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‘Saving her will be worth the sacrifice’

While honeymooning in Indonesia, Christopher Lewer and Ashley Leong-Lewer rescued pup from abuse
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Newlyweds who live on the Langley/Surrey border have started a GoFundMe page in their efforts to bring a stray puppy home with them to Canada. They rushed to the defence of a dog they named ‘Kerala’ that was being abused outside a restaurant in Kuta, a village on the island of Lombok in Indonesia. Facebook image

Newlyweds who live on the Langley/Surrey border are going to great lengths to give a furry, four-legged addition to their family a better life.

Christopher Lewer and Ashley Leong-Lewer were on their honeymoon in Kuta, a village on the island of Lombok in Indonesia when they witnessed a man kicking a stray puppy in the ribs behind a restaurant last week.

Ashley, a fitness instructor, personal trainer and former mixed martial arts fighter, rushed to help the defenceless animal.

“I apprehended the man by twisting his arm behind his back into submission and told him its ‘not okay to kick dogs,’” related Ashley on Facebook.

“She has been our baby ever since.”

The couple named the puppy ‘Kerala’ after the area in India where they were engaged.

In the three days after they rescued Kerela, Chris and Ashley have revolved their vacation around the dog, getting her food, bathing her, and arranging doctors’ visits and they are now looking into buying new flights to get home.

But there have been a few sizable roadblocks.

They have started a GoFundMe page (https://www.gofundme.com/bring-kerala-home), with the goal of raising enough money to bring Kerala home to Canada.

Ashley and Chris are buying new plane tickets, as their previous flights did not transit into a country that allowed dogs, even though it was just a layover. As a result of their decision to rescue Kerala they are required to change their honeymoon and flights in order to ensure the pup can get home safely with them.

Adopting Kerala would completely change the dog’s life, say Chris and Ashley.

Kerela lived on the streets of Kuta, eating garbage and whatever tablescraps tourists gave her.

Ashely says Kerela was often found being bitten and beaten up by the bigger dogs or kicked and beaten by the locals.

The goal is to raise the $4,798 needed to bring the dog to Canada.

“We are all out of money and running out of resources for help but we know saving her will be worth the sacrifice of the remainder of our honeymoon. I know there are a lot of dog and animal lovers out there that would do the same as we are doing,” Ashley said on Facebook.