Time for local councils to revise dog-catching procedures: Young Syefura

KUALA LUMPUR – Local councils need to revamp their dog-catching procedures immediately to prevent unfortunate incidents like the recent death of a senior citizen while protecting his dog, Bentong MP Young Syefura Othman said.

She said this in a statement last night after visiting the family of 85-year-old Huang Yunhong, who died after falling into a drain following a tussle with a Bentong Municipal Council dog catcher.

“The Local Government Development Ministry and the local authorities need to immediately issue clear guidelines regarding procedures when handling stray dog capture operations.

“This is to prevent untoward incidents like misunderstandings that can lead to even worse incidents and fights between enforcement officers and residents or individuals who feed stray dogs,” she said.

Huang’s death was first reported by Sin Chew yesterday, when he was trying to prevent two council officers from catching his dog. 

The incident happened in Taman Saga, Bentong, where Huang apparently lived alone with the dog.

According to a neighbour, Huang got into a tug of war with one of the officers by grabbing onto the dog-catching pole.

The witness told Sin Chew that she asked the officer to release the pole but the latter did not.

In the struggle, Huang fell into a drain and, according to the neighbour, died a few minutes later.

Young Syefura said the police and Bentong Municipal Council would be issuing a statement on the incident. 

In March, a 65-year-old man in Petaling Jaya was allegedly assaulted and scolded by a Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) officer during a dog-catching operation.

Patrick Khoo Khian Wui suffered a swollen jaw after being hit by a catchpole while trying to prevent council officers from catching some dogs he regularly cared for and fed.

A neighbour who witnessed the incident had recorded a video and took to social media to admonish the officers for their rough behaviour. 

The self-employed Khoo was subsequently charged at the magistrate’s court for obstructing officers from carrying out their duties, to which he pleaded not guilty.

The Petaling Jaya City Council officer, Azizul Azzim Norehan, however, was not charged. – The Vibes, May 26, 2023