Giving street dogs a better life
Life is never easy, but God constantly puts obstacles in our path that He knows we can overcome. For stray rescuer Dave Lim, life isn’t always a bed of roses, but his perseverance has gotten him this far.
Life is a roller coaster ride full of surprises. For Dave Lim’s journey, it is full of predicaments and hardships. Despite the fact that his ride is on rocky roads, his positivity never wavers. The 48-year-old acknowledged that when they are challenges he must overcome, it might be discouraging, but “life must go on,” he added.
Lim, a registered disabled person, has deteriorating vision. Receiving his diagnosis at the age of 21, Lim recalled putting in an additional hour’s work at a telecommunications company in the mid-90s.
“The company was new, and I was part of the second group of employees, so things were hectic. I spent the entire day at work, went home for dinner, and then came back to the office to work until midnight.”
The strain has caused his vision on the left eye to deteriorate. “I had several procedures, all to no avail. I went blind on the left.” With his right eye facing the same problem, Lim revealed that he had to undertake multiple surgeries over the last two decades.
“I had to have another surgery to place silicone oil in my eye three years ago when my retina again began to detach. It did not work as expected,” he added.
Lim said that his vision is now at 10 per cent. “The view is very narrow. To make matters worse, I was also diagnosed with glaucoma. What I see with my working eye now is that if a person is standing two feet in front of me and I look at their face, I won’t be able to see anything else.”
Lim is currently taking medication in an effort to save his vision for an additional year or two before going entirely blind.
“All I can do is to accept it as it is. I can’t do anything about it. Thankfully, after 20 years, I still have my vision.”
He also revealed that he was shocked and sad at first. Nonetheless, it was his positivity that brought him to this point. “I reassure myself that I must accept this as a challenge.”
His love for dogs
Dave remembered how much he loved dogs as a child. “I used to own dogs as pets when I was younger before I started caring for the stray animals.”
It wasn’t until the early 2010s that he started feeding the strays cooked rice and chicken.
“Later, when I lost my job and had to sell my car, I continued to feed them despite having just RM20 in my wallet. I felt pity for them since they had been abandoned. When people see them, some will chase them away with a parang.”
Dave learnt how to care for the stray dogs through the Save Our Strays (SOS) Facebook page as well. He will take them to the vet when they are hurt.
“I don’t know why I do this. I just feel like I should help them. When they are strays, they have no one to look after them.”
Dave, a dog lover, frequently posts about the stray dogs on social media. “Even if some people don’t like them, I hope they at least don’t hurt them.”
Taking care of the dogs
During the 2017 rabies outbreak, Dave was one of many rescuers who helped stray animals. Recalling a tragic experience, he remembered an operation at MJC, Batu Kawah, in which strays were chased to be examined for rabies.
“A herd of more than 30 stray dogs was running. I saw them and called out to them, shooing them away. It was heartbreaking, and the situation made me shiver.”
Dave was actively feeding the dogs there, and he knew a few of them. “I fed three siblings there. I took home two of them. But I was too late to save the third sibling. I never saw it again after the operation.” The rabies outbreak had also prompted Dave to take in the stray animals.
Dave, a stray rescuer since 2013, had adopted more than 30 strays since then. Despite his vision problems, he managed to keep an eye on them till today. He said that he had already taken care of the pets prior to receiving his recent glaucoma diagnosis.
“My movement and everything I do are slow due to my eye condition. Sometimes I would accidentally kick them since I couldn’t see them on the ground when I looked forward.”
Dave added that he would become giddy as his eyes became tired easily when focusing with just one eye.
Dave’s daily routine included getting up early. He normally starts at 7.30am and works until 11am taking care of his pets. He also spends two hours from 4.30pm feeding the dogs.
“I would cook for them and feed them. Different dogs have different needs. Some of the dogs are on medication. Some dogs do not pee or poop in the house compound, so I have to take them out on a leash.”
He would clean their bowls and wash away their excretions after feeding them. When Dave is not exhausted, he will alternately bathe them.
“It can be exhausting. I used to have 35 dogs at one time. They passed away eventually. I currently have 18 dogs with me.”
Dave went on to say that strays typically don’t have long lives. “They lead unhealthy lives while living on the streets. Therefore, they have a three to four year lifespan on average.”
When asked about the most upsetting death he had experienced, Dave said the loss of the first dog he had adopted was devastating.
“It was a black dog that I called Black Boy. I ran across him one evening while walking around with a bag of chicken rice to feed the stray. Behind a wrecked car, I caught sight of something black. Black Boy wasn’t moving, but he was breathing. I offered him the rice, but he refused.
“I returned to the coffee shop and bought five sio bees. He ate it. I brought him back after that. He was covered with ants and flies. He stayed with me for three months. In his final month on Earth, we relocated to a new place recommended by friends who had helped me.”
Dave was so heartbroken by Black Boy’s passing that he chose to get the dog permanently inked on his arm.
A plea for help
Dave revealed that he spends an average of RM1,150 per month on the dogs he is able to care for thanks to welfare assistance and food donations. However, as his vision deteriorates, he is unable to care for the dogs.
“My tenancy on this home expires this year. I can’t seem to find a place where my dogs and I can move together. I’d be grateful if there was a place where I could live with my dogs. Due to my eye problem, I’ve also decided to give them up for adoption because I worry that my vision won’t endure very long.”
He also said that some dogs cannot be adopted. “Some are sick and old. Some have skin diseases. And there is even one with mental health issues.”
Dave still has faith that good people would step up and help him in taking care of the dogs he loves. Dave keeps moving forward in life despite the uncertainty of his future. And, like many of the difficulties he has faced in his life, he will undoubtedly leap across it as he always has.
