Some 400 dogs, nearly 100 of them disabled, could lose the only home they have ever known because the Malaysian rescue group that saved them is broke. Co-founder Irene Low confirmed on Monday, October 20, 2026, that Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better (MDDB) can no longer pay its bills and is pleading for help before the animals are left destitute.
According to a report by The Star, the shelter has almost no funds left, a mountain of veterinary debt, and founders who are simply too old to keep carrying the load. Eighteen years after it started, one of Malaysia's pioneering animal rescue organisations is fighting for its own survival.
How a pioneering rescue group ran out of road
MDDB was founded 18 years ago by a small group of dog lovers, at a time when organised, registered animal rescue in Malaysia barely existed. Low told The Star that the group was loud and action-packed in its early days, and public support followed.
That support has dried up. Low said the old donors have retired or simply no longer have disposable income, and a wave of newer shelters and independent rescuers has spread the available money thin.
“The facet of animal rescue has changed tremendously and all those who supported us in the past are no longer around or retired without disposable incomes anymore,” Low said.
Today MDDB runs a shelter full of young, energetic dogs plus a halfway home for disabled, old and sick animals. The costs are relentless: a huge veterinary bill at a hospital, rent for the halfway home, allowances for the people who cook, clean and care for the dogs, and food for 400 mouths every single day.
Why the younger generation went elsewhere
Low did not mince words about where the problem lies. She said today's animal welfare enthusiasts prefer action-packed rescue work, demonstrations and protests, rather than the slow, unglamorous business of feeding and housing hundreds of dogs year after year.
“Eighteen years ago, we were action-packed and loud, but we are senior citizens now and besides having to worry about our dogs' future, we are also burdened with our personal health and mobility challenges,” Low said.
Key members of the organisation have retired and can no longer pump their own money into MDDB the way they once did. The founders are now worried about something darker still: dying and leaving the dogs alone and destitute.
“We are becoming old ourselves and we cannot go on doing this, so we will put in a practical succession plan and hope young people with kind hearts and strong determination will come forward to take over our mission of helping the voiceless,” Low said.
What MDDB is asking for
The group's plea is modest and practical. Low said a fixed monthly stipend for about one year would let MDDB plan its future without constantly scrambling to raise funds.
She also called on corporate organisations and companies to step in during what she called the group's darkest hour, and asked ordinary members of the public to take heed of the plight of the 400 dogs and help out as well.
By 2028, MDDB plans to hand the entire organisation over to younger people ready to manage the two-decade-old rescue group. That succession plan is the founders' answer to their own mortality.
A lesson for Zambia: keep your own house strong
Here is why this story matters beyond Malaysia. MDDB is what happens when good people build something with their own hands and money, and then the big, glamorous machine of modern activism moves on to louder things. No foreign agency swooped in to save those dogs. No international foundation arrived with a cheque. The people who built the shelter are the only ones standing between 400 animals and the street.
Zambians know this instinctively. When our own communities face hardship, whether it is a rural clinic, a village school or an animal welfare effort, the help that lasts comes from our own pockets and our own determination. Waiting on outside saviours is a losing game, as Malaysians are learning the hard way right now.
There is also a warning here about passing the torch. MDDB's founders built something real, but they admit they struggled to bring young people into the slow, daily work of keeping it alive. Every Zambian institution, from our farmers' cooperatives to our community groups, should be asking the same question: who takes over when the founders grow old? The answer cannot be left to chance.
Frequently asked questions
How many dogs does Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better care for?
MDDB currently cares for about 400 dogs, close to 100 of which are disabled, according to co-founder Irene Low.
Why is MDDB struggling financially?
Low said past supporters have retired or lost disposable income, newer shelters and independent rescuers have divided donations, and today's activists prefer protests and high-profile rescue work over shelter upkeep.
What is MDDB's plan for the future?
The group aims to hand over management to younger people by 2028 through a formal succession plan, and is seeking a fixed monthly stipend for one year to stabilise its finances.