You Tube Animal Abuse Video Clip Incites Public Fury

Is this the dog in the video?

A video of a man repeatedly hitting, shaking throwing a small poodle has sparked fury among animal lovers across the nation.

A FACEBOOK GROUP has been setup and AWAM hopes that the culprits responsible for this terrible abuse of a defenceless animal are caught by the authorities soon.

If you have any useful and relevant information regarding this case, please contact the SPCA, DVS and even international animal welfare movements such as PETA to assist in the invetigation of this matter.

Email SPCA at enquiries@spca.org.my
Submit a ticket to DVS
Email PETA at info@peta.org

However, AWAM would also like to urge the public not the jump to conclusions regarding the identities of the perpetrators and to remain calm until the authorities have taken action against them.

While there seems to be substantial evidence pointing toward certain individuals as being the culprits behind this unacceptable abuse towards the poodle, AWAM would like to urge everyone to take a deep breath and take a step back.

There are several reasons for this:

The first is already evident, in that there seems to be a mob effect with many of you dog lovers out there wanting justice for the poor dog, and many of you have therefore resorted to threatening these people openly. This in itself is an offence.

The second is that if the so called perpetrators have been wrongly identified, this would effectively mean that their lives and security will be greatly compromised as there may be people who would want to avenge the abuse inflicted on the dog.

Additionally, AWAM also hopes that we all become more vigilant towards cases of cruelty towards animals and highlight these issues to the public, the press, the authorities and the relevant animal welfare departments etc, to help put an end to animal abuse in this country.

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Extracted from The Malay Mail

YouTube clip of man hitting, shaking animal incites fury

by Danny Tan Wee Mun & Faizal Nor Izham

Tuesday, January 25th, 2011 13:47:00

Publish Post

BARBARIC: In a sequence of screenshots from the clip, a man is seen forcing the dog to stand on its hind legs. He then slaps the animal and it falls

KUALA LUMPUR: Outrage has broken out among Malaysian animal-lovers over a YouTube video allegedly showing a man abusing a puppy after it failed to follow his instructions.

The 15-minute-long-clip (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJS3_mwsdo0), which featured the man yelling at the canine in an attempt to make it stand on its hind quarters, has since gone viral after it was posted on social networking site Facebook on Friday.

A Malaysian who posted the clip on Facebook had claimed it was on a pen drive she found at Suria KLCC. She said she then uploaded the video onto her profile page.

The video showed a man grabbing the puppy roughly, hitting it repeatedly on its body and shaking it vigorously. The dog, which appeared to be a poodle, was tossed to the ground and was flung across the room after it was smacked.

The man, speaking Cantonese, is repeatedly heard telling the puppy to "stand still and don't move". In one instance, he is also heard telling the puppy to "diam, diam" (quiet) when it struggled to free itself from his grip.

Yelps could also be heard from the animal as the man hit it repeatedly.

The clip drew horrified comments from Facebook users, who, at Press time, posted more than 1,000 comments.

One user described it as a "shameful act", while another lambasted the man for hitting a defenceless animal.

"This is horrible; watching someone do something like this to a dog," wrote another user.

The clip, posted on YouTube yesterday, also drew similar responses. "Does anyone know him personally? Share his Facebook profile so the world can see who he is," wrote one viewer.

Another, in venting his anger, reckoned the man "may have been a bully victim when he was young, which explains his behaviour".

The clip drew the attention of Singapore's Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. In its Facebook posting, the SPCA said it wasn't yet clear where the abuse occurred but a Malaysian connection was possible as the pen drive was found in the city.

"We alerted our contacts in Malaysia and they are trying to identify the abuser," read the statement.

A spokesman for SPCA Malaysia said they were aware of the incident. "We are investigating it and will issue a statement sometime today."

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Relevant links:

2011-01-25 Eastweek.Com

2011-01-25 The Malaysian Insider - Dog Abuse Video triggers online search for culprits

2011-01-24 Asia One News - Man treats dog as punching bag

ARE ROTTWEILERS REALLY THAT AGGRESSIVE?

