How To Participate In The Dr.Dog Programme
The Dr. Dog Programme seeks to change the way Malaysians perceive mongrels. In Malaysia mongrels are badly treated and erroneously believed to be stupid and less capable than a pedigree.
Joy the mongrel, rescued by Furry Friends Farm has proven this theory wrong because Joy has passed all his basic obedience tests and hopes to be Malaysia's first mongrel Dog Scout and a Dr. Dog.
Indonesian workers had beat Joy so badly, branding him "haram" that Joy's lower jaw was crushed and vets had no choice but to remove it. As such Furry Friends Farm would like to dedicate their Dr. Dog Programme to mongrels and mixed breeds only.
So those who are guardians of mongrels and mixed breeds may participate by filling up a form at any of these following outlets before June 9, 2007:
1. Jinjang Hawker Centre, Jalan Jinjang, Kuala Lumpur (Tel: 016 332 0785 - Lucia)
2. Pet First Veterinary Clinic, 14, Jalan Metro Perdana Timur 2, Taman Usahawan Kepong, KL
(Tel: 03 - 6259 5499)
3. Petsafari, Ikano Power Centre, No. 2, Jalan PJU 7-2,(Level 2), Mutiara Damansara,47800 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.Tel: +603-7724 1578
Only short-listed candidates will be notified by telephone to bring in their dogs for a simple examination at Pet Safari at 4 pm on June 9, 2007. This number will be further short-listed to only a few dogs which will participate in going over to select children and old folks homes for animal assisted therapy.
Only upon selection, the guardians of the dogs will need to pay RM5 to participate in the Programme.
posted by Shoba @ 1:07 PM
16 Comments:
At 11:32 PM,
talk3talk4 said…
I have 3 stray mongrel bitches and
a Dalmatian. Mongrel are just as lovable and intelligent-I vouch for
it. The episode of Joy really change the way I felt for animals.
My children shed tears of pain for
Joy, they are animal's lover.
For all your suffering, Joy, I hope that the Dr. Dog programme will be a success.
At 11:34 AM,
Shoba said…
Amen. Thank you so much, Robert. We need all your prayers for these beautiful and intelligent animals.
At 11:36 AM,
Shoba said…
Hope your children will participate in the contests we are holding to celebrate the launch of the Dr. Dog programme and opening of Furry Friends Farm.
At 11:41 PM,
Më| §zë said…
I wish I had my dog here in KL. I'm a student studying here, and I am not allowed pets in the condo. But if there is anything else I could do, maybe if you tell me, I'll try my best to help.
Good luck in the Dr. Dog program. We need more people like you.
At 12:40 AM,
fuzzyphoebe said…
I am really happy that the Dr Dog programme is becoming a reality and I had always wanted to share my dog's enthusiasm for people, especially to the less fortunate. However, mine is a pure breed english cocker spaniel and won't be qualified for this programme. I sincerely hope you will open this programme to pure breeds too in the near future as they too can be a bundle of joy. Please let me know how else can I participate in the meantime.
At 2:44 PM,
expatanimalrescue said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
At 3:24 PM,
expatanimalrescue said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
At 6:01 PM,
Shoba said…
Hi Everyone,
Thank you all for your enthusiasm over Furry Friends Farm's launch of the Dr. Dog Programme in Malaysia.
I'll do my best to answer all your questions:
1. You can help by just coming over to Central Park on June 9th. If you have kids or nephews, nieces, please enrol them for the Children's Art competition.
If you can't participate, just be there to support the event and listen to Jill and Sabrina talk about the vision they have for animals.
There will be a short play on animals performed by the children of the internationally acclaimed Operafest.
Bring your dogs along if you like.
2. Pedigrees are not allowed to participate only for the time being. You must understand that FFF and RSC's goals are and always have been EDUCATION TO STOP ANIMAL ABUSE.
It is the only way to stop the abuse of animals. Just rescuing and re-homing them is dealing with the sympthoms of the disease of apathy and does not go to the source to cure it.
So FFF and RSC want to do everything possible to change the mindset of Malaysian society towards strays, mongrels and mixed breeds first.
We have nothing against pedigrees. In fact they are being abused too. There are too many pet shops out there buying from seedy and unscrupulous breeders just to make a fast buck. In Malaysia there are no laws to regulate breeders.
So you will find poor pedigree dogs caged for years simply to breed and their puppies later down the line suffering hip and joint problems. Just talk to vets they will tell you how rampant this problem is.
But until we get more venues on board for our Canine Doctors to visit, we shall first start with mongrels and mixed breeds and education literature about strays to educate people that it is better to adopt from an animal shelter or rescue groups than to buy a pedigree from the pet shops.
The more we buy the more we encourage these breeders to carry on unscrupulous breeding.
At 12:12 AM,
Unknown said…
Kudos to Sabrina, FFM and the Dr. Dog programme. I would really like to participate if and when the programme comes to Penang.
At 11:45 AM,
Shoba said…
Yes, Wendy. God willing, the Dr. Dog programme will spread all over Malaysia and the world.
Please keep up on what is happening with the programme through RSC's blog.
