V. Ganeson is not only a big man, he also has an equally big heart.<\/p>\n
For five years, he has been on a crusade to rescue and protect stray dogs and cats in and around Kuala Lumpur.<\/p>\n
The former Kuala Lumpur City Hall employee has long witnessed acts of cruelty perpetrated against these animals.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/thestar.com.my\/archives\/2011\/6\/21\/central\/m_pg22ganeson.jpg\")
<\/div>\nDetermined to help the defenceless animals, he gave up his job to execute his noble wish, which has also earned him some solace.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe animals also take care of me by providing unconditional friendship,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Several kind-hearted souls who have heard of his crusade have come to his aid, allowing him to keep the dogs and cats at their construction sites and on vacant land.<\/p>\n
\u201cA few have even offered to put them up in the basement of their unoccupied buildings,\u201d said the father of two who lives in Kinrara, Puchong, with his factory worker wife A. Pushpawati.<\/p>\n
He added that they had two dogs at home that his wife was very fond of.<\/p>\n
Currently, Ganeson looks out for some 50 dogs and 10 cats in Kuala Lumpur and about 200 dogs and 20 cats outside the Klang Valley.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have rented a plot of land just outside Kuala Lumpur for RM1,000 a month. It has a small house on it,\u201d he said, adding that he visited the farm once or twice weekly. A worker tends to the animals during his absence.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/thestar.com.my\/archives\/2011\/6\/21\/central\/m_pg22pushpa.jpg\")
<\/div>\nGaneson said health officers from various authorities had visited his canine sanctuary and were impressed by his good work there.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey told me if everyone could take care of their own pets and not dump them, there would not be a problem with strays,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Soon after quitting his job, Ganeson began buying and selling used cars to feed and shelter his four-legged family.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt first, it was just a few dogs and I could manage on my salary but now I need around RM15,000 a month,\u201d he said, adding that there were desperate times when he was short of money to feed the dogs and cats.<\/p>\n
The details of his expenses are written down meticulously in a scrapbook, which he keeps in his car.<\/p>\n
He buys three 10kg packets of rice at RM18 per pack daily for one meal in the day, and for dinner they are fed 25kg of pet food, which costs him RM90 per 18kg pack.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen there are the toiletries, medical costs and salaries and provisions for my two workers,\u201d he said, waving to a wolf-like dog he had recently picked up from Old Klang Road.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/thestar.com.my\/archives\/2011\/6\/21\/central\/m_pg23dogs.jpg\")
<\/div>\nFaddy came running, leaving its half-eaten meal, leapt and hugged Geneson, almost throwing him off balance by its weight.<\/p>\n
He had seen the frail-looking dog outside a house on many occasions and found out that the owner had sold the property and abandoned the dog.<\/p>\n
A few months later, Faddy was taken ill and admitted to the Universiti Putra Malaysia animal hospital in Serdang.<\/p>\n
\u201cI spent almost RM760 to treat the dog which, according to the vet, was suffering from leukemia,\u201d he said, adding that it had made a wonderful recovery.<\/p>\n
On his ride back home to Puchong, Ganeson also stops daily at several locations to feed stray dogs and cats.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is good food. I buy rice and some powdered mutton and feed them,\u201d he said when asked if the food was leftovers picked up from restaurants and hotels.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople say I am mad for spending so much money on dogs. Several people even called me up after a newspaper published my story and poked fun at what I was doing.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy obsession has brought me a world of good which money cannot buy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am at peace with myself, I have no worries, no debts and my two sons are respectable members of society.<\/p>\n
\u201cI learnt to forgive and forget just like my dogs.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven if you beat them, accidentally step on their paw or yell at them for some minor transgression for a moment they look at you all sad-eyed but then five minutes later, they are all happy and act like nothing happened,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Recalling the day some five years ago that made him dedicate his life to the care and protection of stray dogs, Ganeson pointed to Chinna, a mongrel and said: \u201cThis is the fellow that changed everything for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was just an abandoned puppy hiding out in the crevices of chunks of boulders and rubble at an abandoned building in Brickfields.<\/p>\n
\u201cI used to park there daily to avoid paying parking charges and return late in the evening to collect my car.<\/p>\n
\u201cI used to buy this fellow buns and other stuff whenever I came to fetch my car,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
This relationship had been going on for several months when one day he left the car overnight and came to collect it the next morning.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis puppy refused to eat the bun I bought but kept on barking and running around my car which was parked on a slope,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Ganeson sometimes encountered problems starting the car and had parked on a slope to make it easier if he needed to push-start the car.<\/p>\n
\u201cI tried to shoo him away but he kept on barking,\u201d he said, adding that when he had checked to see if anything was amiss, he had noticed that several bolts had been loosened from one of his tyres.<\/p>\n
After tightening the bolts, he took the dirty, rash-covered puppy to a pet shop for some medication before taking it home and giving it a proper bath.<\/p>\n
The next day, as he pulled out his wallet to pay for a drink at a stall, he found the pet shop receipt with six numbers on it staring at him.<\/p>\n
He walked next door to a gaming shop and bought the six-digit number and the following day he struck RM100,000.<\/p>\n
Soon it dawned on him that there was more to life than accumulating money, buying a big house and fancy cars.<\/p>\n
For him, there is no turning back in his selfless endeavour in caring and protecting stray dogs and cats.<\/p>\n
Along the way he has met many kind souls, including a woman who contributes five packets of pet food monthly.<\/p>\n
\u201cBesides, officers from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) come around regularly to provide free treatment and medicine for my dogs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Ganeson believes he can build a dog and cat sanctuary for unwanted dogs and cats with support from the public.<\/p>\n