Stray dogs should be handled with compassion

IT is extremely sad that another victim has succumbed to rabies in Sarawak, raising the death toll to six since July last year.

Our government’s move to make it mandatory for dog owners to get their pets vaccinated annually and its efforts to raise public awareness to fully support the vaccination programme to curb the rabies outbreak are truly commendable.

However, it is also heart-wrenching especially for dog lovers to learn from the report “Dr Subra: Assume all dogs in Sarawak exposed to rabies” ( The Star, Feb 12) that local authorities in Sarawak will continue to remove stray dogs from the streets in rabies-infected areas.

In addition, eatery operators risk having their business licence suspended or even revoked if they are found to be feeding and harbouring stray animals in their business premises.

Owners will also face the same penalty if their customers are the ones feeding the strays, as stated under Section 145 of the Local Authority Ordinance 1996.

Stray dogs are widely seen as a menace and animal lovers who feed them are sometimes subjected to incredibly hateful words.

All over the world, hundreds of thousands of dogs are being poisoned, clubbed to death, euthanised or killed in other ways to solve the stray problem. However, all these barbaric methods will only lead to a short-term reduction in the population of strays.

It is undeniable that the presence of stray dogs leads to many problems. However, until people can fully understand the reason why stray dogs exist, the problem will remain. Stray dogs are almost always former pets who were abandoned by their owners.

Efforts should be intensified to limit the unrestricted movement of pet dogs through strict legislative measures of responsible dog ownership.

Enhancing awareness of responsible dog ownership and breeding and enforcing strict registration of both the animals and their owners should be carried out. Government and NGOs should also co-operate closely to carry out effective “Trap-Neuter-Release” campaigns.

For the innocent stray dogs, volunteer feeders are sometimes their last chance to get a meal. The feeders play an important role in easing the suffering of these abandoned animals but they must also avoid leaving a mess behind after feeding the strays.

For those innocent stray dogs who were killed during the culling operations, may they rest in peace.

JY LOU Kuching