Financially-Burdened M’sian Family Receives Backlash & Fined RM100 For Adopting An Injured Stray Dog

By Charmaine Shaharin  •  18 Sep 2020 in News

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Being kind to stray animals and providing them with food, water, and shelter especially when they are injured are just a few ways to show our love and appreciation towards these friendly, furry friends.

According to Sin Chew Daily, a lucky black stray dog who goes by the name of “Wolf” in Kuala Kubu Bharu encountered a kind-hearted hooman by the name of Fatima when he dragged himself to the shop where Fatima was cleaning carpets.

Apparently, Wolf had been injured and Fatima suspected that he might have been hit by a car, so she treated him, thinking he would leave when he was feeling better. But we’re all familiar with dogs and their loyalty, so naturally, Wolf decided to stay and take care of Fatima and her family, making this the start of a heartwarming story between two friends.

 

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In case you missed it, here’s a heartwarming news to fill your night. This is a short love story of a struggling Malaysian family and a doggo they decided to “formally adopt” after being criticised and fined for keeping it. Like we always say, “every dog is capable of giving you unconditional love”, this family of 7 with their adopted doggo will assure you again. Wolf, a stray dog in Kuala Kubu Bharu, is a lucky stray doggo. The love story began when Wolf dragged himself to the shop where Fatima (her current owner) was cleaning carpets. Apparently, Wolf had been hit by a car and was injured, and Fatima assumed that he would leave after recovery but he didn’t. “Instead, he stayed and took care of me and my family,” Fatima shared. Wolf would play with her children and walk them to school. He would bark at any strangers who approached, but never chase or bite anyone. He did it just to protect the children. Although Fatima’s family has identified Wolf as a part of their family, unfortunately their neighbours didn’t. They criticised Fatima for not following Islamic rules and decided to report Wolf to their district counsel, to which Wolf was captured on Merdeka Day and Fatima was fined RM100. “What did the dog and I do wrong?” she asked. She then approached a religious teacher, who assured her that keeping a dog is not a crime under their teachings. “The RM100 fine may be a burden to us, we already rushed to the council shelter to bring Wolf home, apply for a dog license and formally adopt it. We will also save money to perform the castration for dogs in accordance with the requirements of the district council,” Fatima shared. Fatima’s message to the general public is that she hopes that the society treats stray animals with love and let them live instead of killing them because of different religious views and difference in species. “God teaches us to love the world, not to spread hatred. I think Wolf was sent by God to comfort me.” She added. PS: those in Selangor looking to get their homes, shops, offices and factories cleaned can contact Fatima at 011-1858 1456. I’m sure off and on we need Fatima’s service, contact her if you can! 🙌🏽 #myforeverdoggo

A post shared by My Forever Doggo (@myforeverdoggo) on Sep 17, 2020 at 4:43am PDT

According to World of Buzz, Fatima is a mother to seven children and her husband, Ahmad, has bad health conditions due to severe diabetes. Ever since the MCO, both his health and her business had taken a major toll on their finances.

“The factory has made a compensation in accordance with the Labour Laws, but the money is long gone after my husband’s amputation and rehabilitation,” Fatima said in the report.

She also claimed that Wolf had recovered the same time and decided to stay and help her out when Ahmad had just recovered from another amputation.

So far, Wolf has been a blessing in disguise for Fatima and her family as he would play with her children, walk them to school, and protect them by barking at any strangers, but he would never chase or bite. Slowly, Wolf had become a part of Fatima’s family.

Unfortunately, their image as a Muslim family that owns a dog was not accepted by everyone, especially their neighbours as they were unhappy with Wolf’s presence and criticised Fatima for not following the fatwa.

The issue of Muslims keeping dogs as pets in Malaysia has been highly debated. In a 2017 report by Malay Mail, Muslim preacher Wan Ji Wan Hussin said that there is no part of the Quran or hadith which says that it is ‘haram’ (forbidden) for Muslims to touch dogs.

“All we have is the Shafie denomination, in which it is stated that a person needs to wash themselves seven times, including once with earth water, if they touch dogs,” he wrote in a Facebook post. “The issue of repenting does not arise for it does not involve a sin,” he added further.

Despite this, the neighbours decided to report Wolf to their district council which led to Wolf being captured on Merdeka Day and Fatima fined RM100. She asked,

“What did the dog and I do wrong?”

Fatima also had taken this time to seek advice from a religious teacher, who assured her that keeping a dog is not a crime under their teachings.

Fortunately, Fatima managed to get Wolf back.

“The RM100 fine may be a burden to us, we already rushed to the council shelter to bring Wolf home, apply for a dog license and formally adopt it. We will also save money to perform the castration for the dog in accordance with the requirements of the district council,” Fatima shared.

Fatima’s kindness and unconditional love for Wolf as well as her message to us to open our minds and hearts and start looking at things differently when it comes to strays, is inspirational.

Regardless of an animal’s species and your religious views, they still deserve love and compassion.

“God teaches us to love the world, not to spread hatred. I think Wolf was sent by God to comfort me,” she added.

If you are interested in helping Fatima you can contact her at 011-1858 1456 for her cleaning services in Selangor.