An report in The Star yesterday (22 Jan 2011) regarding a Rottweiler striking terror in the neighbourhood has prompted AWAM to repost the following article.

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Misconceptions of the Rottweiler

With Custard, a Rottweiler

Up until 2 years ago, I always assumed that breeds such as the Rottweiler and Bull Terriers etc were vicious, aggressive and highly unpredictable dogs. My misconception was based on the fact that I had never met a well behaved, sweet natured rottweiler or bull terrier.

However, a few months after I joined the Mayhew Animal Home in 2008, I was given the task to care for Custard, a young and fairly large Rottweiler. When Custard stands up on her hind legs, she's taller than me, so it was only natural that I was petrified!!!

But to my surprise what greeted me behind the kennel door, was a bouncy and playful Custard! She loved nothing more than getting her tummy tickled and would lick you to death if you let her. It was the first time I have ever encountered a Rottweiler that was not ready to eat me... I soon learnt that Rotties really are sweet and lovable dogs...

And this was confirmed, soon after Custard was rehomed, by another Rottweiler which I had the privilege to care for while I was at The Mayhew - Buster.

During my time at The Mayhew, I learnt that dogs such as the Rottweiler and Staffordshire Bull Terriers have earned the bad reputation of being killer dogs due to the "training" or lack of it from their owners.

These breeds are naturally protective of their territory and families, therefore it is vital that they are socialised at an early age, given enough training (positive reinforcement), and leadership by their owners to prevent untoward incidents.

With Kyra (Bull Mastiff) and Buster (Rottweiler)

According to the Dog Bite Claims UK website, the top ten most aggressive breed:

1. Dachshunds
2. Chihuahua
3. Jack Russell
4. Australian Cattle Dog
5. Cocker Spaniel
6. Beagle
7. Border Collie
8. Pit Bull Terrier
9. Great Dane
10. English Springer Spaniel

The Dachshund, otherwise known as the Sausage dog, was originally bred to hunt badgers. They came out as the most aggressive breed with 1 in 5 reported to have bitten or tried to bite a stranger and 1 in 12 snapping at their owners.

The top ten least aggressive dogs:

1. Labrador Retriever
2. Rhodesian Ridgeback
3. Poodle
4. Greyhound
5. Whippet
6. Brittany Spaniel
7. Siberian Husky
8. Golden Retriever
9. Havanese
10. Portuguese water dog

These dogs also rated low for “watchdog” behaviour and “territorial defence” behaviour so they tend to make lovable family pets.

Some dogs that have a bad image and are considered aggressive are the Boxer, Bulldogs, Pit Bull Terriers, Great Danes, Mastiffs, German Shepherds and Rottweilers. According to this study this is how they ranked:

• Great Dane: 9. This breed is actually very patient, gentle and affectionate. Although its size can be an issue with small children, it gets on well with children.
• Rottweilers: 15. This dog is very loyal and can be fiercely protective which may cause it to be aggressive. However, it is a hard working, powerful, devoted dog that gets on well with children if they are brought up with them.
• Boxer: 16. These dogs are actually good with children. They make good watchdogs. As they have a protective nature; they may be aggressive if they feel their owner is being threatened.
• German Shepherds (Alsatians): 17. An alert, loyal, courageous and intelligent breed. These dogs are good with children and they are very protective making them effective watchdogs.
• Mastiffs: 21. These dogs are very dignified, loyal creatures with a pleasant nature, resembling gentle giants. Their size means they can be a problem with small children, but they get on well with children.

Other dogs that are known to be aggressive include:

• Chow Chow: this is a “one person dog”. It forms a very strong bond with one person (usually the owner) and is ferocious around strangers who it considers a threat to its owner. It is a good guard dog, but it can bite without warning and they are tenacious fighters.
• Papillon: These dogs are fiercely loyal of their owners and can be very possessive, they don’t like strangers either.
• Old English Sheepdogs: Again these dogs are very protective of their owners. They are strong-willed and independent and they will nip either other animals or children.
• Lhasa Apso: These dogs can be cranky and unpredictable; they are strong-willed and independent. They were originally bred as guard dogs.
• Giant Schnauzers: They are very dominant and will challenge adults and strangers.
• Pekingese: These dogs do not like strangers and can be very aggressive towards them
• Miniature Pinschers: These are little dogs but they can be very aggressive to compensate for this.

