Hi my name is Nikita. I am a female dog. I have tiny eyes and I have black patches and white fur on my body.

How was I found? Good question. Now the story starts . When I was trying to cross the road somewhere near Puchong area, some car KNOCKED me to the side of the road. Then a lovely lady and her name is Dheema, saw me at the side of the road. She could not stop to help because she was on the fast lane.

When she reached home she talked about me to her husband, Thiru. Dheema and Thiru then decided to drive back to where she saw me to look for me. When they reached that place, I was nowhere to be seen. Then Thiru said, “Let’s look inside this huge drain nearby.”

Sure enough, I was there. I was so happy that they found me because I was too weak to even whimper for help. Thiru got into the drain and picked me up with his bare hands. They put me in the back seat of Dheema’s car and drove me straight to their family pets’ vet.

The vet said I was paralysed and thought I was too badly injured to be saved. Thiru and Dheema did not take no for an answer. They brought me home, cleaned me up, gave me some water and lots of care that night. I fell asleep soon after.

For two weeks after that, Thiru, Dheema and their daughter Sonia nursed me back to health. Today I am still paralysed because my back was seriously injured during the accident. But my front legs are working fine and I am very active.

I have a comfortable place at the backyard. I am so loved by this family. I am the happiest dog on earth ! Woof Woof Hooray !

But I desperately need a new home now because the neighbours just don’t like me. They say I bark too much and I am a nuisance. Please take me home and love me. I hope I have a good owner but I will miss all of Sonia’s family!

You live near Puchong or in the greater KL area and are willing to give Nikita a new home or wish to get more information about her? Please contact LASSie by email at info@langkawilassie.org.my or by phone : 04 955 7561. We can also be reached through Facebook and Twitter. Thank you!

But behind her lovely features and skinny appearance, lies a strong and resilient heart. One late night early April, after almost 20 hours up in the air, she finally came out of her cage to be greeted by Maja. A year had passed and introductions had to be made again, but soon enough Harriet was back to her normal and happy self. As foreign as this new place seemed to her, she just loved the refreshing air and the long walks with Maja. And there was her new friend, Bola, who made everything so much easier for her. Harriet’s new life had just started, and she was just loving it!

Harriet is one of the few lucky dogs and cats from LASSie which have been adopted by people outside of Malaysia. Guests of Bon Ton Resort or Temple Tree sometimes fall in love with one of our furry residents and the bond between them is so strong that they just can’t live apart anymore. That’s what happened to Anne-Michèle & Christophe (France) when they met Kangoo, or with Penny (France) and Lindi, and a few more from Singapore, China or Germany. LASSie can help you arrange veterinary documentation according to your country’s requirements, as well as shipment. So next time you’re in Langkawi and suddenly come across the furry love of your life, just remember: you have the power to make their life even better.

A big THANK YOU to Maja and to all our adopters, in Langkawi, around Malaysia and across the world!

Thanks to all these people, and also to friends (including all our fans & followers!), family and guests who voted for us. Sorry for so many follow-up emails! A big thank you to Mark Batros who nominated us and Megaa who was his main support for his dream. The only regret is we can’t have the list of the people who did vote for LASSie. We can never thank them individually and might never know who they are. But please accept this as a big thank you.

A little note… The cute puppy on our first flier… His name is Chubby Chups, and he and his sister Storm were found in Beach St Penang, in a burnt building just down from our ChinaHouse food & arts centre. We had a few people that wanted to adopt Chubby as he was cute. But no one wanted Storm as she was not pretty. But the rule was they went together as they were so happy together. In the end we had no choice but to bring them to Langkawi… courtesy of Malaysia Airlines!! They are now 6 months old, inseparable and enjoy LASSie’s seabreezes, lawn and space to play. Thanks Chubby for being our pin up boy!!

Narelle

LASSie, the Langkawi Animal Shelter & Sanctuary foundation, has just been nominated on the SunSuper Dreams website, which gives us a chance to win a much-needed AUS$5,000 grant for the shelter. Here’s a message by Narelle McMurtrie, owner of Brand Bon Ton and founder of LASSie:

Over twenty years ago, Bon Ton Restaurant in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia began rescuing and sheltering street dogs, seven of which made the journey to Langkawi with Narelle when she opened the restaurant’s island branch. Narelle soon found that on Langkawi the major problem was stray cats. There were no veterinary clinics on the island, so Bon Ton quickly set one up. For years it operated on a purely charitable basis, sterilizing stray cats and returning them to their original habitat. At the same time, Bon Ton set up a shelter for the island’s stray and needy dogs.

Seven years ago the project had grown so big that Narelle established LASSie – The Langkawi Animal Shelter & Sanctuary Foundation. LASSie’s main aim is to control the island’s stray cat and dog population through sterilization.

LASSie now has its own open-to-the-public clinic with two veterinarians, as well as separate dog and cat shelters. To insure adequate funding for LASSie’s present and future activities Narelle decided to expand Bon Ton, opening ‘sister resort’ Temple Tree in December 2008. All animal work is financed by the resorts and their restaurants.

The resorts share a motto in both their restaurants: ‘Eat more, Drink more’, as all goes to a good cause!