‘Dogs come into our lives to teach us about love, they depart to teach us about loss. A new dog never replaces an old dog; it merely expands the heart.’
– American novelist, Erica Jong
USUALLY, I am not sentimental and do not cry easily. But last Thursday, tears came to my eyes unexpectedly when I saw pictures of a Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) handler, Steven Ambu, 47, crying as he placed Cliff, his cherished and loyal canine companion for many years, in its resting ground at the Serian fire station.
It is not easy for a tough Bomba handler, like Steven, to cry. I cried because I understood Steven’s deep grief for a beloved pet.
Suddenly, I was experiencing again the heartache I personally felt when I lost my dogs — Lobby, Buddy and Lucky — and cats — Alvin and Mimi — to sicknesses, one after another, over the years.
The heartache was particularly intense when I lost Lucky and Mimi in the last three years because I was really close to them. Lucky was very obedient while Mimi liked to cuddle next to me every night after I came home from work.
Anyway, back to the story of Steven and Cliff.
After placing Cliff in its resting place, Steven told the media that the English springer spaniel, which had served the Sarawak Bomba for nearly six years, was known for its obedience and striking presence during operations.
He said Cliff loved to follow operations and would position itself in a ready state of sitting at its fence each time the fire station’s vehicle engine was being turned on.
The spaniel’s successful and crucial operations were locating missing victims in two cases — one in Nanga Belaik Ulu Skrang and the other in Long Miri.
Throughout its services, Cliff took part in over 10 firefighting operations.
Steven shared that Cliff was his first training animal upon returning to Sarawak in 2018.
“We both entered (the department) the same year, the only difference being that I reported myself at the beginning of the year while Cliff came in December 2018,” he said.
Cliff succumbed to a tumour on Christmas Day last year.
Last Thursday, Sarawak Bomba director Datuk Khirudin Drahman @ Hussaini, and deputy director of operations, Henderi Ardimansyah, also paid their respects at the emotional burial service to the four-legged hero.
It is normal for us to feel sad, shocked or even lonely by the loss of a beloved pet. Exhibiting these feelings just means we are mourning the loss of an animal we loved.
We feel these losses because the animals are so much more than pets; they are a source of unconditional love and companionship to us.
Last year, Selangor Bomba also lost one of its Batang Kali landslide K9 hero Blake. The dog had to be euthanised on September 18 after its battle with lymphoma cancer.
Blake, also an English springer spaniel, belonged to the K9 Dog Detection Unit, which had worked tirelessly in the operation to locate buried victims of the Batang Kali landslide.
The landslide happened in the early hours of December 16, 2022 near the town of Batang Kali, Selangor, displacing 450,000 m³ of soil and burying campsites at an organic farm. The accident trapped 92 people under the collapsed slope; most were campers from the farm. Thirty one people were killed and 61 were rescued, with eight people requiring hospitalisation.
During the Batang Kali search operation, Blake collapsed from exhaustion after two days of hard work.
A farewell ceremony was held at the Taman Sri Sentosa Fire and Rescue Department K9 Unit as Blake was laid to rest last year.
The fire department held a private funeral ceremony for the dog which was attended by K9 Unit officers. As a gesture, the officers scattered soil and flowers over the spaniel’s resting place.
Like Cliff, Blake, which was acquired by the department in 2017, had also contributed to various search operations.
Blake’s heroic acts did not go unnoticed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. During his tabling of Budget 2024 in Parliament in October 2023, Anwar took a moment to mention and pay respect to Blake.
Under Budget 2024, the government agreed to improve the facilities and medical treatments for the Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia’s K9 Unit.
It also agreed to allocate RM5 million to improve the K9 Unit as well as to increase the number of K9 dogs for Bomba, the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) and Royal Malaysian Customs Department.
It is heartening to note that Sarawak Bomba and Selangor Bomba valued their four-legged friends which had worked hard to ensure the success of their search operations and treated them like friends.
It is encouraging to note that our Prime Minister also values the contributions of the K9 Unit and has taken positive steps to increase the number of K9 dogs in the country.
My friends, do you know that like humans, K9 dogs also need to retire by a certain age? According to Sarawak Bomba director, Datuk Khirudin Drahman @ Hussaini, his department plans to retire five dogs by 2025.
He explained that the decision was based on the fact that the dogs would exceed their maximum intelligence limit in six or seven years.
He said in view of this, Sarawak Bomba should start replacing its K9 dogs this year to strengthen operational capabilities.
“This is because when dogs get old, their (detection) accuracy will decrease,” said Khirudin, adding that the replacement of the dogs in the state would be funded through the RM12 million allocation approved by the federal government last year.
Khirudin also revealed that each tracking dog could cost up to RM124,000 based on its age of two to three months.
He said the process of handing and placement fell under the jurisdiction of the Bomba headquarters in Putrajaya.
He also revealed that based on past experience, most retired K9 dogs were euthanised due to their specialised roles during duty, particularly in functions related to the sense of smell.
Now, that is shocking news to me. Euthanised just because they are too old to work? Can’t the department find a retirement home for our four-legged heroes until it’s time for them to leave this earth for good?
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of New Sarawak Tribune.