However, every dog is different and won’t always fit its breed stereotype: just because its breed is generally considered to be gentle or sweet natured doesn’t guarantee that your dog will be the same.

Any dog can be aggressive and bite so you must make sure that you put aside the time to train it and socialize it properly so that it is more comfortable in unfamiliar circumstances and with strangers.

Before you get a dog it is worthwhile researching breeds to make sure that you choose one that is suitable for your lifestyle, i.e. it is good with children if you have any in the family, or not getting a fragile dog if you are a large family.

However good a dog is said to be with children and however well behaved it you should never leave children unsupervised with a dog; often they can provoke it without meaning to and little children can be defenceless against a dog.

So please next time you see a Rottie in the street, don't automatically assume it's a "devil dog".

If, god forbid, there are any more stories on a Rottie attacking somone, have a think as to WHY it happened. It could be because these dogs have irresponsible owners who have not socialised, trained or shown correct leadership and affection to their dogs.

If handled correctly from the minute you bring them home Rottweilers make FANTASTIC pets, but in the wrong hands they may only do what they feel they must in order to protect themselves...

Addtional Reading: When the truth is mauled by misconceptions...

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Extract from The Star, 22 Jan 2011

A TYPICAL evening walk with their miniature dog on New Year’s Day turned into a nightmare for a couple when their pet was mauled by a Rottweiler.

Damansara Jaya resident Heng Aik Chong said he and his wife were at a T-junction when the owner of the house pulled up in their car and opened their automatic gate

“Before we knew it, two dogs rushed out of the house and a Rottweiler bit our dog Buddy, an eight-year-old Schnauzer,” said Heng, 45.

He said the Rottweiler would not let go of their dog, lifting it off the ground.

Heng and his wife were shouting and crying for help but the dog owners did not even come down from their car.

“It was a few minutes later a woman came out from the car and tried to pull the Rottweiler away but it held on to our dog.

“My wife was hysterical and we didn’t know what to do so we started hitting it with a stick but Rottweiler still would not let go,” he said.

He added that eventually, a youth in his early 20s came out of the house and pulled the dog away.

“We took the dog to the vet but it eventually died. My wife was distraught and she still cannot bring herself to walk around that area,” he said.

After the incident, Heng found out that Buddy was not the first dog that was killed by the Rottweiler.

Datin Ewe Swee Cheng, 57, who lives a few doors away from the family which owns the dog, said a similar incident happened in June last year.

“I have a golden retriever and I occasionally take care of my sister’s poodle. Our maid would take the dogs out for walks in the evening and on that day, my maid ran back to my house screaming for help.

“She said my sister’s poodle had been attacked by the Rottweiler and was still biting onto it. I ran over there and just like Heng’s case, a young man came out to pull the dog back into the house,” said Ewe.

She sent the 13-year-old poodle to the vet but it died the day after from the trauma.

Heng said the owners had not approached them since the incident and not even a word of apology was offered.

“Owners of dogs with this kind of vicious nature should be responsible for their pets and not let them run out from the house unleashed. So far, it has only attacked smaller dogs but there are also many children and old folks going for walks in the neighbourhood so we are concerned,” he said.

Heng said he had complained to the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) but had not heard from them so far.

MBPJ councillor Tiew Way Keng said they were aware of the issue and officers had been sent to check on the dogs.

“If the owners do not have a licence, we can take the dog away. If it is licensed, we can take action against the owners and issue a compound of up to RM2,000,” she said.

AWAM is very disturbed with the new in the Star today regarding MBPJ's requirement for dog owners to obtain building permission for outdoor kennels.

