An Update On Meiji
AnimalCare 
Jun 27, 2013 
AnimalCare, NGOs 
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As you probably know, we have been helping Meiji and her dogs with our Medical Fund and Food Fund since 2009. It’s been four years now. In fact, Meiji was one of our very first applicants and certainly the first to receive petfood from our Food Fund.
On 18th February 2012, we started the Sponsor-a-Dog for RM50 for Meiji’s dogs and a few of our readers responded to this – thank you very much for helping. The donations were banked directly into Meiji’s account:http://myanimalcare.org/2012/02/18/sponsor-a-dog-at-meijis-sanctuary/
Throughout these 4 years, we have often asked Meiji if other donors were also helping her, but she told us that it was only us. Our medical and food subsidy continued on a regular basis.
On 4th June, I texted Meiji to ask if she needed dogfood. She replied saying that she had enough, so it wasn’t necessary yet. Normally, Meiji would drive down to Selayang to get the dogfood from the supplier every month and we would pay the supplier directly. The supplier would send us the photo of Meiji picking up the food.
On 10th June, one of our readers who had recently made a donation to Meiji informed me that her 3 calls to Meiji had not been picked up. The reader needed to inform Meiji that she had just banked in a donation. So I called Meiji and my calls were not picked up either. I left many text messages but none were replied.
On that same evening, I contacted Meiji’s sister, who lives in Bentong, and asked her if there was anything wrong with Meiji. The sister said it is very difficult to get Meiji on the phone as the reception up on the hill is extremely poor (a fact that we already know, but normally, Meiji would always reply my text messages or call me whenever she came downhill – that has been how we communicated for the past 4 years without a hitch). However, the sister assured me that Meiji was alright. I requested the sister to get Meiji to call me.
There was no call from Meiji for the next two days. I asked another friend to call (this friend has been helping Meiji a lot as well) and his calls also went to voicemail.
On 12th June, two friends and I were going to borrow a 4-wheel drive and go up to Meiji’s place over the weekend to check if everything was alright, but I thought it wiser to ask her sister to drive up since the sister lived so much nearer. So I contacted the sister and she went up to see Meiji. The sister later texted to say Meiji was just feeling a little unwell but all is well and the dogs are fine. I immediately found a sponsor to help out with her medical needs, if any, and asked the sister if Meiji needed financial help. The sister said if Meiji needed, she would inform me herself.
So I left things as it was.
Every few days, I would call Meiji, but the call would go to voicemail, either directly or after a few rings. There was only once that the call was picked up, I heard someone cough and it was put down again.
I assumed that Meiji was not feeling well enough to drive down, hence, she could not receive any of the calls, or maybe her phone battery died or her prepaid account had expired.
On 25th June, another donor wrote to me saying that she had been donating towards the Sponsor-a-Dog programme but Meiji had not acknowledged her recent donations. She asked me if Meiji’s phone number had changed. I gave this donor the latest number I had of Meiji’s but the donor also could not get through.
Again, I made calls and all calls went to voicemail and my text messages were not replied.
I got really worried this morning and the two friends and I were going to borrow a 4-wheel drive and make the trip this Sunday. So I rang the supplier to ask if we could get 4 packs of dogfood to take along with us. It was then that the supplier informed me that Meiji was at his warehouse in Selayang about 2 weeks ago to purchase 10 packs of dogfood. Meiji had called him two days before to make the arrangement (which means her phone works) and she even brought along a friend from USJ to the warehouse. When the supplier asked if a photo needed to be sent to me (assuming we would be paying for the food), Meiji said there was no need as the friend whom she had brought would be paying. She purposely brought the friend so that he would know the location of the warehouse. In future this friend will be purchasing food for Meiji. The supplier said Meiji mentioned that this friend is a Chinese sinseh.
As I recall, we did meet a man who was a Chinese sinseh in one of our trips up to Meiji’s place previously. Maybe it’s the same man.
The supplier also mentioned that Meiji looked a little thinner than usual. Meiji also told him that she had been unwell.
Of course I was very relieved to know that Meiji is well. I had been having fears that she was unwell and alone all by herself up on the hill, with no one to help her or the dogs.
However, I’m just a little puzzled why Meiji did not at least reply my text messages or return my call when she was in Selayang. Maybe none of those text messages had been registered on her phone? She couldn’t have changed her hp as she used the same one to call the supplier. But four of us have called her, sent text messages and none of us received any reply.
The purpose of writing this is to inform all of you that in case you have been donating to her account and not getting any acknowledgment, we too have not been able to reach her since 4th June.
If Meiji already has other donors helping her now, we are happy for her and the dogs and we wish her well.
I have, however, requested through her sister that Meiji contacts me at her earliest convenience so that we have a closure to this matter. We have been supporting our 3 dogs (Russell, Sweetie and Jackie, and previously, Doby) with dogfood and we need to know how to go about doing this now. Previously, Meiji only wanted dogfood, not cash. If Meiji does not need dogfood from us now, at least we can bank in cash. We need to settle this so I hope Meiji contacts us soon.
If any of you are in contact with Meiji, could you please ask her to contact me? Thank you.
I called Meiji’s sister again this morning and the sister said Meiji has not contacted her either and also does not reply her text messages. According to her sister, Meiji should be alright and that is just the way she is. She advised me to just leave things as it is. Maybe that is wise, but I still need to settle the sponsorship of Russell, Sweetie and Jackie. Also, need to request that she acknowledges the donations made by our donors into her bank account.
P.S. One of our friends may be making a trip up to see Meiji soon so we hope for some news then.
Source: http://myanimalcare.org/2013/06/27/an-update-on-meiji/
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