The Aussies helping dying Bali dogs and cats – as one heartbreaking story leads to new hope
An Australian couple has been shattered by the death of a dog they rescued in Bali but hope their efforts will help other abandoned and sick animals on the island.
Bec Crossley and her partner Jesse Kelly rescued Bakso, an emaciated Labrador whose owners could not afford vet care, part-paying for his care at Sunset Vet at Kuta.
The dog weighed under 14kg when Ms Crossley found Bakso on the side of the road, less than half what a healthy Lab might weigh.
‘It was one of the most confronting things I’ve ever seen,’ Ms Crossley told Daily Mail Australia.
‘It just rips your heart out.’
Bali-based couple Bec Crossley and her partner Jesse Kelly rescued Basko, an emaciated Labrador whose owners could not afford vet care, part-paying for his care at Sunset Vet at Kuta
Bakso weighed under 14kg when Ms Crossley found Bakso on the side of the road, less than half what a healthy lab might weight
Members of a mainly Australian Facebook community, Bali Bogans, also pitched in to pay for the dog’s care, but Bakso sadly died on Sunday.
Bakso was suffering from blood parasites, a nasty bacterial infection and distemper, which can be vaccinated against.
‘He was such a beautiful boy and didn’t deserve to suffer the way he did from a preventable disease,’ Ms Crossley, a Bali-based Australian fitness influencer, told Daily Mail Australia.
Ms Crossley (left), a fitness influencer based in Bali said ‘many tears were cried’ over the passing of the sickly Labrador (Pictured, Bec Crossley)
Ms Crossley picked up Bakso from the side of the road in Bali. He was found to be suffering from blood parasites, a bad bacterial infection and distemper, which can be vaccinated against
‘There were many tears cried between myself and the rescue group who took Bakso under their wing, but we’re trying to make a positive from this heartbreaking situation.’
But Bakso’s tragic fate is just the tip of the iceberg regarding Bali’s cats and dogs.
Many are either abandoned strays, sometimes with the highly dangerous disease rabies, sick and living with families who can’t afford to have them treated.
Ms Crossley and Mr Kelly (pictured) She and Mr Kelly linked up with an American woman, Rhonda Lepsch, who has helped to sterilise and vaccinate more than 5,000 local dogs
A Balinese woman cuddles a kitten. Sunset Vet at Kuta provides discounted help for many of the island’s sick pets
Ms Crossley said the donations surpassed Bakso’s medical bills, and they will now be used to help sterilise and vaccinate street dogs and low-income local pets.
‘This is the only way to truly end the suffering of dogs in Bali,’ Ms Crossley said.
She and Mr Kelly linked up with an American woman, Rhonda Lepsch, who has helped to sterilise and vaccinate more than 5,000 local dogs.
Ms Lepsch began helping stray and sick animals in Bali 10 years ago after locals heard she could help and began dumping animals at her diving school
‘The lack of an RSPCA or Humane Society in Bali means that unwanted puppies and cats get dumped just about everywhere – in temples, rubbish tips, empty fields and in the [dive school] parking lot,’ Ms Lepsch said on her website.
With her husband, Nyoman Sugita, she formed Jet Pet Petz, which works with Sunset Pets to assist the sick animals.
She has helped up to 80 dogs a day and currently has 73 dogs in her care at
Jet Set Petz suspended its own program last week, owning around A$5,000 in vet bills and dog food and is asking for donations.
The lack of an RSPCA or Humane Society in Bali means that unwanted puppies and cats get dumped just about everywhere – in temples, rubbish tips, empty fields and outside businesses
