Amidst these distressing cases, it’s a relief to hear about everyday Malaysians who have devoted themselves to the care of helpless and homeless animals. Among them is Sharifah Alina, who has been caring for abandoned dogs in Rawang and Selayang for the past five years.

She and her friend Voon Mei Lan are the co-founders of Winy’s Home Animal Shelter in Rawang, which currently houses over 200 dogs and other neglected animals.

Not everyone is favourable of Sharifah’s dog-rescue endeavour, but she believes it to be her duty. (Trigger warning for the video below.)

“Who else will take care of them? We must do it as humans with rational minds. Where else would they go? They are creations of God, too, and must be helped,” Sharifah, 57, told FMT Lifestyle.

“We just want to protect dogs. We don’t want to see them killed or to be hungry. Even at 3am, if we hear a dog’s been in an accident, we’ll come to help them.”

Both Sharifah and Voon have day jobs – Voon, a single mother, is a hairdresser, while Sharifah runs a restaurant with her husband – but they devote much of their time to their cause.

Most of the dogs they rescue were involved in accidents, but no matter how bad the injuries are, the pair do their best to care for the animal and nurse it back to health. They also spend time rescuing abandoned dogs before they get picked up by the local council.

According to Voon, the shelter had to move three times before they settled on its present location.

“At first, I couldn’t afford a shelter,” she shared. “But I would rescue sick dogs and boarding them was expensive. Dogs with cancer, for example, need injections every week.

“If you let them go, it’s hard to catch them again. So you need a shelter for them. If I were to put them in my house, people would complain,” said the 56-year-old, who has been rescuing animals for almost 15 years.

While their shelter is a humble setup, Sharifah, Voon and their small team do their best to get by. Maintaining it can cost up to RM15,000 a month – most of it on food and medicine.

Voon and Sharifah run Winy’s Home through donations as well as out of their own pockets. But with funds running low and the cost of necessities ever increasing, they are turning to the public for aid and financial contributions.

“It’s very challenging,” Voon acknowledged. “Food is very expensive now. Rice, chicken… prices have all gone up.”

The friends also dream of a piece of land to call their own, on which they can house their dogs. If this could happen, they said, the money they spend on rent could instead be channelled into helping the animals.

“Sometimes, people ask us to rescue nine or 10 puppies. We take care of them as best as we can. But it can feel like the difficulties never end. That’s why we would appreciate any kind of help,” Sharifah added.

Despite the uphill battle, Sharifah and Voon remain committed to their mission out of a deep love for animals.

“Not a lot of people want to adopt our dogs. They think they are strays, they are not beautiful. But I love them,” Sharifah said as she petted Jackie, one of the shelter’s many dogs.

“Even if no one else will love them, we will. We love dogs. We love cats. We even have monkeys here. We love every animal.”

Winy’s Home Animal Shelter
Lot 5414, Rawang,
48000 Selangor

For more information or to help Winy’s Home Animal Shelter, contact Voon Mei Lan at 016-661 6179.