KUALA LUMPUR: A pet dog's death during a municipal dog-catching operation in Selangor - which has led to animal cruelty charges against its owner and a volunteer canine-catcher - has renewed scrutiny of how Malaysia manages its strays. On Thursday (Aug 20), S Roghini Devi, 42, and Muhammad Shah Idham Nor Haikal Shaharom, 24, were separately charged at the Klang Sessions Court with committing animal cruelty through an unreasonable act that caused unnecessary pain or suffering. Shah Idham is alleged to have strangled the dog with a loop while Roghini was alleged to have pulled the dog. Roghini was the dog’s owner while Idham was part of a group involved in the Klang municipal council dog-catching operation on Jul 29.
S Roghini Devi arrives at the Klang Courts accompanied by her lawyer ahead of court proceedings on Aug 20, 2026 linked to the death of her dog Rocky. (Photo: CNA/Fadza Ishak)
The operation was reported to have been launched in response to frequent resident complaints about neighborhood strays, including a severe accident where a motorcyclist was purportedly injured by a roaming dog.A video of the July incident went viral online and saw different groups disputing the sequence of events which occurred close to midnight outside Roghini’s home. Since the July incident, Roghini has been quoted by local media as saying that Rocky was struck on the head and unresponsive when she found it looped by the neck. Meanwhile, Shah Idham’s lawyer had said that the confrontation turned chaotic only after Roghini intervened, sparking a tug-of-war over the animal, as reported by local news outlets. Rocky’s death drew condemnation from Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin - the queen consort to the Sultan of Selangor - who spoke out against animal cruelty towards pets and strays alike. "No form of animal cruelty would be accepted or tolerated, regardless of who committed the act, their position, race, religion or the reason given,” said Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin, who is also the Royal Patron of the Stray Free Selangor initiative under the state’s chapter of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).
