I refer to malaysiakini report Protest held over MPS' dog-hunt .

Mohandas Gandhi said 'the greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.' Malaysia is a wonderful country in many ways but going by the Mahatma's statement and the way dogs are treated here, we come across as a super cold-hearted nation without a conscience.

The latest onslaught on the loyal canine is this Selayang Municipal Council's (MPS) dog-catching competition between residents' associations within the municipality's jurisdiction.

The resident's association with the most number of dogs captured stands to win a bounty of RM15,000 followed by RM13,000 and RM11,000 respectively for the associations coming in second and third.

As a tax-paying Malaysian, I vehemently protest against my hard-earned money going towards a cruel and God forbidding act such as this. Imagine dogs being terrorised and traumatised by groups of people who have never had the experience of knowing how sensitive these noble animals are.

Imagine also the number of pets, which may be dog-napped by unscrupulous dog-haters who fail to understand the sanctity of the bond between dogs and their owners. Personally, I am sick and tired of municipal, district and city councils resorting to barbaric measures to counter the problem of stray dogs in their areas.

There is a better way of doing it such as working together with the various animal welfare organisations to humanely euthanise stray dogs. Give these shelters the money set aside as bounty and talk as well as brainstorm with them on how best to counter this problem.

Most importantly, don't tarnish the country's image and reputation with bloodthirsty antics such as this ridiculous competition organised by the MPS. I urge MPS president Zainal Abidin Azim to call off this madcap competition immediately and contact animal welfare groups to discuss better solutions.