There seems to be fewer and fewer places where stray dogs in the city can find safety, shelter and some TLC – so a project is doing what it can to get them better homes in the United States.
The canine welfare project Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better (MDDB) has been getting stray dogs re-homed with loving families and better conditions by sourcing out adopters in the States, as evidenced by the case of Ronaldo, a local dog which got left to fend for itself on the streets after his owner died more than six months ago.
MDDB general manager Darene Lee said that Ronaldo became homless after its 70-year old owner, who lived alone, passed away. “Ronaldo was not street smart,” Darene said. “He was mauled by the neighbourhood dogs. Some stall owners who were feeding Ronaldo asked for help.” Ronaldo was about 3 years old at the time.
The dog was sent to a veterinarian where it stayed for several months until its gaping wounds healed.
Joining Ronaldo on his trip to his new home in the States is four-year old Daisy, rescued in 2012 at a multi-storey car park in Klang by MDDB project manager Melinda Joy Gomez, along with Daisy’s three puppies.
“Daisy is a very special dog due to her extremely loving nature and we wanted her to have the best. That’s why we sent her overseas,” Lee said, adding that Daisy’s three puppies had all been re-homed.
She said Daisy was born at the carpark and was the sole surviving puppy from her mother’s litter.
Her mother and the rest of her pack were caught by the municipal council dog catchers.
Both Ronaldo and Daisy will be arriving in Chicago, Illinois, where they will be under the care of the International Street Dog Foundation (ISDF), which will re-home both dogs.
MDDB and ISDF embarked on a collaboration to relocate Malaysian dogs to the US last year.
ISDF re-homes street dogs as well as dogs rescued from the dog meat trade in Thailand.
“We will continue seeking homes for Malaysian street dogs in the US and are also currently working on making inroads into Canada and several European countries,” said Lee.
Of the four earlier dogs, two live in San Francisco, one in Chicago and the other, in Arizona.
Source: The Star Online
