KUALA LUMPUR: Setapak police and animal rights activists rescued three dogs from an apartment here after a neighbour recorded videos of him allegedly abusing the animals.
The dogs, two poodles and a Pomeranian, have been given to the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) while their 25-year-old owner has been arrested and could face animal abuse charges.
A spokesman from Malaysia Independent Animal Rescue (MIAR) said that a resident of the Jalan Setapak apartment building recorded a video of the man allegedly beating his brown poodle on the balcony of his home on Thursday night.
The dog was flung into the air after each blow with the 30-second video also showing him throwing the poodle and choking it to the floor.
“We lodged a police report the same night but we had a problem getting them to help us at first, because this was the first time they handled a dog case. It’s not their fault because people don’t usually report these kinds of cases to the police,” said the spokesman.
But police quickly jumped on the case, with Setapak station chief Asst Supt Wee Bee Seng leading eight men to the apartment block to search for the suspect and the dogs.
Police, DVS and MIAR members searched for about a day before finally discovering the suspect’s home at about 7.30pm on Friday.
“The suspect was shocked when he came and he admitted to beating the poodle when police showed him the video. He said he did it because the dog was eating its faeces.
“He muzzled the brown poodle. It and the white poodle didn’t look too healthy,” she said, adding that the dogs ate and drank a lot after being rescued.
After the arrest, she said neighbours claimed to have also seen the owner kicking the dogs and dropping them onto the ground from his height.
“They said sometimes, the dogs are so scared to eat when he gives them food, and they would just grab it and run back into their cage,” said the spokesman.
Wangsa Maju OCPD Supt Mohamad Roy Suhaimi Sarif confirmed the arrest of the man, who is now being investigated under Section 429 of the Penal Code for maiming animals.
MIAR urged more people who may have witnessed cases of domestic animal abuse to report to the authorities.
