Guest guest Posted December 15, 2005 Report Share Posted December 15, 2005 Wednesday December 14, 2005 - The Star Come up with a pet owner's guide WE refer to the letter " Neighbourhood gone to the dogs " by Victim of Dog Nuisance (The Star, Dec 5). The writer appears to have been driven up the wall by his next-door neighbour. The latter refuses to take responsibility over his pet dog's unacceptable behaviour, which has put the writer in misery. To make matters worse, Victim seems to have also resigned himself into thinking that City Hall and the police have much " more important things to do " than to come to his aid. In addition to his disgruntled state, he decides to take a swipe at animal-related organisations and NGOs for his problem. Exactly how these pet-related groups are supposed to be directly responsible for Victim's suffering – or his neighbour's irresponsible actions – is a mystery. However, Marpo sincerely sympathises with Victim. We wish to also point out that merely getting incensed over an issue and trying to blame others for the lackadaisical attitude of some people, no matter how unbearable a situation may be, is not a solution for anyone. What is really needed here is joint effort and action by all concerned to help curtail irresponsible pet ownership. Marpo was formed for exactly this purpose: to help educate pet owners that having a pet is a tremendous task that requires one to bring their animals up in such a way that they don't pose a problem to other people. Here is where Marpo believes that local councils must play an instrumental role in coming up with a pet owner's guide. The input derived for this effort must not come from one or two sources alone but from a variety of channels. Information should be obtained from the Veterinary Association of Malaysia, Universiti Putra Malaysia's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and government bodies that have daily dealings with domesticated animals like the Department of Veterinary Services. Specialised animal-based groups such as the SPCA, PAWS, Bivai Special Dogs and others would also prove invaluable contributors to such an exercise. Of course, what is also necessary with any awareness programmes is prompt enforcement. DR JON S. SATYAMOORTHY DVM, Pro-tem president, Malaysian Association for Responsible Pet Ownership (Marpo), Selangor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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