Sunday, 22nd September 2013, a small group of IB students, lead by senior, Alastair Lim, made a visit to the Malaysian Independent Animal Rescue (MIAR) in Kajang. Oper- ated by Miss Puspa Rani and few employees, the shelter runs solely on donations by volunteers and dog lovers. A little house with a backyard full of cages of dogs, the shelter caters for abused, sick, neglected dogs that are rescued from the streets. Two things strike your attention when the caretakers let the dogs out of their cages, the friendliness of these poor creatures and the love showered on them by the caretakers.
The caretakers scout dogs that need rescuing, pursue them, bring them to the shelter, treat them for various painful ailments and continue caring for them. Burnt by boiling oil, chained with wire, deprived of food, broken bones, maggots and skin problems are just a few of the problems these dogs come here with. The team work tirelessly to do everything they possibly can to heal, care and give these dogs a new home. As a visitor all you see are cheerful pups jumping on you, enjoying comfortable pats and run- ning around excitedly, but look closer and the bitter truth becomes too real. There have been those painful cases where all they did could not save the helpless dogs and the caretakers tear up till this day relating to us the story of how “Minnie” passed away.
We had the privilege of having some play time with “Shorty”, “Tan Sri”, “Rosmah” and the rest of the pack. They were cheerful like ordinary dogs but as you pat them you are able to feel the scars, wounds, and broken bones. Some paralysed permanently, forever scared by the past they were rescued from. Dogs that have been affected mentally by abuse are kept in the cages as they have the tendency to go wild and probably bite people. We lent a hand in washing the dogs’ food bowls too!
MIAR have also taken to ‘Facebook’ to raise awareness of the abuse of dogs in Malay- sia, documenting each dog they rescue, accompanied by a gory picture of the injuries sustained. Recently they also documented the abuse of dogs by the local council, which has the responsibility of curbing the increasing rate of stray dogs on the streets of Kuala Lumpur. 
The shelter needs as much support as it can get. Donations would go primarily for the operations these dogs need immediately, and then to funding the shelter. Limited resources, man power and space are also major concerns. The caretakers are in search for land to open up another shelter to house more dogs. The current shelter easily floods when it rains heavily and the team carries the dogs up the hill to dry land, the roof needs repair as well. Volunteers are welcome to land a hand Monday to Saturday any time of the day. Come along on our next trip there and see for yourself the heart wrenching lives these sweet dogs endure.
The caretakers scout dogs that need rescuing, pursue them, bring them to the shelter, treat them for various painful ailments and continue caring for them. Burnt by boiling oil, chained with wire, deprived of food, broken bones, maggots and skin problems are just a few of the problems these dogs come here with. The team work tirelessly to do everything they possibly can to heal, care and give these dogs a new home. As a visitor all you see are cheerful pups jumping on you, enjoying comfortable pats and run- ning around excitedly, but look closer and the bitter truth becomes too real. There have been those painful cases where all they did could not save the helpless dogs and the caretakers tear up till this day relating to us the story of how “Minnie” passed away.
We had the privilege of having some play time with “Shorty”, “Tan Sri”, “Rosmah” and the rest of the pack. They were cheerful like ordinary dogs but as you pat them you are able to feel the scars, wounds, and broken bones. Some paralysed permanently, forever scared by the past they were rescued from. Dogs that have been affected mentally by abuse are kept in the cages as they have the tendency to go wild and probably bite people. We lent a hand in washing the dogs’ food bowls too!
MIAR have also taken to ‘Facebook’ to raise awareness of the abuse of dogs in Malay- sia, documenting each dog they rescue, accompanied by a gory picture of the injuries sustained. Recently they also documented the abuse of dogs by the local council, which has the responsibility of curbing the increasing rate of stray dogs on the streets of Kuala Lumpur. 
The shelter needs as much support as it can get. Donations would go primarily for the operations these dogs need immediately, and then to funding the shelter. Limited resources, man power and space are also major concerns. The caretakers are in search for land to open up another shelter to house more dogs. The current shelter easily floods when it rains heavily and the team carries the dogs up the hill to dry land, the roof needs repair as well. Volunteers are welcome to land a hand Monday to Saturday any time of the day. Come along on our next trip there and see for yourself the heart wrenching lives these sweet dogs endure.