How Paws Mission Started

 

1.How Paws Mission Started

 

PAWS Mission was set up by a small group of volunteers who responded to help Aunty Kiew to care for a litter of 12 abandoned puppies in October 2009. At that time, Aunty Kiew was already feeding about a dozen stray dogs and more than 40 cats all on her own and thereby was not able to cope with the additional puppies.

(Some of the 12 puppies)                                                (The old puppies’ shed)

2.Our Shelter

Initially, the group’s activities involved helping to feed Aunty Kiew’s stray dogs which roamed freely outside the Chap Fook Tong Temple, which is located behind Wisma Buddha, off Jalan Klang Lama. The dogs did not have anywhere to take shelter when it rained.

Seeing our plight, the Chap Fook Tong Temple caretakers offered to build a simple shelter behind their temple. With the completion of the shed in November 2009, the animals are protected from the rains and also from DBKL dog catchers. At the same time, PAWS Mission also has a base to shelter rescued stray or abandoned dogs.

As more and more puppies/dogs were rescued, the initial shed soon became overcrowded. This culminated in a further extension of the shelter to include three enclosed pens and three open sections in February 2010. A fourth and fifth enclosed pens were added in September 2010.

(The Shelter)

3. Our Dogs and Pups

Currently, there are about 100 dogs and puppies at the shelter and about a dozen dogs roaming outside the shelter. As the shelter is only able to safely house about 60-70 dogs, overcrowding is a major issue leading to frequent disease outbreaks.

(Our Dogs and Pups)

4. Our Objectives

PAWS Mission - which has a “No Kill”” policy – is driven by the following objectives:

1. Rescue stray, abandoned, injured and abused puppies and dogs,

2. Vaccinate and neuter them,

3. Find suitable adopters for the rescued puppies and dogs to be re-homed or find fosterers to temporarily look after them, AND

4. As a last resort, place them at the shelter.

In addition, our mission is to reduce the number of stray dogs in Malaysia. Thus, PAWS Mission will not only neuter rescued dogs under our care but also educate/encourage adopters to neuter their charges too by making special arrangements with our panel of vets.

5. Operating Costs

The shelter is run entirely by volunteers, led by Aunty Kiew and has survived through the year from financial contributions and contributions in-kinds from members of the public. The current average monthly running cost for the shelter is between RM 5,500-6,000 for food, medical bills, utilities, and incidentals. The running cost is expected to increase with the growth in the number of dogs and puppies being rescued and placed at the shelter.

6. Our Activities

Dogs and puppies are usually rescued by our volunteers. In some cases, they are rescued by members of the public who contact us for help. Depending on the situation, PAWS Mission will try to rehome them through the following ways:-

a. our website www.everydoghasitsday09.blogspot.com

b. Petfinder.my

c. adoption drives in shopping malls , residential places and open parks

d. our members’ network of families, friends and colleagues

(Adoption Drive in IOI Mall)

7. What We Have Done

To date, PAWS Mission have grown to have more than 15 volunteers helping out with our dog rescue mission. We update and inform the public of our activities and events through our blog www.everydoghasitsday09@blotspot.com.

Over the past year, we have rescued more than 350 puppies/dogs, neutered more than 150 and have rehomed 223 of them. In addition to the adoption activities carried out in our shelter, we also have held more than 10 adoptions drives in various venues.

To manage our funds, two of the volunteers have been appointed to be the treasurers of PAWs Mission. Accounts are checked and audited internally, and distributed to our members monthly to ensure transparency and accountability.

8. Our Future Plan

PAWs Mission needs to continue its dog rescue effort through a permanent site. Currently the site belongs to a private developer who will start the development sometime next year. Paws Mission plans to move to a place in Hulu Langat area where it is easily accessible as well as not too far from amenities.

PAWs Mission would like to rent a piece of land to build a shelter. The land size would preferably be approximately one acre and needs an estimated budget of RM40,000-45,000 for the development cost which includes leveling/filling up land, buildings, fencing, utilities connections, fittings etc. PAWs  Mission hopes to start this project end of this year.

Finally PAWs Mission pledge to carry on its activities to help and rehome more stray dogs/puppies. For that to happen, Paws Mission needs to secure financial help from members of the public as well as from corporations. Together with other dog rescue groups, hopefully we can make this country a better place for stray dogs.