A few months ago, a friendly little white dog wandered into my school. He was clearly not afraid of people and was very docile and friendly. He would walk around the school compound as if on patrol or he would sit in a sunny corner looking at students walk by. At first, teachers were afraid that he might attack someone being a stray but he was cleverly cautious of people, always staying a few steps away of people who are clearly afraid of him. He became a regular harmless fixture in our school and I fondly called him ‘Jerry’.
In Brunei, most Muslims here tend to be very afraid of stray dogs as they are considered to be ‘haram’, we are not allowed to touch the dog’s salivia and if we do, we need to do a ritual washing called Tayamum. I know of many Muslim friends in other countries who work with and have dogs in their home as well loved pets. But dogs here are seen as something to be afraid of, often maimed, poisoned or brutally killed all in the name of religion. I knew that Jerry must suffer some kind of abuse from students when the teachers are not looking.
I think what people forget, dogs are God’s creatures too. They are forbidden yes, but they are still intelligent animals that deserve respect, love and care. That was why when I heard of plans to poison Jerry in school, I knew I couldn’t stand by and do nothing.
Pete and I found a lovely woman who comes to our Pilates class who was willing to take the dog. She has two children, a lovely big house and her husband love dogs too. Jerry couldn’t have gone to a lovelier home but how on earth are we going to catch a stray who we knew very little about?
After talking to the school’s very friendly security guard, we arranged to come around 9pm at night when the school was quiet. We brought a big cage, a big can of dog food and a whole lot of doggy treats and parked quite close to the library. Surprisingly, we found him straight away in the assembly area as if waiting for us. We talked to him kindly and he started to wag his tail and sit up. We gave him some treats but he was clearly very wary of us. When Pete opened the dog food, he quickly perked up and wolfed the food down. He was very hungry and I noticed how much his ribs protruded through his fur.
Jerry wouldn’t go near the cage and no amount of coaxing, pleading or baiting would get him in it. We then decided to make Jerry trust us, we stroked him and fussed over him then gently lifted him into the cage. He didn’t even make a sound.
We carefully lifted him into the car and drove very slowly to his new home which was about half an hour away. He kept standing up in the cage and whenever Pete braked, he would clumsily fall over. Not once did he whine or make a sound.
We finally got to his new home and his new owners fell in love with him instantly. We drove away feeling happy that we have saved a beautiful life and we can only hope that he has a happy long life with his new owners.
We hear that he is settling into his new life quite happily, he eats like a horse and has bonded well with his new family. I was quite surprised to hear though that he has been barking.. only when he has a flea bath once a day 
Good on you little Jerry.
