SEREMBAN: Five dogs were found dead after they were believed to have been poisoned in Lavender Heights here.

An animal lover who only wished to be known as Narin said the dogs were believed to have been fed food laced with rat poison.

"Four were strays and one actually had an owner. Based on the information we received, we know who did this and we want the authorities to investigate them for animal cruelty," he said.

Narin said volunteers and the dog owner buried the carcasses to prevent them from decomposing in the open.

"We are going to lodge police reports as we want the authorities to investigate this under the Animal Welfare Act," he added.

Narin said it was sad that some people had decided to take the law into their own hands by poisoning the dogs.

He said the Malaysian Animal Welfare Association had submitted proposals to Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Govrrnment Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin on ways to check the problem of strays but nothing had come out of it.

"We are prepared to work with the authorities and are not asking them to do it alone," he said.

Citing an example, Narin said the authorities can set up a fund to pay for maintenance of dog pounds.

"There are many people who are prepared to fork out money for such things. If we have the funds, people will not take matters into their own hands and kill the strays," he added.