Neighbour takes in Lim family’s pets

Lucky escape: Marissa

PETALING JAYA: The two pet dogs owned by the late Lim Ah Kok’s family which survived the fire are being cared for by their neighbour Marissa Wong.

The dogs are an eight-year-old Golden Retriever named Amber and a four-year-old black and tan Miniature Pinscher named Sugar.

Having cared for the dogs on behalf of the family when they went on vacation before, Wong said she knew exactly where the dogs were located inside the house.

Wong said when firemen arrived, she quickly told them that Amber would be somewhere in the living room and Sugar would be near the kitchen.

She said Amber was rescued soon after as it had climbed on a chair and firemen were able to reach the dog through an opening and lifted it to safety.

However, she said Sugar was only rescued hours later as firemen were only able to break down the house grille at about 10.40am.

“I helped the firemen carry Sugar out of the house because her paws were burnt badly and she was unconscious,” she said.

Wong, who also has two dogs of her own, added that she has taken the surviving dogs to a vet and will care for them until Lim’s daughter is able to come for them.

“The vet said Amber’s condition is quite serious as her lungs were badly affected by the smoke and Sugar suffered a lot of burns on her back paws but is now stable.

“Both were very traumatised and were shaking when I brought them home.

“The vet told me it is going to take some time for them to be themselves again,” she said.

Residents of USJ 2 remember Lim as an active member who loved his family.

USJ 2 Residents Association chairman Syed Zain Syed Mohamed said Lim was one of the most active members in the area’s Volunteer Patrol Unit during the last six years.

“I remember him being very jovial and he always made it a point to get to know his neighbours. When we started our gated-and-guarded (system), Lim helped us go house to house to collect the fees and he did it with a smile.

“He, however, slowed down over the past year to focus on his children,” he said.

Checks on Lim’s Instagram and Facebook accounts showed many cheerful pictures of him with the volunteer patrol unit and at resident association events.

USJ 2 residents have run a donation drive to help Lim’s daughter with the funeral expenses.