Tim was shoved roughly through the bars of the gate. When that didn’t work, the man picked him up and threw him over it.
Tim landed on the concrete on his back, and with a smack.
“I thought it was firecrackers,” Lily Leng, SPCA Penang administrator, says. “Then I saw this poor dog in the compound.”
The little schnauzer was in a terrible state, with smelly, matted fur. He was also visibly blind. With shelters being overrun with abandoned pets, it was a question to keep him or put him down.
“We thought we’d clean him up and see if anyone recognises him and his owner. As for adoption, sometimes if it’s a breed, people are sympathetic,” Leng says.
The abusive owner has not been identified. After photographing him, the team prepared the little dog for proper examination.
As he was clearly neglected and thrown callously over a high gate that might easily have killed him, Leng worried the scared dog might bite. She was prepared to sedate him but to her surprise, the dog proved grateful.
“He was so quiet and easy to handle,” Leng says, relieved. “He’s a very well-mannered, gentle dog.”
The team shaved him and found he had some skin lesions. His ears were awfully dirty and so were his eyes. They cleaned him up and took more photos.
The dog’s initial compliance might have been shock but in the days after, he just sat nicely through his daily cleaning of eyes and ears, twice weekly medicated bath and dressing changes.
Hello, Tim!
He also got a new name.
His carer, Karna, the SPCA Penang general support staff, decided on Tim. When Tim was stable, Leng swung into action, looking for a home.
“Tim is blind from cataracts so he only reacts to smell, sound and movement,” she says. “He could have his cataracts treated surgically but it’s a specialist’s job. The vet recommends sending him to Kuala Lumpur as there is a clinic there that specialises in this procedure.”
This is not a straightforward decision because cataract surgery is a risk, and for Tim in particular, it is high risk.
The price is eye watering too: around RM2,000 to RM3,000 per eye.
Thankfully, there are choices. Tim could also do fine in a gentle home with a loving carer. But that alone would be a challenge. There are thousands of abandoned dogs looking for a home and very few adopters. For a blind dog, it is even more challenging.
“When we showed Tim on our social media feed, nobody asked to have him,” Leng says. “But when we showed the video, it created an outrage.”
SPCA Penang supporters helped share the video and the shelter got some calls.
“One potential adopter offered a gentle home and another sent photos of her adopted dogs, including a deaf Schnauzer and another who was a ringer for Tim.”
Most dogs come with an adoption fee but Tim is a special case.
“We all talked about it,” Leng confides. “Our fees are just nominal usually. It doesn’t cover initial care even.”
“As for blind dogs, we normally don’t ask as it’s so hard to place them. We decided that all that matters is that he gets a good home so we don’t need to put him to sleep.”
Sad cases
Over the years, several other sad cases have turned up at the shelter.
“Some of them came with matted fur, cuts and other health issues,” Leng sighs. “Some were too sickly and had no takers. It’s very sad.”
“But we’ve had some successes. We had one that was neglected, not as bad as Tim, but a mess. He was adopted by a retired pathologist and now lives a very pampered lifestyle.”
“His mum sends videos of him choosing his food for the day. He always chooses high end food. Such a laugh!”
Thankfully, Tim lucked out too. Last week, he was matched with a lady who has lots of time, lots of space and who offered him a place in the family. He went off with her, panting happily with his new mum.
Since then, his mum has sent photos of Tim in his new home, relaxed and happy in his own basket, a comfy sweater to keep him warm and some toys.
Sometimes, miracles do happen.
