PETPOSITIVE: Hot On The Vampire Trail

HAUNTED HOUSE UPDATE:

It appears as if those nasty ghoulies are more elusive than we first thought!

After having learnt that an army of Petpositive's intrepid disabled ghost busters - armed only with white canes and sign language - had planned to storm into Count Dracula's castle in order to drive a stake right through his bloody soaked heart on the 3rd of December next Tuesday, the night creatures vanished into thin air, it seems!

However, not to worry folks because Petpositive has got hot on their evil trail again.

Little do those unsuspecting demons realise that on the Thursday, 6th of December, the blind and Deaf participants will be back to torment them.

Guys, if you believe all this, you'll believe anything!

See you on the 6th then at 8pm. Please note that only invited members of Petpositive will be exempted the costs of tickets - along with their stipulated volunteer assistant.

Anyone else who dares to turn up that evening will have to pay the full fare for their tickets to participate.

The Petpositive vampire slayers for the night are Captain Abdul Karim Stuart Russell and Fasidah Sabeh.

They would like participants to come simply dressed as there will be adventures where they will have to crawl in and out walls and also on the floor.

For further information, click on WEREWOLF.

Enjoy! aNt :)

Horses To Join Petpositive's Party This Sunday

PETPOSITIVE BREAKING NEWS!

Two extra animals, a full-grown horse and a pony will join Petpositive and Hanuman Temple at our Deepavali Party in Brickfields this Sunday!

The animals which are coming from Melaka will meet their fellow comrades, one monkey, four peacocks, several dogs - including a German-imported, fully-trained schutzhund and a cat.

Some of these pets will accompany the disabled and the elderly who wish to take part in the brief animal-blessing ceremony at the temple.

"Although there will be a brief temple blessing for those interested to take part, the rest of the events are purely non religious," said Hanuman Temple Treasurer and Organiser Suresh Maniam to PET+BLOGSPOT recently.

"We are praying for good weather so that many will enjoy our high-tea party, especially the children who will be able to go on a pony ride in order to interact with animals," he concluded.

Kindly note that participation of humans and animals is by invitation only. For more information, please contact Suresh 012 375 7215 or aNt from Petpositive at 012 220 3146.

The Petpositive Team who will be there at your service are Dr P Vanaja (veterinarian), Captain Abdul Karim Stuart Russell (Adviser), Fasidah Sabeh (Committee Member), Lynda Merican (Special Events Coordinator), Nishi Pyara Lall (Petpositive volunteer) and aNt (President).

For those on the invitation list, see you Sunday.

For more information click HERE.

End

The Radio Interview - Captain Karim's View

PETPOSITIVE'S Special Adviser Lynda Merican (Pix two) and Society President Anthony Thanasayan (Pix three) got interviewed on TraxxFM recently about the first animal-assisted therapy activity in the country.

Petpositive's Adviser Captain Abdul Karim Stuart Russell (In cowboy hat, pix one) heard the entire 45-minute interview live on national radio.

He was apparently quite impressed with the radio show. His only complaint, he later told PET+BLOGSPOT was the lousy reception condition he always gets of TraxxFM in Seremban where he resides with his family.

Here now is his review of the programme which he submitted to this blog:

Traxx101 fm Petpositive Live Interview Review
by Captain AKS Russell

Listeners to TraxxFM on Thursday 15 November 2007 from 11:15am to 12:00 noon were treated to an enjoyable, informative and well-articulated interview conducted by Traxx 101 host ‘Jezza’ (With sexy sunglasses and jacket, pix four) who is, in my opinion, a radio personality of international standard.

Jezza had, as is always the case, done his homework and was able to conduct the interview in a lively way which was entertaining, jovial and informative. I also must add that having being involved in an interview with him in the past; Jezza has the innate ability and charm to put even his most nervous guests at ease.

The interviewees were Petpositive member Lynda Merican and Petpositive Chairman Anthony Thanasayan, each spoke eloquently and knowledgeably about the Petpositive organised half day outing to the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) in Kepong, Selangor, as well as gave a wealth of information about Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) in general.

Lynda was the organiser of the event, which was a resounding success, and Anthony, amongst other things, arranged for the participation of persons with various disabilities who ranged from teenagers to octogenarians.

Lynda and Anthony explained the rationale behind the outing and the benefits which all the participants, including the able-bodied volunteers which included some pupils from Sekolah Sri Garden in Kuala Lumpur, had gained from the morning event in the beautiful natural surroundings at FRIM.

The animals that were fortunate to be chosen to attend had a fantastic time too; these were dogs, rabbits, a cat and some wild frogs. The latter had been collected overnight in the forests at FRIM by a team which included Lynda. The frogs were well taken care of and were released back in to nature after the event concluded.

On behalf of Petpositive, we are most grateful to TraxxFM and especially to Jezza, for giving Petpositive the opportunity to inform their listeners about our recent excursion to FRIM.

The End.

MPDA Vice-President On Valentina Project

THE MALAYSIAN PARKINSON'S DISEASE ASSOCIATION (MPDA) in Kuala Lumpur continues to be one of Petpositive's strongest supporters.

Engineer Sivaraman Kannan (left), who is not only Vice-President of the MPDA but also a member of Petpositive took part in our now epoch-making animal-assisted therapy activity at the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia, last month.

Siva, who turns 70 years old next May, has had Parkinson's disease for almost 12 years. He was one of Petpositive's official photographers for the event, a service he very kindly offered free of charge.

The MPDA VP wrote earlier today to share with PET+BLOGSPOT what he thought about the whole event and what it meant to him.

