09/08/2026
This is no further from the trith
It's tough. Killing the animal is a sin. I always believe in not being born is better than living in tge streets exposed to the elements.
God bless!
After neutering more than 8,700 dogs across Penang Island over the past eight years, there is one difficult truth. We cannot neuter our way to zero stray if new strays keep entering the streets.
On the ground, we have encountered feeders who want to keep feeding free roaming dogs but refuse to cooperate to neuter, even when we pay for everything. All we asked for was their help to lure dogs that only trust them, into our trap. We waited for hours with no dogs because feeder didn't turn up as agreed.
We have owners asking us to take unwanted puppies because they never neutered their pets. We have farmers and construction workers stopping us from catching dogs because they claimed the dogs were theirs and wanted them to breed. We have even been chased away by a warehouse caretaker with a parang for trying to catch a free roaming dog on a public road.
One owner with 2 unspayed female dogs produced 12 puppies and told rescuer he wanted to release them all because he wanted to "give them freedom like birds." Another, when told abandoning dogs is illegal, simply asked,"So what can you do to me?"
These are only a few sad examples.
We understand why people are angry about stray dogs. Nobody wants to be chased, bitten or live with uncontrolled dogs on the streets. But the solution cannot be endlessly catching dogs while irresponsible ownership, breeding and abandonment continue.
For years, we have advocated for affordable neutering subsidies, compulsory microchipping, stronger enforcement against abandonment and irresponsible ownership, and compulsory neutering for dogs kept to guard farms, factories, construction sites, warehouses and other premises, with appropriate exemptions.
After 8 years and over 8,700 dogs neutered, we have done our part. But NGOs cannot solve this alone. We need policymakers to address the root causes. Better laws. Stronger enforcement. Responsible ownership. Neutering. Microchipping.
We are not asking everyone to love dogs. We are asking for a system that protects people, prevents animal suffering and actually reduces the number of strays. Because if new dogs keep entering the streets, we will forever be running behind the problem.