Is this fair?

Two weeks ago we were invited by some students from KDU to participate in their Rave2Save event. They were organising a fund raising and pledged to hand the proceeds over to that established animal shelter in Ampang. We never asked them for any money - all we wanted was a venue for an impromptu adoption drive. We were happy when the students asked us to bring the 50 over pups we rescued off the streets to be put up for adoption. However, the student in charge told us a few days ago that the big organisation does not want us there because 'we give our dogs and puppies up for adoption for free while they charge for adoptions.' Apparently, the organisation had also pressured the student to keep us out and we have been told not to come. The guilt-riddled student then told us that he would make arrangements for us to bring our puppies in through Petfinder, which will be there. We declined as we didn't want to put the students through more pressure.The organisation accuses us of giving our dogs and puppies away for free - what they don't realise is that we do not place a price over the heads of the poor canines like they do. Adopters give us donations for the pups and dogs they rescue and the minimum we have received is RM5. We take whatever they give us if we find that they are capable of giving the dogs and pups a good homes, good food and veterinary care. We also make arrangements for them to neuter and vaccinate the dogs and pups they have adopted at a discounted price at our panel clinics. The adopters are also required to fill up forms and sign a contract with us promising us to take good care of their pets. The contract also allows us to confiscate the dogs and puppies if we find the adopters not keeping up to their end of the bargain.We also sponsor the first vaccination. So, pray give us your feedback - is this a case of personal egos getting in the way of helping the strays? The same thing happened when Furry Friends Farm started rescuing dogs from Pulau Ketam - nasty things were published about the sanctuary in the media by those affiliated to the organisation. Is this fair? All we want is a venue where these unfortunate puppies can be put-up for adoption. Why deny us that? Why deny the poor strays a chance to secure homes? We want to hear from you - please tell us what you think.

APPEAL

POPIKO MAIL

Dear Peeps,

I am having sleepless nights, as you can see. We have scores of sick puppies as well as some with skin conditions. Several have been adopted by kindly people who understand that rescued puppies come with problems and need veterinary treatment. Knowing that we depend on donations. they have adopted these pups and have taken on the task of paying for their veterinary care. But there are about ten puppies which are still with us and need veterinary care. One puppy, infected with corona virus, suffered from a prolapsed anus due to severe diarrhea. It is being treated at our vet. Others have recovered from the virus but are weak and are currently being fed with immune boosters to build their strength. We also have several adult dogs, including an accident victim with a smashed leg, to care for. We also have a brother and sister that will have to go to the same home as the brother is partially blind and depends on his sister a lot. Waiting for someone who is willing to take the pair will take take time and we would have to pay for board till then. All these need money and we are once again asking for your help to help these dogs. So please kind people, send your loose change our way so that we can continue helping these unfortunate dogs and puppies.

Cheques to:

Community Development and Integration Initiative Bhd (654290-T) (receipts issued)

or

Thomas Animal Clinic & Pet Corner

and mail them to:

The Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better Project,
c/o No 48, Jalan Jeriji U8/75C, Bukit Jelutong, 40150, Shah Alam, Selangor.

Or bank into:

Public Bank Account Number: 3151793708.

For further details please call 019-3576477.

Thank woof. woof,

Sharmini Popiko Sasha (SPS)

Remember Patches?

PATCHES NOW

PTCHES A MONTH AFTER RESCUE

PATCHES FRESH FROM THE POUND

We rescued Patches from the Setapak pound just before she was about to be put to sleep. She was ill first with parvo and then a bad case of distemper. She is well now and has been adopted.

Ironically, she lives in Setapak with her human family and canine friend Brownie. Her people had adopted Brownie from us last year and had wanted a companion for him and we suggested they take Patches in. We are glad that things have worked out well.

REST IN PEACE

This beautiful puppy came to us all the way from Seremban. We tried everything we could to save her but finally her frail body gave way when she contracted both parvo and corona virus. It rankles us when something like this happens especially when we realise that we could have saved her if we had found them foster homes where they can be individually cared for instead of being placed at a veterinary clinics. As pet rescuers we have our hearts broken all the time when puppies and dogs we try so hard to save die on us.

Brings to mind this little something I found:

Fragile Circle
"We who choose to surround ourselves with lives even more temporary than our own, live within a fragile circle, easily and often breached. Unable to accept its awful gaps, we still would live no other way. We cherish memory as the only certain immortality, never fully understanding the necessary plan."
Irving Townsend.

Rest in peace dear puppy - your suffering has come to an end but the pain in our hearts will remain whenever we think of you.

Puppies!

Little puppy with bad skin condition. Was found roaming around a housing estate.