At 2:48 AM,
Chloe said…
Mongrels are not erroneously believed to be stupid or less capable than pedigrees. That is not the perception that has made them unwanted. Mongrels are treated badly because they have behaviorial traits that make them 'unlovable' and hence, less than ideal as housepets. Plus, they are not good looking. In a status conscious society like Malaysia, this works against them. Now I know what I've said so far is probably going to cause a hue and cry but those are the facts. Many mongrel owners will beg to differ but if you dig for the truth, you will find that their mongrels have problems. Fact is, 9 out of 10 of these dogs have genes that are shot through rampant breeding. They turn out aggressive, unsociable, temperamental, overtly dominant, exhibit jealousy and possessiveness or unfounded fear leading to defensive behaviour and will bite humans and other dogs alike, without provocation. Most dont even know how to play even as puppies, and that's a sure sign of it growing up into a grumpy mean spirited adult dog. And don’t be so quick to blame abuse as the cause for this behaviour. I have seen loving owners who bottle feed abandoned puppies only to have them grow up and turn on these owners, even as that owner is patting the dog or feeding it. This is not to say that all mongrels cannot be trusted, I have seen friendly ones in my time (and believe me, I have mixed around with dogs long enough to know what I am talking about) but the odds of finding a happy, easy-going, well adjusted mongrel is slim. A mongrel may have passed its obedience test such as Sit, Come, Stay etc but that does not cure it of its quirks. Then again, I think you probably know that for yourselves. That's why you want to screen your applicants and put them through an evaluation test first before admitting them into the programme. I am not trying to put a damper on Dr Dog, I think it's a valiant idea but it's going to be an uphill climb. I am not saying that all pedigrees are wonderful either, some are also aggressive and have behavioral problems but chances are, you can find congenial, even tempered pedigrees a lot faster and in larger numbers than you can get congenial mongrels. Plus, they are better looking and will often elicit the kind of instant love and bonding your programme needs. You dont want your patients or children recoiling from the dog. I commend you for your effort in trying to elevate the status of the mongrel and would love to participate in your programme. However, mine are golden retrievers. They are not just any golden retriever from off the block but are exceptionally calm, having been born that way. Furthermore, they are obedience-trained to a very high level and can also dance to music, (mine are probably the only dancing golden retrievers in Malaysia) do tricks and entertain old folks and children while withstanding hefty amounts of patting, petting, cuddling, kissing and spectator adoration without once losing their cool. Do let me know if and when you open your doors to pedigrees as I would love to help.
At 9:44 AM,
Shoba said…
Thanks Chloe for sharing your views. I'm sure you must have your own wealth of experience with dogs. But the Dr. Dog programme is not a pilot project. It has been around since 1991 and is now very successfully run in 6 countries in Asia - Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Japan, India and the Philippines.
Animals Asia Foundation which runs these programmes have a wealth of records to show how all dogs whether pedigrees, mongrels, mixed breeds, have been great Dr. Dogs.
If Jill Robinson has approved Furry Friends Farm's acceptance of mongrels and mixed breeds only for the initial stage of Dr. Dog then surely there is no doubt that mongrels and mixed breeds are up for the task.
FFF plans to open to pedigrees too later when there are more venues open to us such as schools and hospitals. For now the plan is only to allow mongrels and mixed breeds to participate.
I'm afraid FFF and RSC don't share your view that "looking good" is a criteria for social acceptance.
If that is the mentality of a social concious society then that mentality is wrong and we should stamp it out.
Just like glamour magazines are forever showing us skinny is beautiful doesn't mean we should encourage our daughters to turn aneroxic. It is one image of beauty but not the yardstick that everyone should abide by.
The mongrels are beautiful just as pedigrees are beautiful. I've seen mongrels picked up by rescuers who look frightening with sores, etc. but after months of love and good care they look as beautiful as any pedigree.
Joy is one of them. He was horrible to look at, being skin and bones and jaw and tongue dangling and smells, but his beauty today is much more precious because his inner beauty clearly shines, like someone who has been through the fire and come out victorious.
There are people and animals who are simple and unassuming on the outside (whom others might even consider ugly on the outside) but you just can't help being drawn to them because of their inner beauty.
If you have ever been to poverty stricken areas here and abroad you will find such people and animals. Even the camera is able to capture their inner beauty.
My own cats looked terrible when I rescued them from the drain. Today everyone comments on how beautiful they are and want to touch them.
I hope you understand what we are saying. Hope you and your dogs can join us on the 9th. :)
At 2:56 PM,
Deborah Ng said…
Hey,
I was so happy and excited to hear about Dr Dog :) I firmly believe that animals have a special way of touching hearts and bringing healing to people.
What time does the launch start on June 9th?
I have a very people friendly mongrel that my friends picked up from the drain as a puppy. Now he's living like a king at home.
Dogs are really wonderful. I believe that you will have much support from Malaysians for this programme.
At 3:06 PM,
Deborah Ng said…
Hi Shoba,
If a dog is selected, will the owner be handling him/her at the children/old folks home?
At 8:44 AM,
Shoba said…
Hi Deborah,
Such a joy to hear that you share our enthusiasm and vision. Thank you for your kind words.
To your question, "yes, the guardian will be required to come along with the Dr. Dog (selected dog) on visits. (We prefer to use the word "guardian" rather than "owner").
The guardian can appoint anyone else who the dog feels comfortable with to take the Dr. Dog if he can't take him.
The Dr. Dogs are given cute scarfs and name tags. They all look so official and "oh, soooooo cute" with them.
At 8:45 AM,
Shoba said…
Please refer to my latest blog for information on what's happening on that day.
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