Six gems

Family wants dogs put down

Patricia Sullivan-Vaucher, sister of Maurice Sullivan, the Irish tourist who was mauled to death at a Penang farm in January, wrote in an open letter that the family wants a closure to this sad event, and it should start with the death of the guilty dogs.

Patricia says "We are not seeking revenge, but just want justice." Justice? Justice for what? Has she ever thought about why the two dogs did what they did? May be not. She was overwrought to have clear mind right now. And I understand that; they had just lost their loved one.

When Patricia can think clearly there is no reason for her to not see the dogs don't need to kill to survive; their owner feed them foods. And they were not seeking revenge on Maurice. They didn't select the Irishman for their biting fun, if that 's what we think the dogs like to do.

And they don't have a taste for white man's blood particularly. They could also bite a Chinese, Indian, Indonesian or even an Arab -- if they happened to be there that day instead of Maurice Sullivan.

If Maurice didn't come to Malaysia and didn't go to take pictures at the Teoh farm, he would be alive today; someone else could have died instead. Whether it was a woman, a man, a child, or another animal; an Irish, Australian, British, American or Libyan, it didn't matter to the dogs that day - they just wanted to bite or maul, that's all. They were primed like a grenade to explode -- to bite by their owner's treatment. Did Mr. Joseph Teoh came to own these pitbul-like dogs by accident? No! They acquired the dogs to be used as guard dogs, never loved as friends or companions. That explained why the canines were always kept in cages. He was aware that dogs treated this way would learn to hate and bite humans.

They wanted to bite their owners who tortured them but dared not so they would bite anybody or anything that came near them. As for typical Malaysian owners, it was part of the plan when acquiring a dog to use it as a guard dog of sort. They were there for one reason -- and one reason only -- to protect their owner and his properties. So the fiercer the dog the better. They were deprived of comfort and freedom by being forced into a cage, or chained to a post sometimes in hot sun and without water to drink (for a reason, making them ferocious perhaps).

According to Teoh's statement to the press when Maurice was killed, the dogs were allowed out of the cage only during meal time which takes only few minutes after which they would be put into the cage again.

Let me see..the dogs take about 30 minutes to finish their food, drink water and are allowed another 30 minutes to go somewhere and defecate (I am assuming Mr. Teoh is so kind to allow his dogs this extra time to defecate elsewhere rather than in their own cages which will add to the animals' discomfort), before being put back into their cages again.

I support Mrs. Sullivan-Vaucher in her writing to the dogs' owner to put the dogs down. I understand how she feels..but if the court rules the dogs have to die probably due to her open appeal, will it prevent another person to be killed at Teoh's farm, like she said this was the family 's wish, if he goes out to get more dogs? Killing the two dogs won't solve the problem, the root problem which is: most Malaysian dog owners are cruel or ignorant.

If Patricia Sullivan-Vaucher is serious about preventing another tragedy she should petition the court to deny Mr. Teoh a right to keep dogs again unless he follows a strict rule imposed by the court -- that he never again cages or chains his animals. If he should break this rule, he should be banned from owning any dog of any size for ever.

For your information, I have dealt with dogs for three decades. Dog's fierceness can gradually be reduced (rehabilitated) by the following steps:

1. The dogs should be let out of the cage regularly over 7 to 10 days and closely monitored by its owner until they become less and less aggressive.
2. Within one week into the rehabilitation, the owner should never scold, show his temper or hit the dogs; make them happy.
3. Even fierce dogs become harmless if treated well (meaning no caging or chaining). Some become friendly within a few days, some take a bit longer.
4. Teoh should learn to treat his dogs as friends not guard dogs. He should remember however fierce his dogs are they cannot protect him from really bad people. They can simply poison the dogs. But his fierce dogs are a danger for good people.
5. When the dogs are friendly enough to mingle with humans again, destroy all the cages. Don't give to another dog owner. It only transfers the cruelty to another dog.
6. If you get a new dog remember this rule: no cages; no chaining. If you need to build a pondok for your dog is a different thing, in fact is encouraged but it must not be enclosed with wire netting and no door.

I want to end this article with a story about an Indian girl named GG who tricked me into agreeing to give temporary shelter to her six dogs. All of them were large dogs. I was convinced to help her because she said she needed to place the dogs somewhere for about two weeks while her husband applied for clearance from the authorities to bring the dogs to Singapore.

She said the house where the dogs were housed in Vale of Tempe, Tanjong Bungah needed to be vacated within one week and the keys handed over to the owner.

All she needed was a place, a place keep the dogs for a few days (two weeks the most) she said before the paper works were ready. All I needed to do was give fresh water; she would take care of dog biscuits. She also promised to visit her dogs every two days, if not every day.To be fair, she did buy a large barrel of Frisky dog biscuits costing few hundred dollars. But that's it.

It was a one time things. I never saw her again, or her dog biscuits.

I knew I made myself visible and vulnerable by being famous for helping or feeding hundreds, if not thousands, of dogs and cats, or Ngiaw Ong (King of Cats) or Kau Ong (King of dogs) as the Chinese called me then.

But I was not angry with GG; even if I was, it was not for long, for I considered it was my duty as God's will to help those lovely dogs.

The more I got to know them the more glad I was to have taken them in. I even brought them to my shop in town (as my house in Hillside was a bit overcrowded) and they were well-liked by anyone who saw them.

I knew I had been tricked when I one day met the Indian lady again in town. Our eyes met but she pretended to not recognize me, turned to a side and quickly disappeared.

GG may consider herself lucky for having found a fool to be tricked into looking after her six dogs which by right was her own responsibility.

For me, I would be a fool if I were adamant I didn't want the dogs. They were real gems; they repaid me many times over by showering me with all their love.

I was glad they came into my life. I was glad I could help.

I also forgave GG.