M’sians help rescue lost dog off busy highway
Pet owners make sure their furkids are well taken care of. So it’s a nightmare come true when a pet goes missing and has to fend for itself on the streets. This man had a tale to tell after his 10-year-old poodle, Dafi, went missing in Cheras on 14th April 2021. Fortunately, he was reunited with his dog after a viral video surfaced online of road users trying to rescue his dog off a busy highway.
Flurry of road users attempt to rescue lost dog on highway
The viral video has been reshared on several social media platforms by netizens, including TikTok user @vantharajavathavareven, where it racked up over a million views on the video-sharing platform.
In the video, several road users are seen stopping their vehicles and trying to corner the dog while it sprinted down the highway between moving cars and motorcycles.
As it had been almost 2 weeks since Dafi had been separated from his owner, the dog is understandably distressed and put up a good fight with the strangers trying to help him.
Video credit: Steven Chong
Nonetheless, as Dafi continued to run down the busy 4-lane road, the helpful road users put in their best efforts to rescue him.
In what looks like a game of tag, several of them chased after the spirited dog running away from them on the road.
Video credit: Steven Chong
Around the 40-second mark of the video, an unnamed man’s heroic attempts to stop the dog from an oncoming vehicle results in him falling flat on his chest while trying to grab the dog.
Video credit: Steven Chong
It wasn’t until several motorcyclists trailed the dog, unintentionally “escorting” it to the safety of the sidewalk, did Dafi finally get rescued off the highway.
The video ends with Dafi running down the sidewalk while road users continue to look on.
Video credit: Steven Chong
Owner reunited with dog after almost 2 weeks
On 24th April, Dafi’s owner, Steven Chong, shared that it was his dog in the video in a Facebook post. Dafi had apparently been missing for 10 days at the time it was posted.
In a previous Facebook post dated 19th April, Chong had issued a reward of RM2,000 for anyone who found his dog. He also shared that his dog had been staying at Petsway’s boarding facilities when it managed to get loose and run away.
The dog was last seen near EkoCheras Mall, running past by a Petron and Petronas gas station, heading towards KL – which is about a 7-minute walk from the mall.
Chong’s missing dog notice
Image adapted from: Steven Chong
Determined to reunite with his dog, Chong even filed a police report.
Chong’s persistence paid off when he received a tip that a kind Samaritan had rescued his dog off the highway and was fostering it. He also learnt that his dog’s rescuer had gone to a pet store in Cheras to buy a pet dish and dog food after finding his dog.
However, he could not contact the man, and vice versa, which left him worried.
It wasn’t until the video surfaced that he managed to track the man down with his motorcycle number plate.
Fortunately, the man, Mr Siva, who had been fostering his dog has since contacted him to return his dog, as Chong shared on Facebook today, 26th April.
Dog reunited with owner after road users help rescue it off highway
Having your pets go missing due to unfortunate circumstances is something that no pet owner should have to go through. So we are glad to see Chong reunited with his dog. We also applaud the road users involved in helping rescue his lost dog that had been wandering on the streets and highway.
Read more here:
- Abandoned dog in KL waits overnight for owner to return
- Woman feeding stray dogs during sundown catches police’s attention
- M’sian family cuddles and feeds stray dogs every day
Cover image adapted from: Steven Chong