Outdoor kennels are mostly lightweight structures that are purchased directly from pet stores and are structures that can be moved easily, and therefore pose no nuisance to neighbours. So why should there be a need to obtain building permission for these kennels?

An approved dog shelter???

Other than that, the picture of the "approved"dog shelter as published in The Star is a far cry from what animal lovers would constitute as appropriate shelter for their dogs. The picture shows a steel structure - with a roof - that is exposed on all sides. This structure will provide little or no protection from the elements if placed in the wrong area within the compound of the house. As we know we get terrible storms quite regularly in Malaysia, and with this kind of shelter, the animal will get completely drenched. Other than that, this shelter does not provide adequate shelter from the strong rays of the sun.

A proper shelter should be enclosed (with adequate ventilation ) and prefereably made of high quality timber to protect the animal from the rain and the sun.

Additionally, the stipulation that no changes can be made to the kennel once the structure has been built is absurd. What if the structure that has been built is flawed and perhaps still exposes the animal to the rain or sun? Can the owners not modify this to ensure that their pets are well protected?

MBPJ believes that the standardisation of these kennels will ensure that the pets do not become a nuisance to their neighbours. This therefore implies that MBPJ believes that dogs should be caged most of the time.

MBPJ's views are seriously flawed as dogs are less of a nuisance to the public if left free inside the house or within the house's compound. Animal experts all agree that dogs that are caged or chained for long periods of time are more likely to be aggressive as they become more territorial. Caged or chained dogs also tend to be nuisance barkers as they become bored and frustrated with being confined to a small area. They will therefore will bark at anything and everything to gain the attention of their owners - even if it just means getting a shout from their owners to be quiet.

Dogs should only be caged or chained when absolutely necessary, e.g. if there are work-men in the house compound, or during a storm to keep the animal safe.

MBPJ should instead focus on relevant aspects of animal care to ensure that dogs are not considered a nuisance to the general public. MBPJ should ensure that dog owners care for their dogs proper, and emphasise responsible dog ownership. Dog owners should be encouraged to take their dogs out to be exercised and properly socialised. Dogs that are well trained and treated as part of the family (i.e. kept indoors) are less likely to be a nuisance to the public.

AWAM hopes that MBPJ will NOT impose this absurd ruling on dog owners and concentrate instead on more important issues such as curbing the stray population of dogs and cats by providing free or subsidised spaying/neutering services to the public.

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Dog owners with unapproved structures may be fined nine times the processing fee

Source: The Star
Date: 20 January 2011

DOG owners with outdoor kennels built without approved building plan as required by the Petaling Jaya City Council’s (MBPJ) Building Control Department (BCD) risk being slapped with a fine nine times the processing fee.

Dog owners may have to pay close to RM13,000 if work has begun on the kennel.

MBPJ public relations officer Zainun Zakaria said it was important that dog owners followed the standard approved building plan and adhered to the required setback at the front and common boundaries shared with neighbouring houses.

“Our aim is not to cause difficulties to dog lovers but to standardise the pattern of kennels and ensure that the pet does not become a nuisance to the neighbours. We advise all dog owners who have built kennels to come forward and submit the plans,” she said.

Under its fast approval initiative for minor renovations within the standard plan that promises approval in two hours, the fee charged is RM200 for one set of standard plan, processing fee of RM50 for one set of application forms, RM324 for the permit for building material, RM10 for BCD approval sticker, RM500 payment for the Alam Flora bin to contain the construction waste as well as a deposit of RM350.

The deposit is refunded once all the building waste is removed from the site.

Zainun said that to-date, MBPJ had issued 10,026 dog licences but no one had come forward to submit plans for kennels.

“If a neighbour complains of a kennel built too close to their wall and the complaint is justified, MBPJ’s enforcement department can issue a compound for failure to conform to the building plans,” she said.

While the ruling has been in place since 2006, MBPJ has never enforced it but plans to start this year.

Zainun further said that if a neighbour complained that a dog kennel was causing a nuisance, the council was empowered to remove the unapproved structure under the Local Government Act 1976 (Act 171) Section 81.

