Two Labradors, their pelt no longer glossy and their eyes missing that mischievous sparkle, lay mournfully on the cold cement floor of their kennel.

Noticing the visitors outside the cage, one of them shuffles towards the entrance and sticks its nose through the wire mesh, hoping for a friendly pat or a kind word.

The other, however, remained oblivious to the visitors, its eyes staring vacantly.

The two dogs have been at the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) for the past year after their former owner dumped them at the animal shelter in Ampang Jaya.

The reason? They had simply become too old to look after.

This is just one of the reasons Malaysians give or send their pets for adoption at the SPCA headquarters in Jalan Kerja Air Lama in Ampang Jaya, said SPCA volunteer Mary Anne.

She said there were also people who dropped off their pets at the shelter under the pretext of finding them on the streets.

"The truth is that they have been keeping these pets all these years, but have become bored with them. Thus, the SPCA is the most convenient place for them to dump these animals," said Mary Anne, a volunteer at the shelter the past nine years.

This has resulted in a critical shortage of space for animals, as the shelter has been known to receive up to 50 puppies and 30 cats a day.

Meanwhile, SPCA animal inspector Sabrina Yeap said strict regulations by local councils were also an obstacle to people hoping to adopt pets.

"The Shah Alam City Council is planning to impose regulations forbidding ownership of dogs in link houses," she said.

She said the new trend of living in apartments is also a hindrance to the adoption process, as apartment management generally frowns on pets in apartments.

"However, we cannot blame the local councils entirely as they are merely doing their job. At the end of the day, it is up to the public to show that they can become responsible pet owners.

"I believe that if the public displays a more responsible attitude towards their pets, the councils would be more willing to relax their regulations," she said.

She said they also faced stiff competition from pet shops, which offer pedigree breeds.

"We should not resort to adopting only cats or dogs of pure breed. There are lots of animals that deserve our love and care; animals which will be put to sleep at the end of the day because someone prefers a nicer-looking pet," she said.

Yeap said all these problems could be avoided if the public changed their attitude on neutering and spaying.

"Although some quarters deem it cruel, it is better for the animals in the long run. For females, it decreases the risk of mammary tumours, uterine infections and sexually-transmitted cancer," she said.

"For males, it eliminates the risk of testicular cancer and reduces the chances of developing prostate cancer as well as anal gland cancer."

She said besides improving the pets’ temperament, it also prevents them from wandering off.

"We need to change people’s mindset on neutering and spaying to control the population of strays. It is more cruel to let them breed and left to fend for themselves," said Yeap.

Source: Malay Mail