Klang council says woman turned aggressive during dog operation

 The city council says a woman had acted aggressively and threatened to harm herself, triggering a commotion.

Screenshots of a video of the incident, showing a woman repeatedly pleading for the noose around the dog’s neck to be removed and for her pet to be returned to her.

PETALING JAYA:

The Klang city council has defended the actions of its officers following the death of a pet dog called Rocky which an animal rights group alleged to have been tortured during an enforcement operation in Port Klang on Wednesday night.

The council said a woman had acted aggressively in attempting to cut a noose used to trap the dog and had threatened to harm herself if the dog was not released.

Her actions triggered a commotion, which made it difficult for council officers to loosen the rope or let go of their equipment “for the sake of the animal’s safety”. The council said the officers let go of their equipment before police arrived to avoid escalating the situation and prevent further injuries, Harian Metro reported.

“The animal was confirmed to have died during the incident,” the council was quoted as saying.

It said that the incident was part of an enforcement operation in Taman Teluk Gedung Indah to catch stray dogs from 8.30pm to midnight on Wednesday, carried out following complaints from residents in the area.

Eleven council staff members, a health department officer and about 50 residents were involved in the operation, during which 12 stray dogs were caught. The council said the equipment used had met government standards and that the enforcement process “prioritised animal welfare”.

The council said it had lodged a police report over the obstruction of its officers and an alleged threat involving a sharp weapon.

Earlier today, animal welfare group Persatuan Haiwan Terbiar Malaysia called on the authorities to investigate the alleged torture and killing of a pet dog named Rocky, which was allegedly beaten by a group of men before being captured.

The group’s president Kalaivanan Ravichandran said the men tied a rope around Rocky’s neck and dragged the animal, resulting in its death, despite the owner’s pleas for its release.

A video of the incident shows a woman identified as Rocky’s owner repeatedly pleading for the noose around the dog’s neck to be removed and for her pet to be returned.

Kalaivanan said that whether the incident was related to animal licensing was irrelevant, as the lack of a licence “does not give anyone the right to beat, strangle, drag or cause the death of an animal”. - FMT