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Like many people on the island of Bali, sisters Desy and Chantal rely on a scooter for transportation and work, and since their mission is saving stray dogs, you might see them carrying up to six dogs at a time on their 110 cc Honda.
The sisters didn’t become regular riders until they moved from Germany to Bali, an island province of Indonesia, and saving animals was not originally part of the plan, either.
“Actually, my sister was even a bit scared of dogs as a girl,” recalls Chantal.
That all changed when the women saw a tiny dog discarded in the trash next to someone selling its siblings. “He said it was dead, but it was clearly still breathing. We didn’t have an option,” says Chantal. Desy took the controls, Chantal swaddled the sick puppy in a towel and climbed onto the back of the Honda, and they headed home.
That was five years ago, and Honey is now a happy and healthy pup with two loving owners and a pack of furry friends to play with, most of which were rescued off the street and then shuttled to the vet, the sisters’ shelter, Bali Paws, and on to foster and forever homes via scooter.
Desy and Chantal had no intention of turning their home into a shelter, but they now host up to 25 animals at a time and work closely with local vet clinics to get sick dogs treated. Using their own income, as well as funds gathered via donations, the sisters provide medical care, food, and housing for stray dogs and organize regular sterilization events that allow owners to get their pets spayed or neutered at no cost.
Indonesia is one of the largest motorcycle markets in the world and locals carry everything on their scooters — including their pets — so getting the rescues accustomed to two-wheel travel is part of their rehabilitation.
“At first we just teach them to sit on the bike. They sit on the floorboard and we roll the bike around with the engine off,” says Chantal. “Once they’re comfortable with that, we start the bike and off we go. It usually takes around a day or two until they feel comfortable, and in the beginning we need to read their body language carefully.”
So, how about that six-dog payload the sisters carried? “It’s actually not that unusual for us,”says Chantal. “It’s how we get them to the beach or to the vet. We sit two on the floorboard, two share the seat with us, and we put two more in a backpack.”
If you’d like to support Desy and Chantal’s efforts, you can become a member of their Patreon page or donate to their vet-clinic account via PayPal at admin@sunsetvetbali.com (specify it's for Bali Paws).
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