THE Klang Royal City Council (MBDK) has maintained that no standard operating procedure (SOP) was breached during a stray dog capture operation in Taman Teluk Gedung Indah, Klang, which resulted in the death of a dog last week.
MBDK mayor Datuk Abd Hamid Hussain said the incident occurred after a person claiming to be the dog's owner attempted to intervene and disrupted the capture process.
He said the method used by council enforcement officers complied with SOPs set by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (KPKT), including the use of loops and nets during the operation.
"Based on the explanation from the officers and personnel involved, we followed the prescribed SOP. The capture was carried out using loops or nets, and that was the method we used.
"During that night's operation, we successfully captured 12 dogs with the cooperation of residents. The incident occurred when we attempted to capture the 13th dog.
"Due to the struggle by residents who claimed ownership of the dog, the animal became entangled and was strangled, resulting in its death," he told reporters at the Selangor State Legislative Assembly (DUN) building lobby on Monday.
Abd Hamid said anyone claiming ownership of a captured animal should have made a formal claim after the capture was completed according to the established procedures.
However, he said the individual later claimed that the dog did not belong to him.
"Initially, he said the dog was his, but later he said it was not. So we do not know. We will leave it to the police to conduct their investigation, and further action will be taken once the investigation is completed.
"So far, two MBDK officers involved have been called to provide statements at the police station," he said.
Abd Hamid acknowledged that members of the public may have differing views on methods used to capture stray dogs, but stressed that authorities must consider the safety of enforcement personnel and residents.
"If we were catching dogs like catching butterflies, it would be different. But dogs can be aggressive animals, and we cannot handle them too gently as they could endanger us or escape," he said.
He added that advance notices regarding the stray dog operation had been issued through the neighbourhood watch programme (KRT), with the operation involving 11 MBDK officers and around 50 residents.
The operation was conducted after the council received numerous complaints about stray dogs roaming the area and posing safety concerns for residents.
"We receive around 50 complaints about stray dogs every month. The problem is quite critical in the area, and action was taken based on the complaints received," he said.
Abd Hamid said the council faced challenges in managing the stray dog issue due to limited manpower and difficulties in securing private companies willing to conduct capture operations.
"We tried to find private companies to carry out the capture work, but none were willing to do so. Therefore, this effort is being carried out by our own council staff.
"We have fewer than 20 staff members, while complaints are numerous and Klang covers a very large area. Dogs are often found in industrial and residential areas and usually come out at night, making immediate capture difficult," he said.
Previously, media reports stated that the MBDK stray dog capture operation turned chaotic after an individual allegedly acted aggressively by threatening enforcement personnel with a knife and obstructing them from carrying out their duties.
Klang Selatan district police chief Assistant Commissioner Lim Jit Huey confirmed that the case was being investigated under Section 428 of the Penal Code for mischief by killing or maiming an animal. - August 3, 2026
