M'sians Rescue Puppies From "Moving" Gunny Sacks & Are Now Looking For A New Home For Them
The rescuer hoped that members of the public will adopt the puppies instead of focusing on finding the perpetrator.
By Yap Wan Xiang — 12 Jun 2023, 06:33 PM
A group of friends rescued two puppies after spotting a security guard carrying gunny bags that appeared to be "moving" at a commercial building in Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Describing the rescue mission as "dramatic" due to crowdfunding, vet visits, neighbours' complaints, and eviction, they are now searching for adopters willing to provide the dogs with a new home.
The story of the dogs being rescued was first highlighted by one of the rescuers, who wishes to be known only by her initial S, on her personal Instagram page before My Forever Doggo, a platform dedicated to connecting adopters to dog shelters, shared the news with its followers last Saturday, 10 June.
Speaking to SAYS, S said that her friend, known only as J, spotted a security guard carrying two gunny bags that were "moving" under her commercial building in Bandar Sunway on 23 May.
J was in her building when she suddenly saw the act unfolding at the entrance of a car park, and quickly whipped out her phone to record it.
She then hurried to the scene to investigate the contents of the bags, fearing that there were live animals inside.
It turned out that her fear was true. J found two puppies in separate bags that were tied with zip locks.
"When she confronted the security guard, he looked lost as he mentioned that he had just changed shifts and saw the bags moving towards the main road. Therefore, he dragged them back to the corner," S related.
"None of us witnessed the guards tie up the dogs. When she saw them (the dogs) as per the video, they were already tied up in the bags.
"We have no proof who did it and no idea if the guards were lying or speaking the truth," she said.
S told SAYS that while addressing animal abuse is important, her intention is to find a new home for the puppies.
Since she and her friends lack evidence, efforts should not be focused on finding the perpetrator.
Alternatively, S contended there was a broader issue of ongoing construction projects in Bandar Sunway that are contributing to the increasing number of stray dogs.
She suggested for developers to consider working with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to neuter and release the strays.
When J rescued the puppies, she saw one of them was not moving for a while and thought that it might have died
She then drove to a friend's house, known as CL, in Subang Jaya to contemplate their next course of action.
"The dogs were smelly and traumatised by the bag incident and had peed and pooped out of fear all over themselves," S recounted.
"J and CL had to give them a quick rinse. After they were done, they tried feeding them, but both of the pups just looked down the whole time and did not dare to lift their heads up.
"They did not eat anything until many hours later. We knew it would take some time before we could get them adopted. So, I tried crowdfunding with my personal Instagram account, sharing the story with close friends and family to help out with the expenses for the pups.
"We suspected the pups were still very young but we are not sure how 'young'. We found out later from my vet that they were only about two months old."
While at the veterinary, the dogs, whom they named Chocolate (female) and Cookie (male), were given a seven-in-one vaccination. They also underwent deworming, defleaing, and a distemper and parvovirus test.
Chocolate and Cookie stayed at CL's house for a few days, but the cries made by the dogs became intolerable to her neighbours, who started sending angry messages to the residents' group chat
"They also accused CL and her family of torturing the dogs as they were whining every night.
"The group chat conversations were getting very heated and we did not want to escalate that situation, we had no choice but to relocate the pups.
"We moved the pups to my old house in Petaling Jaya, which was vacant at that moment, and I had just spoken to my old neighbour and found out they were on a family vacation. We had the puppies there for five days before we managed to get them to join Aunty Aileen from My Pets Haven (an independent animal shelter and adoption centre)," S said.
Before they found My Pets Haven, they paid about RM800 for a pet boarding facility that would accommodate the strays.
But when it came to the day for check-in, the pet boarding facility was evicted from their premises, giving S, J, and CL another round of hurdles.
Thankfully, J shared that Aunty Aileen from My Pets Haven responded to her pleas and decided to take in Chocolate and Cookie. Despite the adoption center already being packed with dogs, Aunty Aileen was moved by the puppies' ordeal and chose to provide them with shelter.
They managed to recuperate the money given to the first pet boarding facility, and with the funds they collected, it is expected that the puppies can seek shelter at My Pets Haven for up to three months.
S wished that by sharing the puppies' story, more people will come forward to adopt them
"The puppies are doing great at My Pets Haven at the moment.
"With the care of Aunty Aileen and her magic with dogs, they are more and more open to humans now!
"They are starting to learn how to trust again. They are both very good dogs looking for a chance in life, and we sincerely hope that we are able to find them good homes," she said.
