FOUR feet off the ground, a 65-kg canine jumps, barking incessantly and pounding at the gate. But there is nothing visible outside the gate to provoke the Great Dane.
A minute or two later, Subramaniam Narayannan aka Maniam’s motorbike, with its engine off, rolls slowly to a halt to park at the roadside opposite.
The fawn-coloured Dane is now standing, Scooby Doo-like with his head over the gate, howling and barking to welcome his walker.
“All my dogs (that he walks) do that! Even when I haven’t seen them for several years, they would still greet me like this,” says Maniam who seems to have a human-like connection with the canine.
Maniam, 63, has been a dog trainer and walker since he retired from the police force (PDRM) as a sergeant in the K9 unit.
“I joined the force after Form Five in 1979 and was posted to the Police Field Force in Muar for 8 years. When I was selected to play football for PDRM, they wanted me in Kuala Lumpur, so I got transferred to the K9 unit.
“There I started as a canal man and my job was to clean the canal, take the dogs to the vet when they were sick and tend to them when their handlers were on leave.”
At 27 years old Maniam was sent for training in handling dogs and detecting explosives in Virginia in the United States for 6 months. Being in K9, according to Maniam has its perks and that is to be placed in an important role of checking for explosives using the dogs before the visit of VVIPs.
“I got to be near VVIPs like Barrack Obama (former US President) and former Indian premier Vajpayee. And the dog and I were at the courthouse during high-profile trials to check for explosives early in the morning,” says Maniam adding that working with the dogs had given him those privileges.
From these assignments, Maniam was connected with some of the clients whose dogs he now trains and walks. “Before the arrival of the VVIP I would take the dog to check for explosives in cars, houses and planes. Some of these house owners would ask if I could train their dogs.
“And through word of mouth, my list of clients grew. Today I have an average of 10 dogs I walk, train in obedience and bathe weekly.” Some clients engage in his services when they go overseas. He goes to their houses to walk and feed the dogs.
The dogs in his care include Rottweilers, mongrels, a golden retriever, a German shepherd and a great dane.
Has he gotten bitten in his career as a handler and trainer? “Don’t be a hero!” Maniam commands, “Don’t think you are an instructor you can do anything with dogs. You must know how to approach them.”
“If you do the right thing at the right time, they have no reason to bite you. Dogs like 3 things – walk, feed and bathe,” he adds.
“I grew up in Parit Buntar, in Perak, and we lived in government quarters. When the stray dogs came around, I would feed them and that’s when I slowly grew to love dogs.”
When a client handed over to him two Rottweilers, a male and a female, to train Maniam was wary of the aggressive male. “He was growling at me so I decided to take the female out first as it was friendly. When the male saw this he also wanted to go out.
“Dogs can sense bad intentions. First, you feed them and when you take them out for a walk the first time don’t keep pulling them. Let them have their way first and control them later,” Maniam advises.
Even as a trainer, Maniam has challenges when it comes to walking giant dogs like the Great Dane. “He is well-behaved when he isn’t distracted by cats, dogs or even black plastic bags! He always thinks a cat is hiding in the bag and then he goes for it pulling away hard,” Maniam tells about common occurrences when he walks the Dane.
Maniam has a canine connection with the dogs in his care. He would bring them treats, vitamins and even coconut water. The next time we hear dogs barking excitedly and howling, Maniam might be just around the corner. – JE Tan
