Even the strays are not forgotten

Lucky dogs: Ng feeding the dogs at the makeshift shelter in Petaling Jaya.

KLANG: Rain or shine, it is a routine that a group of people here will never trade for anything.

Feeding street dogs is a commitment that these “feeders”, as they are known in the animal rescue fraternity, strictly adhere to.

Not even the Chinese New Year celebrations could stop them from doing so.

For 65-year-old kindergarten teacher Jocelyn Ng, feeding the 10 street dogs under her care is a top priority.

“If I don’t feed them, they’ll go hungry. I will never let that happen,’’ said Ng who timed her family reunion dinner on the eve of Chinese New Year and her feeding routine accordingly.

It was the same on the first day of the New Year, with Ng nipping out to feed her dogs put up at a makeshift shelter somewhere in Petaling Jaya. All of her street dogs are neutered and vaccinated and are fed daily at the same location.

Just like Ng, Klang-based Jenny Ku ensured the neighbourhood street dogs were fed as usual during the festive period.

“I cook for them daily, even during the Chinese New Year.

“But I went out earlier to feed them to have more time at home,’’ she said.

Ku, 49, has stage two nasopharyngeal cancer, and has had to go to hospital daily over the past two months.

She feeds the dogs before going for her radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment. Ku has neutered and vaccinated all the dogs she feeds and says this is her way of managing the stray population.

“Neuter them as well as feed them daily and you will cut down the population and not have any trouble from street dogs,’’ she said.

Another Klang-based “feeder” Keoy Kim Yeok, who is in Penang for the Chinese New Year, made prior arrangements with another feeder to provide food for her 50 street dogs which are also all neutered and vaccinated.

“They depend on me for food and it is my responsibility to ensure they are taken care of during my absence,’’ she added.

All three women share the same fervent wish for the Year of the Dog – that the authorities will know that organised feeding of street animals is an important way to control their population.