Nightmare at "The Wonderful World of Pets"

Today, The Star reported that a sick poodle puppy was left to die in a cage by the staff at the ironically named Wonderful World of Pets pet store located in Pet Safari, Ikano Power Center, Petaling Jaya. To read Star reporter Chin Mui Yoon's excellent but heart-breaking article, click here.

The case came to light thanks to the prompt action of Sabrina Yeap, the Animal Inspector for the SPCA. Yeap followed up on complaints from shoppers that there was a sick puppy being ignored at the pet store.

I've been to Pet Safari many times. I take my dogs and cats to the Damansara Animal Centre veterinary clinic (03-7725-2257) -- a few steps away from the pet store where the puppy died. It offers excellent pet care and the doctors are top-notch. What kind of people would leave a puppy to die alone in agony, instead of taking it to the vet clinic next door?

Buddhists, according to The Wonderful World of Pets manager Lewis Tan. "Being Buddhists, we do not believe in putting animals to sleep,” he told Chin. Apparently, his compassion does not extend to getting medical attention for a sick animal, either. Perhaps he and his staff are also Christian Scientists.

Yeap suspects from the symptoms that the puppy had parvovirus, which is extremely serious and spreads through contact with infected feces. Guess what? The puppy died in a flood of bloody diarrhea. The staff didn't notice or, at least, didn't do anything about its dead body right away. How quickly do you suppose they sanitized the area?

Tan thinks his staff acted correctly, as far as one can tell from what he told the reporter. I wouldn't trust him or them with the care of a potted geranium, much less a dog. I suspect he is no better a Buddhist than he is a pet store manager.

Equally reprehensible was the response from the Veterinary Services Department, Shah Alam, as reported in the article:

[D]irector Tee Thian See said his department would not take any action because they “did not see anything,” although there were witnesses and photographic evidence. [emphasis added]

“Everything was in order when we checked the shop,” he told The Star.

“We can only monitor the situation. There was nothing there when we visited, so how can we take up the case?”

Lovely. So unless his department can be omniscient and omnipresent, there's nothing they can do to stop animal abuse in pet stores? If only God can do Tee's job, then what is Tee getting paid for?

The only positive note was sounded by Pet Safari director Ng Whye Hoe, who told Chin:

Ng said Pet Safari was horrified at such an incident and promised to revise tenancy regulations. He said as landlord, Pet Safari had the authority to intervene if there were suspected cases of animal abuse under its roof.

“As a responsible pet company with over six years experience in Malaysia and Singapore, we will not tolerate such acts of cruelty,” he told StarMetro.

“We acknowledge that it happened at our premises and we will not avoid the issue."

Someone actually taking responsibility for animal abuse and committing to change the situation? Unbelievable! Kudos to you, Ng. Let's hope you evict the not-so-Wonderful World of Pets and try to find a responsible, knowledgable and humane tenant for the space. Selling dogs through pet stores is a dubious proposition, at best, and prone to all kinds of abuse, but there has to something better than this "Little Shop of Horrors."

Good work on the part of the SPCA's Sabrina Yeap in investigating the case and thanks to The Star for publicizing the incident. We need more strong journalism like this on behalf of the animals in Malaysia. In the interests of transparency, I should add that I am a free-lance journalist whose work sometimes appears in The Star.

TO THOSE WHO WANT A DOG: Why buy from a pet store at all? PAWS and the SPCA have more dogs and puppies than they can take care of, waiting for homes. Paying too much for a pedigree puppy whose background and health you can't be sure of isn't prestigious, it's stupid. If you are keen to have a particular breed of dog, be patient. All kinds of dogs find themselves homeless and in the SPCA and PAWS. Pet store dogs may come from the worst puppy mills imaginable; even the ones with licenses from the MKA may not meet even minimal standards of health and safety, not to mention humaneness. It would be better to try to meet a breeder directly and ascertain the kind of facility -- and person -- your puppy is coming from.

ONE MORE TIP: A dog that is a year or two old often makes the best choice. Puppies are cute but they are also demanding. I am stunned when people complain to me, "My puppy is so naughty, he's peeing in the house and he's chewing up everything!" Well, duh. That's what puppies do. (Babies poop in their diapers and cry at night -- does that make them 'naughty'?) If you can't cope with normal puppy behavior with humor and patience, it would be better not to get a pup. By the time a dog is a year or two old, he or she is better behaved, past the need to chew and yet still young, playful and easy to train.