K9 Blake’s handler converts to Islam
SHAH ALAM - More than 72 hours since the country lost its tracker dog Blake who had rendered great service in rescue missions, his handler, Salbuddin Salleh surprised many when he decided to convert to Islam yesterday.
The news was shared via a post on the TikTok account @iraqmantul, along with a video showing 34-year-old Salbuddin reciting the Shahada.
The video was captioned with, 'Your departure, Blake, has given me the wisdom to embrace Islam.'
Salbuddin's conversion, who is also a member of the Fire and Rescue Department’s K9 Unit, garnered positive reactions from netizens in the comments section.
The shared video received 47,900 views, 4,644 likes, 974 comments, and 815 shares as of 12.38am.
One TikTok user, DhiaBlake, congratulated Salbuddin on his conversion, saying, "Alhamdulillah, congratulations my friend, Papa Blake, welcome."
Another TikTok user, Sally Lee, prayed for Salbuddin to remain steadfast in his newfound faith.
"Alhamdulillah. May you remain steadfast, brother. Prayers for you and your family," she wrote.
It is understood that Salbuddin recited the Shahada at a mosque in Shah Alam this morning, accompanied by his stepfather and cousin as witnesses.
On Tuesday, Blake had to be euthanised at 4.38pm after being diagnosed with lymphoma stage four on Aug 15.
Blake, who was also known for his role in search and rescue operations during the landslide incident in Batang Kali, Selangor, in December last year, was an English Springer Spaniel originating from the United Kingdom and became part of the Fire and Rescue Department K9 unit in 2017.
The search dog had made significant contributions to the success of search operations conducted by the department throughout the country, including locating drowning victims at Batu 13, Lorong 16, Kampung Kenangan, Selangor.
