By Wani Muthiah

INDEPENDENT stray dog rescuer Amy Foo had the shock of her life recently as she was taking a leisurely morning stroll near her home in Bandar Kinrara, Puchong.

Foo, 32, alleges that she saw a group of five men, several of them in Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) uniform, beating a dog and forcing it out through the railings of a locked gate.

"I heard a dog yelping in pain as I was taking my walk, and went to investigate what was going on.

"What I saw made my blood turn cold as several of the men had climbed over the gate into the premises of the locked empty house and were hitting a dog which had taken shelter there," she said.

Since the gate was locked, the men proceeded to drag the medium-sized dog out through the narrow railings of the gate, she alleged.

"The railings began to graze and cut the dog in the mouth and ear region and there was a lot of blood, and the frightened dog was screaming in pain," alleged Foo tearfully.

Foo said she approached the men who scolded her for interfering and threatened to compound her for obstructing them.

"They also began to use more force on the poor dog after I had approached them," alleged Foo, who added that she believed that the dog was not a stray as it was wearing a collar chain.

Distraught and not knowing what to do, Foo contacted several other independent dog rescuers, who immediately called Selangor executive councillor in charge of local councils Ronnie Liu, who advised them to lodge a police report.

Foo lodged a report at the Puchong police station and rushed to the MPSJ dog pound located not very far from the area.

"What I saw there only depressed me further as the dog was locked up in the pound, bleeding and in pain," alleged Foo.

When contacted, MPSJ president Datuk Adnan Md Ikshan said he would look into the matter as well as speak to the relevant officers.

Meanwhile, Foo and several other independent rescuers are working towards getting the injured dog out of the MPSJ dog pound in Puchong to send it for treatment.

Said one of the rescuers, Leigh Chen, who had rushed with Foo to look for the dog at the pound after it had been brought there: "This dog has undergone a traumatic and merciless ordeal at the hands of the council dog catchers.

"Given this, it is only fair that this unfortunate dog be given a chance to live the rest of its canine life in a loving home after it has been treated for its gruesome injuries."

Chen added that she hoped municipal council dog catchers and their appointed agents would not resort to cruelty when capturing strays.

"We, the animal rescuers, plead with those who deal with strays to do their job with a sense of compassion coupled with the realisation that animals, too, know fear and pain, just like us human beings," added Chen.

Those interested in sponsoring the injured dog's treatment or adopting it can write to malaysiandogsdeservebetter@gmail.com.