Man Saves Abandoned Dog In Ipoh After Being Heartbroken By The Note It Had In Its Collar
"I broke down in tears."
By May Vin Ang — 03 Apr 2020, 12:28 PM
A man in Ipoh has been hailed a hero by netizens for saving an abandoned dog he found while out on a grocery run
The good samaritan, Lionel Keith Vytialingam, shared on Facebook that he saw the dog running aimlessly in the middle of Jalan Canning Estate in Canning Garden on Sunday, 29 March.
The dog caught his attention because he saw cars and motorcycles blaring their horns and trying their best to avoid it on the road.
Worried, he followed "the little one" in his car before stopping by the side to see if he could help.
Lionel sharing a picture of Jalan Canning Estate where he found the dog.
Image via Lionel Keith Vytialingam/FacebookLionel said he tried not to move to gain the dog's trust and crouched by the side of the road waiting
"Thank goodness, she chose to walk towards me, away from the middle of the road. She had a soggy note folded up and tied around her neck," he wrote, adding that the dog stood away for about 10 minutes to first watch him.
"She finally approached me from the back, sniffed, then walked around to face me. I asked her if I could look at her note.
"By this time she had formed the most intense, most pleading eye contact with me from under her matted fringe," he said, so he unhooked the note and read it there crouched by the roadside.
He was hoping that the dog's owner had left their handphone number or address to contact them by.
To his dismay, the letter confirmed his doubts that the dog, named Siggy by her previous owner, was indeed abandoned
"I broke down in tears," Lionel wrote, while making sure she did not run off by holding onto her sticky knots of fur.
However, in that moment, he knew that he had to bring Siggy home.
"Not because I knew what I was doing, or where to go, but because right then I knew I didn't need to have all the answers before I took a step forward."
So he brought her home, fed her, and showered her.
In his Facebook post, Lionel reminded people to not get a pet unless they were ready to commit
"Do not get a pet unless you are sure your decisions are not governed by mood swings," he urged.
He also told pet owners that they need not resort to abandoning their pets during difficult times.
"Please do not abandon, leave, disown, release, or 'free' your pets onto the streets. Reach out and ask for help, speak up if you're desperate, use the Internet, and maybe call a friend," he suggested.
"This little girl found me, and thank God for that. I still shudder to think of others out there just like her, with or without a note."
In his latest update, Lionel wrote that his brother in Kuala Lumpur has agreed to adopt 5-year-old Siggy after the MCO.
"We've found this little girl a home! Yesterday's tears and fears have brought me to squeals of joy today," he updated happily on Monday, 30 March.
Lionel's post has since been shared 1,900 times and has received over 3,300 reactions, with many people thanking him for his kind deed
"She's gorgeous! You have a beautiful soul, Lionel. Thank you for doing this," said a Facebook user.
Another said, "Thank you for saving her. You are such a good-hearted person. Reading this made my tears drop. God will bless you abundantly."
While this netizen said, "Thank you for saving this furkid. She is lovely and she chose you. She will be a lovely companion for you and family. Shame on her previous owner for letting her go."
