JOHOR BARU: A restaurant operator was arrested by the police on Thursday night for allegedly shooting a seven-month-old dog at Bandar Seri Alam earlier the same day.
Seri Alam district police chief Superintendent Abdul Samad Salleh said the man in his 50s, who is a People's Volunteer Corps (Rela) member is being investigated under Section 39 of the Arms Act 1960 for unlawful discharge of firearm.
The dog, a mongrel named Mike had a gunshot wound to his head. The wound was so bad that Mike had to be euthanised after the 4am incident on Thursday.
The dog's owner, G.G. Tanabalan, 51, who runs a transport business said he was informed by a neighbour who had heard a gunshot and found the mongrel outside Tanabalan's gate in a pool of blood and wincing in pain.
"No one saw the shooting. Then I saw the suspect riding by on his motorcycle. I confronted him and asked him if he had hurt my dog. He denied it, but he told me that 'it's better that it dies'," said Tanabalan, who later lodged a police report.
Tanabalan said he was told that the suspect was arrested after he was interrogated by police. Tanabalan said the suspect claimed that the dog wanted to bite him.
Meanwhile, Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Johor chairman, Andrew Karun said the incident should not have taken place as it involved a pet. He urged the relevant authority to take action under the newly-passed Animal Welfare Act.