When a black mongrel with thick wire deeply embedded around its waist was sedated and picked up in Sunter, its rescuers from the Jakarta Animal Aid Network (JAAN) couldn’t believe it could still walk.

After studying his X-rays, the medical team reasoned the wire had been part of a failed attempt to capture the canine and eat him.

Across town, an unwanted German shepherd lived alone on a rooftop for four and a half years after being put there as a puppy for lack of space. Forgotten by its owners, the dog’s uncontrollable excitement at the sight of human company convinced two animal welfare advocates to take it back to the shelter with them.

Nearby, in West Jakarta, more than 40 dogs of different breeds were crammed into a house belonging to a failed pet shop owner who had bred them and then left them in the care of a security guard, who fed them rice sprinkled with instant noodle seasoning for seven months. Emaciated and hairless, the dying dogs were fighting for the little food and water available; according to the animal rescuers, the owner at first refused to allow their release, in the end letting four of the six surviving canines be taken for medical treatment.

Each rescued animal has a heartbreaking tale, and each is part of what animal welfare advocates call “a never-ending story” of animal abuse and neglect.

Animal cruelty in Jakarta is getting worse, not better, according to animal welfare advocate Karin Franken.

The extent of the cases of abuse in Jakarta means the few animal welfare agencies are overwhelmed, and when people need to report animal abuse they call JAAN, Franken said.

“However, we can only do so much, and especially with domestic animals, we [need to] encourage them to take action themselves, because if we were to follow up on every single case, then it would be a full-time job,” she said.

Femke Den Haas, Karin Franken and Natalie Stewart, the three founders of the organization, have their work cut out for them: JAAN receives an average of 10 reports of abuse and neglect a week, with a spike in number around the Lebaran holidays. Den Haas attributes this rise to an increase in cases of neglect and pets thrown out on the street around this time.

One of the most popular places in Jakarta for pet owners wishing to ditch Fido is the highway, where the animal is more likely to get killed. “If they [the owners] were to release the dog somewhere else, there’s a chance that it would return [home],” Den Haas explained.

The rising incidence of pet abandonment could be fueled by the increase in demand for pedigree companions. Franken said that nowadays pedigrees were also being abused and neglected, and it was no longer just a case of the local dogs being targeted. “People go for a certain breed for status – just owning it is enough,” Franken said.

But puppies grow up and can lose their appeal. And like a discarded toy, many dogs run the risk of being condemned to live a lonely life on a chain or in a cage. She warned that keeping a dog always tethered or caged was dangerous as certain breeds become too aggressive.

Franken, who has lived in Jakarta for 19 years, said that when she first arrived in the city, few people owned pets. “Now, it’s like a trend. Everybody owns a pet, especially in the city, and they have no idea what they are getting themselves into.”

Many first-time pet owners are not aware about dogs’ needs or have only basic knowledge of what is involved in their care. And when a dog becomes too much work, or doesn’t fit their lifestyle, owners can be tempted to toss their pooch out on the street.

However, Franken expressed hope that people would be willing to learn how to be good owners. “If it’s a case of ignorance, we can try to change that and educate those people on how to treat animals and eventually they will improve the situation.”

Another concern is the cuteness factor that spurs people to buy pet shop puppies. About 75 percent of the puppies from pet stores that are brought into the organization’s adjacent clinic for medical treatment are really sick, Franken said.

“Pet shop breeders are feeding the market with small puppies – and the smaller the better. Whereas people aren’t well informed about the negative side of separating a puppy from its mother at too early an age,” Franken said.

Den Haas said another problem was that the increase in breeding resulted in females being discarded if they weren’t useful anymore: “There was a husky that wasn’t producing enough puppies, so she was dumped out on the street.”

Franken described the terrible conditions for mothers as “a life lived in hell”. She estimated a female pedigree’s life span as only two years before her body was exhausted from being forced to give birth to so many offspring. “If people could realize how much those animals suffer, then maybe it would make them think twice [before buying them],” Franken said.

Expatriates returning to their home countries have also presented problems by leaving their pets behind and expecting animal welfare advocates to pick up their pooches for them on short notice.

“For somebody that just leaves their pet in the garden and goes, how can you sleep at night not knowing what will be the fate of your pet that you have loved for a couple of years?” Franken said.

Another form of animal abuse on the streets is the application of rubber bands around the necks of stray cats, or the snouts of dogs; vets have reported finding rubber bands around animals’ legs and tails as well.

Dr Chris Kristianto, a vet from Bintaro who sees on average three abuse cases a month, said with the circulation cut off by the rubber bands, the veins at the site become swollen and engorged with blood after three days. The exposed flesh from the constricting rubber band is open to infection and gangrene follows, usually in 21 days. He added that most strays brought in with the elastic bands around their neck had to be put to sleep.

Dr. Chris attributed the act to people’s hostility toward strays for raiding kitchens, or for urinating or defecating inside homes. He added it could also be a simple matter of iseng (for fun).

Den Haas said that children who put the elastic bands on animals did not understand the implication of their actions. “They think it’s funny and they just don’t realize how much pain it causes the cat.”

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