning a dog means providing a good home or shelter for it, picking up and disposing of its faeces, maintaining its cleanliness, allowing it sufficient space and exercise, and training it.

I may sound harsh, but don’t even consider getting a dog in this auspicious year unless you are ready to make the dog a member of your family, and love, provide and take care of it for the rest of its life, in sickness and in health.

Dogs give you unconditional love, but they have also been shown to be psychologically, emotionally and physically beneficial to their companions. And when you adopt, you can also feel proud about helping an animal in need!