Rocky, a pet dog in Port Klang, died after he was allegedly struck, restrained and dragged during a dog-catching operation on July 29.
The fact that Rocky did not have a licence does not give anyone the right to cause unnecessary pain or suffering to the animal, said Persatuan Haiwan Terbiar Malaysia (SAFM) president Kalaivanan Ravichandran.
He made the statement during the “Justice for Rocky” press conference held today (Aug 6), alongside Rocky’s owner Rohini, her family and legal representatives.
Licensing violation should be investigated separately
Kalaivanan acknowledged that pet owners were responsible for licensing their animals and keeping them under proper control.
If an owner failed to meet these requirements, the violation could be investigated and dealt with through the appropriate legal process, he said.
However, he stressed that the licensing issue was separate from questions surrounding the way Rocky was allegedly handled during the operation.
The absence of a licence does not give anyone the right to cause unnecessary pain and suffering to an animal,” he said.
According to Kalaivanan, the authorities had previously stated that the dog-catching operation was conducted in accordance with their standard operating procedures.
SAFM referred to a 2015 circular issued by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government regarding the capture and disposal of stray dogs in areas under local councils.
The circular states that dogs should be captured humanely and should not be pulled, jerked, dragged or lifted using a control loop, Kalaivanan said.
SAFM questions how Rocky was handled
Kalaivanan called on the Klang Royal City Council, MBDK, to explain how the relevant procedures were followed in Rocky’s case.
Among the questions raised were whether the operation was officially ordered by the council, who led it and whether those who handled Rocky were council officers, contractors or members of the public.
He also questioned whether any civilians involved had been officially appointed, trained or supervised.
SAFM further asked what type of restraint was used around Rocky’s neck and why it was not released earlier.
The group also wanted to know whether Rocky had been pulled or dragged and whether any emergency veterinary assistance was attempted.
Kalaivanan called on the council to disclose the operational instructions, list of personnel involved, equipment records and incident report for greater transparency.
Owner says Rocky was already unresponsive
During the press conference, Rohini said she was not at home when the incident began as she had gone to pick up her child.
She said she returned to find a crowd outside her house and Rocky being restrained by two people.
According to Rohini, Rocky did not respond when she attempted to hug and lift him.
She claimed she repeatedly told those handling Rocky that he had an owner and offered to personally hand him over to the authorities.
However, she alleged that they refused to release the restraint and continued pulling it.
Rohini also admitted that Rocky did not have a licence, but said she was willing to cooperate and accept responsibility for the licensing offence.
She alleged that she and her child were prevented from cutting the restraint and that she was struck and pulled away when she attempted to free Rocky.
Council officers allegedly arrived several minutes later, by which time Rocky was no longer responding.
Cause of death still under investigation
SAFM said it was not making any conclusion regarding Rocky’s medical cause of death.
Rocky’s remains were handed over to the Selangor Department of Veterinary Services, DVS, for an official veterinary examination.
Kalaivanan said the actual cause of death should be determined through the DVS investigation, witness statements, physical evidence and the proper legal process.
He added that SAFM had been assisting Rohini since receiving her complaint through its official WhatsApp channel on July 30.
The group also helped arrange legal assistance when she was called to provide a statement at the South Klang District Police Headquarters.
Kalaivanan said SAFM would continue monitoring the investigations conducted by the police and DVS.
We are not saying dogs should not be captured. We are saying they must be captured humanely,” he said.
He added that the case should lead local authorities and state governments to review their dog-catching procedures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
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