TAIPING: A dog owner who no longer had any love for his canine, leashed the animal to his four-wheel pick-up truck and dragged it in an attempt to get rid of it on Sunday.

A video taken by an unidentified motorist who trailed the truck went viral on social media showing the chilling cruelty suffered by the dog.

The half-minute footage showed a brown dog dangling from the rear of the truck as it was being dragged with its hind legs scraping the ground.

The truck was travelling at average speeds past a town believed to be Aulong in Taiping in the night.

Following a police report of the incident lodged by a member of the public who had received the video on his cellphone, a 58-year-old unemployed man was tracked down and nabbed by Taiping police today.

Taiping acting police chief Supt Razlan Ab Hamid said police have obtained a three day remand order on the suspect.

He said although the dog survived the ordeal, its whereabouts and extent of injuries are unknown.

He said at the time the video was taken, the driver was on his way to dump the dog at the Aulong wet market.

“After we arrested him, we found out that he is the dog’s owner but wanted to get rid of it as he claimed it was destructive. The man alleged that the dog he had kept for over a year had damaged wires, cables and other items in his house by biting and chewing on it. We also learnt that he had placed the dog on the open cargo compartment and leashed it. While he was on his way to dispose it, the man claimed that the dog could have jumped out of the truck in a bid to escape but got tangled by the leash. Whatever it might be, negligence or cruelty, we will ensure a thorough investigation is carried out and we will submit our findings to the Attorney-General Chambers to decide on the next course of action,“ he told theSun.

Razlan said the truck belonged to the man’s son who had allowed his father to use the vehicle.

He said the case is being investigated for cruelty against animals under Section 44 (1)(a) of the Animal Act.

Penang Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) administrator Lily Leng who condemned the act said the dog owner should have resorted to a ethical and decent way of disposing the canine.

“This is here are so many animal lovers, shelters and organisations out there that will help adopt the dog had he approached them. How can he be so ignorant? This is frequently published and announced by the media. Moreover, a dog should be transported in a cage if it is taken in an open cargo compartment of a truck. Naturally, the fearful animal will try to escape when it is taken in a vehicle,“ she told theSun.

She said dogs might become “destructive” by chewing and damaging shoes and other items in its way due to boredom and lack of training.

“When the dog becomes destructive, its the owner’s fault for not spending time to train it. Dogs need attention and when there is a lack of this, it gets bored and starts doing destructive acts to keep itself occupied. Many dog owners give up their canines for this reason but they do not look at themselves. They do not spend time with their dogs. You cannot expect the lonely dog to sit and wait for its owners. It needs activity too,“ she said, adding that the public should report animal cruelty to the relevant enforcement authorities and the SPCA.

Cruelty towards dogs had escalated over the past months with more than a two dozen canines reported poisoned, maimed and clubbed to death.

Early last month, five dogs were found poisoned to death at Lavender Heights, Seremban while another nine were discovered either poisoned or tortured to death in Selayang, Kuala Lumpur.

Witnesses had come forward to say they had spotted men in Selayang dragging stray dogs into bushes before slashing them to death with machetes.

Days earlier in Puchong, Selangor, a dog owner found his two female dogs and its four puppies poisoned.

Police and the Veterinary Services Department commenced investigations on all the cases.

In August last year, it was reported that in the township of Elmina Garden, U16 Shah Alam, 11 dogs were found dead from poisoning over a span of two months.