Some 50 protesters gathered outside Taman Melody in Puchong today to urge the arrest of alleged dog abuser Terry Yee.

However, the protest ended abruptly when police swooped in at about 3.20pm with at least four patrol cars.

With sirens blaring, they ordered the protesters to disperse and remove their cars that were parked illegally by the road. The protesters complied.

The protesters had been gathering since about 2pm to hold up placards and banners, many of which feature Yee's personal details such as his address and place of business, together with the words "Justice for Furby; Stop animal abuse".

They chanted "Arrest Terry Yee. Justice for Furby." at passing motorists. Some motorists honked and waved or gave the thumbs-up as they passed by, while protesters cheered in response.

No permit

The police had been gradually gathering in numbers at the sidelines until they finally swooped in. One police personnel was overheard telling a protester that there was no permit for the gathering.

The protesters were protesting against an incident where Yee was caught on CCTV camera beating a dog at the Taman Melody guardhouse, near the site of the protest.

The video dated April 2 had been making the rounds on social media and had enraged many animal lovers.

The footage showed the dog, the three-year old Furby, running up to Yee as the latter was passing the guardhouse. This apparently caused Yee to fall off his bicycle, along with a small dog that was in the basket.

Yee then proceeded to spend several minutes manhandling Furby and beating it with a motorcycle helmet.

He had since apologised over the incident and expressed remorse for overreacting. According to The Star, Yee claims to be an animal lover and owns several animals including a dog...

"I love animals, but I just snapped that day. (Last) Saturday, I was attacked in the rain, and lost my engagement ring. On Sunday, I got attacked again.

"Prior to that, I was attacked another six times. They (the management) have the videos, but they only showed the one where I defended myself, to the point that I became the aggressor," he was quoted as saying.

Money no cure

The Singapore national reportedly said he is now eager to help the dog recover, and holds no grudges against it.

However, the dog's owner Caveas Ganathran (photo), 19, insisted that Yee should go to jail.

"For me, money is not everything. He needs to be in jail for abusing the dog like this.

"Funds, we can raise. But I don't want that guy to walk free," he said.

He described the dog as being friendly and active, except towards Yee, whom he claimed had hurled verbal abuse towards Furby prior to the incident.

Since the incident however, the dog did not appear to be as active as before. It is being treated for minor internal injuries and is expected to undergo x-ray soon, he said.

Meanwhile, the Taman Melody security manager Siva Muniandy concurred.

"What is money for? Today we have it, tomorrow we don't. Anything can happen to money, but the dog? What if it dies?" he told reporters.

He was also irked that Yee had used his motorcycle helmet that he kept at the guardhouse to beat the dog.

No prior complaints

Responding to Yee's claims that the dog had attacked him on multiple occasions, Siva said he had never received a complaint on the matter.

He also clarified that Furby, which also goes by the name "Bobby", is a pet dog, not a guard dog as reported earlier.

Caveas said he is now looking for another place to keep Furby once it recovers.

The alleged animal abuse is now being investigated by the Department of Veterinary Services under Section 44 of the Animal Act 1953. It carries a penalty of up to RM200 fine, up to six months imprisonment, or both, upon conviction.

Parliament had also enacted the Animal Welfare Act 2015, which would enhance the penalty for animal cruelty.

Under Section 29 of the Animal Welfare Act, which is similar to Section 44 of the Animal Act, a person convicted for animal cruelty is liable to a fine between RM20,000 and RM100,000, imprisonment for up to three years, or both.

However, the new law has yet to come into force.