Barbaric, WE ARE!

Who, amongst us dared call ourselves a "CIVILIZED" nation? What achievement in life have you got, when you built ONE-OF-THE tallest building in the world, got modernized, got rich... but LOST your soul? Lost the basic essentials that made up the living being: LOVE.

Love for those who live under our rule/reign, who can't even speak for themselves? Dogs are well known "overseas" as man's best friend. And it clearly does not apply to our authorities. Who in their right mind will "get rid of" their best friend?

Stray dogs. Was it their fault to be borned? Is being alive a SIN in itself, which deserves the death penalty? Instead of focusing our blame at these poor creatures, it is time we open our eyes and look for the root of this "stray-dog" phenomenon. You don't eradicate grass/weeds by chopping off the leaves/brances, YOU LOOK FOR THE ROOTS.

What else can we do besides chasing, catching and shooting stray dogs, which at the same time also terrifies the public and haunts the children?

Education is where it all begins. Start educating the public to neuter/sterilize their pets. Start educating them to avoid their pets free-roaming and thus stop giving birth to innocent stray puppies n dogs! Start educating the public to STOP BUYING or adopting pets and later on abandoning them in the market/food stalls/etc. Is the authorities lending a hand to the NGOs (SPCA, Klinik Kembiri) in this? They ought to be.

Putting healthy dogs to sleep via "humane" euthanasia isn't good. It's fundamentally cruel. SHOOTING stray dogs in the public simply is outrageous, disgusting, sickening and horrid. Uncivilized.

And who said Taiping is a peaceful town? With people holding rifles aiming at innocent fleeing dogs? Ended up at shooting an old "civilian"?

It is time we start pondering on ourselves: Do we really know what is love? What is sympathy? What is caring? How do we express it? Are we doing it the right way?

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With reference to The Star online, 16/1/08: Contractor shot in attempt to get strays by RASLAN BAHAROM. http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/1/16/nation/20080116161906&sec=nation

TAIPING: An attempt by the Taiping Municipal Council to get rid of stray dogs went awry when a passing motorcyclist was shot in the leg Wednesday. ...

... "Shortly before that, I saw a dog running in front of my motorcycle. Then I felt a sharp pain and realised that I had been shot," said the father of two when interviewed at Taiping Hospital on Wednesday.

Wan said he stopped and showed his bleeding right leg to the shooters who were nearby...

.... Council secretary Shahrom Datuk Abd Malek said since the stray dog unit was formed 15 years ago, this was the first time a mishap had occurred.... .....two shooters using Ruger .22 rifles, were involved in the operation....