Animal lover Leah heads to Bali to help strays in need

AN Ocean Grove animal lover will head to Bali next month to help stray dogs and cats.

Leah Singh, who owns Pinch Salt & Float with husband Jason, is asking for donations of flea treatment so she can relieve the needy animals of flea bites.

Leah has been travelling to Bali regularly for a few years and says it’s in her nature to help animals, so now travels prepared with flea treatment and donations for vaccinations and desexing.

“There was one dog who had a litter after claiming a little convenience shop in Bali as her home,” Leah said.

“The owner had never been around dogs and customers would buy the dog meat sticks from the counter for her to eat from the shop.

“I ended up advising the lady on how to care for the dog, donated food and flea and worm treatment and raised funds to have her desexed and vaccinated and all her puppies treated aswell.”

Leah said she would stay at the same hotel every time she visited Bali and it was a highlight to see this dog now so loved and healthy.

She said the animal’s name was “Dog Dog”.

Leah said there was also a stray kitten that lived around the hotel.

“I tried to get her into a rescue there but with thousands of strays it’s extremely hard so I made sure she had a fully belly while I was there.”

Leah has been in rescue for 12 years and is also the founder of a cat rescue called Purrs of Point Cook, which is now run by a friend since she moved to Ocean Grove three years ago.

“I now rescue privately specialising in feral or gravely ill kittens and I also foster for GAWS in between running our new business Pinch Salt & Float, which is where my other passion lies in natural medicine,” she said.

Local photographer Pete James has jumped on board to help the cause, auctioning off a large limited edition print to raise money to buy flea treatments.

“If you have ever been to Bali, you will have seen the amount of stray animals living on the streets with many in poor physical condition,” Pete said.

“It breaks my heart to see them suffer but the issue is huge and there is no easy fix.

“But local Ocean Grove business Pinch Salt & Float are endeavouring to help in a small way by taking flea treatment over to Bali every time they go and administering it to the stray animals.

“It won’t save them but it will at least offer some relief from flea bites.”

The print is normally valued at $600 and was taken on a farm near Breamlea.

The auction ends tomorrow (Friday July 5). To bid, head to Pete James Photography on Facebook.

To donate flea treatment, please drop them off at 7 Smithton Grove (in the Ocean Grove industrial estate).