It was the same for Mukunnan Sugumaran, 45.
Once a casual feeder himself, Muku, as he prefers to be called, founded the Malaysian Animal Welfare Association or MAWA in a bid to raise awareness about animal welfare and to protect the rights of animals in the country.
“We need to view dogs as living beings that deserve to be treated with respect too, and not be viewed only as a tool for security purposes,” Muku told FMT Lifestyle.
Based in Hulu Langat, MAWA’s 0.8 hectare-animal shelter is home to over 300 dogs including puppies, as well as sick, injured and abused dogs.
Muku devotes his life to caring for these adorable creatures in the hope that some, if not all, will be adopted someday.
Muku and his family also live at the shelter, in a small home built within the compound. His two full-time workers live in a smaller space up the slope.
A typical day here starts at 8am, with a morning feed consisting of kibbles and canned foods for the adult dogs. Puppies get a bowl of goat’s milk.
After that, the real hard work starts – that of thoroughly washing all the kennels and cages as well as refilling all the bowls with fresh water. Next, the grounds are cleared of overgrown grass and swept clean of fallen leaves.
The evening feed is another highlight of the day for the dogs and it’s only after a final cleaning of the cages that the workers can call it a night.
Not for Muku and his wife though. They still watch over the puppies who require more frequent feeds and administer medication to the sick dogs.
“This is why we seldom go on vacations, and even then, our hearts are still tied to the shelter,” he said, smiling.
MAWA also provides a pet-taxi service, run primarily by Muku’s wife, Anuratha.
“Our shuttle service can help pet owners when they’re not free to take their pets to the vet or other appointments. Some come to us to help with relocation and we’ve driven as far as Johor and Pulau Pangkor too.”
Muku said he always had dogs growing up and after getting married, he and his wife would feed the strays in their neighbourhood.
He said the “tipping point” came in 2011 when he decided to become a rescuer of strays rather than just someone who feeds them.
“One evening in my old house at Balakong, I heard a commotion and rushed out to find some of my neighbours beating a dog. They had put the poor thing in a sack and hung it on a tree, beating it with sticks just because it peed on one of their car tyres,” he said.
After an argument, Muku rushed the dog to a veterinarian but sadly, it had to be euthanised due the severity of its injuries.
It was after this brutal incident that he founded MAWA. He built his first dog shelter in Sungai Long but relocated in 2019 to the present site so he could house more dogs.
A firm believer in Trap-Neuter-Manage (TNM), MAWA’s aim is to reduce the number of unwanted animals on the streets and to provide the necessary care for them over time.
The shelter is operated solely through public donations, with Muku chipping in from his salary as a HR trainer when the need arises.
“I believe what makes a developed nation isn’t based on how many high-rise buildings it has, but on how compassionate its citizens are and how they care for other living beings.”
Follow MAWA on Facebook or head to its website here if you would like to help in any way.