Almost 3900 views and 5 pages of post and not one logical comment, seriously? I was going to refrain, but I think I will wade into this thread. I am reluctant to say this, but I do have some experience with stray dogs in my SAF time. But I do.
The history of these stray dogs is that they were left behind when kampong people relocated to the HDB estates. The dogs were too big for the HDB restrictions on pets and many owners abandoned them. If you were in a unit that was posted to Area D often, as I was, you will see packs of dogs there. And yes, they did come into the camps too. When they did come into the camps, the AVA would be called or PPD in those days. But the thing to realize with these dogs is that they breed like crazy, and they are scavengers. Any food left over in the training area will be scavenged by them, they are a nuisance to military vehicles who have to avoid running them over. These dogs are usually in packs and will bite if you approach them suddenly. They are aggressive, and because some of these dogs are a few generations removed from the domesticated dogs that were abandoned, they are in effect wild and feral dogs. They have never known the company of men, nor do they subscribe to the pack mentality that the man is the pack leader. And there are probably hundreds of them.
Because of this wild nature, these dogs are not suited for adoption into any homes, and that’s why it better off for AVA to destroy them. This stupid animal rescuer Cathy Strong needs to realize this. These dogs are unpredictable around small children. They may appear to be docile when you feed them and provide them with shelter, but if they mark your house as their territory, they may attack any small children they think it’s a threat.
The SAF is a military organization, it’s not an animal rescue organization. By its very nature, the SAF trains its people to be violent, aggressive, and be willing to kill. I hate to say this, but the animal welfare record of the SAF is abysmal, as it should be. Anyone who has undergone jungle training will know about how to kill and decapitate a chicken without a knife, how to kill a python, an iguana, and even a cute white rabbit. In Area D, we have wild dogs enter into our range butt all the time. We do not upset our live fire timetable waiting for them to clear off the butt. We have opened fire on them and used them as live target practice. If you want to see how 7.62mm rounds impact a living body, just open up on a dog. We do not hold our fire if dogs are in the area, just to save them. Having said that, I have seen hundreds of rounds fired at a dog on our range, at a distance of 700m or so. I don’t know what is more amazing. That not one round hit the dog, and it ran off, or that our shooting was that bad. Maybe I came from a time when you were really a tough mother because your instructor in the SAF was Israeli trained or ranger trained, but we did not lose any sleep over animal cruelty or any shit like that. Not like in today’s SAF. People die or had serious injuries all the time in my unit, that was life, it happened in the past and it will happen again in the future.
But several points really stand out to me and make me wonder why no one has considered it.
A) The SAF has a anonymous hotline that this NSF’s son could have called to report this if he so wanted to. Why did he not use it? Instead, he came home like a sissy boy and ask his father to call it in for him. This guy wants to complain about something he did not like, man up and do it himself. Does his father wipe his backside too? does his maid carry his backpack?
B) This is most important point to me. I have never been to Pasir Ris camp, but I can’t imagine any SAF camp where a civilian like Cathy Strong can waltz in and take the dog away. Where was the RP? Who was manning the guardhouse? Since when is it so easy for an outside person to enter all the way into the buildings areas and then remove the dog from the INSIDE of the camp!!
C) Why did this LTC just shout at her and not have her arrested for trespassing? He is well within his authority to regulate who can and cannot come into his camp. You mean they just issue visitors passes to whomever they wish? What if Ms Strong was a suicide terrorist? What if it was a sensitive camp like an Amour camp and she is going around memorizing how many tanks are on the quick reaction sheds? If I were the SAF, I would be court martialling every one who was on guard duty that day.
D) This Ms Strong is an idiot too. If she so easily gives up the name of the person who took the video, who in the future would want to call her to rescue animals if their names are so easily revealed? If you saw your neighbor abusing his dogs, would you dare to call her? Because she will reveal your name to your neighbor, as the complainant, and you and he are not going to be on friendly terms in the future.
E) The warrant officer who threw the truncheon at the dog to chase it away might have a very good reason. If the camp has Malays in it, that would be very understandable for this. Malays/muslims are not allowed to have any contact with dogs, and more specifically dog’s saliva. It’s a religious issue. I know many malay friends who siam when they see a dog walking towards them. If you have dogs running around the camp, how can you have the malay personnel walking around with confidence that they will not be contacted by a dog coming towards them? That is why you have to tie it up indoors and not outdoors. In many camps, there is so much vehicular traffic going around that I can see animals like dogs getting run over. I am sure this Ms Strong would be real upset than.
F) In my opinion, the LTC already showed remarkable restrain with this cow Ms Strong. I don’t know many COs who would give face to a woman who drove to his camp, and then over his objections removed the dog from his own building and take it out of camp with her. In my opinion, he should have detained her, subdue her and have her arrested and charged. But he knows as well as everyone here that if he makes a fuss and is aggressive with an angmo woman, it will not go well for his career. This bitch will be complaining to everyone who would listen to her.
In summary, you buggers here better get one thing clear. The SAF has done a lot worse to dogs and to other animals than simply tying one up and whacking it. Get real and get a life. Now I feel so dirty after defending the SAF.