Here now is his letter in full:

AN UNEXPECTED OUTING TO REMEMBER

Story by Sivaraman Kannan. Photos by Ruwaidy Mat Rasul.


I got an invitation from Anthony to join the Petpositive group for a day outing at the FRIM Botanical Gardens in Kepong.

I gladly accepted the golden opportunity and at daybreak on Tuesday, 30th October, started my journey from Kajang to Kepong.

I had to leave early because I had to negotiate through a few traffic congested areas and I was not quite sure of the route to the Gardens.

Though Anthony sent a location guide in his e-mail, my computer went kaput and I could not print it out. I tried to make a sketch of the map but the shaking of my hand due to my condition was so bad that I could not read my own writing!

So I left early to be on time with my sketchy sketch map and headed for FRIM.

I reached the main entrance of the FRIM complex and it turned out that the Botanical Gardens was further away. The guard was so helpful that he even got another guard to lead me to the Garden on his motorbike because oral directions were complicated!

I was under the impression that we were going for a normal stroll in the gardens and was surprised that a jungle-trekking event was on the main programme!

I was even more surprised when the participants started arriving. There were people not only on wheelchairs but prams also. There was this group of blind people and another group of Deaf people.

Though we had groups with various disabilities and at the first glance very, very unsuitable for jungle-trekking, the enthusiasm and expectation written on their faces had to be seen and cannot be described in words.

After the registration and other formalities were completed, we were separated into two groups. The first group went jungle-trekking while the second group was briefed on the work done by the FRIM landscaping team led by the organisation's horticulturist Mr Elango Velautham.

There were many volunteers around to help and assist the participants.

We also had a few animals to join us. We had one cat, two rabbits , three frogs and four dogs!

Surprisingly the dogs and cats were very well behaved in each others' presence.

There were lots of food and drinks for all. After the briefing, we went on the jungle-trek route.

Frankly I expected a route on fairly level area going around the plants and bushes around the lakes. I was pleasantly surprised when the trek actually entered a jungle, albeit a man-made on at that, the product of Mr. Elango’s fine team.

If not for the concrete pathway, the jungle did not look man-made at all.

My congratulations to Mr. Elango and his team for a job well planned and done. This is the only place where people with movement disabilities can get a glimpse of our jungles and forests with reasonably easy access.

We had our lunch and the group photography sessions before ending a very unusual and enjoyable day.

Thank you Anthony and your team for the wonderful day!

PS: Just a few suggestions about the jungle-track itself:

• Please have it more often.



• The walking patients need a rest area every 200 to 300 metres where they can sit.



• The concrete pathway should have a kerb on the side facing a fall in ground level. Wheelchair patients may topple over if the wheels go over the side of the concrete pathway.



• In the jungle-trek route, have regular level areas where slow patients can rest while allowing others to proceed without hindrance.



• For the jungle trekking, have at least TWO volunteer helpers for every wheelchair patient instead of one. The slopes can be tricky especially if it is wet. The strain can be too much for one caregiver or volunteer to push a patient up hill .

End.

A Familiar Face In The Petpositive Committee

PETPOSITIVE IS PLEASED to announce a new face in our Executive Committee.

Fasidah Sabeh, 51, was unanimously appointed as a Committee Member at our Petpositive meeting yesterday.

It was held at the Parkinson's Club in Old Klang Road, Kuala Lumpur.

Idah, as we fondly know her, replaces Dr Malinee Thambyayah, a paediatric neurologist, who resigned in July owing to personal family commitments.

Idah, who was born in a Negeri Sembilan village, not far from the Royal Town of Sri Menanti is a housewife and mother of three grown up children.

She is also a superb cook and baker.

Apart from her normal busy schedule at home, she spends a lot of time helping the disabled and the elderly by being active in Petpositive, as well as another charitable organisation called the Support Group Society for the Blind of Malaysia or Supporteam.

Her husband is originally from England, but has lived and worked in Malaysia for over 31 years.

So, on behalf of the rest of our Petpositive team, let me say, "Welcome Idah to the Petpositive family!"

For more information on what transpired at our Petpositive committee meeting yesterday, be sure to keep it right here.

aNt :)

Dr P Vanaja Attending A Talk To Animals Workshop In Australia!

A MESSAGE FROM DR P VANAJA

Hi folks,

I am currently in Australia, among others, attending a two-day workshop on telepathic communication with animals.

I have always been a firm believer that animals are more than what meets the eye and this workshop will be such a privilege for me to get introduced to the wonderful silent language of animals.

At the Perth Zoo I will be given the opportunity of communicating with some of the captive wild animals as well as with my own special animals companions.

Participants have been requested to bring as many photos of each of their current animals friends, or the ones we wish to talk to that we know very well.

We will be given amazing insights into the thoughts and feelings of the many animals we encounter. We were asked to attend the workshop with an open mind and a healthy respect for animals as sentient creatures.

I am feeling a new heightened awareness of animals that share this planet with us.

Our animals friends will open up so many avenues for the disabled and the elderly to express themselves. It is going to be an exciting time for PETPOSITIVERS (if there is such a word)

The speaker at our workshop is Trisha McCagh. Trisha is an internationally acclaimed Animal Communicator and Teacher and can translate the silent language of all animals.

To find out more, please click on her website.

I can't wait to get back and share my experience with all of you through our Pet+Blogspot so do please keep it right here!

Dr Vanaja

Committee Member

Petpositive

Petpositive Visits The Dark Side

PETPOSITIVE BREAKING NEWS!

DEMONS, GHOULS EVERYWHERE!

