I refer to malaysiakini report Howls of protest over 'nab the dog' contest .

This is an outrage! When the Americans all over the US are condemning their football star Michael Vicks for supporting dog fights, the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) is actually giving cash prizes up to RM15,000 to the 'rakyat' for the capture of these creatures. That's OUR Selayang Municipal Council.

I can't be more embarrassed to call myself a Malaysian with a government that issues statements of animal cruelty this way. Oh wait, never mind, they have already brandished a 'keris' in my face and threatened my existence before. What the hell.

Now what is wrong with the picture here? I can totally understand the need to 'remove' such stray animals because of the nuisance they cause. Stray dogs roam the streets looking for scraps and sometime get aggressive and become harmful to the public. Though I feel sorry that they are without the care and love of a owner, I reluctantly agree that they have to be 'cleared' for our own safety. But a dog-catching competition? This is clearly the wrong way to do it.

The government from time to time hires trained 'bounty hunters' to shoot down crows and to capture these stray dogs for our safety. But not the Selayang Municipal Council - it not only promotes, but rewards the ordinary 'rakyat' for such action.

Fifteen thousand ringgit is a lot of money. It surprises me that they are willing to give out so much money to one person (or team) to kill innocent beings when our local schools and public facilities are lacking. Why give the money to individuals when it can better utilised for the society as a whole?

Stray dogs should be handled by those trained to catch them to be taken away to animal shelter homes or be humanely put down. The keyword here is 'humanely'. The public should not be encouraged to take part in this potential bloodbath.

For all you know, when the announcement of reward reaches the public, we will have mercenaries combing the streets of Selayang, looking for dogs, be they stray or owned just to satisfy the competition's quota (which is 150) and win the top prize.

This is an outrage to our society, the 'rakyat' and to animal lovers all around the world. Somebody fix this!