Finally, it's the dogs' day

[Global Paw]

Veterinary nurse Robyn Ireland and colleague Dr Elaine Ong will visit Bali to help tackle the stray dog problem.
Picture:Cathryn Tremain



The Melbourne family holidaying recently in Kuta, Bali, watched in disbelief as a street dog and a street kid fought over a piece of dropped hamburger. The street kid won and the dog slunk off with an air of resignation that touched the tourists' hearts. They finally tracked down both the boy and the dog and fed them. They also got the pair treated for mange, a skin disease caused by parasitic mites, which spreads from animals to humans and is a symptom of a more serious problem in Bali.

Aside from the human suffering since the bombings in October 2002, street dogs are multiplying and spreading disease. Many Balinese are so poor they can hardly feed their families, let alone their animals, so they're turning their pets loose and street dog numbers have escalated from 60,000 to 100,000. With tourist numbers down, there are fewer titbits to eat and many dogs are moving from areas like Kuta beach to villages too poor to feed them.

When the Melbourne family got back to Australia they mentioned the situation to their vet, Dr Elaine Ong, of the Box Hill Veterinary Hospital who, with vet nurse Robyn Ireland, decided to do something about it. On July 22, they'll go to Bali for two weeks to desex and treat dogs, putting down those too sick to save. The Balinese are Buddhists and Hindus, so euthanasia is a last resort, Ong explains.

"Some people have asked why we'd help the dogs, when there are so many children in need, but they have several organisations looking after them," Ong says. "And if we curb street dog numbers and treat disease, everyone will benefit."
"We've worked together for seven years," Ireland says, "and we've always said that when we retire we'll travel the world to give something back and treat animals in poor countries. This was a way we could help now."

Ong and Ireland will work with members of Yudisthira, the Bali Street Dog Foundation started five years ago by Sherry Grant, an American expatriate artist who lives in Bali with her family, and Dr Putu Listriani, a Balinese vet who helps street animals.

Yudisthira is backed by WSPA, the World Society for the Protection of Animals. With the help of volunteers, many of them tourists on holiday, and Indonesian trainee vets, they work from three vans that travel the countryside. In four years they have sterilised about 13,000 dogs.

"There are few vets in Bali and most are in rich areas and work with farm animals," Ong says. She and Ireland are funding their own airfares and accommodation and will be based at Renon, outside Denpasar. They will operate from travelling vans, in tents or by the side of the road.

They will also treat family pets in villages where the locals are too poor to pay a vet. It will be on-the-run, MASH-style, says Malaysian-born Ong, who has lived in Australia for 23 years and can speak Indonesian.

The dogs are caught with big nets by local catchers paid by the foundation. Two vets treat an average of 50 dogs a day.

"We'll anaesthetise them, do the surgery, treat them for parasites and worms, inject them with a long-lasting antibiotic and let them go. An ovarian hysterectomy will be pretty tricky in those circumstances," says Ong, who can't help comparing the Balinese dogs to those treated in her own modern clinic, including her American Staffordshire terrier, Mig, sprawled on the couch. "But at least they will have a better chance of survival if we curb the population."

Ireland says they will be working "mainly with dogs because cats are better at looking after themselves".

Ireland, who lives at Kalorama, is a foster carer for Australian wildlife and has four small dogs, Pop, Mia, Under and Sprocket, who had been rescued by the Victorian Animal Aid Trust.

Ong also has two cats, Hubert and Hymie, and with Ireland is a volunteer for Wildlife Victoria.

The two know there is a risk they could be bitten in Bali, but rabies has not spread there. And the threat of terrorism can't be dismissed. "There's a small risk of copy-cat kidnappings by Muslim terrorists, but we'll try not to be conspicuous," Ong says.

While volunteer vets from the UK, US and New Zealand have been to Bali, Ong and Ireland are among the first Australians to go. They are taking donations of recently expired drugs and equipment and raising money to buy more, including an anaesthetic machine. They have held jewellery parties, dog wash days and raffles and in six months have raised more than $1400.

Ong and Ireland's dream is to send regular vet and nurse teams to Bali and they intend to spread the word among colleagues when they return. Ong's vet husband, Dr Chris Barton, will leave for Bali soon after she gets back. More qualified vets and lay volunteers are also needed and, of course, money.

[stardust]

what a great cause! sometimes its hard to believe their are decent people out there who do things for other, and then you get to hear a story like this. thank you

[Pinscher Mum]

What a great Story. This vet clinic is only 30 minutes from where l live and boy does it make me proud that these two women have taken the steps to help aid animals in need. Heartwarming.

[Taz]

That is so good to hear, what a great cause . I think I might look into doing some fundraising for the World Society for the Protection of Animals.

[Global Paw]

I agree, its a very good cause.