LAST NIGHT three astoundingly gutsy (and quite naive) Petpositivians risked their all to confront ghosts, blood-slurping vampires and evil warlords!

Why on earth for? Just so that some of the Society's members can have a real scream on Fright Night on world disabled day next month.

Petpositive's Adviser Captain Abdul Karim Stuart Russell, soon-to-be-Committee Member Fasidah Sabeh and aNt checked out the haunted mansion in SS17 in Petaling Jaya.

aNt chickened out at the last minute. This left Capt Karim and Idah to brave the demons by themselves.

After climbing a flight of stairs and no sooner had they entered into the Devil's lair when they were suddenly attacked by night creatures from all sides.

Here are some of the pictures Capt Karim took as he fought hard to save Idah from the haunted house that was crawling with all sorts of creepy characters.

[For more information, please CLICK HERE]

[For the latest, CLICK HERE]

The End

Want A Good Scare On World Disabled Day?

WE'VE really done it this time, folks!

It appears as if the Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association have gone absolutely bonkers.

PETPOSITIVE is taking more than two dozen disabled persons to a haunted house in Petaling Jaya early next month. Our mission? To scare the living daylights out of our handicapped guests!

The only animals that will probably be around are vampire bats.

And how "more sadistic" can we be than to do this on International Disabled Day?

The fright night will start about 8.30pm. That is about the same time too when pontianaks start to roam the earth in search of their unsuspecting victims.

The disabled who will be taking part in the one hour event are mainly blind and Deaf individuals.

Why won't the physically disabled be present? Let's face it folks, even the ghosts and ghouls have yet to get their act together by providing wheelchair-friendly facilities in their haunted mansion.

The haunted house that we're talking about where creatures of the night will all be lurking in is at the third floor of Wisma Di Corp which is located at Jalan SS17/1A, Subang Jaya.

The owner, Christine C. Kumar has promised lots of chills, spills and ear piercing screams in a place with 20,800 sq ft. There will be mazes that take its unwary travellers round and round, shifting walls and even holes in them where participants will have to crawl in and out of.

The event on December 3 is fully sponsored for the disabled by Christine Kumar's group. Admission for the handicapped is by invitation only through Petpositive. Please contact aNt at 012 220 3146 if you are disabled and would like to participate.

The Event Coordinators from Petpositive are Captain Abdul Karim Stuart Russell and Lynda Merican.

In the meantime, the haunted house's hours are daily from 8pm until 1am. The last day for the witching hour will be on Dec 9 next month.

Tickets are priced at RM20 for adults and RM5 for children aged below 12. For more details, call 03-5635 2459.

CLICK HERE for more information.

End

POSITIVE LIVES! Newsletter, Final Page

HI FOLKS! Here is the fourth instalment and final page of POSITIVE LIVES! Newsletter for your reading pleasure.

PETPOSITIVE is most grateful to Mr Tan Teik Poh of K-9 Pets Sdn Bhd and Diamond Pet Foods in Penang for printing 2000 copies for us free-of-charge.

His support will go a long way in helping us raise awareness about the immeasurable benefits of animal-assisted therapy in the lives of the disabled and the elderly in the country following the phenomenal success of our Valentina Project at the Kepong Botanical Gardens recently.

If you want extra copies of our PLN in order to distribute to our target groups or other key persons who will be helpful to Petpositive in future, kindly contact us at 012 220 3146 (aNt) or mailto:petpositive@yahoo.com

Kindly note that the current PLN is our July - September 07 issue. Our October - December 07 issue will be out in January 2008. Work on that PLN, which is also being sponsored by K-9 Pets and Diamond Pet Foods, will start in December next month.

Once again, Petpositive is PROUD to present POSITIVE LIVES! for your reading pleasure.

Enjoy everybody!

STORY ONE:

COMING UP IN OCTOBER: A Jungle Walk With Our Pets And Other Animals. May include a surprise visit from a VVIP!

Hey, what’s going on here?
Petpositive taking us all on a jungle trek with our pets?
Get outta here!

Some of the intrepid gang who went on a fact-finding excursion to check out the area. (The man with the cowboy hat is NOT Garth Brooks but Capt Karim.)

Not satisfied, a second trip was made to scrutinize the landscape and check for wheelchair-friendly conveniences.

Pet+ volunteers Sally Addington & Lynda Merican discussed with FRIM experts Elango and Norsham about issues to the latter.

Leave no stone unturned.

Especially in the loo!

With everything finished it was off—by car—to the nearest watering hole for ice-cream!

Our outing in FRIM will be made possible by a donation by the Association of British Women of Malaysia. The excursion will be led by Pet+ Special Adviser Lynda Merican.
During our walk, will we get to encounter these lovely creatures?

STORY TWO:

CAT CALL

HERE’S A BAFFLING tale to tell of a truly incredible cat: A cat in a US nursing home is said to be able to sense when its residents will die.
And the phenomenon is greatly puzzling doctors in Rhode Island where the nursing home is located.

“Oscar” the feline has a habit of curling up next to the residents in their final hours.
According to the New England Journal of Medicine, the two-year-old cat has got it right in 25 cases so far.

So much so that the staff of the home now alert families of residents when he sits down next to their ailing loved one.

Oscar was adopted as a kitten at the nursing and rehabilitation centre.
The cat is said to do its rounds just like the doctors and nurses at the home, but is not generally friendly to the patients.

When put outside the room by their relatives, Oscar is said to pace up and down, meowing in protest— BBC ONLINE.

Oscar the cat

“Cats often can sense when their owners are sick or when another animal is ill”
- Thomas Graves, Feline Expert.

