A whimpering, grimy tangle of fur chained to a rail outside the Animal Recovery Centre (ARC) at Tampines – certainly not a common or pretty sight. But this was how poor Crystal
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| This was how she looked when she was discarded outside ARC Tampines |
We apologized for the awful things that had happened to her. We said “we’re sorry” for things we didn’t do and told her we loved her, because no one else in her life ever has.
We try to talk sense into senseless people. We try to educate the ignorant. We fail at these attempts on a daily basis.
Even still, we save all that we can. We love more than we thought possible. We smile… because they smile. And we hope that you will renew Crystal’s faith in humanity.
Rescuer – Ashner Chen
I found Crystal on 29 April 2011, at 2pm, as I was walking past the corridor of Animal Recovery Centre (ARC) Tampines. She was tied to the glass door. She was stinking badly, with so much flakes around her, raw skin flaming red from the many sores and wounds covering most part of her body. There were blood stains on the floor where she sat. She was a sorry sight.
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| Crystal, the day she was found |
I knew immediately she was an abandoned dog, and I went into the ARC to inform the staff. An assistant and a vet came out. It was a horrid sight. Her nails curled a few rounds, about 2cm. I'm sure if it was fully extended, it may well be 5cm. It was obvious she had been neglected for a LONG time.
After the vet took her in for shower and further examined her, I went on my way.
However, I couldn't shake off that sad image that kept appearing in my mind, and I turned and headed back to the clinic. I called a friend, Ruth, thinking I could put her in a shelter, but with her bad skin condition, this was not possible. She needed lots of love and care.
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| Day One; Crystal had a shave and a nice clean bath. |
Ruth then recommended a lady by the name of Michelle, who offered home boarding services. I accepted and placed Crystal with her. I have been paying Michelle since May 2011 to care for, feed and medicate Crystal, while Ruth helps me find Crystal a permanent home. We have not had any luck finding Crystal a home and what pains me more than anything else is the fact that despite having spent more than two thousand dollars on Crystal’s vet bills and paying Michelle for boarding and food, Crystal has been kept in a cage 24/7 by Michelle, and fed medication only when Michelle had time. I did not know what else I could do, so I put up with this for many months, while Crystal continued her suffering, in a different way.
ARC had been nice to provide me with the initial medications and possible treatments.
Since then, Ruth has been frantically looking for a caregiver for Crystal, with much hiccups.
After six long months of despair, Ruth was introduced to Lynette, who then introduced them to HOPE.
From HOPE Dog Rescue
A nine year-old Shih Tzu, Crystal was found to have mites and dry eyes after her kind-hearted rescuer, Ashner, sent her for an initial check-up. To treat these, Crystal
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| Life could not have dealth her a harder blow |
Ashner had been paying for Crystal's boarding, medication and food from May to November 2011, simply because she could not bear to turn a blind eye on this poor dog. Having temporarily given Crystal some relief, her rescuer now needs a fellow doggie-lover to play fairy godma / godpa and foster Crystal medium- to long-term. Of course, a permanent loving home will be ideal for Crystal, and we are sure she will appreciate any little bit of love, care and affection for once in her life.
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| Taken last week. Her recovery process has been extremely slow as Michelle had not been medicating her regularly despite being paid to care for Crystal. |
We can’t save them all. We can’t even save most. We live each day knowing that, no matter how hard we try, it will never be enough.
We know that even when we succeed, we fail. We know that for every one we save, there’s another we lose and no matter how many we help, our work is never done.
Animal cruelty exists in many forms. We’ve seen the faces of abuse. We witness the senselessness of the world… and know that change is always just beyond our grasp…
Many times we have looked deep into the eyes of our rescue dogs and we see the pain and sadness that they have gone through. Despite her clouded eyes, Crystal’s eyes tell how hard a life she has had, the cruelty, abuse and neglect she has been faced with. Her tiny bony frame tells of the many times she has gone on for days on end without food. . . . but despite all this, she has already forgiven and is ready to love again.
Do you have a few moments and a little space at home - and in your heart – for lovely Crystal? Crystal has gone through more than we can ever imagine; neglected and then discarded. With her newfound freedom, she is extremely well behaved and spends her days trailing the foster around, with renewed drive! Crystal gets terribly excited once her meal is being prepared. We don’t blame her, knowing that there were often days that she had gone hungry. She wolfs down her food in seconds and is presently on 3 meals a day as she is underweight and malnourished.
Apart from her dry eyes, poor vision, skin problems and malnourishment, Crystal has no major health issues. She is happy and healthy. All she needs is for you to renew her faith in humanity and show her that there is something worth living for again. . . . .
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| Crystal; rebuilding her life with HOPE |
To adopt Crystal, please email Fiona at fiona@hopedogrescue.org
We thank Mandy for temporarily fostering Crystal. If anyone can help foster Crystal long term, please contact us.
Photo credits – Chelsea Kane
