Puppy Politics:
Well, it’s been since Moses was a small boy that I have posted anything on my blog and I have stumbled upon an issue that I feel it necessary and worthy to blog about. So, I’m dusting off my place on the web to make room for very important information. Sit up straight and pay attention! :)
About a month ago, I was told by a colleague that there was an island called Pulau Ketam not too far from Kuala Lumpur where the villagers took all of the stray dogs and deported them to an uninhabited island nearby. Now, this island is uninhabited because it is uninhabitable…it is full of mangroves and quick-sand. They put these dogs on this island to fend for themselves and to die a slow death of starvation and thirst. As some of the weaker dogs started to die, the survivors were forced to cannibalize their “friends.” Well, since the word broke out, there have been rescue efforts to get the surviving dogs off that island and back on the mainland in sanctuaries. There have been many organizations involved here, Furry Friend’s Farm (FFF), Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), PAWS, SAS and others who have joined in this rescue effort and to work with the local villagers to stop the deportations and to work together on the problem with the strays in that area.
Some people have placed the blame of this on religion. To this I say, “I want no part of that conversation!!” I have many friends and colleagues who are Muslim who would never dream of treating one of Allah’s creatures like this. Islam is a religion of love for God and His creations and not one of hate. To this point, the man who owns the fish farm/hatchery, which is used by the FFF in this rescue effort as a staging/holding area, is a faithful Muslim and he’s also adopted one of the dogs. The Muslims that I know are good and kind and a very loving people!
Ever since I have heard of the plight of the dogs it has weighed heavily on my mind and I have been meaning to do something to help in the effort to get these dogs someplace where they can be treated humanely. I have read the daily blogs of the “rescuers” and keep saying, “Scott, you’ve got to do something to make a difference. No matter how small it is, do something!” So finally, this past week, I decided that I will get off my lazy duff and contribute in some small way. I have been partial to the FFF for a couple of reasons:
1- They really started the efforts of making a difference and getting these dogs to a more humane environment.
2- They have a very strict “no-kill” policy. While I do believe that putting a bullet in the brain of these dogs is a better solution than to deport them to some inhospitable environment is better, I don’t believe it is always the best option.
So, last week I sent an sms to Sabrina and asked her what supplies does the FFF need at the current. Her response was that they needed shampoo and FrontLine (flea and tick repellant – the best since it lasts for a month even if you bathe the animals). So, I gladly went to the pet supply store and got a few bottles of shampoo and a few bottles of FrontLine. I also rounded up some extra stuff that I had around the house in terms of chew toys, tug ropes, feeding/water bowls, etc. I wanted to donate food as well but that is a touchy item since I don’t know what food they’re already eating and changing foods can be quite a mess – literally.
FFF is located in a town called Kundang which should be, at max., an hour away from my place. Shortly after noon on Sunday, I started the trek to the country to deliver the supplies. I plugged in the name of the city in my GPS and headed off. Sure enough, I arrived to the town in the right amount of time. However, the location of the FFF is pretty remote and isn’t on the mapping software on my GPS system. So I drove around looking for Kg Baru in Kundang for about 2.5 hours. I asked for help from the police, the petrol station, the random Indian on a motorbike, nobody knew where this place was. I drove around so much that my own dogs became car sick and I had that to deal with. :( Eventually, I got wise and looked up the long/lat coordinates for the FFF on the internet and plugged that in to my GPS and arrived there at about 4:00 or so.
When we arrived we were greeted by several volunteers at the farm and so many dogs. FFF has well over 100 total dogs and they have over 20 dogs that have been rescued off that despicable island. The state of these dogs is so sad it really makes you reflect on how cruel man can be. These rescued dogs were terrified! Some had had wounds that were open so long they had flesh eating maggots in them (luckily they were treated and healed at a vet before getting to the farm. Some were had physical scars, from being torn up by the mangroves, on their faces and heads. Some were so skinny you could see the bone in their shoulders and back – not to mention ribs. One in particular had his tail tucked permanently between his legs and rolled into a passive position every time somebody even walked near his cage. Those that had been there longer than just a handful of days were starting to mend in body and spirit but were still very sad in their overall demeanor and appearance. It was sincerely one of the saddest experiences of my life. How can a person be so cruel?
Well, after that visit, I had decided that I personally needed to do more for these poor dogs. One of the ways is to let people know – through this blog and other means – of this atrocity and to voice my opinion on how we should treat animals. I think that Earth and all things in and of it were created by God for man’s use and well-being. This would include: plants, trees, fish, cats, dogs, cows, deer, etc. All of these were created by God – no matter what name you may call Him. Because of this, we should view all of these things as blessing from Him and because they are blessings we have the responsibility to treat these blessings with the greatest amount of respect and dignity and to use them prudently and judiciously. Anything else and I think that He will look upon use and unwise stewards of His blessings and goodness.
