My cats. Scarcely a moment passes in which they aren’t engaged in some wasteful frivolity or emitting a noise of the most unsettling description. Lucky buggers. They’re in a perpetual state of ataraxia. After all, they aren’t spending their days cabined, cribbed and confined. Unlike council- caught canines. I love alliteration. But I digress.

Council-caught canines. The cruelty continues . Over the last week or so, animal activists have been clawing at the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) dog pound demanding dismissals and enraging employees. The reason? Allegations of cruelty, starvation and mismanagement at the pound were brought to light in the form of gruesome pictures and a grisly narrative.

Filthy enclosures. Emaciated dogs. Diseased puppies. Inhumane killings. Rotting carcasses. No food. No medication. The ‘abyss’. The Majlis Perbandaran Selayang (MPS) appeared to have a foolproof recipe for disaster.

Now the MPS, might I remind you, was the very same council that marshaled the preposterous and absurd dog-catching competition some three years ago. A group of animal rights organisations, including yours truly, then marched to their doorstep and demanded that the competition be stopped. We were obdurate. We were valiant. We were triumphant.

But for all intents and purposes, we went, we barked, we were thrown a bone, we wagged our tails and we left. I am proud of my actions that day but not without regret. The MPS stray issue has hitherto been at the at the most far back of my desiccated mind. And that is my regret.

As I recall, certain groups then had seemingly made some inroads with the MPS and it was assumed that all was well in the House of Selayang. That assumption, however, was a mistake of unimaginable proportions. A mistake that has today resulted in these fresh allegations.

As an animal lover and keeper of cats, I am aggrieved, angry and appalled. All animals, be they domestic, livestock or wildlife, have fundamental rights. They have a right to be protected, to be cared for, to be respected. The latest pictures speak volumes. They indeed depict the very sorry sight and plight of these poor animals.

Any justification or explanation, however feasible, cannot negate the fact that these creations of God were treated in very ungodly of manners. Simple logic dictates that such practices must be contemptuously crushed. But how?

I am no Columbo but I thought an investigative approach of the situation might be useful. I contacted the accuser and together we went to visit the accused. We were, however, denied entry into the pound by the burly yet friendly caretaker. The next day though, the Canine Advisory Team (CAT) and I were welcomed with open arms. Reason being? We asked nicely. There’s no point deafening them with screams when their ears aren’t even open.

So I was finally at the scene of the alleged crime. And this is what I saw. The pound was unrealistically clean. Food was in abundance. The water was crystal clear. The staff were polite. The dogs appeared to be relatively okay and even responded well to Mr Burly Man. Was what I saw orchestrated for our benefit? Possibly.

However, owing to my legal background, I am inclined to contend that the actus reus need be proven. And those pictures, as damning and bona fide as they are, can’t do that. At least not in the eyes of our blind justice system. Even in instances when an act of council cruelty was caught on video, the powers-that-be, despite smelling a rat, chose to turn a deaf ear.

But MPS appears to be listening. The pound visit was followed by a fruitful meeting with MPS officials. Admissions were made. Issues have been addressed. Changes have been promised. A committee has been set up. Has all this been done begrudgingly or sincerely? I do not know. In the coming weeks, I shall though.

I personally believe bad things happened there. Did they happen on purpose? I don’t know. Did they happen regularly? Maybe. Did they happen? I believe they did. I also believe there isn’t a right way or a wrong way of dealing with errant councils. Just a way that works and a way that doesn’t.

So instead of dancing around like a hyperactive Pomeranian, I much rather engage the council in effecting positive change. I might be accused of sleeping with the enemy. But I’m a fierce advocate of safe sex and I have a rhino’s rump. So to my ever expanding gaggle of critics, you cling to your own ways and leave me to mine. I shall wait. I shall see. I shall make paper balls and throw them at my cats.

The writer is the president, Malaysian Animal Welfare Society, secretary, Petpositive, and member Canine Advisory Teams within Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya (MBPJ) and Majlis Perbandaran Klang (MPK).