KUALA LUMPUR: A woman accused of mistreating her dog following a confrontation with several animal activists is pleading her innocence.
Furrykids Safehaven, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) based in Seremban, posted a video on Facebook recently, showing the confrontation between them and the woman after they entered her property, reportedly upon seeing a dog collapse inside a metal cage.
The video also shows the woman, who had locked herself inside her residence, while the activists held the dog's lifeless body.
Speaking to China Press, the dog owner, Chong Yin Ying, 73, said she feels wrongly accused after netizens alleged she had been abusing her pet, which she has cared for over 8 years.
Chong said that as she was home alone that day when she decided to clean the area where her dog usually stays, temporarily placing the dog in a metal cage.
"After cleaning, I went back into the house. Later in the afternoon, I heard someone honking outside. When I went out, I saw two people. The woman pointed at my dog, and I realised the chain around its neck had become very tight. I rushed over to loosen it from the cage," she said.
Chong added that as she was untying the chain, the couple suddenly started shouting at her using offensive language. Shortly afterwards, two men and a woman forced open a side gate and entered her property, then picked up the dog and brought it to the house's entrance to confront her.
"I'm not very fluent in Malay, so I tried to explain that the dog had a history of biting people, which is why it needed to be restrained, but they ignored me. I was alone at home, and the sudden appearance of three strangers inside made me feel frightened and anxious," Chong said.
Chong's son, Ouyang Yunqiu, defended his mother's innocence, accusing netizens of making assumptions without knowing the full context.
"The NGO criticised my mother without understanding the circumstances, and netizens also judged her before knowing the facts. People need to understand that she was home alone when three strangers suddenly entered the property. It's only natural for her to feel scared and anxious," he said.
He added that his mother has been regularly feeding, watering, and bathing the dog for over 8 years. If she had intended to mistreat or abandon the dog, he argued, she would have done it so long ago.