STORY THREE:

LOCAL COUNCILS MUST BE SENSITIVE TOWARDS THE ELDERLY AND THEIR PETS

The incident, which received wide coverage in the media, carried PET+’S call on all local councils to exercise great sensitivity when relating to the elderly — especially in cases where AAT was obviously at work in the lives of older persons.

PET+ subsequently took part in two animal forums related to the dog killings and other forms or cruelty to animals in Malaysia.

The first was held in Sept 2006 at the Pure Life Society, KL with Pet+ adviser Dr Chandra Muzaffar speaking on the topic of “Animals and Islam.”

Dr Muzaffar enlightened the audiences as to how very caring the teaching of Islam is towards animals of all kinds, including dogs.

The second event was at the SPCA Seremban forum in December 2006 in which the role of guide and service dogs for the disabled was highlighted.

CLICK FOR PAGE ONE


CLICK FOR PAGE THREE





End

MALAY MAIL: Disabled Want Jobs; Not Charity

Saturday, November 17 2007

Disabled want jobs not charity KALBANA PERIMBANAYAGAM

EMPLOYERS are reluctant to hire handicapped people because they have doubts about their abilities, said several groups representing the disabled yesterday. Many of them requested employers to change their perception.

National Council for the Blind assistant executive director Moses Choo said most disabled people are unemployed not be cause they are incapable but because employers have no confidence in them. “Even at the start of an interview, disabled applicants are given signs of rejection.

“For instance, the first question an interviewer often asks is ‘how will you come to work’ and not whether we can do the job.

“Isn’t that discrimination? Why should society have a negative perception of the disabled?” he asked. Choo said sometimes a disabled person can work better because they learn things faster than others.

“Many organisations do not provide necessary facilities to accommodate the disabled. I think the government has to play a role to encourage corporate companies to employ disabled workers,” he said.

Choo also said that with the recent call by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on the matter, he hopes corporate bigwigs would not just offer employment to the disabled as a charity but because they can do the job.

Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy Association president Anthony Thanasayan also felt the disabled in the country are `handicapped’ because they are not given an opportunity to prove themselves.

“It’s unbelievable, but it’s true that a disabled person makes a better worker. This is because the disabled know how it’s like not to have a job.

“The handicapped often receive the short end of the stick. To add to the frustration, the government is not helping to portray a positive image of the handicapped,” he said.

Thanasayan said most disabled people who make it to the media are outstanding achievers.“What about those who are able to do the job? Give them a chance,” he said.

The government and media are giving mixed interpretations to the public by asking corporate bigwigs to employ them, and on the other hand portray a poor image when it comes to the frontline.

“At present, knowing an employed disabled person is rare. But with the Prime Minister’s call, I hope many disabled people will get a decent job,” he added.

Penang’s St Nicholas Home for the Blind executive director Ooi Choo Khoon shared the same sentiments.

Ooi felt employers should change their mindset when it comes to hiring a disabled person.“Not all of them are incapable of working or being productive. Most disabled are well trained and blend well with others, but they are not given the chance by certain employers,” he said.

The three were responding to a recent call by the Prime Minister to encourage large companies to hire the disabled.

In an English daily yesterday, Abdullah referred to an example of a capable woman who was a newscaster, but initially she could not get long-term employment because she was wheelchair-bound.

He said Malaysians should adopt a caring culture where those who need help can be certain they will receive help.

Petpositive Updates

PETPOSITIVE QUICK UPDATES:

1. PETPOSITIVE is being interviewed by The Jezza (Above) TraxxFM on Thursday, Nov 15, 2007. The name of the show is Traxx 101. The time: 11.15am - 12noon. If you are logging in to this Blog for the first time, welcome to you! Please feel free to add in your comments at the bottom of this blog or take part in our animal-assisted therapy poll on the right side of this page. For details about the radio interview, click HERE



2. The invitation list for our Deepavali Party in Kuala Lumpur is filling up fast. We still have a few more names of the disabled and elderly that we can still include. Please send your details to petpositive@yahoo.com Click HERE for more details.



3. There has been a slight delay in obtaining our print copies of our POSITIVE LIVES! Newsletter. Instead of being available on Thursday, it will now only around this weekend. If you would like to have a copy sent to you, kindly give us your details. Also if you would like to help us distribute copies to some key persons who will be helpful to Petpositive's goal and vision, email us your contact too at the address above. You can also SMS 012 220 3146 (aNt) Click HERE for details. Positive Lives! is fully sponsored by K-9 Pets Sdn Bhd and Diamond Pet Foods.

CLICK HERE for Wheel Power on Petpositive's Valentina Project.

POSITIVE LIVES! NEWSLETTER PAGE 3

BUT FIRST, don't forget: Tune in to TraxxFM on Thursday to hear Petpositive's 'live' interview about our Valentina Project on October 30, 2007. DETAILS.

Here now is Petpositive's Positive Lives! Page 3. Click HERE for Page 2. Click HERE for Page 4.

Enjoy!

PAGE 3

Story One:

THE ROAD TO THE LEGEND HOTEL: Tough But Rewarding

WITH 750 invitation cards printed and only 60-days till show-time; the clock ticked away feverishly.

To make matters even more challenging, AAT was a totally new and untested field.
The biggest boost, initially was when Ramli Ibrahim accepted to perform FOC followed by the other artistes and emcees.

TraxxFM also made a crucial role, not just in helping Petpositive distribute our tickets but more importantly in raising awareness about AAT.

For more than two weeks everyday aNt appeared live on the national broadcaster for 10-minutes in the mornings to talk about the subject.

Our unique message reached as far away as Penang, Sarawak, Singapore and even Australia. Some of it through the newspapers on the Internet.

