ASEAN PHOTO GALLERY: Photos of the Day – ‘DOG RESCUER’ By Yudha Baskoro – Jakarta Globe

Sutrisno, 38, with her dog John on Thursday (15/03). (JG Photo / Yudha Baskoro)

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Jakarta. Hesti Sutrisno, 38, believes her encounters with stray dogs that she finds on the streets of Tangerang, Banten, is destiny. Currently, she looks after 11 dogs she rescued from homelessness. Against all odds, Hesti treats them with love and joy.

“I never asked to meet them, but suddenly met on the street,” said the mother of two.

“Initially, it was like God’s test, either I adopt them or I leave them, my heart hesitated when I met a dog whose mother had been killed by villagers.” Eventually, Hesti decided to adopt the stray dogs she encountered.

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Hesti, who lives in Pamulang, South Tangerang, was at first very afraid of dogs because of negative experiences as a child. But when she found John, a stray dog, in front of her house, she felt pity and dared to feed him.

Hesti and her two daughters, Ayunda and Adinda, both 11, are often bullied and face abuse from neighbors for looking after the dogs. In Islam, a dog’s saliva is believed to be tainted, and Muslims are disallowed to come in contact with it.

“My friends do not want to play with me, they call me bad names,” Ayunda said.

Hesti told her daughters that Islam teaches its adherents to care for all creatures.

Hesti Sutrisno, 38, with her dog John on Thursday (15/03). (JG Photo / Yudha Baskoro)

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Hesti’s twin daughters, Ayunda and Adinda (11), are often bullied for owning dogs. (JG Photo / Yudha Baskoro)

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Hesti believes Islam compels her to take care after stray dogs she finds on the street. (JG Photo / Yudha Baskoro)

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Hesti bathes her dog John in front of her house in South Tangerang. (JG Photo / Yudha Baskoro)

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Adinda, 11, and John. (JG Photo / Yudha Baskoro)

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One of Hesti’s dogs, named Sweety, has been disabled since birth. (JG Photo / Yudha Baskoro)

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