A friend was asking me about all the pound rescues we had done before. My memory is getting worse by the day nowadays and I could not recall the exact details, but I do remember our Klang rescue in 2009, Selayang in 2010 and Puchong again in 2014, but there was also one in 2006 where I joined two ladies to do a Puchong pound rescue. It was my very first, even before I started AnimalCare. That was also the year I began my rescue work, saving Cow Mau, Bunny and Pole (Polar) from the roadside.
But I wrote about this operation in my book, Pawprints on my Heart, so here is the story:
This happened in 2006, three years before I started AnimalCare.
Here’s the story from my book:
The Big Rescue Operation
July 2006. My friends and I received word that a nearby dog pound had conducted a massive crackdown on strays in the vicinity and sixty-five animals were going to be euthanised by the end of that week. A pet rescue group managed to obtain permission to get some of the animals adopted, but we were left with forty-five dogs, mostly diseased, old, and in pretty bad shape. We already could not get these adopted….where could we house them?
The authorities could not extend the deadline anymore. If we did not transport the dogs out by 3pm that Friday, all would be put to sleep. Word got to (now Venerable Chief) Rev Dhammaratana and he very kindly offered to set up a temporary shelter for the dogs at the Ti-Ratana Welfare Home at Desa Petaling. At last, all was not lost. The problem now was to get the dogs out of the pound, and to the shelter.
I asked around for volunteers to provide transport – vans, private cars, any form of vehicles, please. Unfortunately, hardly anyone volunteered. Finally, I managed to ask my brother-in-law to help us with his small lorry.
Friday, 1pm. Six small-sized ladies gathered at the dog pound, all ready to rescue the remaining forty-five dogs from certain death. Although the enclosures were very clean, most of the dogs were diseased. What struck me most was that they were all very sad and depressed, looking as though they had already surrendered to their destiny. It was a very pitiful sight. Most of them were quietly huddled together. However, some were ferocious, ready to fight to the death. These were the ones who had not given up hope. I knew that these dogs sensed what was going to happen. With their sixth sense, they can sense death. They can sense enmity, and they react. It is just a natural instinct. Looking at these dogs, I was very determined that by hook or by crook, we would have to get them out to safety.
My friends and I talked to the dogs from outside the enclosures, and we assured them that we would bring them to safety. My brother-in-law arrived with his lorry and he even managed to bring some cages to help transport the dogs. Later, another volunteer came with a second lorry.
Our first problem was to get the dogs out. All of them were huge dogs. Many were frothing at the mouth, while some were snarling ferociously. The workers at the pound told us they would use their “usual ways” to get them out. To our horror, they used whips and lassos. They threw the lasso over the dogs and literally “fished” them out of the enclosures. You’d see a dog flying through the air. These were not fish…these were dogs, and large ones too. I felt extremely disturbed at the sight and my heart ached terribly at such cruelty. However, some of the dogs were too smart to be caught that way as they managed to avoid the lassos. By now the dogs had become more defensive and angry, and when the workers went into the enclosures, the dogs reacted ferociously. The workers’ attempts were completely futile. After so much time was wasted, we told the workers to let us into the enclosures. They had no choice but to relent. Time was running short now.
So, the six small-sized ladies went into the enclosures. I was armed with nothing except thoughts of loving-kindness and compassion. I did not even have a pair of gloves. We knelt down and talked to each dog. Some of us spoke in English, some in Chinese. We told them to trust us, and that we were going to bring them to safety. Somehow, miraculously, the dogs “understood” and they calmed down. And slowly, we carried each one of these ferocious dogs, some still frothing at the mouth, mostly diseased, out of the enclosures and onto the lorry. I had never handled such big dogs before in my entire life, nor have I encountered such ferocious creatures face-to-face. Yet, somehow, I did what I had to do, and I found courage and strength to do it. I still wonder today, how a petite female like me had managed to carry those huge dogs onto the lorry that day.