The Legend Hotel itself decided to construct a first-ever ramp to the stage of its Ballroom. It will now be made available to other patrons in wheelchairs in future.
Thanks to all in the organizing team with special mention to Dr VJ, Capt Karim, Fasidah, Andrew, Dr Jon & Indran from Legend Hotel.

“The smiles that I saw on the faces of the disabled and elderly guests said it all!”
- Capt Karim, Event Organiser

Story Two:

PETPOSITIVE CREATES HISTORY; JUMPS INTO ACTION

Malaysia’s very first national Society to use animals to empower and raise the quality of lives of persons with disabilities — and the elderly — became a reality on June 7, 2006.
The epoch-making moment which was heralded by scores of disabled Malaysians, the elderly and pet-lovers, came about with the official registration of the Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association or PETPOSITIVE by the Registrar Of Societies (ROS) in Kuala Lumpur.

Ironically, news of PET+’S establishment had coincided around the same time when many Malaysians were reeling over the shocking news reports about a local council breaking into an elderly brother and sister’s home and cold-bloodedly shot-dead 13 of their dogs.
Pet+ joined forces with other animal-rights NGOs at once to condemn the action.
The groups also initiated legal action against those responsible for the extremely cruel act. (Go to page 4)

“Animals have feelings and rights too. Let’s make the world a better place for all living beings.” - Anon

Story Three:

SEPTEMBER 5, 2006: Pet+ First AGM

CRUSADERS on a mission to combat loneliness with a lending paw from pets:
(Back Row): Dr Chew; Andrew; Dr Vijay; Dr Jon & Dr Kathi.
(Front Row): Dr Malinee; Stanley (Internal auditor); Dr Padma; Dr Amara & Sara.
(Seated): aNt. (Tired of posing): Soo the Golden Retriever.
(Not in picture): Dr Roohi.
Note: Dr Chew resigned in July 2007 and was replaced by Dr Anna.

End

The Extraordinary Rabbit That Started It All

IT'S AMAZING how the idea of animal-assisted therapy and Petpositive's formation came about through the inspiration of three outstanding canines in Malaysia.

However, when the first-ever AAT session in the country got underway late last month, it was not a dog - but the memory of a very special handicapped rabbit from Penang - that got us all excited about disabled and elderly empowerment through pets.

Here now is that remarkable bunny's story as told by her loving human guardians who adopted her six years ago.

Valentina (Picture, above), The Disabled Rabbit: Her Story

(Story and Pictures by Captain Abdul Karim Stuart Russell and Fasidah Sabeh)

‘Valentina’ was born on Valentine’s Day 1998, hence her name.

We first met her at the mini zoo-cum-horse-riding centre behind the Lone Pine Hotel in Batu Ferinnghi, Penang in 2000.

She had a deformed right hind leg, due to a badly healed broken bone, (Valentina repeatedly bit off the plaster cast) which was the result of her being accidentally dropped by a child who was cuddling her.

The following year when we visited the hotel again the American lady, Anne, who took care of all the animals was returning to the United States as her son was about to enter university there, hence all the animals had to be re-homed.

Anne, was really worried about ‘Valentina’ and asked if Idah would care to take ‘Valentina’ back to Seremban, as we already had several rabbits and she knew we would take very good care of Valentina.

So Idah & I agreed to adopt Valentina; however Anne said that she may be pregnant, as she had been out with the buck one night!

And, so it was; Valentina was expecting, and soon gave birth to a litter of five, not very many kittens, but she took really good care of them all, but unfortunately, one of the litter ‘Sweety’ died three months after birth, and another ‘Spotty’ died at the age of about 2 years, but her brother ‘Squirrel’ and sisters ‘Lilly’ & ‘Loppy’ (the terrible twins) are still with us.

We also have another adopted rabbit, a doe called ‘Cherios’ (Pix below). ‘Cherios’ is a different breed, and she and “Loppy’ cannot get along, and if they are left together they fight. “Cherios’ has a scarred nose to prove it!

Sadly, Valentina developed an inoperable cancerous growth in her womb early in 2007, and soon was partly paralysed and could not use her hind legs.

Idah had to clean her regularly since she was unable to manage the job herself. To help to keep her dry, we fitted her with small sized babies’ disposable nappies, and they were a great success.

Despite constant care and regular veterinary treatment, Valentina breathed her last breath and died on 25 April 2007, she was a little over 9 years old, which is quite an old age for a domesticated rabbit.

Valentina attended a Petpositive Committee meeting in late 2006, not long before she was ill, and Petpositive has honoured her memory by naming this event at FRIM, the “Valentina Project”

Thanks for the memories Valentina.

Karim & Idah

(Right: Idah and Valentina during happier days)

UPCOMING EVENTS:

1. Live interview show with Petpositive on TraxxFM national radio this Thursday. Click HERE for details.



2. Special Wheel Power write-up on Thursday on our Valentina Project.



3. Special write up on Valentina Project by Wani Muthiah on Star Metro this week.



4. Our Invitation for Deepavali Party on Dec 2 still open to disabled and elderly Malaysians. Click HERE



5. Print copies of Positive Lives! Newsletter will be available for distribution on Thursday. Click HERE



6. Christmas issue of the prestigious Tatler magazine featuring Petpositive's Valentina Project coming soon!

Let's All Get Petpositive!