Proper shelter: Simple dog kennels like this are approved by the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) after the building plans are approved with a fee.

According to MBPJ’s ruling, the kennel must not be taller than 1.8m and should be sited on a cement floor area that should not exceed 4.6sq m. The kennel walls should be made of timber, steel grille or hollow blocks.

In addition, the roof must be within the house fence and once built, no changes are allowed.

An owner of three Huskies, who did not wish to be named, said MBPJ should have someone to advise dog owners in deciding the location of the kennel. He said the kennel should face away from the road to ensure that the dog does not bark incessantly but was ready to pounce if an intruder came in.

PAWS Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) chairman Edward Lim said MBPJ’s move to impose building plans for dog kennels was unnecessary.

“MBPJ must rescind its ruling on dog kennels as the stand alone light-weight structure within the compound does not affect the neighbour’s house. It is completely unnecessary.

“If the city council goes ahead with the ruling, it will discourage people from providing proper shelter to man’s best friend,” he said.

PAWS volunteer Molly Brown felt the council’s move was unjustified and that the multiple fees were not needed for individual dog owners.

“MBPJ can impose the kennel ruling on breeders who breed dogs for commercial purpose due to the number of dogs involved. But it should not use the same ruling for dog owners as long as the kennel structure does not obstruct the view of the neighbours or cause nuisance,” she said.

She added that the council must instead take steps to encourage dog owners to neuter their pets to prevent the problem of stray animals.

Dog lover P. Thiagarajan said MBPJ should spend their energy and efforts on getting dog trainers to provide free training on Sundays at parks in a bid to encourage owners to be caring towards their pets, instead of imposing rulings for kennels.

“We need such training and even guidance on what to feed the dogs according to the breed. If the council does this than we will have less people who abandon their dogs in Petaling Jaya,” he said.

ADOPTION DRIVES IN JANUARY 2011

MANY say dogs are men’s best friend due to their loyalty and the love they show to their owners.

With this in mind, canine welfare project Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better (MDDB) is starting the year by having three adoption drives in January.

The first leg starts at Kota Alam Shah assemblyman M. Mano­haran’s service center in Klang followed by another adoption drive at MDDB’s regular spot in Summit Subang Jaya.

The consecutive drive would be held at Jaya One in Petaling Jaya, said adoption coordinator Christine Lai.

Healed: Queen had multiple complications when she was a pup but she is ready to be adopted now.

She said there were too many dogs in need of homes.

Among the dogs featured in MDDB’s January adoption drives are Carli, Lulu. Beauty and Queen.

“All four dogs have been vaccinated, dewormed and neutered,’’ said Lai.

Carli was rescued with her sister Carla in Kapar, whilst Pretty was found near the Klang Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital.

“Lulu had followed a MDDB member home and Queen had been with us for the last year and a half,’’ said Lai.

She said Queen had been born to a mother that was only six to seven months old and had various complications while she was a pup.

“She was really sick and had skin problems but she has healed and is ready for a human family,’’ she added.

Lai said those wanting to make donations to MDDB and its feline welfare counterpart Malaysian Cats Care Project (MCCP) can also drop off items at the venue.

“We need dry and canned dog, and puppy food, dry and canned cat and kitten food, old newspapers, dog and cat shampoo, old towels, rice, cages, detergent and bleach,’’ she said.

For details, call 019-357 6477, 012-373 9007 or visit www.malaysiandogsdeservebetter.blogspot.com or e-mail malaysiandogsdeservebetter1@gmail.com

Details of the adoption drives

Date: Jan 8
Venue: M.Manoharan’s service center, 7A, Persiaran Raja Muda Musa, Klang
Time: 11.30am-5.30pm

Date: Jan 9
Venue: Summit Subang Jaya main entrance
Time: 11.30am-7.30pm

Date: Jan 16
Venue: Jaya1, Petaling Jaya One, Block NB1 (facing Station 1 and Old Town White Coffee)
Time: 11.30am-7.30pm