The 80-year-old retired Anglican pastor who came to Sabah from Australia to work among the marginalised communities in 1967 is still engaged in her labour of love, this time caring for abandoned dogs.

The dog sanctuary called Bay View is located on the hills of Telipok, some 22km from the city centre.

Jeanes, better known as Ibu Suria to those who know her, has been running the dog sanctuary since 2013.

She did not intend it to be a safe haven for dogs, though. The house was initially supposed to be her own retreat.

“I only brought along seven dogs when I moved here that year but the numbers just kept growing and growing,” she tells FMT.

“In a short time, more dogs were sent to me or dumped outside my gate – all strays and injured. And we are expecting more.

“That’s part of my problem, I cannot say no. I cannot think about a dog in a cage without food and water or about a dog knocked by a car and left by the roadside … they are poor animals that need help.”

Take for example Wira, a now playful and energetic three-legged dog. She was hit by a car and left to die in a bush until someone rescued her and brought her to the animal hospital where one of her legs was amputated.

Another is the adorable Brownie who has become the sanctuary’s mascot. Its back story however, anything but endearing.

Brownie’s former owner was attacked by intruders at home and because of the ensuing police investigations, she was left in a cage without food and water for days on end, leaving her scared and malnourished.

Daisy’s story is much more disturbing: the poor dog was accused of killing a goat and as a result, a steel cord was wrapped tightly around her neck several times over, making it difficult for her to feed.

Daisy was only rescued about two weeks later, with the cable having already cut into her flesh. Daisy is still traumatised by the whole incident, barking at every human who attempts to come near, even Jeanes.

Jeanes’s love affair with man’s best friend started in 1978 when she was still teaching in the jungles of Kinabatangan.

“A friend rescued six puppies from a drain and two came with me. One puppy went to another home but it later decided to come and live with me.

“The puppy confirmed that (it wanted to stay with me) by picking up its dish and laying it at my feet, I’ll never forget that …so from that point on, that dog was mine. I named him Jerry and he was with me until 1989,” said Jeanes, who has permanent resident status.

She had in fact started a dog centre in Sandakan, caring for a smaller number of dogs, until she was reassigned by her bishop to the state capital in 2000.

Now, the octogenarian uses all her monthly pension and public donations to run the sanctuary in Telipok.

There is plenty of room for the dogs to run around as the sanctuary sits on a 1.9-acre piece of land belonging to a local businessman who had kindly allowed her to stay there without charge.

Because Jeanes is struggling with a spinal issue, several full-time workers help her care for the dogs. They also helped build kennels for them.

“We keep the dogs in different sections of the compounds because some don’t get along with each other. But I have 16 dogs sleeping with me in the house, some together with me on my bed,” she says with a giggle.

According to Jeanes, expenses to run the centre come up to about RM7,000 a month but it can be more depending on whether the dogs, which are all spayed and vaccinated, need further trips to the vet.

In addition to their twice-daily meals, many are sent to the groomers and those that need vaccination and tumour surgeries are sent to the veterinary clinic.

Even though public donations are inconsistent, she is thankful for the many generous people who have come to her aid.

“Like the Rainbow of Hope (an NGO for the marginalised community she started previously), I never had to ask for money, it’s not my policy to ask for money.

“I think it springs out from my basic philosophy of life that I trust God. He loves animals too as He created them all.”

Understandably, at her age, Jeanes is not at the peak of health and uses a walking stick to move around.

But that has not stopped her from taking a stroll around the compound every day to check on her furry “children”.

“I can barely walk but I still want to see my dogs every afternoon, so I put in two hours at least every single day. I have cried many tears about the dogs under my care, thinking about what they went through,” she says.

Jeanes says although the sanctuary received many visitors, most were looking to adopt puppies.

“We’ve managed to re-home some. It’s easier when they are little, adorable puppies but not when they get to be adults. That’s why many are still here,” she said.

She is thinking about officially registering the personal initiative so that the sanctuary can continue to run when she passes.

Should you wish to make a donation to the Bay View dog sanctuary, you may do so using the banking details below:

HSBC Account No: 392-141-693-108
Name of account holder: Jeanes Sylvia Margaret