End

Positive Lives! Newsletter Page 2

ABOVE IS PAGE TWO OF OUR FOUR PAGE NEWSLETTER. Kindly save the picture and enlarge it to view it. Below is the script for the whole page for your reading. Click HERE for Page One. Click HERE for Page Three




Please help Petpositive: If you can distribute our print copies to some key persons whom you think will be helpful to our cause and Society, kindly contact me for copies of our Newsletter. Our Newsletter is available free of charge to everyone thanks to the kind support of K-9 Pets Sdn Bhd and Diamond Pet Foods. It would be good if you could arrange to collect the copies from my home in Petaling Jaya. Please email me for details at petpositive@yahoo.com

aNt

STORY ONE:

THE CLIMAX of the evening was unmistakably the brilliant dance performance by the famed Doyen of Dance himself: Ramli Ibrahim and his one dozen Sutra Dancers. They kept audiences spellbound for a whole hour. Even the blind were seen tapping their feet to the rhythmic steps of the performances.

The Deaf said they were dazzled by the colourful costumes and artistic movement of the dances. Even some of the learning disabled who have difficulty with their attention span were seen watching the show with great curiosity. One elderly poor said that she had never dreamt that she would one day have a chance to watch Ramli in action.

STORY TWO:

TWO VIDEO CLIPS were aired as part of Pet+’s launch.
The first was a 3-minute clip to singer Bette Midler’s song, “Wind Beneath My Wings.”
The video showed how the President’s service dogs provide daily AAT for him. His canines went on to inspire him to set up Petpositive and use all types of pets to help the disabled and the elderly.

The second video produced by compliments from Big Pictures Sdn Bhd demonstrated how aquarium therapy had brightened up the lives of a spastic quadriplegic young woman and her single mother.

The aquarium therapy was Petpositive’s first official project in late 2006. It began in October and ended in December.
Our Society helped set up the aquarium and fishes for Wong Lee Foong and her mother Roxanna Lim (inset)). Roxanna is now adviser to Pet+ for the learning disabled.

More Petpositive Info:

• GET INVITED TO PETPOSITIVE'S DEEPAVALI GATHERING ON DECEMBER 2 NEXT MONTH. CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS.

• TUNE IN TO TRAXXFM'S 101 INTERVIEW SHOW ON THURSDAY TO DISCOVER HOW OUR VALENTINA PROJECT WENT. CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS.

End

CATCH PETPOSITIVE ON NATIONAL RADIO ON THURSDAY!

UNTIL now you've only been reading about it.

Now it's time to perk your ears up and listen!

Get it all direct, as they say, from the horse's mouth.

Petpositive is going 'live' on national radio on THURSDAY, NOV 15, 2007.

Valentina Project Coordinator Lynda Merican and aNt will be interviewed by the popular deejay Jezza (Below, right) on his TraxxFM's 101 talk show.

The interview will start at 11.15am and end at 12noon.

Lynda and aNt (Below, right) will be sharing all the exciting, funny and insightful details of what transpired in Malaysia's first and successful animal-assisted therapy session conducted with nearly 80 participants. Half of them were people with disabilities, the elderly and their families.

Of course, not to mention, there will be highlights of our main stars of the event too: two rabbits, one cat (Kombillitom, below, right), three forest frogs and four dogs!

(For nationwide frequency details of the RTM English broadcaster, kindly click on the name of the talk show above and it will take you to their homepage for the information you require)

PETPOSITIVE WISHES YOU A HAPPY WEEKEND AND A HAPPY DEEPAVALI.

DEEPAVALI GET-TOGETHER UPDATE: An elderly gentleman with Parkinson's disease and a teenager with spina bifida (wheelchair) have just confirmed their attendance.

We can still take a few more persons. Please call 012 220 3146 (aNt) or mailto:petpositive@yahoo.com

End.

AAT needs to be done more often

HAPPY

DEEPAVALI FROM PETPOSITIVE!

PETPOSITIVE DEEPAVALI PARTY UPDATE: We are pleased to announced that a multi-religious group of 13 blind and 10 physically disabled persons have been registered to attend our Festival of Lights gathering on Sunday Dec 2 at 3pm at the Hanuman Temple in Brickfields in Kuala Lumpur.

We would like to thank the Malaysian Association of the Blind in KL and the Independent Living and Training Centre for assisting us in inviting these groups.

There is still more room for disabled persons to participate as well as volunteers for the event - especially those who can offer transport for the handicapped to the event and back on that day.

To get invited, please send an email to petpositive@yahoo.com with all your particulars and we'll get back to you to confirm your attendance. Please hurry as our invitations to our special event will be closing soon.

For further info, visit here.

On the eve of our Valentina Project in the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM), I received a call from Ruwaidy Mat Rasul requesting to attend our event. He had read my article about the event in Wheel Power in The Star and was interested to join us for his current research on disabled people and their mobility needs.

Waidy who intends to come up with better and more affordable wheelchair-designs in future, wrote me to share his experience of the magic that happened that day on Tuesday, October 30, from 9am to 1pm at the Kepong Botanical Gardens in FRIM.

Enjoy! aNt :)

Animal + Nature = Therapy
Story and pictures by Ruwaidy Mat Rasul

Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world which is untouched by human activities. The word "nature" is derived from the Latin word natura, or "the course of things, natural character."1.

The Valentina Project was a pioneer project to give a chance for people with disabilities assisted by their pets and able-bodied volunteers to go on a nature walk. It was a successful project handled by Petpositive. The event was financially sponsored by the Association of British Women of Malaysia (ABWM) at the Kepong Botanical Garden on 30th October last month.

The session was opened by Suhakam Commissioner, Dato' Siva Subramaniam followed by a very enthusiastic and encouraging speech from the President of Petpositive, Mr Anthony Thanasayan.

