FurryKids was founded in 2017 by a group of animal-loving rescuers in Brickfields who rushed to save a group of dogs from being euthanised. With the help of kind-hearted donors, they gathered enough funds to build their first shelter in Mambau.
However, a devastating flood in November last year completely destroyed the shelter and took the lives of 54 dogs and puppies.
Having to re-build the shelter from scratch, the rescuers relocated to Kuala Sawah where they currently care for 1,900 homeless, abused, sick, injured and abandoned dogs.
Needless to say, monthly expenditure is astronomical, ranging from between RM90,000-RM100,000 to cover their medical, rehabilitation and food costs.
The Covid-19 pandemic has been particularly harsh on FurryKids as many donors have fallen on hard times themselves and the shelter’s funds have dipped to alarming levels.
“It’s been hard for us, especially since the Covid-19 pandemic as we can no longer organise fundraising activities,” says Felicia Ann, 35, assistant secretary at the shelter, adding that they depend solely on public donations to survive.
“We’re hoping to find forever homes for our rescued pups and we’ve been doing a lot of virtual adoptions through Facebook where we post pictures and videos of the puppies and dogs,” she explains.
In a bid to stay afloat, FurryKids is launching a virtual run called Fur-A-Thon 2021 and is appealing to the public to register now so their shelter dogs can continue to receive regular medical care, food and a roof over their heads.
Here’s how the virtual run works
Fur-A-Thon 2021 will take place from Sept 20 to Oct 10, with participants pledging to either walk or run for a distance of 5km or 21km.
They can complete the distance either in one go or stretch it out over the duration of the event. They may also opt to run or walk indoors on a treadmill. How cool is that?
Any fitness or tracking app can be used to record the time and distance, and once completed, screenshots can be uploaded to the Fur-A-Thon 2021 event page.
Proceeds from the virtual run will go towards the construction of a clinic for the rescued dogs and an office for the shelter administration staff, besides covering medical and food bills.
Register now!
Each participant will receive an exclusive microfibre T-shirt and medal before the event. The medals for the 21km category also come with personalised engraving.
“You can choose to engrave your pet’s name on the medal instead – we’ve had a few people asking us about this,” says Felicia, who is also project manager for Fur-A-Thon 2021.
After the event is over, all participants will receive an e-certificate via e-mail as a token of appreciation and proof of their participation.
If you wish to adopt or sponsor a furry friend, you can WhatsApp Felicia at 010-982 7089.
You can also follow FurryKids Safehaven on their website or follow their Facebook and Instagram accounts.