The rebuild and recovery period has been riddled with hurdles and were stressful times for Salehin Ibrahim, who runs K-9 Cottage, but he remains confident of restoring the centre.
K-9 Cottage, a therapeutic sanctuary for dogs and people, was left in ruin after the incessant rains and floods in December swept away much of the facility, along with Salehin and his dogs.
A month after the floods, Salehin appealed for help to build a fence around the perimeter to ensure the safety of his beloved dogs. With a fence now up and no signs of debris from the floods, Salehin is moving forward with the rebuild.
“The next thing I would like to do is replant and reinforce the riverbanks to ensure the water doesn’t overflow,” he told FMT. He said he was looking for bamboo, sriracha and fruit trees to plant on the barren land but progress had slowed during Ramadan.
Restoration of the land is part of the promise he made to his friend, who leased the land to him.
He said she had recently died. “It’s sad to lose a friend. She visited me one Sunday and passed away the following day.
“She assured me I could remain on the land indefinitely, and as a promise, I told her I would regrow the plants and restore the land,” he said, adding that he was driven to see the replanting through.
Salehin said his friend had always looked out for him and had insisted that he move to the site at the Lui River five years ago after he faced trouble with his dogs in the city.
Salehin, a former banker, took the time to reflect on the experiences from the floods as well as to ponder on his next steps.
“My day-to-day involves feeding my dogs, Stoner, Dr Patch, Koa, Hitam and Putih, doing some gardening and planning my next move.”
Salehin said he would be celebrating Aidilfitri with friends who had expressed their desire to visit. He was looking forward to the company and hoped he and his dogs would find cheer in the company.
“I feel good and excited. I will try to get some ‘lemang’, especially my favourite ‘lemang jagung’ from Batu 18 to serve the guests,” he said, smiling.
Looking ahead, he said he would continue to contribute to the community in any way possible, after being involved in providing food aid and organising the admission of booster vaccines to some of the locals.
“Although I have been branded ‘haram’ by the locals because of my dogs, I will continue to do good where I can,” he said confidently. He hoped that Hari Raya Aidilfitri would be a time of peace and forgiveness
As for K-9 Cottage’s rebuild, Salehin, a stroke survivor, said there remained plenty more to do but he was adamant in creating a safe home for his dogs. He thanked the NGOs, volunteers and members of the public who provided their assistance and welcomed anyone willing to lend a helping hand in restoring the centre.
The centre provides therapeutic services for people to play with dogs in a natural, open-air environment, and also houses an animal-assisted therapy programme for elderly, physically disabled and mentally impaired people.