The Valentina Project comprised an animal assisted therapy session and a walk through the jungle guided by Mr. Elango Valautham who is a research officer from FRIM.

Walking through nature stimulated our minds and made us more relaxed. This is a good treatment to relieve a stress.

Miss Norsham Yaakob from FRIM presented everyone with a good explanation about some of the frogs that live wild in the jungle.

The need for conservation of our nature is a must to balance our diversity in the food chain system.

"The importance of preserving each type of frogs is crucial because it will preserve the food chain system in the jungle. Without it, the food chain will become unbalanced and affect the human lives as well." said Miss Norsham.

The Razak Trail is specially made to meet the requirements of people with disabilities such as those using a wheelchair or walking aids. This is a very good example for the community because it gives a chance for disabled people to build up their self-esteem.

The main point of the trail I thought is to show to able-bodied persons that wheelchairs and walking aids are not an obstacle to move freely. Thus, the experience was good mentally as well as physically.

Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is a type of therapy that involves an animal with specific characteristics becoming a fundamental part of a person's treatment. Animal-assisted therapy is designed to improve the physical, social, emotional, and/or cognitive functioning of the patient, as well as provide educational and motivational effectiveness for participants.2

Apart from that, a trained animal such as dogs, cats and rabbits are therapy animals.
Dogs are man's best friend. This was proved by Mr. Anthony's pet companion, Soo, a very obedient pal, as well as a cute dog.

"He will do whatever I ask him to do. Collect a newspaper, holding a bag and the most important, he looks after me."

Even though the Razak Trail is made for disabled people, it still needs improvements in order to build confidence for disabled people to use it. A few things that still need attention at Razak Trail are:

1) The pathways are still slippery for people who use wheelchairs.

2) Assistants are required each time handicapped people want to get through the trail

3) A steep trail is not suitable for people with walking aids

The outing was a very good move taken by Petpositive for disabled people who use animal/pets for their daily activities as assistants or companions. They provide very good therapy both mentally and physically.

Therefore, this kind of activities must be held often and apart from that, everybody is encouraged to take part in it.

(The writer is a PhD Student, UiTM Shah Alam, Faculty of Art and Design.)

"Nature." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 27 Oct 2007, 22:49 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 1 Nov 2007 .
Animal-assisted Therapy. (2007, October 30). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 14:24, November 1, 2007, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php

COMING SOON IN PET+BLOG:

1. Petpositive's own account in glorious pictures and words on all that transpired at our first animal-assisted therapy session.



2. Details of how you can tune in to TraxxFM's live interview show with Petpositive guests on how the Valentina Project went.



3. Page 2 of our Positive Lives! Newsletter and what the disabled at our Charity Dinner last July thought about Dance Doyen Ramli Ibrahim's sensational performance with his Sutra Dance Theatre troupe.

SO STAY CONNECTED!

The End

Petpositive wishes Happy Deepavali!

FROM A HINDU PRAYER: "Dear Lord...from darkness to light,...from ignorance to knowledge,...from death to eternal life. Lead me, my Master; let Thy Peace pervade the universe."

HAPPY DEEPAVALI TO ALL FROM PETPOSITIVE!

Don't forget about our Deepavali party. Click here for details.

NST Letter Today on Monkey Trade

NST Letters 2007/11/06
Monkey exports: Animal hell awaits them

By N Surendran for Malaysian Animal Rights and Welfare Society (ROAR), Kuala Lumpur.

At a market rate abroad of about RM300 per monkey, the trade will be unstoppable.
I AM appalled by the suggestion by Datuk Musa Nordin of Kajang that Malaysia should go ahead with the export of monkeys ("The best option is to export" - NST, Nov 1).

Musa argues that only urban monkeys will be trapped and exported for biomedical research. This is inaccurate. Research labs abroad are not interested in urban monkeys which are not suitable as test subjects as they may carry certain diseases.

With the lifting of the ban, healthy jungle monkeys will be trapped and exported in large numbers. At a market rate abroad of about RM300 per monkey, the trade will be unstoppable. The Department of Wildlife and National Parks does not have the resources to police the trade once the exports are allowed to go ahead.It is disturbing to think how these intelligent creatures are to be plucked from their natural habitats, crammed into tiny cages and sold abroad for medical experimentation.

At the labs, they will be injected with chemicals, implanted with wires and suffer repeated surgeries. Mostly, no painkillers are used. In short, our monkeys will be consigned to what can only be described as an animal hell. It is a myth to say that all this cruelty benefits mankind.

The test animals are in such a state of fear and stress that the results are error-ridden and unreliable.

There are better non-animal research alternatives, such as epidemiological studies, population studies, cell and tissue cultures and clinical investigations of ill people. These methods are also cheaper and more efficient.

Local wildlife conservation groups have proposed alternatives to control the macaque population, such as sterilisation, relocation and, as a last resort, culling. This should be carried out in tandem with better management of the environment to reduce loss of monkey habitats, which forces monkeys to gravitate towards urban areas to survive. For the monkeys, being exported is a fate worse than death.

For Malaysia, it will mean a loss of reputation as we become known as a monkey-trading nation. Surely we are not a poverty-stricken nation which needs to make money from such a despicable trade.

PETPOSITIVE NOTE: Surendran is also Legal Adviser to Petpositive. The Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association is also dead-against the monkey trade.

Let's Party with Petpositive for Deepavali!

DID YOU KNOW that one of the main reasons why Hindus (and Jains) who celebrate Deepavali light up lamps during the Festival of Lights is to symbolise hope for all humankind?

GIVING HOPE to the less fortunate is chiefly what Petpositive is all about. Especially in the area of animal-assisted therapy for disabled and elderly Malaysians.

