'I begged them to let him go': Rocky's owner recounts dog's final moments

 

The owner of Rocky, a pet dog that died during a capture operation in Klang, Selangor, has recounted how she repeatedly pleaded with those restraining the animal to release it before it stopped moving.

Roghini Devi said she had just returned home after picking up her child from supplementary classes when she found the road leading to her house congested with people.

Her eldest child was the first to spot Rocky being restrained by two individuals.

“I went up to him. I wanted to take him and hug him. But my dog didn’t react to me at all. He didn’t even look at me.

“I told the people holding and pulling him to let go, but they refused,” she said at a joint press conference with Stray Animal Feeders Malaysia (SAFM) in Petaling Jaya yesterday.

Holding up a photograph of Rocky, Roghini described him as part of her family who often accompanied them wherever they went.

Earlier that day, she and her husband heard that a child had been chased by a dog near a 99 Speedmart outlet. However, she said a burger stall operator later told her husband that Rocky was not involved.

Roghini said she subsequently saw two men on a motorcycle carrying equipment believed to be used to catch dogs, while her husband noticed several people searching the neighbourhood for dogs.

She initially assumed Rocky had been caught by the local council and could be retrieved later.

But when she returned home that night, she found him restrained with a rope.

Roghini claimed those holding Rocky refused to release him because she did not have a dog licence. She admitted she had not obtained one and said she was prepared to surrender Rocky to the local council herself.

“I told them it was fine if they wanted to take him. I would hand him over myself.

“I wasn’t stopping them. If you want him, that’s fine. I admit I was at fault for not getting a licence.

“I begged them many times to let him go, but instead they kept pulling the rope,” she said.

According to the Klang Royal City Council’s (KRCC) website, dog owners are required to obtain a licence under the Dogs and Dog Breeding Houses Licensing By-Laws 2007.

‘Rocky was already dead’

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Roghini said she sat on the road with Rocky on her lap and asked her child to fetch scissors to cut the rope around his neck.

Her child instead brought a kitchen knife, but they could not cut the rope because it contained a steel cable.

She alleged several individuals prevented them from freeing Rocky, while one person pulled and struck her with a stick.

Roghini said two KRCC enforcement officers arrived about five to 10 minutes later. By then, she claimed, Rocky had stopped moving.

“When they removed (the noose), there was nothing left. Rocky was already dead.

“I asked them, ‘Can the dog come back to life now?’”

Roghini claimed one officer accused her of contributing to Rocky’s death because she had also pulled at the dog while trying to rescue him.

However, she maintained that no KRCC officers were present when Rocky was first restrained.

She said officers later used a cutting tool to remove the noose because of the steel cable inside it.

Roghini also recalled trying to give Rocky water as he weakened.

“When I poured water into his mouth, none of it went in. It just flowed straight back out,” she said.

Neighbours allege beating

Roghini said neighbours later told her Rocky had tried to hide under a car at a nearby house before four individuals allegedly dragged him out.

Although she did not witness the alleged assault, she said neighbours told her Rocky was beaten with sticks, metal rods, and PVC pipes before a rope was tightened around his neck.

“They told me they beat my dog until he defecated. After beating him, they tightened the rope around his neck.

“As soon as they pulled it, his tongue came out, and he collapsed,” she said.

Roghini said she contacted police after those involved began leaving the scene, then took Rocky’s body to the Pandamaran police station to lodge a report.

She claimed officers were initially reluctant to accept the report because they were unsure how to classify the case, but eventually did so after she showed them a video of the incident.

She also claimed her statement was not recorded in full.

Roghini later buried Rocky and contacted SAFM for assistance.

She said she is now awaiting a Veterinary Services Department (DVS) report to determine Rocky’s exact cause of death.

“Many people have called me, asking me to go here and there, to submit memorandums. I don’t want to because there are too many rumours circulating on social media.

“I’m waiting for just one thing - the DVS report. That’s where the truth and justice must come out,” she said. - Mkini