Waifs and strays
Two kennel owners share a little-known fact that commercial pet boarding houses are sometimes forced to function as rescue centres.
Pet boarding houses are like hotels. However, their furry occupants are sometimes abandoned. Worse still, people also dump unwanted pets on the doorstep.
“Typically it’s someone who says they have a situation like a pregnancy or renovation, so they want their pet to board for a few weeks or months,” say Carlos Huertas from g-pet.com, a dog training and boarding centre in Bukit Rimau, Shah Alam.
“When the house is ready or the baby has arrived, they decide they don’t want their dog anymore. Then there are students who feel lonely, so they buy a dog. When they finish their course, they don’t want the dog so they bring them here and disappear.
“Another typical situation is when there is a divorce. The couple put their dog in kennels and she pays one month, he pays the next – and pretty soon they ‘forget’,” Huertas says.
“Thank God it’s not every day but we can’t take them all in. Everyone who boards their pet with us has to sign a legal form (it’s on our website) that if you don’t come to collect your pet or you don’t arrange payment within the specified date (15 days), then we have the right to dispose of the pet.”
Huertas uses PetFinder to rehome these victims but admits it’s very hard.
“People buy a cute puppy, but they don’t want to adopt a dog that’s grown up. Take Patches, the dog we’re trying to rehome now. He was hurt but now he’s good again. He’s a great dog, but he’s a year old, and he’s not a pedigree. I worry about his chances.”
Meanwhile, Pet Epicure, a popular pet boarding centre in Kuala Lumpur, will be closing down in two months’ time. This will be a disaster for the strays in the area.
“We thought a pet hotel would be a great way to combine ethics, education and business,” Pet Epicure’s Alicia Ling Horsley says. “Our entire family is animal-crazy, and (sister) Isabel was training to become a vet at the time.
“About once or twice a year, someone ‘boards’ a cat or rabbit and then abandons it. It’s pretty hard to tell who will do this. We’ve had long-term pet owners suddenly just give up. Some even seem pretty well-off.
“We do state on our check-in form that pets not claimed within two weeks of agreed check-out date will considered abandoned. As such, we then assume the right to ‘dispose of them’ as we see fit. This usually means the animals are rehomed where possible.”
The real problem Pet Epicure has is that pets are dumped on their doorstep at the rate of once a month or more. Although there are dogs that are left here, most are newborn cats.
“Each time a litter is dumped without mum, we’re looking at a minimum of RM600 per kitten – more if they are newborn. When they are dumped with mum, they are less prone to falling but then we have the added challenge of rehoming an adult cat. Each year, we’ve spent an average of RM36,000 on vet bills.”
As Pet Epicure has been in business eight years, that adds up to RM288,000.
“People think it’s better to dump pets on our door than other shelters where animals are put to sleep. They probably think we can afford it. And last but not least, because they don’t have a sense of responsibility and accountability. We cannot express how frustrated we are,” Alicia says roundly.
In anticipation of Pet Epicure closing, staff and friends are working hard to get the remaining animals rehomed.
“We currently have one dog, Walter, several rabbits, and about 40 cats. These are abandoned pets rather than rescued street cats, so they have no idea how to fend for themselves.
“Worst case scenario – we’re going to have to release them where we hope they will be safe and then continue to feed them. It’s heartbreaking, having to choose which ones will have to fend for themselves in an inhospitable world. The next few months are going to be tough emotionally for many reasons.
“We would appreciate Star readers stepping up to adopt. Even if you can only offer an outdoor home, it is better than their being released en masse. Tell your friends and family about us and don’t buy!”
Ellen Whyte lives with three cats but sneaks out to visit dog friends regularly. She has a blog at blog.lepak.com.