Malaysia’s First Guide Dog For The Blind Has Passed Away
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The first dog in Malaysia to be recognised as a guide dog has passed away. LaShawn died on 3 May after battling a blood infection. He was eight years old.
His owner, founder of social enterprise Dialogue in the Dark Malaysia, Stevens Chan Kum Fai shared the sad news on 3 May in a Facebook post on the non-profit advocacy group page Dogs For Sight.
Besides being recognised as the first guide dog for the blind in the Malaysia Book of Records in 2018, LaShawn loyally served Stevens for six years since 2014 when he was flown in from China.
Speaking of LaShawn, Stevens said that the lovely canine provided him with a “second pair of eyes†after he lost his vision to glaucoma in 2002.
LaShawn was admitted to an animal clinic in Cheras on 29 April after showing symptoms of vomiting and diarrhoea and received treatment for leptospirosis. Unfortunately, he was not able to pull through.
Sadly, due to movement restrictions during the movement control order (MCO), Stevens was not able to be by LaShawn’s side during his final moments.
Stevens acknowledges that he was able to live more independently thanks to the assistance of the clever pooch and hopes that one day the Malaysian government would grant guide dogs legal recognition as aid dogs for people with disabilities.
Stevens had even launched a petition on Change.org in 2018 calling for an amendment to the Persons with Disabilities Act 2008 that would allow guide dogs permission to access public areas and public transportation facilities with their owners.
It was done with the hope that one day, people with disabilities would be able to travel freely around Malaysia with their furry companions.
The petition garnered more than 85,000 signatures and was submitted to the then-deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.
Stevens shared that he regularly encountered difficulties when commuting with LaShawn and in 2014, Malay Mail reported how the duo couldn’t walk through a shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur for 10 minutes without being chased out by security.
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