GEORGE TOWN, Sept 28 – It all started with two puppies she rescued from the streets in 2006 when she first came to live in Penang, Malaysia as part of her “luxurious” retirement plan.

From the moment she took in those puppies, her life changed drastically and today, Malaysia My Second Home participant Barbara Janssen, 69, is known as the hero who rescues stray dogs.

Instead of living it up with cocktails in the evenings or jetting off on short vacations all over South-East Asia as she had initially planned, Janssen now cares for more than 360 dogs in an animal shelter she founded called 4Paws or Penang Animal Welfare Society (www.4paws.com.my).

This remarkable woman never ever imagined that she would be spending what was supposed to be a luxurious, relaxing retirement caring for dogs of all sizes, shapes, ages and conditions in a remote area next to a cemetery in the northern island state of Malaysia.

Though the shelter receives donations both in kind and cash, keeping it running smoothly and the dogs healthy and well-fed is a gigantic task involving much work and about RM30,000 each month to pay for the food, workers and veterinary costs.

The Penang Animal Welfare Society was founded in 2011 and it now has a committee with a steady stream of volunteers and helpers assisting Janssen in caring for the dogs and raising funds to cover the costs each month.

Here, she shares her story on how it all started and how her saving a few strays escalated into a full-blown animal shelter for dogs.

In her own words:

• My parents lived in Indonesia on a small island… after their retirement. After my father passed away, my mother was very lonely and then I said, okay, I quit my job and come near her. We looked around Singapore, everywhere, so we can meet and travel around. That was our target. Then my mother and I came to Malaysia. We had a driver who took us from KL and he brought us to Penang. As we are crossing the bridge, I was quiet. I had a feeling as if I was coming home. I’ve never been here. It’s really weird. I feel like I’m coming home. I decided to stay here because I really love Penang. It has everything.
• I was at a restaurant when I saw two puppies on the roadside. They said these are strays. I don’t know what are strays. I’ve never heard that word before and then they explain that these are street dogs and I thought street dogs are dogs that are allowed to go on the street. Stupid German. And then they told me that street dogs, they have no home. I said, “Oh my God, these little puppies.” I had bought an apartment... the paperwork was already done, was already nearly paid, I told them, “By the way, I have two little dogs.” And they said I could not take those dogs into the apartment. I was shocked. Then I say, you know what, you can keep your bloody apartment, I don’t want it.
• I went into a rented place in Mount Pleasure in a row house. It was a very beautiful place facing the sea and I was quite happy there. Then I had problems with the opposite neighbour. He was a troublemaker. He was always shouting… so I find a way and I go. I found a bungalow in Tanjung Bungah so I moved there. By then, I had four dogs. And then we found one dog that was in very, very good condition. I, still German, couldn’t believe that this is a thrown away dog so I went to The Star paper and I said, look, this is a story. I wanted to find the owner. They were interested to have a story on German lady under Malaysia My Second Home. They made this article on me.
• That was the story how people started to know about me. About this. Then they started to dump dogs. You know, one day, I wanted to go to the vet with my dog and then I put car already outside the bungalow and then I went in to take something. When I came out, the neighbour said there was a box on my car. And I thought what was that. I thought it was some food or something. Four puppies inside.
• In my Tanjung Bungah bungalow, I soon have 24 dogs. They complained to MPPP. Then the MPPP came and gave me one week to move out from the house. One week. What I did, I was not so scared like the locals, I went straight to Komtar to the government. The secretary was in, she saw me when I rushed in. Luckily the manager was out for lunch. She asked me what’s going on and I say if he (the manager) touch one of my dogs, this goes to the world press. I say I’m here under MM2H and I’m here taking over a problem that was from you. Not my problem actually. It was your problem and you weren’t able to settle the problem. My dogs are not a problem. They don’t make noise. I say they gave me one week to move out of the house. I say even if I don’t have a single dog, I would not be able to move out in one week. How to find a house to move out, to pack my stuff.
• Then she called me and told me she got me a one month extension. I say, one month, what is that? I mean, thank you but one month, what is that.  Then she said never mind, after the month is up, I will get another one month extension and another month and another month. I was so fed up and then a friend said there’s a beautiful house, 1.5 acre land, in Jesselton Heights. I was renting the place. Very big house, very nice, very beautiful, with a swimming pool. I lived there in peace and harmony for one year. Suddenly one of my neighbours started to make trouble. She started to attack me and write letters telling me, you and your dogs go to hell. Then I started again to look for a property.
• My landscaping contractor found me this place. It was like walking into a rubbish dump. It was full of rubbish. I go in and I was so quiet. When he asked me what’s going on, I said, all in all, I am a European, I am not going into a rubbish dump. But he said, think about it. I said in Jesselton, I have one month to move out. So the next day, I said ok, I’m moving in. I get a contractor to make it into three parts for the dogs. There was no toilet, no door, no window, no electricity, no wall. It was just all rotten condition. It was really horrible. Then the contractor said they managed to do it within six to four weeks. It was November 15, 2009 that I moved in here. The first night I was so shocked and I asked my workers to stay here, my workers stayed in the living room with me. I put more than RM100,000 into the property here.
• When we look at the stray dogs problem, it’s the society... the owners. They are doing something wrong. They blame the government. They blame the MPPP. The MPPP is fighting against complaints. Who’s complaining? The people. They are complaining about a poor dog on the road side. Then, when the MPPP comes to catch the dog, then they are complaining about how they catch the dogs. I don’t like the people here, they are all shouting against the MPPP. If only there are not so many complaints by the world champions of complainers here.
• I must say, I would not have been able to do all this alone. Of course, I can take care of the dogs and feed them but having so many takes up a lot of time and energy so I am very grateful for the wonderful volunteers who would come in every Sunday to help bathe the dogs, feed them and clean up the shelter. It is not me alone. This shelter is the work of all those who spent time, energy and resources to keep the dogs fed, healthy and happy.
• I never regretted doing this. I’ve never been so happy in my life. I was never so happy. I can say I am living my dreams. It was not what I had planned on my retirement. But I can say I live my dreams.