By Vincent D’Silva

JOHOR BAHRU: On the streets where stray dogs search for food and shelter, their lives often intersect uneasily with those of the people who share their neighbourhoods. For these animals, a renewed partnership between Johor Bahru City Council (MBJB) and Social Hero Foundation (SHF) offers a gentler possibility — treatment, protection and the chance of a home.

The Animals Cared with Treatment (ACT Johor) programme continued on Oct 28, bringing together veterinary professionals and volunteers to manage the city’s stray dog population through an approach that places community safety alongside compassion.

At its sixth session, 200 stray dogs were neutered, cleaned and vaccinated by a team comprising 14 doctors, 13 veterinary nurses and eight volunteers.

The work carried forward an initiative that treated 932 stray dogs during five sessions in 2024 and 2025. Under its “Trap, Neuter & Rehome” programme, the animals were neutered, vaccinated against diseases including rabies, cleaned and offered for public adoption.

Across the six sessions, 1,132 dogs have received care — a sustained effort to curb uncontrolled breeding while giving animals already on the streets an opportunity for a different future.

Present at the latest session were MBJB health director Dr Aslinda Salikin, chief assistant health director Dr Muhamad Khairi Sulaiman, SHF trustee Datuk Seri Teo Shiok Fu and ACT Johor programme coordinator Delaney Rodrigues.

For residents concerned about roaming dogs, the programme seeks to provide a more organised and sustainable response. For the animals, it opens a path from capture to treatment and, where possible, rehoming.

Teo described the initiative as a meaningful response to a growing social concern in Johor Bahru, saying the situation appeared to be better managed through the continuing collaboration.

He expressed appreciation to MBJB for sustaining the programme in 2026, recognising the importance of consistent action in addressing a problem that cannot be resolved through occasional interventions alone.

The scale of the challenge remains considerable.

As of Oct 23, MBJB had received 256 complaints about stray dogs, while 1,589 dogs had been captured within its jurisdiction.

Behind those figures lie the everyday concerns of neighbourhoods seeking safer surroundings, as well as the welfare of animals whose presence on the streets demands a humane and practical response.

SHF trustee Edey Suresh said ACT Johor’s purpose extended beyond animal welfare to encompass safer neighbourhoods, reduced public health risks and responsible coexistence between people and animals.

He said the earlier sessions had demonstrated the value of collective action, with the 2026 programme seeking to move towards prevention through neutering, education and responsible pet ownership.

That emphasis looks beyond the immediate task of treating captured animals. It places responsibility within the wider community, where decisions about breeding, care and pet ownership can shape the number of dogs that eventually find themselves without homes.

Rodrigues said there had recently been a decline in both the number of stray dogs captured and reported cases of diseases associated with them, which she regarded as an encouraging indication of the programme’s impact.

Her observations offered hope for the collaboration, although the continuing volume of complaints and captures underscored the need for sustained work.

The issue has also drawn the attention of the Johor government.

In October, state housing and local government committee chairman Datuk Mohd Jafni Md Shukor said the government would introduce the Johor Stray Animal Control Action Plan 2027–2031 to address the problem, particularly in rural areas.

The proposed plan would include specific standard operating procedures for handling stray dogs, providing a framework for a more coordinated response.

ACT Johor forms part of SHF’s wider community service efforts with MBJB and other partners.

In 2024 and 2025, the foundation also undertook projects benefiting the Orang Asli community at Kampung Orang Asli Suku Seletar Pasir Salam in Ulu Tiram, 300 fishermen and their families in Mersing, and residents of the Larkin Flats in Johor Bahru.

These initiatives share a concern for lives that can too easily remain at the margins of public attention.

For ACT Johor, the next chapter will depend on continued cooperation, responsible ownership and the willingness of adopters to offer treated dogs a home.

Its promise is measured in safer neighbourhoods and fewer unwanted litters — and, for a dog once left to wander, the possibility that the road may finally lead to a place of belonging.