About a month ago, I was told by a colleague that there was an island called Pulau Ketam not too far from Kuala Lumpur where the villagers took all of the stray dogs and deported them to an uninhabited island nearby. Now, this island is uninhabited because it is uninhabitable…it is full of mangroves and quick-sand. They put these dogs on this island to fend for themselves and to die a slow death of starvation and thirst. As some of the weaker dogs started to die, the survivors were forced to cannibalize their “friends.” Well, since the word broke out, there have been rescue efforts to get the surviving dogs off that island and back on the mainland in sanctuaries. There have been many organizations involved here, Furry Friend’s Farm (FFF), Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), PAWS, SAS and others who have joined in this rescue effort and to work with the local villagers to stop the deportations and to work together on the problem with the strays in that area.
Some people have placed the blame of this on religion. To this I say, “I want no part of that conversation!!” I have many friends and colleagues who are Muslim who would never dream of treating one of Allah’s creatures like this. Islam is a religion of love for God and His creations and not one of hate. To this point, the man who owns the fish farm/hatchery, which is used by the FFF in this rescue effort as a staging/holding area, is a faithful Muslim and he’s also adopted one of the dogs. The Muslims that I know are good and kind and a very loving people!
Ever since I have heard of the plight of the dogs it has weighed heavily on my mind and I have been meaning to do something to help in the effort to get these dogs someplace where they can be treated humanely. I have read the daily blogs of the “rescuers” and keep saying, “Scott, you’ve got to do something to make a difference. No matter how small it is, do something!” So finally, this past week, I decided that I will get off my lazy duff and contribute in some small way. I have been partial to the FFF for a couple of reasons:
1- They really started the efforts of making a difference and getting these dogs to a more humane environment.
2- They have a very strict “no-kill” policy. While I do believe that putting a bullet in the brain of these dogs is a better solution than to deport them to some inhospitable environment is better, I don’t believe it is always the best option.
So, last week I sent an sms to Sabrina and asked her what supplies does the FFF need at the current. Her response was that they needed shampoo and FrontLine (flea and tick repellant – the best since it lasts for a month even if you bathe the animals). So, I gladly went to the pet supply store and got a few bottles of shampoo and a few bottles of FrontLine. I also rounded up some extra stuff that I had around the house in terms of chew toys, tug ropes, feeding/water bowls, etc. I wanted to donate food as well but that is a touchy item since I don’t know what food they’re already eating and changing foods can be quite a mess – literally.
FFF is located in a town called Kundang which should be, at max., an hour away from my place. Shortly after noon on Sunday, I started the trek to the country to deliver the supplies. I plugged in the name of the city in my GPS and headed off. Sure enough, I arrived to the town in the right amount of time. However, the location of the FFF is pretty remote and isn’t on the mapping software on my GPS system. So I drove around looking for Kg Baru in Kundang for about 2.5 hours. I asked for help from the police, the petrol station, the random Indian on a motorbike, nobody knew where this place was. I drove around so much that my own dogs became car sick and I had that to deal with. :( Eventually, I got wise and looked up the long/lat coordinates for the FFF on the internet and plugged that in to my GPS and arrived there at about 4:00 or so.
When we arrived we were greeted by several volunteers at the farm and so many dogs. FFF has well over 100 total dogs and they have over 20 dogs that have been rescued off that despicable island. The state of these dogs is so sad it really makes you reflect on how cruel man can be. These rescued dogs were terrified! Some had had wounds that were open so long they had flesh eating maggots in them (luckily they were treated and healed at a vet before getting to the farm. Some were had physical scars, from being torn up by the mangroves, on their faces and heads. Some were so skinny you could see the bone in their shoulders and back – not to mention ribs. One in particular had his tail tucked permanently between his legs and rolled into a passive position every time somebody even walked near his cage. Those that had been there longer than just a handful of days were starting to mend in body and spirit but were still very sad in their overall demeanor and appearance. It was sincerely one of the saddest experiences of my life. How can a person be so cruel?
Well, after that visit, I had decided that I personally needed to do more for these poor dogs. One of the ways is to let people know – through this blog and other means – of this atrocity and to voice my opinion on how we should treat animals. I think that Earth and all things in and of it were created by God for man’s use and well-being. This would include: plants, trees, fish, cats, dogs, cows, deer, etc. All of these were created by God – no matter what name you may call Him. Because of this, we should view all of these things as blessing from Him and because they are blessings we have the responsibility to treat these blessings with the greatest amount of respect and dignity and to use them prudently and judiciously. Anything else and I think that He will look upon use and unwise stewards of His blessings and goodness.
As I stood there looking at these poor defenseless animals that had been abused so badly, I wondered how God could ever forgive those that caused this thing to happen to His creations. I’m still searching for that answer.
For further reading on the plight of the Pulau Ketam dogs, follow these links:
http://www.mycen.com.my/rescue/ and http://www.mycen.com.my/rescue/updates.html
http://pitch.pummkin.net/
http://dog-rescue-campaign.blogspot.com/
http://remembersheena.blogspot.com/
http://furryfriendsfarm2006.blogspot.com/
http://birdstalkingtoo.blogspot.com/
For further reading on the plight of the Pulau Ketam dogs, follow these links:
http://www.mycen.com.my/rescue/ and http://www.mycen.com.my/rescue/updates.html
http://pitch.pummkin.net/
http://dog-rescue-campaign.blogspot.com/
http://remembersheena.blogspot.com/
http://furryfriendsfarm2006.blogspot.com/
http://birdstalkingtoo.blogspot.com/
