The 3 puppies are in good hands
Lucky is their middle name. I decided I had to leave them at the field in front of my house first while I go back to work and a SPCA van spotted me. The man asked me if I was the one who called them (to get rid of the puppies) and I told them no I just found these puppies in front of my house. He got down, took the puppies and put them in the cage. I asked him what will happen to them and he said they will be put to sleep.
I wasn’t happy with that answer and tried to ask him if he has some other alternative and he said no. Around the same time, a car drove past, screeched to a halt and reversed back towards the van. A lady walked up to us and asked if there’s any problem. I think she thought that I had problems with the SPCA and my own dog.
I told her the story and asked her if she could take care or find a home for those puppies as I’m late for work and I don’t want to leave them with SPCA. Thank god she was kind enough to take them and she said she’ll find a way to get them a good home. Alls well that ends well.
i just read SPCA’s newsletter and can’t believe the officer replied that the puppies would be put to sleep just like that! i thought they had adoption drives etc.. anyhow, glad the puppies are saved now
good thing that lady was there. these days SPCA is doing the opposite of what it’s supposed to do - prevent cruelty to animals…
But really … I do understand their point of view. They just can’t keep all the animals sent there. It’s just not feasible.
Good on you Toxicle, and good on that lady too.
Cheers!
Dear Mei-Yee and Kris Khaira,
I understand that it is painful to accept that not all animals will be as fortunate as the ones mentioned above.
The SPCA Penang operates under a certain policy which has been adopted from the RSPCA UK and it has been so since our establishment in 1948.
Euthanasia (putting to sleep) may seem like a heartless solution. However, it is the lesser of two evils. A bigger problem would arrise if dogs were to have been left astray and allowed to breed. Thus, increasing the stray population. As the stray population increases, so will the number of animals being brought in by the public. And if the shelter happens to be full, there will be no other solution than to put the animal down humanely.
Due to the lack of space at our current shelter, careful consideration is put into the animals we home. Their chances of being found homes are one of the main matters that we look into.
Some people are just not keen on having stray animals around their residential area. They should contact the local council and request for them to remove the animals appropriately. It is out of the jurisdiction of the SPCA Penang to personally remove stray animals.
As per Miss Kris Khaira’s comments on SPCA Penang performing the opposite of what it should be doing, perhaps the following information would help. Firstly, over the years there haven’t been many officially reported cruelty cases. Penangites who call to report a case are usually not willing to coorporate fully. Coorporating fully would mean being willing to testify in court etcetera. Hence, this leaves us to focus on the next important issue; to educate the public.
When one speaks of cruelty to animals, the general idea that comes across our minds would be someone beating or throwing stones at an animal. However, there is another form of cruelty that many of us are to ignorant to realise. A dog being tied on a leash all day or not being given a bowl of fresh water to drink is also cruelty.
In short, neglecting the necessary care and attention to an animal or pet is a form of cruelty.
The interpretation of cruelty is just too broad to be summarised all in one night. But I’d hope you’d comprehend the situation the SPCA Penang is in. Indeed, we do not fancy the notion of having animals constantly being put down. No one likes the responsibility of doing it. But we at the SPCA try our best to view the situation at all aspects. As long as the general public and the local council do not change their mindset on what animal welfare is all about, the situation shall remain the same for many years to come.
I hope my explanation would be able to paint a clearer picture.
Feel free to email me spcapenang@yahoo.co.uk (youth division) should anyone wish to discuss the matter further.
Thank you very much.
Yours in Animal Welfare,
JOHN SHEBAT DE SILVA
Youth Division Leader
SPCA Penang, Malaysia
To really know more about ‘Animal Cruelty’ please visit the following website,
http://www.peta.org
http://www.all-creatures.org
http://www.goveg.com
http://www.stopanimaltests.com
Ngo Thye Aun