The workers at the pound looked at us open-mouthed. One of them pulled one of my friends aside and asked, “Your friend can talk to animals??” These workers did not understand the first thing about handling animals, even though they worked there. Animals respond to kindness. It does not matter what language you speak, they understand the language of kindness. But they will attack if they sense fear in you. The key is that if you are afraid, do not even attempt to go near them. Steer clear of them. But if you have love and kindness in your heart, and you know that your intentions are pure, that should give you enough confidence to approach them. For us that afternoon, we did not even let ourselves be bothered about what kind of diseases these dogs had. We were focused only on rescuing them. Compassion was all we had.
It took us some time before we managed to get all the dogs onto the two lorries. A few of the dogs were really sick and needed medical attention. As we were loading the dogs onto the first lorry, one young couple arrived with their van and offered to help. They were definitely heaven-sent, because we needed a separate vehicle to take these very sick dogs to the vet.
There was also a mother-dog who was captured while she was pregnant and she had just delivered eight healthy, bubbly puppies at the pound two days before. The workers had put her and her puppies in a separate (rusty) cage, but the authorities wanted this mother-dog AND her puppies to be put to sleep as well. We could not transport this mother-dog and her puppies out that afternoon, so we pleaded with the workers to give them a one-day reprieve and we promised to take them out the next day. Thank goodness they agreed.
Having loaded all the dogs onto the lorries, our long journey now began. I could see that the dogs were very scared and they did not know what was happening and why they were inside these cages on a lorry. My heart went out to them, and I could only hope that they would somehow “know” we were bringing them to safety. By now, it had started to drizzle and we had to bring these dogs all the way to Ti-Ratana. The journey would take at least an hour especially when the lorries had to go very slowly.
I drove behind the lorry and a seventeen year-old boy kept me company. Bless his kind heart, he was the only person who had volunteered to help me that afternoon. Everyone else was “too busy”. On the way, the rain started getting heavier and at one point, it was so heavy I could hardly see out of my windscreen. Suddenly, without warning, I saw one dog clamber out of the cage (it was open on top) and jump off the lorry. It then scurried to the roadside and disappeared into a nearby jungle. Everything happened too quickly – it was a miracle that the dog did not get knocked down by any car on that road. My car screeched to a stop, and I went out in the rain to look for it, but I failed to find it. I could only hope that it could survive in the jungle. We continued our long journey.
It was amazing that when we reached the Ti-Ratana with the first batch of fifteen dogs, even the aggressive ones had settled down and were docile. This was a far cry from what they were like at the pound. It was obvious that they sensed security and safety in this new place. Or perhaps they were just too exhausted from the long journey to protest!
The volunteers at Ti-Ratana who had set up the make-shift enclosure on the grass had not anticipated the heavy thunderstorm and the whole place was slightly flooded. There was no time to waste, so we made a human chain and began filling the pools of water with sand, broken tiles and whatever we could find there, and we covered the sand with planks and plywood we had found nearby, before unloading the dogs. It was still raining. The enclosure was very low (with zinc roofs), so we had to stoop while we were inside. The few men who were there could not get in at all as they were too big. Hence, it was women power again!
It was so much easier unloading the dogs now – all were calm, even the ones who had been aggressive earlier. By now the second lorry had arrived, and we carried the dogs down from the two lorries and put them into their new home. Here we were met by a lady and her son who had the kindest hearts you could ever find. This remarkable lady calmed the last of the three fiercest dogs by talking to them in Mandarin. It was sheer magic. A petite lady, hardly five feet tall, with a heart of gold…and courage!
Everyone was close to tears by now. We had virtually completed a near-impossible task. A total of thirty-seven huge dogs (excluding the mother-dog and her puppies who were still at the pound) had been rescued, all in one afternoon. Who would have thought six small-sized ladies would have taken on this task and obtained two lorries, and Ti-Ratana would build a temporary shelter to house them? Destiny works in mysterious ways. Nature provides, if we strive hard enough. In that way, we create our own destiny.
It was extremely heartening to know that Ti-Ratana had a wonderful plan in the pipeline. Six dog trainers had already volunteered to train the dogs together with the orphans at the welfare home, so it would be a two-pronged project, training the dogs and teaching the children compassion. The trained dogs would later be put up for adoption.
