CLOSE to 40 volunteers – men and women of all races and faiths, young and old as well as dog-loving children and even a “Datuk” – arrived at the flood-hit K9 Cottage in Hulu Langat in the last two days.
They had one aim in mind – to put the centre’s Dr Dog Programme back on the road again.
The volunteers including expats came to help after former banker and dog-lover Muhammad Salehin Ibrahim’s plight was featured by several media portals including The Vibes – highlighting large-scale damage to his K9 Cottage when floodwaters ravaged the centre on December 18.
Among the volunteers was Grace Yeap, Salehin’s former colleague in CIMB and a passionate animal lover. Also present was Salehin’s former compatriot in the banking fraternity, Saifol Bahri Mohammad Shamlan.
Saifol told The Vibes it was indeed a heartening way to start the New Year with so many Malaysians from all walks of life coming together to help put K9 Cottage together again.
“Yeap is an animal lover. When she heard of Salehin's call for help, she got into action from day one,” said Saifol.
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“Yeap is one of the earliest volunteers who came to Salehin’s aid since the floods hit the dog station. One of the things she did was to arrange for the transportation of plastic pallets from Johor Baru to the K-9 Cottage in Hulu Langat.”
He said Yeap organised a team of four-wheel-drive owners who transported the pallets to the K-9 Cottage.
“The pallets were used as flooring to pad the wet ground that was a messy quagmire since the floods,” said Saifol.
He said the assistance rendered by the volunteers is a reflection of the “Keluarga Malaysia”, “Satu Malaysia” and the “Kita Jaga Kita” concept all put together and embraced by Malaysians.
“Such unity in coming together to assist a distressed fellow-Malaysian proves that sloganeering alone is not enough but it is the action that speaks louder than words.”
He said people came dressed for heavy lifting work and wearing boots and sneakers in preparation for the hard work.
“In the last two days, Chinese, Malays, Indians and folks from the expat community too came to help with the clean-up and responded by offering donations to this good cause.
“So far plenty of earth and debris at the back of K9 Cottage near the river has been cleared but there is still plenty of work to be done. What K-9 Cottage needs quickly is a temporary fence around its perimeter.
“This is to help prevent the dogs from wandering out and being attacked by unfriendly neighbours. I believe more volunteers will be arriving in the next few days and the coming weekend,” added Saifol.
Mohammad Salehin is the coordinator of the Dr Dog Programme Malaysia which is an animal-assisted therapy concept that originated in Hong Kong.
Speaking to The Vibes today, Salehin said the programme is a growing field that harnesses the presence of dogs and other animals to help people recover from or better cope with health problems like heart disease, cancer, children with autism and geriatric patients in nursing homes.
“I am very grateful to the many volunteers who have come to help. However, the clearing up job and putting the place together is ongoing. It will take some time before K9 Cottage is fully repaired and operational again.”
Those who wish to volunteer to help Salehin and his dogs get back on the road again or wish to contribute funds may contact him at 011-14828717. Monetary donations can be deposited at his CIMB account 8001330075 (Reference: K9 Cottage Rebuild). – The Vibes, January 10, 2022
