Guest guest Posted April 8, 2005 Report Share Posted April 8, 2005 This message was forwarded to you by yitzeling. Comment from sender: This article is from The Star Online URL: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/4/7/nation/10619982 & sec=nation ________________________ Thursday April 7, 2005 Chien’s sweet, gentle giants <b>BY JONATHAN CHEW</b> KLANG: 'Sweet', 'gentle giants', 'my children' – these are the words that 30-year-old Natasha Chien uses when it comes to describing her eight Rottweilers. The Ukrainian housewife counts her black-and-gold dogs, four of which were born only three weeks ago, as among her closest companions since she came over to Malaysia with her husband, Chien Tzung Shien, in 1997. “They are not just guard dogs, they are a part of our family. “I love them, and enjoy playing with the little fellows,” she said when met at her home here. A dog-lover since she was in primary school, Chien has always had a special fondness for all breeds of canines, especially Rottweilers. During her college days in the Ukraine, she cared for the stray dogs around her house, and was even brought to a police station once because she refused to let local authorities impound the dogs. “I remember that when they tried to take the dogs away, I even bit one of the officer's hands!” she said with a laugh. However, as the owner of maturing Rottweilers, Chien has faced the brunt of people's attitudes and growing fears about the large dogs. “Sometimes, when I take them out for a walk, people who are around jump back, and then tell me I cannot bring such dogs out. “But my dogs are trained and will not simply attack people,” she said. She was responding to a proposal by several councillors at the recent Sepang District Council Board meeting to impose a total ban on dog rearing in a reaction to the mauling of nine-year-old Mohd Hazman Khan Seh Zaidi by a dog on March 18. Owners of Rottweilers and German Shepherd dogs wanting to give away their pets have also inundated the Malaysian Kennel Association (MKA) with calls. Chien is among several dog-owners who have voiced concern over a public backlash on the large dogs. Businesswoman Lay Cheng, 34, said a neighbour recently threatened her verbally because she owned two German Shepherds. “He said that if my dogs ever bit his children, he would chop my head off,” she said. Professional dog-trainer Lilie Loo, 41, said much of the public's worry stemmed from a misconception of a dog's temperament, and a lack of education on how to take care of such dogs. “For example, Rottweilers are very active, love a human's touch and must socialise with other dogs,” she said. She said prospective owners should be willing to commit time and money to tend to big breeds such as Rottweilers or German Shepherds, which were primarily working dogs instead of guard dogs. “If you cannot invest the time to take care of the dog, then don't have one,” said Loo, who owns a Rottweiler. Chien said she planned to start a community group that would gather current and potential dog owners to disseminate information on how to rear dogs. Those who have questions about taking care of big breeds such as Rottweilers or German Shepherds can email Chien at <a href= " nata4rotty " >nata4rotty</a> <p> ________________________ Your one-stop information portal: The Star Online http://thestar.com.my http://biz.thestar.com.my http://classifieds.thestar.com.my http://cards.thestar.com.my http://search.thestar.com.my http://star-motoring.com http://star-space.com http://star-jobs.com http://star-ecentral.com http://star-techcentral.com 1995-2004 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Star Publications is prohibited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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