Tuesday October 7, 2008

Canines take to the streets of Bangsar

By YIP YOKE TENG

FFF ambassador: Yeap with JoJo.

ABOUT 70 dogs strutted down the streets near the Bangsar Village II shopping centre on Saturday to promote animal welfare in conjunction with the World Animal Day celebration.

At the event organised by animal shelter Furry Friends Farm (FFF), pet owners learnt about responsible pet ownership.

Joining in the fun was FFF’s second ambassador, Jojo, which was abandoned when his owner’s carelessness caused him to lose his left front limb.

The day-long event kicked off with an educational talk.

Rare sight: Dogs and their owners taking part in the dog walk around Bangsar Village II.

Pet owners were also taught the proper way to clean up their dog’s stools throughout the programme and plastic bags, old newspapers and toilet rolls were provided for the purpose.

The highlight of the day was a dog walk with three Dr Dogs leading a procession comprising dogs from FFF that were up for adoption as well as those owned by members of the public.

Show-stealers: Six-year-old Jayeshs patting two Golden Retrievers which seem to be enjoying the gentle touch.

The Dr Dogs €” Dr Babe, Dr Kylie and Dr Sugar €” regularly visit children’s and old folks’ homes as part of an animal-assisted therapy programme. They were selected through stringent examination procedures.

“The dog walk was organised to highlight the century-old bond between man and animals and to celebrate the beauty of all God’s creatures,” said FFF founder Sabrina Yeap. “Sometimes, the media highlight a story of someone bitten by a dog. The truth is that dogs do not attack people without reason.

“In almost all cases, the dog had been provoked by children who threw stones,” said Yeap, who was an animal inspector for several years.

The programmes continued with a demonstration of the Dr Dog examination procedure, adoption campaign, children’s art contest as well as violin recital by Dennis Lau.

Sponsors and professionals of the industry were also present to give tips on pet grooming and dietary programmes.

World Animal Day was started in 1931 at a convention of ecologists in Florence as a way of highlighting the plight of endangered species.

Oct 4 was chosen as World Animal Day as it is the Feast Day of St Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals.

The official World Animal Day website was launched in 2003.