Interview With Bu Ismawanty of Shelter Melati Part 2

Have you ever seen this video? That's a video of Hope, one of Bu Isma's rescued huskies. Hope was rescued on 13 July 2017, in a wretched condition. He was locked in a very small cage which was covered by a tarpaulin on the 4th floor of a rich person's mansion. When he was rescued, he was full of sickness and had malnutrition.

Hope was reported by his owner's relatives to Bu Isma on the fasting days of June 2017. His name wasn't Hope then, it was Demon. He was reported to be in a bad condition. In the photo that was sent to Bu Isma, Demon's case doesn't seem urgent. He was tied and his skin was full of skin disease, but he still could stand up. 

Bu Isma said that Demon's condition wasn't too bad, so she didn't rescue him. In addition to that, she was busy. Even if she rescued him from that place, there wouldn’t be a clinic available for him to undergo the medical evaluation and treatment that all rescued dogs must undergo before they are brought to the shelter;  as Demon was reported on the days leading up to the Idul Fitri holidays. Most of the vet clinics would be fully occupied with healthy pets, as their families were away on vacation.

Bu Isma told the informer to ask Demon's owners to bring him to the vet, as he only had skin disease. But the informer told her that Demon's owners didn't want to bring him to the vet because they're really stingy. They also complained that they bought Demon for a really expensive price, so why did he get sick? Well!

After the fasting month, close to the Idul Fitri holidays, Demon's informer pleaded with Bu Isma to rescue Demon as he couldn't stand anymore. He also kept on vomiting green stuff. The informer also reported that the owners rarely fed him because they were lazy to climb to the 4th floor, even though they had servants who could've fed him.

After the Idul Fitri holidays, Bu Isma contacted Dr. Magda Rumawas, a vet who often helps her with her rescued dogs. She asked Dr. Magda if she should rescue Demon, as all vet clinics were full. Dr. Mag said that she will provide space.

So off went Bu Isma to Demon's house. Demon's owners are a couple who had servants, and the house was big and grand. The whole house wasn't used though; the upper floors were only for the clothesline. When Bu Isma arrived at the 4th floor, she was confused as she couldn't see Demon. "Where's Demon?" she asked. The owner then opened a tarpaulin which revealed a really sorrowful sight:

There wasn't food at all. Even the water was outside of the locked cage. He was really scrawny, his skin full with wounds and holes, and had dirt in his eyes. He was even chained to the cage, even though he's already inside it. Demon couldn't stand at all because he was in the cage for too long. The small cage prevented him from standing correctly; he had to bend his body and legs. A lack of exercise made the muscles in his legs weak, causing his legs to have no power to support his body and stand straight.

Bu Isma was infuriated. When she was about to lift Demon up, the owners asked for a compensation from her, as they bought Demon expensively. Bu Isma raged at them saying that theywere outrageous. They had broken a lot of rules about animal rights and they could be sent to jail. "Okay, how much do you want? I have brought my lawyer. If you want to ask for your compensation, you can negotiate it with my lawyer! But afterwards, you are going to jail!"

Demon's owners became frightened. Bu Isma immediately wrapped him in a sack that she found there and tried to carry him. Even though Demon was very light, Bu Isma wasn't strong enough to carry him as she was shaking so much from anger. She immediately brought Demon to Dr. Mag's clinic where he was infused and treated. His name was changed to Hope.

The next day when Bu Isma visited Hope he was doing well. He had found his appetite. But after that she became really busy so she didn't visit him for a long time. One day Dr. Mag messaged Bu Isma, telling her not to hope too much for Hope, because his condition was really unstable. His infuse couldn't get in and he didn't want to eat. He was moody all the time, as if he felt he wasn't loved at all. 

Bu Isma's friend asked someone who could do AnimalTalk (or BodyTalk) with dogs to communicate with Hope. AnimalTalk is a method to communicate with animals telepathically. Telepathy deals with speaking directly to the mind without using external communication such as body language and words.We can convey and receive feelings, images, intentions, etcetera directly mind to mind.

That person said that Hope conveyed that he didn't want to get well, he didn’t want to live anymore. He felt grateful that Bu Isma rescued him, but after he was rescued he was just left here. He saw no difference between here and back home. He felt abandoned in both places.

According to what they’ve learnt from his replies, Dr. Mag asked Bu Isma to visit Hope with praises and a happy face. Although Bu Isma felt sad every time she visited Hope, seeing his poor condition, she put on a happy face for him and often praised him."Wow, you're so handsome Hope, you're so cool! Please get well soon, so that I can bring you home!"

These seemingly small and insignificant gestures and words really made a great difference. The infuse then could get in well and Hope started to eat. With numerous visits and help from Bu Isma and donators, Hope fully recovered. He is a really handsome dog now!

Hope is just one example of the many dogs who had similar fates like him. You can help fund the other dogs' lives in Bu Isma's shelter, like how Hope's donators helped fund Hope's life.

You can follow the dogs in Shelter Melati through their instagram and facebook.

Part 3 will be the last part! Wait for it next week!

You can read Part 1 here and my visit to the shelter here.

Sorry for late post *facepalm* I broke my promise.