Zeus VK Haras

WHEN I wrote, a fortnight ago, about the death of my very first service dog (SD) Vai my Rottweiler, I never imagined the kind of response my article would elicit from readers of this column.

In fact, there were so many of them that I completely lost count.

Not only was my email inundated with messages of condolences and heartfelt words of comfort, it also happened with my Facebook, blog and SMS on my personal mobile phone.

As I opened and read each and every one of them, I choked. This time it was not tears of sadness but rather one of joy.

I was deeply touched to discover that good ol’ Vai was truly a canine hero. He had literally hundreds of fans, even though the 13-year old canine who succumbed to cancer never personally met most of them.

Some of the first people to react to Vai’s passing were the heads and staff of the planning and health departments of Majlis Badaraya Petaling Jaya (MBPJ).

Even though many of them personally never kept dogs as their pets, they deeply sympathised with my loss.

They all had seen Vai in action on video helping me get out of my bed in the mornings, opening my door in front of me and running up and down the stairs on errands with important items in his mouth.

The video was screened in full at MBPJ’s full board meeting in front of our Mayor shortly after I became councillor.

The video screening was used as an educational tool to highlight the special role that canines play in the lives of the handicapped.

Dogs with special training can help the disabled achieve a higher quality of life through animal-assisted therapy.

Vai’s dream (and mine) was and is to see people with disabilities being accompanied by their specially trained service canines in public so that they don’t have to depend on human help all the time (which is becoming, sad to say, increasingly hard to find).

These canines should be regarded with the same respect and rights given to police, search-and-rescue and drug-sniffing dogs.

MBPJ is already going in the right direction by looking into giving free dog licences for disabled and elderly persons whose pets play a therapeutic role in their lives.

The Majlis Bandaraya Shah Alam, I am pleased to report, is already giving disabled pet owners free dog licences and also a 50% discount for elderly persons.

Many of you advised me that one of the best ways to work through the grief of losing a pet is to get another one.

The process of healing sometimes can come about faster by focusing our attention positively on caring for a new dog.

Last week I found myself doing exactly that when I finally plucked up the courage to drive down to Seremban to visit a dog farm situated in the outskirts of the town.

It was love at first sight when I met a four-month-old sable Alsatian whose parents are German imports.

Named Zeus VK Haras I could immediately tell that this was the chosen one.

Except that he wasn’t going to be totally my dog but shared with my best able-bodied pal Andrew Martin.

What this means is that Zeus will play a dual role of being with Andrew during the night and being with me during the day, every day of the week.

For more than a week now, the little pup has already assumed his job brilliantly.

He is currently attending wheelchair-etiquette classes in my home.

This includes getting out of the path of my wheelchair but staying close by me at all times. He is also learning to pick up all sorts of things, including my valuables which he quickly hides in his crate.

When Zeus is not looking, however, Biman III my now senior SD will dash into his crate and steal all the items and retrieve them for me. Each time he does, it will accompany vehement protests from the pup.

The little boy doesn’t realise yet that one day he too will grow up to be a responsible SD like Biman.

Soo my Golden Retriever is happy to have a new pal in our home – as long as he doesn’t occupy his favourite place in my room which is under my bed.

As for Reba, Andrew’s Shetland Sheepdog which I babysit daily for him whilst he is at work, she’s just thrilled to have a new boyfriend to take home with her each night.

Vai had been her companion over the past six years after I retired him from his SD duties.

Reba, is however, cautious about Zeus’ size. The pup is almost as tall as Soo. She would only get near him to check on him with her nose when he is sound asleep.

Sleep on dear Zeus, my little pal. There’s a great task ahead of you as you slowly learn to fit into the giant paws of now a very legendary Rottie.

The End