The dog, who locals named Kopi – the Malay word for coffee – was killed on October 6 in the Besut district of northern Terengganu state, according to an Instagram post by pet advocacy account @myforeverdoggo on Friday.
The post showed the final moments of the whimpering dog as she was consoled by a passer-by.
Animal rights activists said police must take action, arguing there are no legal provisions allowing any party to use firearms to get rid of stray animals.
“We want all officers under the Besut district council to be charged under the Animal Welfare Act over the killing of the dog,” Rajesh Nagarajan of Lawyers for Animal Rights told reporters on Tuesday, after several animal rights groups lodged a police report in capital city Kuala Lumpur on the incident.
Rajesh said they will also file a civil suit against the district council at the Terengganu High Court next week.