We intend to achieve exactly that at our first-ever Deepavali party since we got formed last year.

Our Deepavali Do will be held on Sunday, Dec 2 next month from 3pm to 6pm.

The venue will be at the Hanuman Temple of Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur who are kindly and graciously hosting the event for Petpositive.

There will be plenty of food and friendship (plus ang pows for the disabled and the elderly) to go around at our event which is designed for people of all faiths.

The party itself is a non religious event.

However, for those interested in getting their pets blessed (as well as themselves too) by the Temple's priest, there will be a quick opportunity for that too.

Kindly note that participating pets for this event will have to be screened by Petpositive first.

The Hanuman Temple itself has it own animal residents. They are Ramu, a pet monkey, three local dogs named Rome, Jimmy and Puppy and four peacocks.

Says Suresh Maniam (in red T-shirt above), the Temple's treasurer:

"We are throwing this party just to give a chance for the handicapped to come out and enjoy themselves and make some new friends."

The opportunity - by invitation only through Petpositive - is opened to all disabled and elderly persons along with their caregivers. One caregiver is invited to accompany a disabled person.

First preference will be given to persons who have not yet taken part in Petpositive's activities. About 50 persons in all are invited to our party. It will be based on first come first serve basis.

The closing date is on November 25 this month.

The Event Coordinator is Dr P Vanaja (Picture, right). She is a Committee Member of Petpositive as well as a senior veterinarian.

We are also looking for volunteers who are interested in offering transport to the event and back for our members.

Please contact Dr Van (012 351 7187) or aNt (012 220 3146)) or mailto:petpositive@yahoo.com

End

Valentina Project Report in Malaysiakini Today

Petpositive's first animal-assisted therapy session
Nov 5, 07 12:24pm
By Malaysiakini

DISABILITY and old age will no longer be a barrier from now on to those who intend to keep pets - thanks largely to Petpositive, the Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association in Kuala Lumpur.

Anyone who fits under the two categories may seek the society's services to receive the therapeutic benefits of pets.

Formed last year and officially launched three months ago, Petpositive organised an extraordinary outing last Tuesday in collaboration with the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (Frim) in Kepong, Selangor.

The Petpositive event was called the Valentina Project, named after Valentina, a partially disabled nine-year-old rabbit which took part in an animal-assisted therapy (AAT) session last February.

Although Valentina sadly died two months later of cancer, her memory lives on.

About 80 people took part in an animal encounter session which marked the first AAT session in the country for disabled and elderly persons.




As an added bonus, the event included a one-hour walk in the Frim jungle offering nature therapy as well to the trekkers.

Nearly half of the participants aged 18 to 80, were people with disabilities, the elderly and their caregivers.

Suhakam's Siva present



The handicapped comprised people with a cross section of disabilities. They included the blind, deaf, the physically disabled to people with profound and multiple disabilities.

The elderly were made up of diabetics, persons with Parkinson's disease - as well as representatives of people with depression and mental illness. The rest were all Petpositive volunteers.

On hand to officiate at the half-day event (9am-1pm) was by Suhakam Commissioner Siva Subramaniam.

Speaking to the group, Siva said he was pleased to note that AAT was now being used in the country to improve the quality of lives of disabled and elderly people.

"By reaching out to people through animals, we are not only doing something quite unique from others," he said, adding that "it also wonderfully demonstrates the extent we as Malaysians are prepared to go to show our concern for those who are still marginalized in our society."

Siva concluded by commending Petpositive for its unique role and mission to the disadvantaged.

Speaking for Petpositive, Lynda Merican, the event coordinator explained: "We are passionate about getting disabled and elderly Malaysians to interact and bond with pets.

"By doing so, they will have the opportunity to draw from their often uncanny and special 'powers' for healthy and positive living," Lynda added.

Participants were introduced to a variety of animals during the AAT session. These included two rabbits, one cat and three wild frogs.

The frogs were captured the night before from the forest. They were safely released back into their natural environment the next day.

Truly a joyous day





Participants got to hold, feel and even smell the animals. The blind and the deaf shrieked with delight as they said this was the first time that they had a chance to get so close to some of the creatures.

"It was such a joy to see the physically disabled and the others participate with so much enthusiasm even though some of them were visibly exhausted by the activities," observed Norsham Yaakob, a zoologist by training and a research officer of Frim.

Norsham conducted the animal exposure session.

The disabled in wheelchairs, accompanied by their dogs, also got to go jungle trekking in a special 400-metre area that was recently built for wheelchairs.

Frim research officer Elango Velautham, who conceived the idea of the wheelchair path to bring the forest closer to the disabled said that the most rewarding moment for him was the excitement he saw in the faces of the blind.






"They wanted not only to feel everything at every stop, but it was also quite a challenge for me to have to describe every detail to them," said the horticulturist whose responsibility was to lead all the participants through the jungle trek.

An elderly participant with Parkinson's disease said that although he found the jungle pathway too steep for his wheelchair, he was glad that he came.

The experience allowed him to meet people with different types of disabilities and to learn from their experiences.





A mother of a profoundly disabled young woman said she has never seen her daughter so happy to be with strangers at Frim.

"She usually cries when I am not around her," the mother explained.

"However, during the jungle walk, she allowed the volunteers to wheel her without making a fuss.

"That's because my daughter realized that she was in good company with people who truly care for her." She concluded.

For more information on Petpositive, visit http://www.petpositive.blogspot.com/

COMING SOON: More reports about our Valentina Project in pictures and words from Petpositive. Also unique perspectives from participants who attended the event. Stay tuned!