I just came back from my rounds (which will be reported later), and as I dropped in to buy my supply of petfood, I chanced upon meeting some old friends.
Here’s what I was told…
It seems some people who are in the animal rescue “business” have been saying that it was wrong of me to rehome the Ketam dogs to LLLF because dogs are not supposed to be vegetarian, and they wonder if I imposed the vegetarian diet on them.
Goodness gracious…
I wish these people would get their facts right before passing such statements in public.
LLLF does not belong to me, and I would be the last person to impose a vegetarian diet on dogs or cats. My own dogs and cats eat meat.
Believe it or not, I do KNOW that dogs are omnivorous and cats are carnivorous. I know. Even a primary school child knows.
LLLF is run by the Hai Tao Foundation, based in Taiwan, and being vegetarian is THEIR rules. Not mine. They have their reasons and we have to respect that. We should be very thankful that while other sanctuaries were not able to offer places for these dogs, LLLF agreed to house them on the farm despite being short-handed.
(I appealed to another sanctuary down south to take some of these dogs, and was given a big scolding by the manager, so I know how hard it is to get places for these dogs in a no-kill sanctuary.)
If only these people (who now have so much to say) knew how I negotiated with LLLF to let the dogs eat meat kibbles, or how I appealed to let the dogs switch gradually from their meat diet to a vegetarian one. They could not bend the rules at all. Orders from the HQ.
If only these people (who now have so much to say) knew I spent one-and-a-half months negotiating with LLLF before they agreed to take in the dogs.
If only these people (who now have so much to say) did something to help the dogs…instead of commenting on what “should” have been done and what “should” not have been done.
What did THEY do to help the dogs?
If they had done something for the dogs, I wouldn’t have had to rehome them to LLLF, would I?
The dogs’ time at the shelter was up, and they were going to be euthanised. I was told that some parties had been tasked to rehome the dogs, but nothing was being done. The general consensus was, “What to do? Nobody wants to take them.”
It made absolutely no sense to me that they had survived Hell Island, been rescued, been medically treated (we funded their entire medical treatment), and finally be euthanised just because their time at the shelter was up. And these dogs were ALL fit and healthy, vaccinated and even micro-chipped.
Between letting them be euthanised and training them to be vegetarian, which would you choose?
And when we rehomed them to LLLF, we bought 20 packs of imported vegetarian kibbles (from the USA) for them to ensure a smooth transition from kibbles to their natural (vegetarian) food (which has eggs).
Against everybody’s expectations, the dogs had no problem adjusting to their new natural diet.
The last time we visited, they were all healthy and had actually put on weight too. Most importantly, they were all happy. Much happier than they were while they were boarding at the shelter.
And we are still supplying food (eggs, carrot, potatoes) there on a monthly basis for as long as we still have funds.
The dogs are healthy, happy and doing well. They now roam freely on the farm. They are eating well.
So, why are these people complaining now?
Some humans are strange creatures, aren’t they?
I guess they would rather die than eat vegetables?
Or perhaps, finding faults is a hobby for them? I sympathise with people who cannot look on the bright side in life. They should learn from the animals – Animals are so easily satisfied (give me a meal and a place to sleep, I’ll love you for life!).
Comments
9 responses to “Would you rather die…than eat vegetables?”
Well…never mind what people say lah….it's their tongue…sharp weapon though…Forgive them for their ignorance. 😉
this is always the case…
when an issue arises, hardly anyone offer help…
when someone has a plan to help, some people would condemn the idea without having a better solution…
when someone finally does something to help (since no one else has), some people would further condemn the action when they themselves did nothing at all…
the most important thing is that, from what i read, the ketam dogs are living much better lives now at LLLF as compared to the hell they went through… if the dogs have no problem with the diet they are fed with, why make an issue whether it's meat or vegetarian?
keep up the great work you are already doing, kahyein… u hv my support…
Dogs on vegetarian diet can be as healthy as dogs on meat diet.
See: http://www.vegetariandogs.com/
Dont be affected by these people who can only wag their tongue instead of doing something positive to save the dogs.
If the dogs can speak, I am sure they will thank you for saving their lives.
Well done Dr. Chan, we are behind you.
Dear everyone,
Thank you for your kind support. I also know of some pet dogs who have been trained to be vegetarian since young. They do very well on this diet.
The rep from Hai Tao tells me all the animals in their farm in Taiwan (which is HUGE) are vegetarian. Their principle is strictly no-kill, and this includes the food that they partake. We respect that fully.
Most importantly, we are VERY grateful they are the only sanctuary so far to have agreed to take in these survivors from the Ketam tragedy.
ketam dogs r happier in LLLF, tey r truly appreciated 2 dr chankahyein who save their life, who gv tem a 2nd chance 2 live. I strongly believe in TNR & i still doing tis on my own. m glad tat myanimalcare is working toward tis concept , n yet tey add 1 more criteria , i.e. rehome / manage
Dear Dr Chan,
We cant stop or control wat others words. Do wat u think its good n rights for the animals… The more i read bout ur blog, the more i learnt and u have all our supports here…. Keep up the gud job…
Hi Kah Yein,
Nevermind what other people are saying.
I am sure that there are dogs or cats who have vegetarian diets because I have seen them being sold at pet stores (and they are not cheap too!)
Just keep on doing what you set your heart out to do.
Cheers,
Violet Yee
Kah Yein,
The most EVIL creature in this world is human being, I strongly believe this but I do see Angels among these evilized creatures, like u is one of the Angel, dun border about these evils, continue vf what you've done so far, we are at the back of you.
joogyee
MEGA METTA to you