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  After the memorial ceremony, Li Yuhua looks at Happy's grave, reminiscing about her dog.

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  Li Yuhua (front left), her husband Chen Qingjie, their daughter and their son-in-law posing with their Chow-Chow A Qiu.

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  Li Yuhua (2nd from right) and her family together with their dogs: A Q, Mei Ren, Orange and Fei Zi.

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ALOR SETAR: Li Yuhua loves dogs. So do her daughters. When her beloved sheepdog Happy died, she buried it outside her house, holding a ritual on the 7th day after its death to call its spirit home. Every night she holds a memorial ceremony for Happy, asking it to come home and rest.

Li, 46, owns a clothes store at Sentosa Plaza, Jalan Putra. She loves pets, and her home is like a miniature zoo. In the past, she has kept over 30 rabbits, more than 40 hamsters, as well as chickens and geese. She currently has 3 sheepdogs, a chow-chow and a bulldog. The last two are guard dogs.

"The bulldog's name is Fei Zi, the chow-chow's is A Qiu, while the 3 sheepdogs are called A Q, Mei Ren and Orange. I treasure them all."

Dogs Give Owner Morning Call

Li originally had 6 dogs, but one of her sheepdogs, Happy, died last month due to poisoning. Li and her daughters were saddened by the dog's death. They buried Happy outside the house and are planning to make a memorial tablet for the dog.

When the reporter asked if the dogs she cuddled when she slept would wake her up at night, Li said: "When we are sleeping, the dogs obediently lie still and keep quiet."

She said that the dogs would even give them a morning call. "Every morning at 8 o'clock, they would bark to wake us up. If we continue to lie in bed, they will understand and fall silent until 11 o'clock, when they will try to wake us up again."

"My dogs are very intelligent, when I am sad, they will try to comfort me. That's why I treasure them so much. I would be hostile to anyone that dares to beat my dogs, even if it's my husband."

Dogs Stop Fighting When They See Slipper

Li's dogs have slept together with their owner since they were little, and are used to air-conditioning. Now, they can't sleep without it. In addition, if they are left outside the house, they will bang against the door and howl.

"I've spent a lot raising these dogs, they eat about RM30-40 worth of dog food every day. They are very picky and will only eat good quality dog food. It's a good thing that my daughters help me trim the dogs' fur whenever they are free, that helps me save some money."

Li said that the 5 remaining dogs would sometimes quarrel. Whenever they do, she would separate them. If they still do not behave, she would smack them with her slipper.

"Once they see me pick up my slipper, they know they are about to be beaten, so they obediently sit down and don’t dare to make a sound."

Fei Zi Refuses to Eat While Li is Away

Once, when Li went down to Johor to visit her in-laws, Fei Zi missed her so much that it refused to eat and drink for 3 days. It also refused to sleep in the house, and kept waiting for her beside the fence.

"My daughter didn't have the strength to drag it inside the house, so she had to telephone me and ask me to speak to Fei Zi through the phone. I told Fei Zi that I was already waiting for it in the house, and asked it to go inside. I also praised it as a good boy. Only then was the dog willing to go in and sleep."

Li said that after she started keeping the dogs as pets, she and her family found it hard to go on trips together. No matter what, they would have to leave at least two people behind to take care of the dogs.