Meiji Lai is an Eight Preceptor (this means she has renounced the worldly life, and observes the Eight Precepts as her way of life, her head is also shaven, like a nun’s). For the last ten years, she has been running Manasika Monastery up on a hill in Raub. She is now looking after 80 abandoned dogs.
So, from LLLP, off we went to Raub, to visit Meiji’s dog sanctuary. Before that, we made a quick dash to Bentong town. I told Meiji we would purchase an industrial rice cooker (it uses gas) for her. It takes her one hour to cook porridge for her dogs every day. With this rice cooker, it only takes 20 minutes to cook 5kg of rice. Rice would be more filling than porridge. Meiji uses 20kg of rice every day to feed her 80 dogs.
This is the road leading up to Meiji’s sanctuary. It is on hilly terrain and is only accessible by 4-wheelers. We went in Meiji’s jeep.
Halfway up, some of her dogs had already come down to greet us. My, my, my, they are so healthy-looking! They were obviously so happy to see Meiji. The dogs escorted us up the hill.
Here are some of her dogs. She has 80 in all!
Hello!!
Meiji unloading things from her jeep.
Her dogs are a far cry from those at LLLP. They are SO well-fed, and so healthy and happy.
They are very friendly, too.
This is the industrial rice-cooker we bought for Meiji’s dogs, under AnimalCare’s full sponsorship (it costs RM375, with an additional gas pipe). It will enable Meiji to cook rice (instead of porridge) for her dogs. Her dogs are fed rice and sardines, as well as Vetmaster kibbles.
This is Meiji’s sister, Lai Mei. Lai Mei used to be an interior decorator. She has since resigned and now helps Meiji on the farm. She says all the 80 dogs have names and she remembers every single name.
We had brought one cage along with us, so we donated it to Meiji for her use. We also gave her tick spray.
You do not need any evidence of how much love Meiji showers on her dogs. These pictures speak volumes. Dogs don’t lie. And they certainly don’t pretend either.
Meiji invited us up to her farmhouse. It is a simple house and has two large shrine halls (one downstairs and another upstairs). It is very suitable for meditation retreats.
There is a library upstairs too.
Meiji showing me newspaper reports of rescue work.
We were served coffee and bread. Their meals are very simple up here. There is no electricity at all (they use candles and tealights at night). Their water comes from the mountain stream (definitely more healthy than our chlorinated piped water!).
Here are some of her dogs. The white one she is carrying had been abandoned – can you believe that?
If I had brought this dog back and put her on petfinder, I’ll bet I will receive no less than 10 callers in a day. But I figured I’d be doing a great injustice to the dog if I brought her back. She gets so much love and care from Meiji. There was no need for me to bring her back!
You’re so much better off here, aren’t you?
But, here’s Meiji’s problem – she has to look after 80 dogs. She was managing this place alone for the last 10 years. It was only recently that her sister resigned and came up to help her.
Every morning, at 5am, Meiji taps rubber in her 9-acre farm. It is a source of income for her (and her 80 dogs). She plants her own vegetables, too. Initially, well-wishers helped her raise money to purchase this piece of land and build the house, and all the infrastructure (including some part of the road which is concrete). But now, she needs financial help.
Before she acquired the jeep, she only had a motorcycle. Meiji used to take four dogs (two behind and two on either side) on her motorcycle from Raub to Setapak (to SPCA’s Klinik Kembiri) for spaying-neutering. She would bring them back on the same day as there is no boarding at Klinik Kembiri. Our mouths dropped when we heard this. Here is one extremely remarkable (and capable) lady. I felt like going down on my knees and bowing to her for her unparalleled compassion. Now, she takes four dogs in her jeep each time, starting at 5am to Klinik Kembiri, and brings them back on the same day as well. That’ll be at least 5 hours on the road. When the dogs are sick, she takes them to the vet’s and gets them treated.
All her dogs are spayed-neutered and vaccinated. The sick ones are treated. For minor skin ailments, she uses Franch Oil. We didn’t have to look up the sky to see a heavenly-being. Here’s one right before our eyes.
All her dogs have either been surrendered or abandoned at the junction leading to her sanctuary. She says she even knows who the “abandoners” are since Raub is a small town. Sometimes, mother-dogs and their entire litters are abandoned at the junction. People know she would pick them up.
This is an abandoned purebred dashchund. When he was rescued, he had a spinal cord problem. Meiji took him to UPM to seek treatment. The treatment cost her RM2000 but she managed to get it reduced to RM500. The dashchund is now healthy and happy.
These are a few that have not been spayed-neutered. They are kept in cages.
Not all are free-roaming. Some are kept in enclosures.
There are five “Scruffys”. All five look alike. I’ll bet they are purebred.
Another enclosure. The dogs are let out, but they go right back into the enclosure when Meiji calls them in.
And, another enclosure.
There is another small hut.
The dogs live downstairs.