Another puppy with equally bad skin condition. Was also found roaming around a housing estate

A very weak and small puppy believed to be a runt. Found in Seremban

This male puppy is partially blind due to an untreatede eye infection. Was found with his sister living at a dump site.

The partially blind puppy's sister - takes good care of her brother.

Another frail puppy which was rescued in Seremban

Yet another Seremban puppy which needs long term car

Satu lagi dari Seremban

Maybe it’s the season – or something else – we don’t know. But we have certainly been kept on our toes by the large numbers of puppies that are showing up wherever we go. Sadly, many are weak and in poor condition that we have to treat them before putting them up for adoption. Some kindly folks have adopted some of them regardless the bad skin condition. They have also taken their pups to the vet and put them on various other therapies to make them healthy. These people are also the ones that keep us going – as we know they will take over from us in loving and nurturing the puppies they adopt – without placing any expectations on the poor things. But sometime we get an exception – the nightmare of every rescuer. We had such a nightmare a couple of weeks ago by way of a lady who adopted one of our pups. Within days she decided to return the puppy because ‘it had diarrhea and a skin problem.’ She knew about the skin problem as she picked-up the puppy herself from our fosterer. She had also changed the brand of puppy food and given this, one can understand about the loose bowel. She also said she had taken the pup to the clinic and the vet had told her that its skin condition would take ages to get better. We can refute this as we have adopters who had healed their dog’s/pup’s skin condition in a week or so albeit the vet saying that it would be a long-term problem. And of course we have Luca – who is testimony that no skin condition is beyond treatment. And there’s also our Jojo – whose skin condition was countered in one single week in spite of one vet saying that it would take years. Anyway, coming back to the lady who returned the pup – we were furious that she didn’t give it a chance and angrier that she did not attempt to treat the diarrhea. We told her that she was being very irresponsible and her reply was that ‘if she was irresponsible she would have ‘left’ the puppy somewhere’ instead of returning it back to us! Aiyo! We also hope she understands why we are pissed with her.

RUBY

Ruby - held down to prevent from running away during her rescue. She is now happily resettled with a family in Cheras after being spayed and vaccinated.

We had a call from a lady a couple of months ago that there was a young dog trapped in the center of a roundabout in Cheras. We asked her if she could get the dog for us but she declined to do so. We then informed two veteran independent rescuers who immediately went to the spot and started feeding the dog daily. Last week, Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better accompanied them to rescue the dog, now named Ruby. Ruby was not an easy rescue and put up a good fight. The experienced rescuers grappled with her for a bit before getting her into their car and transporting her to our vet in Klang. Ruby has a beautiful disposition and has been vaccinated and is waiting to be neutered at the clinic. We also responded to a call to rescue a dog that still had a chain attached to his collar in Bukit Jelutong. He was quite ferocious and bit the two good Samaritans who had alerted us to him. After grappling with him without any success of getting him into the car to be transported to Klang – we rushed to the nearby fire station in Bukit Jelutong to ask the firemen to help us. They came in a big fire truck but had no luck in getting him into the car as well. However, the dog walked with one of the firemen who caught hold of the chain. The fireman walked the dog to the station where he was given food and water while we rushed back to Klang to get a carrier. The canine’s benefactors managed to get him into the carrier they borrowed from the clinic and he is now recuperating at the clinic. Due to all the drama – we had forgotten to take pictures. We now wish we had! Anyway, the vet tells us that the fellow is a Cocker Spaniel cross. He has some skin problems but will be ok soon.

MIKI

Miki and new best friend

Happy Miki now at her new home with her new family

Miki frightened at the vet's

Miki feeling safe in her own prison

We found Miki (whom we called Nina) alone and destitute hiding behind the closed grille to the first floor entrance of a shop house. She was afraid of people and stayed inside her ‘cage’ most of the time and only ventured out late at night when no one was around to eat the food that we had been leaving for her. Not able to gain her confidence, we called the shop owner and managed to catch her with his help. Miki, who is about five to six months old, was so afraid of people that she cringed when we tried to touch her. We placed her at one of our vets and hoped that some kind soul would adopt her and patiently gain her confidence. One day a young lady, her brother and her grandmother came to have a look at the many puppies that we had. It was love at first sight for the young lady’s brother when he saw Miki. He wanted her even though we told him that it might be a long time before she would warm up to him. He was prepared to take the chance – and we are glad that he did. Today, Miki is a distant shadow of her old self and has bloomed into a happy and gregarious puppy within a month. She has also developed a very close friendship with the family’s other pet, a Shih Tzu. It’s for happy endings like this that we do what we do. Have a happy life Miki – you certainly deserve it.