By now, the rain had stopped and the orphans gathered around excitedly to help feed the dogs. It was touching to see so much compassion and kindness in the children – they were really eager to help. A kind person had sponsored two hundred pounds of premium dog food, together with feeding bowls.
Our job was done now. I drove home, feeling relieved that a near-impossible task had been completed. I even managed to take a bath and go for a talk that evening. However, I was very sure I still smelled of dog all night! My friends who heard about the rescue donated money to buy dog food. My brother heard about the rescue and donated RM1000 that night itself.
The next morning, as promised, we drove to the pound to rescue the mother-dog and her puppies. The workers kept their promise of the one-day reprieve. There were no takers for the mother-dog and her puppies, so I volunteered to take them home – all nine of them. I had no idea how I was going to house them in my intermediate linked house, but somehow, I would find a way.
So Selphie (that’s what we called her) and her eight puppies came home with me in my little Kelisa. Selphie was a big black mongrel, only about one-year old. I put her and her puppies in the porch and watched over them that night. The next morning, the moment I came out, she came to me and put her head on my lap. I was very touched. I knew she was saying “thank you”. I could feel her gratitude.
Every morning, the moment I went out to the porch, Selphie would leave her puppies and lick me all over. She would sit with me on the swing, and you cannot help but KNOW that Selphie was saying “thank you” in her own ways. Her affections were genuine. She touched me very deeply.
After two weeks, a very kind vet offered to take over Selphie and her puppies. It was definitely better as the puppies needed the care of a vet. We sent the whole family to the vet’s and I remember feeling so sad when we had to leave them there. I could only hope that Selphie would understand that it was for her and her puppies’ own good, and that I was not abandoning her. There was no way I could keep her in my house. Even while she was with me, all my pets suffered. I had to keep the windows locked, and once, Polar escaped and Selphie almost ate her up! Bobby too, felt quite miserable, being under “house arrest”!
The vet checked all the puppies and found that the youngest was severely dehydrated. I felt extremely guilty that due to my ignorance, I did not know how to check the puppies for dehydration (now I know – do a pinch test on the skin). The vet had earlier told me to just leave everything to the mother-dog and that I need not do anything at all except to ensure that the mother-dog was well-fed. I prayed hard that this youngest puppy would survive under the care of the vet.
Every day I called the vet to check on the youngest puppy. After three days, my worst fears were realized – the little one did not make it. I cried my heart out, feeling extremely guilty and could not help but blame myself for having been ignorant. I brought her home and buried her in my garden. I was devastated – if only I had known how to check for dehydration, she could have lived. And Selphie was so young (and probably a first-time mother) – she most probably could not look after all eight of her puppies or ensure that each one was properly fed. That’s life – I was ignorant, but we learn and become wiser from our mistakes. After a few weeks at the vet’s, somehow, the eldest puppy also passed away due to unknown causes. We later got Selphie and her remaining six puppies adopted. The last I heard, all are doing fine.
Of the dogs whom we sent to the vet on the day of the rescue because they needed medical attention, one had to have a leg amputated. After his amputation, we raised enough funds to fly (yes, by aeroplane) him to a no-kill animal shelter in Langkawi where he would spend the rest of his days – safe and sound, happily and healthily.
Ti-Ratana later built a permanent enclosure for the dogs. The orphan-dog programme proceeded well. Some of the very sick dogs did not live long, unfortunately, but at least they were attended to by vets and they lived out their natural lives. The other dogs who survived were eventually adopted by caring families. My friends and I attended the adoption ceremony and there was even a performance to show off the dogs!
So that’s the story of the Big Rescue Operation. I do not know if I would ever have the energy or resilience to do it again, but if the need is there, somehow, we find the strength.
All lives are precious. If you were to have looked into the eyes of one of those forty-five dogs that afternoon, you would definitely have seen what I saw – that we all want to live and we fear death. Knowing this, we should never harm or cause others to do harm.
This big rescue operation gave me an inner strength and confidence which I never knew I had. And, how often does one get the chance to save forty-five lives in a day? I am truly thankful to have served my fellow sentient beings.
Saving and protecting lives is a noble virtue. Let us always uphold the reverence for life by doing all we can to honour and respect all life.