This was written on Christmas 2011 and was due for the blog long moons ago but we had so many urgent rescues that we apologize for this being pushed till now.
Today I spent my first Christmas with Happy Georgie. We walked on the beach and I told myself that this is probably the very first time that Happy Georgie walked on a beach and spent Christmas day with someone. I am truly very happy and lucky to have him with me and be my best companion and buddy!
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| A stray no more |
Thinking back, it was about 7 weeks ago that I was told by my neighbour, that an organisation named Hope Dog Rescue was looking for someone to foster a dog, named George, for 8 days. I then read the moving story how George needed help badly.
I agreed to foster him till he finished his course of medication. At that time, I had just lost my first dog in an accident and wasn't ready to have another dog. Nonetheless, as I read how urgently George needed a foster, I relented. Just as I was waiting to hear about fostering, Fiona and her team was appealing for someone to adopt George. I hesitated, as I was still somewhat in the process of grieving.
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| His eyes say it all |
Nonetheless, I decided to drop Fiona an email. She explained the situation to me - if I wished to foster George after his vet appointment, then he can no longer be released back to the streets because it has already been almost 2 weeks that they have fostered him and it wasn’t fair to put him back on the streets after such a long time. The fact is not many people would be keen to adopt a local breed dog, what more one that is so old, with a broken hip etc. Those words immediately changed my mind. I was prepared to give him the best and there was NO way I was going to let him go back to the streets in his current condition. When I set my eyes on George that very first time at the vet, I told myself that I had made a good decision to have George as part of our household and part of my life. He was so tiny for a medium sized dog and he weighed only 14kg! His dislocated hip was obvious, and his blood counts were still not back to the normal range. How could I let such a brave and adorable dog with such a condition go back to the streets? He surely needed proper care for his medical conditions, a place he could call HOME and more-so, lots of tender loving care.
Update - He is now known as Happy Georgie and his blood count has gone back to the normal range. He has also gained sufficient weight (he is about 16.5kg now and the vet said this is sufficient or else it will bear extra burden on his displaced hip). Though it is still obvious that he still limps due to the displaced left hip, the vet said that he could do without the hip surgery as he seems to be coping fine.
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| After years of hardship living on the streets, he is finally living a life he truly deserves. |
Happy Georgie is very happy in his new home now though I can still see the "melancholic" face he puts on once in a while. I am sure he misses his freedom of roaming round the streets for the last 8-9 years of his life and he misses his friends in the factory area. He now has a place he can proudly call his home, and a family who loves him tremendously. In all honesty, in return for a roof over his head and the love he gets, he gives back by bringing an abundance of love, joy and laughter to each and everyone of us in the house. We hope we will have many more Christmases spent together in the years to come. Happy Georgie - Thank you for coming into our lives!
Contributed by Francis Ngau - Happy Georgie's new Papa
Thank you Francis for adopting Happy Georgie and loving him so much. Thanks Audrey, for sharing with Francis about HOPE Dog Rescue. As long as everyone keeps adopting from us, we can go on saving lives.
