Hawk with Khoo Kong Soo at their favourite dipping spot. Photo: Grace Lim Yee Chuen
Hawk has the bulky body of a cage fighter and a huge spotted grin. He’s nuts about water, especially puddles, and he loves going for countryside romps. But because of his ancestry, Hawk doesn’t inspire universal love at first sight.
Hawk lives with Khoo Kong Soo, a retired chemistry lecturer and current freelance science tutor in Kampar, Perak. Khoo got his first dog, Victor, when he was 10 years old after his sister bought the pup in a basket at the market.
Today he and his wife, Grace Lim Yee Chuen, a corporate executive, offer a safe home to 14 dogs and three cats. “When we first met Hawk, he was living in a small condo with a teppanyaki seller,” Khoo explains. “Hawk’s owner was concerned that the dog wasn’t happy there. He asked if he could rehome him with us.”
At the time, Hawk was six months old, so basically a pup. However, by his looks, he is likely a Staffordshire Bull Terrier mix, perhaps with a dash of Pitbull. Staffies are famous for being energetic and playful but they are also incredibly strong.
“Honestly, I wasn’t keen. I was worried about handling such a large and active dog. But Grace liked him, so we took him in.”
Hawk loved his new home. He adores the garden, the other dogs, and took to an active lifestyle like a duck to water.
“Well, as I thought, Hawk is a big dog,” Khoo laughs. “He is now two years old, weighs 31 kilos and he is so strong, that he can bend a metal bar. When we play tug, he always wins!”
But despite the tough exterior, Hawk has a soft centre.
“When we go out, some people are afraid because of the way he looks,” Khoo muses. “Hawk is big in body but he thinks like a Poodle.
“He loves being near us, and he will sit with a paw on me. Unfortunately, he also wants to sit on my lap. He weighs a tonne, I can’t take it for more than a few minutes, but Hawk thinks he’s still a puppy.”
Hawk is extremely energetic and, luckily for him, Khoo is an active Hasher. For those who aren’t outdoorsy, the Hash House Harriers is an international group of runners who meet up regularly for runs in the countryside.
Hawk is ready to go hashing with mum Grace Lim Yee Chuen.
Hashers follow a trail of flour or sawdust with loops, breaks and short cuts, that allows everyone, no matter how fast, to get around in about an hour. It’s a social club, non-competitive, and huge fun.
“Hawk loves it,” Khoo says. “He’s a regular Hasher, and on the days we’re not out, we go for our own rambles.”
One of their favourite walks is a 5km trek that takes in the Batu Berangkai waterfall.
“It’s a good workout and it’s beautiful,” Khoo says. “However, I am a scuba diver and long-distance swimmer but we stay out of the water there. Batu Berangkai can be dangerous so we look and don’t go in.”
Hawk does manage to find every puddle, stream, and drain on the way there and back, so he comes back soaked, grubby, and grinning.
Hawk and his best friend Ping Ping. Photo: Khoo Kong Soo
At home, he is also cheery boy. Of the many dogs and cats, Hawk’s favourite is Ping Ping, a black and tan lady with a long nose and lean body on tall legs.
“We found Ping Ping and her brother Anun two years ago,” Khoo recalls. “I heard crying and found them at the bus stop.”
At the time, the pups were barely a month old. Khoo and Grace managed to bring them up – not an easy task – and the two dogs are now grown up.
“Ping Ping is the alpha dog,” Khoo laughs. “She rules all the dogs, including Hawk. When she bullies him, he let’s her. Luckily for her, he’s a nice guy. As for the others, when she steals their food, I have to step in and rescue them.
“Anun is different. He chooses to run with a pack of strays. We bring him home from time to time but he stays for a day or so and then he’s off again. For Anun, street life is a choice.”
Hawk would never choose the streets, partly because he is a nut for life’s sweeter joys.
“I try to limit his sweet intake but Hawk loves cakes,” Khoo sighs. “He once jumped up and stole three mooncakes. He’s a demon for sugar.”
Khoo Kong Soo and Grace Lim Yee Chuen celebrating Hawk’s third birthday.
For his regular meals, the big boy is surprisingly frugal. Khoo cooks chicken, rice, spinach, carrots and other veg for the dogs, so they have a proper varied diet that is interesting too. In addition, the dogs get biscuits or pellets, designed for canine nutrition.
“Hawk prefers dog biscuits. The other dogs wolf down the homecooked meals. But Hawk sometimes doesn’t want his fresh food so I put it in the fridge and he gets it at midnight.”
Dogs like Hawk often lead awful lives chained to a small corner of a yard without love and companionship. Hawk started life with a caring owner in a small condo and has now found a piece of pup-aradise with Khoo and Grace, 14 companion dogs, three cats and plenty of fun outings.
That’s the secret behind Hawk’s huge spotty grin. He knows he’s a lucky dog.
Adopt Me
Ani is six months old, healthy and fully vaccinated and dewormed. She is a little bit too small to be spayed yet, so that is included in the small adoption fee.
Photo: KL Pooch Resort and Rescue/Shannon Lam
This little lady is clever, playful, good-natured, and she loves other dogs. Ani is unusual in that she lost an ear flap before her rescue. However, she is still an attentive listener.
Interested adopters, please contact Carol (012-396 0977) to view in Shah Alam or Kalumpang.
