PETPOSITIVE NEWS: Thanks to PETPOSITIVE volunteer Captain Abdul Karim Stuart Russell for alerting us to this article in StarMetro's Northern section.Yes, PETPOSITIVE did in fact get in touch with Barbara Janssen recently to help us out with one of our blind members. It was a wonderful success thanks to Barbara. Read PET+BLOGSPOT story HERE.
However, we would like to make some corrections to the StarMetro report. Our Society's full name is the Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association.
We did ask her to offer her dogs as a companion animal to our member who specifically wanted to interact with animals.
We did not ask her to "train dogs to lead the blind in St Nicholas."
We would like to clarify that there are currently no guide dogs (canines that lead the blind) in Malaysia. It would probably take years for that to happen here in our country.
The establishment of PETPOSITIVE on June 7, 2006, however, we hope will pave the way for such animals to become a regular feature in this country.
aNt
PET+BLOGSPOT
Here now is The Star's article:
Tuesday May 6, 2008
Dog whisperer gets tremendous response
FOR the past few days, Barbara Janssen, the ‘dog whisperer’, has been busy answering calls from strangers wanting to adopt her stray dogs.
The phone has not stop ringing since StarMetro highlighted her noble mission, she said.
However, she said, those who called her were interested in only adopting adorable puppies.
Janssen also received a text message from a man who wanted to marry her!
Animal lover: Janssen bathing her dog. ”I was taken aback to know someone who wanted to marry an old lady but I told him I was already married with my dogs,” she quipped.
Despite the good response, Janssen’s mission to find the owner of a dog named Bobby came to naught and she is now thinking of putting it up for adoption.
”Bobby is a very sensitive dog. He needs a lot of attention and therefore, I’d prefer a family with only one child and a nice garden for Bobby to run around.
“I must also make sure that these people are ready to adopt him as there are a lot of complications involved in taking care of an adult dog,” she said.
Janssen was pleased when Lim Chai Gnoh, 86, told her that she was willing to adopt a grown up dog.
“All these while people have been calling me up asking for puppies when I do not have any now. No one was interested in a grown dog until Lim contacted me,” she said.
Janssen said a man, who identified himself as Anthony from the Animal Therapy Assistant Association, Kuala Lumpur, had also asked her whether she could train the dogs to lead the blind in St Nicholas.
She then contacted the centre and a man named Steven volunteered to visit her place during his free time to take care and play with the dogs.
“This way, I might have the time for a scrumptious dine-in at the restaurants or perhaps, go on a holiday,” she laughed.
She is also planning to extend her service to cheer up old folk or orphans who love dogs.
Janssen playing with her dogs. Janssen is now in the process of setting up an association known as Animal Rescue Association Malaysia to help stray dogs and other animals.
The ‘dog whisperer’ used her own money to provide shelter and food for the dogs and her savings are slowly depleting.
Caring Malaysians have offered to help her financially since her story was published in The Star, but she does not have a bank account to accept public donations.
“I do not want people to accuse me of taking advantage of the situation,” she said.
Janssen is also planning to come out with a newsletter to educate children on the correct way to keep a pet.
END
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