An elderly man in Malaysia had chained his dog to his car and dragged it along the road, before an eyewitness intercepted him and rescued the dog, who was bleeding profusely and eventually died.
The elderly man was then arrested by the Malaysian police, according to The Star.
The incident happened on 27 May. Mr Rajes Donarow, a poultry farmer residing in Lukut, Port Dickson, Malaysia, had witnessed the incident unfold.
A video of the incident was also shared online by Rajes.
According to Mr Rajes, he observed a man driving a dilapidated vehicle, who appeared to be the owner of a durian farm in the same village. Following closely behind the car was a dog, connected to the vehicle by a metal chain that dragged along the ground as the vehicle moved.
Upon noticing the dog, Mr Rajes saw that its paws were bleeding and it seemed to have collapsed. He informed The Star that the dog’s chest was being scraped by the gravel while the driver continued to drive.
Taking action, Mr Rajes mounted his motorcycle and pursued the vehicle, signalling for the driver to stop. However, the driver allegedly ignored the request and continued driving.
Eventually, determined to end the suffering of the dog, Mr Rajes accelerated and managed to overtake the car, effectively blocking its path.
Subsequently, the poultry farmer removed the keys from the car’s ignition.
“I questioned the driver about why he was subjecting the dog to such cruelty instead of utilizing the lorry or four-wheel drive that he owned,” stated Mr Rajes, as quoted by The Star.
The driver, who owned a durian plantation and a landscaping business, purportedly explained that he was relocating the dog to another one of his plantations. He claimed that the dog had refused to enter his lorry.
However, upon unchaining the dog, Mr Rajes observed that it promptly leapt into the car, contradicting the man’s statement.
At this point, other bystanders began to gather around the man and the injured canine.
Mr Rajes subsequently contacted the police, who arrived at the scene shortly after. The officers advised him and the dog’s owner to file police reports concerning the incident.
Additionally, they recommended that Mr Rajes report the occurrence to the Department of Veterinary Services.
According to The Star, an official from the Lukut district police headquarters confirmed that both individuals had submitted official reports.
In a subsequent article by Bernama on May 30, it was reported that the dog had succumbed to its injuries and died.
On Monday night, the 61-year-old owner was apprehended by the police for causing the death of the dog, and he is currently in custody for one day.