Furry Friends

I wrote this article about two years ago. I was assigned to go cover a pet's day out, and asked to keep it light and lively. Naturally, the moment you tell me to keep it light and lively, I start to constipate over every word (is it light enough? is it lively enough?) But then after writing reams and reams of dross I just buckled down wrote the damn thing. Helped that deadline was near and I am a little intimidated by the editor in question.

I believe in the cause here...Arnold spent some time briefly at the Furry Friends Farm. It really IS a worthwhile charity, especially if you love animals.


There were Jack Russells and Schnauzers, Pomeranians, beagles, large Labradors, border collies, Alsatians and even a few mongrels splashing about in the pool, either having a grand old time or trying desperately to find their way out, while their owners, like parents of reluctant kindergarteners tried to get them to swim, and swim a little more.

The excitement of the humans was natural. It was not every day you were allowed to take your dog to a (relatively) public pool to socialize with all the other pooches. The event, organised by the Dr Dog programme in conjunction with Furry Friends Farm, a no-kill animal sanctuary in Kundang, was to encourage dog owners to take their pets out. In Malaysia, there are not many places that allow pets so this was a refreshing change. Most of the people who started filling the pool with their pets on a lazy Sunday afternoon, had got to hear of this event at Hock Choon on the Terrace from a friend or a friend of a friend.

For instance, Aily Cheong who stood by the side of the pool, clutching her 12-year old Shih Tzu, Sushi, had heard of it from one of her friends at the grooming school. Sushi wasn’t interested in splashing about in the pool. She stayed close to Aily, who didn’t force her to play if she didn’t want to.

“She’s old and besides, she’s pretty scared,” Aily explained. Her other dog, Bobby, a tiny Jack Russell, was not so scared. In fact, he was a hunka hunka burning love, putting the moves on a young beagle, Molly, who repelled his amorous advances, as best she could. Finally, her mistress, plucked the miniature Lothario off her dog, and proceeded to throw Molly into the pool. Molly swam purposefully for shore. Clearly, she was not in the water-loving category.

In fact, the only dog who really seemed to take to the water was Dr Lassie, who was part of the Dr. Dog programme. The sweet-tempered animal couldn’t wait to get into the pool to play fetch with her rubber twig, which owner Pauline Ng kept throwing for her. When Pauline felt that Lassie had been in the water long enough and took her out for a rest, the brown Labrador whimpered softly to let everyone know she wanted to get back into the water.

Dr Kylie, another therapy dog, also a Labrador, was the opposite. She skittered as far away as possible, circling the pool until she came to the ladder blocking her path, and then trying to figure out how to move into reverse. She got stuck at the ladder a few times.

The Dr Dog programme is where dogs, specially selected for their calm tempers and high tolerance level (they don’t snap when you pull their ears, press their paws or pinch their tails) are taken to charity homes to interact with the inmates.

Furry Friends Farm founder Sabrina Yeap said they visit the Amal Murni home in Kajang and the Damansara Utama Methodist Centre once a month for an hour under this programme and the dogs have played a wonderful part in bringing about positive changes in the residents.

“There was a girl with Down’s Syndrome who actually opened up after interacting with the dogs. First she made an effort to move forward and touch the dogs. Then she started talking to people. She talked to the dogs first and contact with them was healing and therapeutic.”

Sabrina, who runs Furry Friends Farm, as a community-based project, is concerned with the way animals are treated in Malaysia. She has started an online petition at www.furryfriendsfarm.org.my to ban the consumption of dogs and cats as well and increase the penalty for cruelty to animals, and aims to collect 10,000 signatures before World Animal Day on October 4.

Basically, Furry Friends Farm is pushing for the increase of the penalty for cruelty to animals from RM200 and six months jail to a minimum fine of RM10,000 and a minimum jail term of two years including compulsory community service to be carried out in an animal shelter for a minimum of four hours a day during the jail term.

Probably the best-known resident of the farm is Joy, a stray mongrel who was found brutally beaten at a construction site in 2006. When Sabrina discovered him, Joy was almost on his last legs, with his broken lower jaw dangling dangerously. Joy’s jaw was so damaged that it had to be removed permanently and today, four years later, even without a lower jaw, he is a happy, healthy and friendly dog who takes a little longer to eat but enjoys his food, nonetheless. The culprits, believed to be the foreign workers on the site, remained unidentified and unpunished.

The event was organised partly to raise funds for the Furry Friends Farm, which now houses 180 dogs and 80 cats, mostly strays which have been rescued in the Klang Valley. The farm is run on donations, sponsorships and contributions and it runs through 80 kgs of rice and 200 eggs a day. So far, they have only managed to rehome 10 dogs and 10 cats, as Sabrina will not foster out the pets to just anybody. They have to prove that they can take care of the animals lovingly, giving them the care they need. And she prefers proper homes, rather than nurseries or factories.

To help raise funds during the event, Yuri Grooming Centre was on hand to groom the wet dogs for a token sum, which would be donated to the farm. The dogs would be shampooed, bathed and blow-dried. Some of them would have their nails clipped. As with the pool, some took to the grooming, better than others.

Eiffel, a golden retriever, closed her eyes in bliss as two groomers worked on drying her coat while one little Schnauzer screamed the place down when they brought her into contact with a hairdryer. She only quietened down when her owner came over and held her while the groomers worked.

A little further on, there were doggie dresses for sale, also to raise funds for the farm. Kevin Ho picked out an outfit for Jingle, his little Shih Tzu who looked contentedly out at the world from her master’s arms, her front hair caught up in a tiny pink ribbon.

She had splashed about happily, been groomed to perfection and was now arrayed in a new dress.

Life couldn’t be better.