Marmite's plight!

It was a hot sunny afternoon and a Rottweiler was brought in to the sanctuary with a bad condition.Raymund stepped out to take a look and instantly see the dismay and sadness on his face. She was skins and bones, to the extreme. The gaze in her eyes spoke of a lifeless and unhappy soul. Her head looked out of proportions as compared to her stick-thin body (we could see her ribs protruding!), and she was estimated to be barely a year old.

The father and son pair who surrendered her said she was given to them by someone else, but they themselves did not know how to take care of her. This is certainly IRRESPONSIBLE pet ownership, but on the flipside, we are glad that they did not choose to abandon her on the streets.

Raymund accepted the leash with a heavy heart, and Marmite looked up uncertainly at him. He walked her slowly through the first gate of the sanctuary into the car porch, and even though the journey was a short one, she stumbled a couple of times. Tottering about on unstable legs, she barely had any strength to walk. She wouldn’t allow anyone to touch her and growled ferociously if anyone dared to approach too closely.

Unable to move too close to offer some form of comfort, Raymund fed Marmite some food from a distance away, which she gobbled down almost instantly. As predicted, Marmite was possessive of her food, given her past encounters. Perhaps, for the first time in her life, Marmite went to sleep with a full and nourished stomach. We will never know, but sometimes, we are better off not knowing.

Oh, many of you must be wondering, why the name "Marmite". Like the savory spread available in supermarkets, Raymund named her so, as she is dark in colour, distinctive and powerful exactly like the spread. :) Additionally, she really needs all the nutrients Marmite has, to regain her health and put on sufficient weight.

Will you be kind enough to sponsor Marmite’s stay at the sanctuary? With the growing number of such cases and the saturation of welfare organizations, we need all the help we can get. Every single cent counts. If you are able to help us in any way, email us at nanasmalaysia@gmail.com. Please also stay tuned to our blog for further updates of Marmite.

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Update on Marmite.

After three months she was brought to the sanctuary, Marmite managed to gain weight with her humongous appetite. She has been showered with tender, loving and care and now she’s back on her feet. Marmite has recently received her vaccination, dewormed and her heartworm and tick fever tests are NEGATIVE. A clean bill of health has been given to her and she should be sterilized soon.

Lately she has been spotted getting attached to one of the worker who is in charge of her area. She would tag along every where that he goes. With all the special care she is getting, Marmite decided, somewhere along the way, that she knows that she has been truly blessed. Life can be fragile but the will to beat even the worst odds can inspire us all that there is still light at the end of the tunnel.

We are looking for a sweet soul who is able to give her a good home. She is more suited to be the ONLY dog in the family. Please email us at nanasmalaysia@gmail.com if you know anyone who’s interested to adopt her. Please help us spread the word around.

Noah's Ark Natural Animal Sanctuary (NANAS) 2011 Calendar is NOW on SALE!!

Noah's Ark Natural Animal Sanctuary (NANAS) 2011 Calendar is now on sale! Each calendar costs RM20. Every time you use this calendar, you'll be reminded of how your gifts help animals that are in need! Please contact the founder of NANAS, Mr Raymond Wee to place your orders. Please show your support!!!

Kuala Kubu Bahru (KKB) Dogs

Early this year a sterilization project was done at KKB (Kuala Kubu Bahru) for abandoned and stray dogs in the vicinity.

The squalid conditions of the pound located at a corner of the Municipal Council’s workshop in town was horrible. The dogs were kept in metal cages that were exposed to the extremities of the weather conditions. The dogs were prone to heatstroke and dehydration. The cages were cramped with dogs of different sizes, age and conditions. The entire situation was dismal.

There was one particular dog which had a hole punched through its forehead and was obviously in extreme pain and suffering and that one dog made it our mission to do right for the animals there. Arrangements were made the next day to meet with the Majlis Daerah Hulu Selangor members (Hulu Selangor Council) for discussions on methods to humanely treat the incarcerated dogs whilst they are being kept at the pound. Many of the dogs had collars, were well kept and seemed well fed. However, these dogs were often found roaming in public areas where they were eventually caught and impounded. Most owners do not claim ownership of these dogs due to a myriad of reasons; one more often than not is that they are not aware that there is such a place where roaming dogs are impounded. So these dogs are locked up in the pound for 2 weeks or until due time when the owners retrieve them in which time if they are not claimed, will be ‘destroyed’.

The meeting with the council members, workers and dogcatchers at the pound was very promising. Raymund demonstrated that the sick and old dogs can be put down with euthanasia rather than battering them to death. The dogcatchers and the pound workers were very open to the ‘new’ method introduced to them by Raymund. The Council members present were empathetic to the situation and promised to provide a proper shelter and feeding facility for the incarcerated dogs.

Of all the 20 dogs at the pound, 5 were put down and the remaining 15 were taken back to Noah’s Ark and are happily coexisting with the other residents there. The pound at KKB has been cleaned up and the dogs are now being treated a lot better now. We realized that with a little bit of education, awareness and compassion can make a BIG different.