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Victim’s hubby wants RM88,000 paid to SPCA as ‘compensation’
By S. ARULLDAS north@thestar.com.my
NIBONG TEBAL: The husband of the dog bite victim has demanded that RM88,000 be donated to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).Dr Lim Ching Syong, 51, through mediators had told the German Shep-herd owner to pay the amount, which signifies fortune and good luck to the Chinese, to the SPCA or face legal action.
“I do not want to accept the dog owner’s offer to settle my 43-year-old wife’s hospital bill, but I want the money to be paid to the SPCA so that abandoned and stray animals could be taken care of.
“I will not compromise with the dog owner as he had been told many times to chain up his pets,” he told reporters at a press conference after his wife Lee Boon Chen lodged a report at the Simpang Ampat police station yesterday.
Also present was Seberang Prai Municipal Council (MPSP) councillor Francis Ong Koon Liak.
The 16-month-old black German Shepherd had allegedly attacked the housewife when she took her pet Shih Tzu to a playground near her house in Taman Bukit Tambun here.
Lee, who was admitted to a private hospital in Bukit Mertajam following the incident on Friday, was discharged on Monday with a bill of RM6,500. She received 12 stitches to close the wounds on her chest.
She said she was still traumatised by the attack, adding that this would take her a long time to recover.
“The owner was accompanying two German Shepherds when one of them attacked me.
“Fortunately, two women with sticks came to my rescue and managed to chase the dog away. I do not blame the dog at all, it is the owner who should be held responsible,” she said in between tears.
Ong, who advised pet owners to obtain licences for their dogs from the MPSP, said pet dogs should always be chained up and not allowed to run free to prevent such incident from recurring.
The German Shepherd has since been taken into custody by the state Veterinary Department for observation. Its behaviour would be noted and the dog also checked for symptoms of rabies such as foaming at the mouth.
The dog will be returned to the owner after 10 days if there’s no sign of the disease.
Council: Keep your pet stray dogs off the streets
By CHRISTOPHER TAN christan@thestar.com.my
GEORGE TOWN: People who take in stray dogs as pets should confine them or face the possibility of the animals being shot or put to sleep.A spokesperson from the Urban Services, Public Health and Licensing Department said that under the council’s dog licensing by-laws, the council could take action by shooting stray dogs or putting them to sleep if they were found roaming the streets and if there were complaints from residents.
“It is not a problem if people want to take in stray dogs as pets, but these dogs should be confined to the house compound and not cause a nuisance in the neighbourhood,” the spokesperson said.
She was commenting on a complaint to The Star by a college student who was unhappy with several council workers who had removed a six-year-old stray dog and her puppy from his home in Jalan Sungai Emas, Batu Ferringhi, on April 11.
K. Keshure, 19, said both dogs were outside his house when the workers took them away.
He claimed that he had gone to the council to lodge a complaint but was told the dog and the puppy, believed to be three months old, were causing a nuisance in the neighbourhood.
“How can the council take action based on this because I cannot believe that a three-month-old puppy could harm anyone?” he asked.
The council spokesperson said the council workers had gone to the house following complaints that the dogs were chasing motorists in the neighbourhood.
Upon checking, the spokesperson confirmed that both dogs were put to sleep on the same day.
“We are also sure that the puppy was more than three months old as the workers had tried to fit it into a cage made for puppies that age but it was much bigger.
“We would have definitely not put the puppy to sleep if it was three months old or less but sent it to the SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals),” the spokesperson said.
SPCA administrator Lily Leng when contacted said dogs which are three months old and above should have a licence.
“The authorities have the right to act if there are any complaints of stray dogs roaming the streets,” she said.
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