Wednesday, November 19, 2008

"The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated." ~ Mohandas Gandhi.



SHEENA

Who was she?

Born seven years ago, Sheena was a beautiful German Shepherd who died in vain. The hope and happiness of a puppy were dashed when Sheena ended up in the hands of a cruel owner.

The photos here are of Sheena in the last days of her life. These photos splashed across the national newspapers with her ribs sticking out and stomach bloated sitting by her rusty bowl of contaminated water broke hearts all across the country. Her owner, an engineer from Subang Jaya had kept her tied up and starving.

Based on the post-mortem report, Sheena was infected with ticks. She also suffered brittle bones due to malnutrition from young and the malfunction of all her major organs causing water retention which resulted in a bloated abdomen, empty bladder and stomach.

According to newspaper reports, a neighbour had trice telephoned the Selangor Veterinary Department, but nobody went to save the dog. Finally, she called the SPCA and they rushed to the scene to find her still tied and sleeping in her own faeces.

The rescue came too late. Sheena had to be put down on August 18, 2005. The post-mortem revealed that she had suffered neglect for years.

Ironically, it is likely that Sheena, the very same dog starved by her owner, would still lick his hand today if she were alive.

Why we should remember her?

Sheena stands for all the abused and neglected pets in Malaysia. The 21st century has seen an increase in reported abuse of domestic animals.

Many of these pets are returned to their owners after the case is investigated, and prosecution takes place.

The Animal Ordinance 1953 has a maximum of RM200 fine and/or 6 months imprisonment as penalty for abusing an animal.

In Sheena’s case, her owner admitted guilt, and was fined RM100, not even a quarter of the price of a German Shepherd puppy, and definitely not even close to the price of her precious life. Sheena must be remembered, so that other animals won’t suffer.

You may follow the campaign to remember Sheena by clicking this link below:

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