The bond between a dog and its owner can be a strong and special one. So much so that when one party sees the other in trouble, they will do everything in their power to try and help.
Sadly, one such story had a tragic ending in Pahang, Malaysia.
85-year-old Huang Yunhong (name transliterated from Mandarin) recently saw dog catchers trying to take his beloved pet pooch away.
Source: Bernama via Free Malaysia Today, for illustration purposes only
During his attempt to stop them, he suddenly collapsed, fell into a nearby drain, and passed away.
A local Member of Parliament (MP) has since called for improved dog-catching procedures to be implemented in order to prevent such things from happening again.
Sin Chew Daily reports that two dog catchers from the Bentong Municipal Council were out capturing stray canines at Taman Saga when the incident took place.
At about 5pm on Wednesday (24 May), Mr Huang noticed them trying to remove his precious pet pooch, which he had lovingly raised for many years.
Source: Sin Chew Daily
The Star noted that the dog had been inside the compound of the house but went outside when the catchers approached the gate, which was not locked.
Source: Sin Chew Daily
According to a neighbour who witnessed the whole incident, Mr Huang went up to the catchers and grabbed their catch pole to stop them from taking his dog away.
A tug-of-war then ensued, with neither Mr Huang nor the dog catcher willing to let go of the item.
This worried the neighbour, who urged the dog catcher to let go so Mr Huang would not fall.
However, the dog catcher did not listen and they continued to struggle.
Then, all of a sudden, Mr Huang collapsed and fell into a nearby ditch.
His neighbour quickly went to help him, but the elderly man had already passed away.
Everything purportedly happened within just three minutes.
The neighbour told Sin Chew Daily that the dog catchers quickly called for an ambulance, but parademics pronounced him dead.
Source: Sin Chew Daily
Mr Huang reportedly lived alone with his pet dog as his children are in Kuala Lumpur.
On Thursday (25 May), Bentong MP Young Syefura Othman issued a statement on Facebook regarding the matter.
She said that she had visited Mr Huang’s family to relay her condolences but did not comment further, saying that the Royal Malaysia Police and Bentong Municipal Council will issue a statement.
Ms Young Syefura added that the authorities should come up with clearer guidelines regarding the process of catching and handling stray dogs.
This, she explained, could help to prevent misunderstandings that could lead to altercations between enforcement officers and residents or those who feed stray dogs.
As for what will happen to Mr Huang’s dog, The Star reported that it is still at home.
However, it remains unclear what will happen to it as his children have already returned to their homes in other states.
Hopefully, someone will be able to find a new home for the pooch and that it receives the same amount of love it did from Mr Huang.
MS News sends our condolences to the family of the deceased. May he rest in peace.
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Featured image adapted from Sin Chew Daily.
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