FOR a moment, stray dog rescuer Anna Lyn had flashes of doubt when she read the news that the Islamic Development Department (Jakim) had told a Muslim woman like her to stop keeping pet dogs. 

But she consulted friends and decided that she was doing nothing wrong. “I don’t keep the dogs inside the house because that is where I ‘solat’ (pray),” she said.

Anna, 40, has been operating an animal shelter from her house at Taman Kingfisher in Likas, Sabah, since 2014. Before that, she ran the shelter at Taman Nelly in Inanam.

“I have lost count of the number of cats (I have), but it is probably over 60 now, I have 15 dogs at the moment. My shelter is a sanctuary cum rehabilitation centre for old and injured strays,” she said.

Her shelter is one of about 10 for stray dogs to get treatment, sterilisation and care in Kota Kinabalu before being sent to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) shelter for adoption, or to be released under trap, neuter and release programmes at the location they were first rescued. 

Anna’s passion for rescuing and tending to injured stray dogs began in 2010 when she became a member of the SPCA in Kota Kinabalu, after some coaxing by a close friend. 

Her fondness for animals was nurtured by her late mother who let her to grow up surrounded by pets as Anna was a single child.

But Anna is also a Malay and Muslim, and in Malaysia, that can pose problems despite her best intentions to care for animals.

She has endured scorn from other Muslims since she started animal rescue work but says this has not dampened her spirits.

“They often say stuff… that what I’m doing will not get blessings from God, but I have become immune to them,” she said.

Anna, however, feels she is not alone. She says there are other fellow-rescuers who are Muslim like her in Kota Kinabalu, who embrace their calling as protectors of helpless strays.

“Actually, we (Muslims) can touch dogs but after touching them, we have to ‘samak’,” she said, referring to the Muslim ritual of cleansing when one touches the saliva of dogs or any part of an animal that Islam considers haram.

Soft-spoken Anna and her team of volunteer rescuers from the SPCA are counted on by city folk to handle stray animals, whether in the pockets of forests around the city, or in monsoon drains.

But on any working day, she lectures English at a local public higher learning institution. Her flexible working hours have allowed her to pursue volunteer work and besides going out on rescue missions, she tends to the sick and injured at her shelter.

She also welcomes organisations like the International Aid for the Protection and Welfare of Animals and the SPCA to her shelter to sterilise newly captured rescues.

When The Malaysian Insight followed Anna on a mission recently, it was to rescue a stray dog that had taken refuge under a bridge. Anna loaded up a van with equipment and headed downtown to Luyang during the evening rush hour.  

Two other volunteers from the SPCA had already located the canine when Anna arrived with nets and a dog carrier.

Without hesitation, they descended into the grimy seven-foot-deep drain, reaching closer to the dog’s hideout in foot-deep sewage.     

One volunteer waited on one side of the bridge with Anna on the other, forming a barrier as another colleague crawled under the bridge to corner the animal with a net in hand. With a woof, the stray was quickly rescued.

Anna’s skill and confidence in handling dogs improved after attending training on dog-catching in Kuala Lumpur some years ago. Her deftness has seen people approach her with their sick pets, thinking she is a veterinarian.

Anna networks with volunteers who run other shelters. Around 10 of them conduct rescue missions, and they all share responsibilities such as taking in rescued strays for each other when some shelters are full.

One of the hardest things about animal rescue work, however, is to part with the strays she has rescued. Anna has developed a bond with all her animals and has fostered some until they are adopted. 

“I once gave six dogs to a new master who lived in Kota Belud. I travelled all the way there regularly to see them for two years, to see how they were doing, bringing them food and treats.” 

The cost to upkeep her shelter can run into thousands of ringgit and Anna admits that her lecturer’s salary cannot foot all the medical bills. 

Luckily, generous donations from individuals and other organisations have helped keep the shelter afloat. She also runs a Facebook page for appeals and to promote animal adoptions. 

“Medical bills alone could run up to between RM800 and RM900 for a single animal. On top of that, add the cost of six bags of 15kg dog food, eight to 10 bags of 20kg of cat food, along with 10kg of fresh chicken necks and 10kg of fish each month,” she said. 

But even when money is tight, Anna says she would rather keep a dog at her shelter than to give it up for adoption if she can’t be certain that the new master is a “good person”.

“I would be hugely disappointed to learn if any of my animals wound up dead in their new homes.” – July 8, 2017.