They obtained a licence from the Rompin local council, they vaccinated him and even made sure Barney wore a collar at all times so no one would mistake him for a stray.
However, on the morning of Aug 23, Chong thought it odd that Barney did not greet him at the door as he usually did. Puzzled as to where his dog was, Chong went in search of him, and found Barney lying motionless on the ground, at the back of his house, with blood stains near his body.
To his horror, Chong realised Barney was dead from a bullet wound to his body.
“We usually tie him up every night. But on that Tuesday night, we forgot to,” he said when contacted by FMT on Saturday.
Perplexed by the incident, Chong immediately called a friend, who lived in a residential area near his home.
According to the friend, the Rompin local council had conducted a shoot-and-kill operation for stray dogs the night before.
“Barney was not a stray. And we found his body inside our compound, not outside. He even had his collar on, so how could they have mistaken him for a stray?”
Chong said his family was devastated by Barney’s untimely death, and wanted the authorities to take action so other families would not have to go through the trauma they were experiencing.
“This is not the first time something like this has happened. Last year a dog belonging to a neighbour of mine was shot dead by the local council as well.
“But no action was taken against the council.”
Pinning his hopes on the police, Chong lodged a report the same day Barney was found dead.
However, Rompin police chief DSP Azli Mohd Noor when contacted, said these cases were usually forwarded directly to the department of veterinary services (DVS).
The police, he said, did not normally investigate such cases.
He also confirmed that in a recent meeting, the local council had approved the culling operation although he was unsure when exactly the operation was to be conducted, or if it had even taken place.
Chong’s Facebook post on the incident has outraged dog lovers and caught the attention of several animal rights groups, including the Malaysia Animal Association, who have called on the DVS to investigate the case immediately.
FMT is in the midst of contacting the Rompin local council for more information on the stray dog culling operation and the alleged killing of Barney.