Dear Friends,
If you are like me, and believe that life is the most precious treasure not just to man, but to his best friend, then please listen to Turbo's story.
On the 18 th of September 2008, my licensed dog (Turbo) was kidnapped from inside the gated compound of my house in Sepang by two men with a parang-like object. My neighbour, an eyewitness to the following travesty, recounted to me how this was done the following day. One of the men lured Turbo to the fence, while the other climbed over the fence, grabbed him, and subsequently passed Turbo to his accomplice. The men then beat Turbo with the butt of the weapon to silence him, successfully knocking him unconscious, or dead.
Before we realised that Turbo was dognapped, we thought that he was simply missing, so we searched my housing area till 1am the same day, but to no avail. The following morning, I called the local council and was notified that my dog had been caught by private dog catchers contracted by the Council. I contacted the private dog catcher directly, whereupon I was told that Turbo had died in a dog fight. When the dog catcher gave me Turbo's dead body back, I inspected it for scratches or bites, but there was none. Our suspicions that something wasn't quite right, was corroborated when my neighbour later told me what he had witnessed. After a little investigation into the private contractor, we found that this company Vet-Fine (M) Sdn Bhd has all dog catching contracts with all local councils.
You don't have to have a pet, or even to love animals to hear my words. If you are simply a decent human being, with an appreciation for life and all that it encompasses, then please, please help me. I am appealing to anybody with a conscience and an inkling of civic duty and morality: we have to stop these contract killings. For each dog, these dog catchers received payment from the local councils. It's questionable whether these private contractors are properly certified or trained on procedures with regards to dealing with stray animals, and as such, making a quick buck is put above treating these animals humanely. I am calling on all councils to review your contracts with these dog catchers – please, don't reward savage behaviour. These ‘rewards' just encourage them to flout the laws and steal licensed dogs from their rightful owners, just to turn a quick profit. This is wrong, unjust and criminal. Please work with non-profit NGOs such as the SPCA, so that we can ensure that animals are afforded their basic rights.
I appeal to all of you out there to stand up, and lodge your complaint to protest this behaviour. Spread the word that nobody has the right to end another's life, not on a whim, and not for monetary incentives. This contract killing has to STOP.
If you value life, speak up today, and give a voice to those who don't have one.
Sincerely,
Alvin Vong
SPCA Selangor has since written to the Majlis Perbandaran Selayang, requesting for an official explanation regarding the incident, and have highlighted this case to the Veterinary Services Dept for their prompt action.