Let us stop being hypocrites and admit that Malaysians are generally a nonchalant lot when it comes to the welfare of animals, especially dogs. The indifferent attitude towards animals coupled with a pathetic penalty under the law has gone to create a prejudiced environment for the domestic creatures.

Take the recent case of Sheena, a German Shepherd which starved-to-death after her engineer owner conveniently abandoned her when he moved house.

The Shah Alam magistrate's court merely fined the culprit, Lien Chong San RM100, a move which angered genuine animal lovers in the country.

Six months after she was abandoned, Sheena was put to sleep by the Veterinary Services Department enforcement officers the same day they went to her rescue.

Post-mortem report showed that the canine suffered from infection caused by ticks, brittle bones due to malnutrition from young and malfunction of all major organs leading to water retention which in turn resulted in a bloated abdomen, empty bladder and stomach.

In short, Sheena was 'tortured' to death by her irresponsible owner. And in spite of Lien's admission of neglect towards the dog, the magistrate failed to emphatise with the excruciating painful death suffered by Sheena and ended up fining Lien a paltry RM100.

At present the Animal Ordinance 1953 imposes a penalty of RM200 and or six months imprisonment for cruelty to animals. In Sheena's case, calls were made for the owner, Lien, to be handed a jail sentence to commensurate the crime committed.

Signature campaign

Lien may have gotten off the hook but the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) has embarked on a second phase of collecting signatures for its petition to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to raise the penalty for cruelty to animals.

The first phase of the petition collected 20,000 signatures, but this figure was deemed insufficient, hence the second phase which aims to collect 100,000 signatures.

Looking at the dismal response to the petition, one can deduce that Malaysians largely have little regard for animals, especially dogs. Unlike abroad where pets are regarded no less as life partners, back here dogs in particular are given the pariah treatment.

Reflecting on the poor show of concern for pet animals, the government should use Sheena's case as a catalyst to put in place stringent laws that do not discriminate against the animals. Animal abuse should not be tolerated at any cost and abusers should be punished according to the severity of the abuse inflicted.

The abuser aside, also not to be spared, is the department which delayed actions to save the dog. In Sheena's case it was reported that the Selangor Veterinary Services Department was slow in responding to calls made by neighbours that the seven-year-old guard dog was being ill-treated and starved.

Sheena's uncalled for death has prompted SPCA to embark on a two-year campaign which calls for stiffer penalties against pet owners who mistreat their animals. The society is seeking a maximum fine of RM10,000 and a two-year imprisonment for perpetrators under the Animal Ordinance 1953.

According to SPCA, Lien is the sixth person since 2004 to be hauled to court for neglecting their pet animals.

The truth is that when the abuse concerns animals, only a handful of Malaysians show remorse. The rest display a moment' s sorrow and get back to the business of life, without thinking about how to prevent such an incident from happening.

Slapping abusers with fines is not going to teach them anything. In cases like Sheena's, the punishment should be such that it brings to mind the adage 'once bitten twice shy'. The Animal Ordinance should impose a fine in the form of community service at animal pounds so that perpetrators like Lien would be made to realise the gravity of their mistreatment towards their pets.

A jail term too will not teach such perpetrators any regret, unless it incorporates cleaning and looking after unwanted pets at animal pounds.

Also, the likes of Lien should be barred from owning anymore pets and be made to contribute annually towards a fund set up under the 'Protect Abandoned Pets' project. No efforts are sufficient in teaching irresponsible pet owners a lesson in getting their act together.

Government's concern

Having made the above suggestions, the question that comes to mind is this - does the government have any concern for pets to want to amend the Ordinance and put in place harsher penalties?

Looking at the silence emitted by the wakil rakyats or people's representatives in discussing Sheena's case and the need for the Ordinance to be amended, it has to be said that the government has not made animal welfare a priority.

One can only hope that the government does not allow Sheena's death to go 'unnoticed'. When it is said that Malaysians are a caring lot, we should remember that the caring is not exclusive to humans. It should also extend to animals.

Perhaps Mahatma Gandhi best put it when he remarked "the greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated".

Now, is Malaysia a great nation? Looking at the justice absent in Sheena's case, I believe we all know what the answer is. Malaysia Boleh ? Let us not get hypocritical!

JJ RAY started her career with a mainstream publication. A non-conformist, she soon saw the barriers that went up whenever, through her writing, she tried to make the world a home for one and all.