With a dislocated hip – possibly due to being hit by a vehicle – and a body covered in scabs, the future looked bleak for the mongrel.

But his life changed drastically after a Good Samaritan rescued him.

Polly Welch, a Malaysian graphic designer based in the United States, adopted him and Rammy now lives with her in New York City.

Welch’s close friend, Lee Lin Liew, who helped nurse Rammy back to health when her friend had to go back to the US, recalls the first time she laid eyes on Rammy.

“He was very frightened at first, but he eventually figured out he was in safe hands.”

Rammy’s rashes slowly disappeared and he could walk properly again. With a clean bill of health, Rammy finally joined Welch in the Big Apple.

Rammy is not Lee’s only success story as helping strays comes naturally to her.

She is also the founder of DogLibre, a social enterprise to save and provide better lives for strays.

Set up in May this year, DogLibre has benefited hundreds of stray dogs and cats.

And this includes Xiao Wa Zi, a disabled puppy, who is now under the care of Lee’s sister.

Put up for adoption by her owner, Xiao, who cannot walk properly due to a crippled right hind leg, was discovered by Lee’s friend three months ago.

“The owner said he could not keep the puppies and had given away the other pups. But Xiao Wa Zi wasn’t adopted, most likely because of his disability,” Lee said.

Lee, who is a managing director of a consulting firm, revealed that the two-month-old pup recently underwent surgery and would now undergo physiotherapy.

“My nephews even built a dog house for her.”

DogLibre’s future plans

Lee, 39, from Johor, has big plans to rescue strays via DogLibre, a passion which was planted in her at a young age by her parents.

“My parents were the ones who started adopting strays when we were children.

“Not just dogs but other animals too, like chicks which had lost their mothers.”

For now, Lee wants to run more awareness campaigns and rope in volunteers to help care for the animals.

Besides rescuing strays, DogLibre’s official website also provides a platform for “pet hosts” as she calls them.

The “pet hosts” will be paid for their time and they will offer a range of services for pet owners, such as booking them for daycare, walking, temporary stay, overnight stay, grooming, and pick-ups and drop-off.

The platform, she explained, is not only open to strays but also to owners who want their pets to receive such services.

In return, 20% of the fees will go to DogLibre’s initiatives, with some going to its save-a-life programme where the money would be used to fund its rescue missions.

DogLibre also uses the proceeds to pay an allowance for volunteers as well as support shelters.

Lee also wants to help develop a technology for canine owners to keep track of their dogs’ whereabouts.

To sign up as a pet host, visit www.blog.doglibre.com/join-us.