by Tan Kai Swee
1100 dogs were brought together during a Dogathon event hosted at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) on August 8, making it the largest canine gathering in Malaysia – breaking the Malaysian Book of Records they set last year.
The event, which was organized by the third year veterinary students at the university’s Bukit Ekspo in Serdang, is an annual event. The event was organized to raise fund to aid the stray awareness initiative.
The event was first held in 1997 and is part of the PRO-KASIH program founded by the UPM’s student society VERTANAK and the Zoological Club.
The PRO-KASIH program mainly attempts to increase awareness of the issue of stray animals, cultivate good pet ownership qualities and create greater awareness about the veterinary profession.
This year, talks and seminars will be held at schools to educate the younger generation to become good pet owners.
The theme for this year’s event was “Ancient Egypt: Celebration of the Timeless Guardians”, which witnessed both pet owners and dogs alike adorned in Egyptian costumes, while participating in several events such as ‘Race of the Anubis’ and ‘Sixth Sense’.
The event has broken the Malaysian Book of Records for three consecutive years. During the same event last year, 900 dogs were brought together.