Meiji’s sister, Lai Mei, built the upstairs and lives there. It is what we call a “kuti”. It looks very simple and basic. I’d love to live up there!
Entering the kuti.
The little white dog followed us everywhere, and wherever there was a cage, she would go right in!
I wanted Meiji to test the new rice-cooker. Initially, we could not get the fire started. Oh dear…
We finally got it working…yippee!
Mmm…yes, it’s boiling.
Almost done…Rice, glorious rice! Now the dogs can have rice instead of porridge (with their sardines, of course).
I can’t help being amazed how well-fed her dogs are. Meiji takes care of them so incredibly well. However, Meiji can just about manage these 80 dogs now. She hopes people would stop abandoning their dogs. She just cannot take in anymore.
They are so loving, too.
But Meiji was more concerned about some other dogs, down at Lurah Bilut. She wanted us to see the condition for ourselves. So, off we went down the hill.
To Lurah Bilut now…
This is the abandoned sawmill in Lurah Bilut. When the workers left, they left all the dogs behind. The dogs have been breeding ever since then. Meiji is very concerned about these dogs.
A few kind workers feed the dogs discarded chicken parts. However, the breeding is uncontrolled, and Meiji is now seeking our help to get these 20 odd dogs spayed-neutered. But here’s the problem – there is no vet in Raub. The nearest is either Setapak or Kuantan.
We saw this mother-dog and her five newborn puppies. The mother-dog looks well-fed.
But there are large drains filled with stagnant water, and the puppies often fall into the drains.
This is another clogged drain. If the puppies fall in, the mother-dog cannot pick them back up. They will drown.
My first instinct was to take the mother-dog and all her puppies up to Meiji’s sanctuary. So we got a box and wanted to do just this, but the workers would not allow it. In fact, they were angry and said we had no right to remove the dogs and puppies. Hmm…a bit of politics here. Meiji said she knows what to do, and will get some help tomorrow. She assured me she would take the whole family up to her sanctuary tomorrow. I trust she will.
There is another mother-dog and 6 more newborns somewhere in this shed. We looked but could not locate them.
Meiji is very concerned about these dogs, and wants very much to get them spayed-neutered. I told her I would seek help on this, though I cannot promise. Any vet here willing to go up to do the job? Please let me know.
We need help, to help these dogs.
Meiji says she will do her part to get a clean place for the spay-neuter. I just have to get her a vet who is willing to do the job (not an easy task – I need everyone’s help, please!). If you can find me a vet who would be willing to do this, we will raise the funds. Please let me know.
Here’s another dog at the sawmill. They are well-fed, but they need to be spayed-neutered. We can’t have them breeding in an uncontrolled manner.
On the way back, I resolved AnimalCare will do its very best to help Meiji and her noble mission. In my opinion, she is running a sanctuary better than many shelters I know. The dogs are well taken care of, and they receive so much love and care. What more can a dog ask for?
We will raise funds for her sanctuary and support her endeavours as best we can. For now, we will use our existing funds to help her.
If you’d like to help Meiji in any way, please let me know.
You can visit her sanctuary/monastery too, but be prepared for a very humpy-bumpy ride….to a dog’s paradise!!
Comments
4 responses to “Meiji Lai, a true-blue dog-angel”
An unsung hero, true to her hearts.
I am truly moved by her kindness …
So glad to see another unsung heroin…
but yet rescuers keep rescue but others keep abandon also not the best solution…Malaysians morality should change, otherwise, we will still seeing many inhumane and irresponsibility acts among Malaysian..all parties including Government should be involved, I believe this has been brought up many many times like granny old stories, but still no action taken so far…Vision 2020? I am doubt…
You're absolutely right. While sanctuaries are most welcome, it still will not solve the problem. Intensive and extensive CNRM is needed and this can only be achieved if everyone participates (take care of the animals on your road, as I've always said) AND people's attitude has to change – be kinder and more tolerant of the presence of other living beings. They are not humans, so we cannot expect them to use public toilets or buy food from hawker stalls. They will pee and poo, and they will steal food when hungry. How else can they survive, esp if no one looks after them? Can we be more tolerant and understanding?
Oh Kahyein, how else can they survive, esp if no one looks after them? Those smart alecs will answer, "Oh, this is nature … they will just have to look after themselves … it is wrong to interfere with nature."
And I always say to myself, "Oh yeah, when you die and become a stray, you will be so grateful that you found one of us and we can look after you!"
And if mankind had not interfered so much with nature for his own selfish and greedy gains at the expense of the animals in the first place, we animal rescuers certainly would not have to "interfere" running around exhausting and burning ourselves out in compassion to compensate for all the destruction and problems caused. Why, we'd just be home sitting around sipping a nice glass of juice, enjoying the company of our own pets and lapping up all the love and affection they offer to us.
Mankind is THE virus, plundering and destroying everything in sight instead of being the good steward that he was assigned to be!