Blake. A Victim Of Animal Cruelty

You might have read about Blake the black puppy on our Facebook page.

We got a call from a worker who said that she saw a black puppy whining and crying in pain. When she took a closer look, to her horror, she saw two enormous metal hooks sticking out of him. She panicked and immediately tried to yank the hooks out. One came free with some resistance. She didn't notice the vicious barbs on the end of it. She tried to yank the other one out too, but soon realized it was embedded too deep in his flesh. Desperate and scared, she called us for help. She had meant well when she tried to pull out the hooks, and didn't realize that it was hurting him.

Hook was deeply embedded

We immediately dispatched pet transport to pick up the puppy, named Blake. This happened during office hours, so few of our volunteers were available, and none of them could drive. Two of them headed to the vet to receive Blake.

Fear in his eyes

Bad skin from poor living conditions

When he arrived, we noticed that his left front leg was terribly infected and so badly swollen. The other people at the reception and waiting area of the vet's office saw this too, and were shocked at this act of cruelty towards such a young dog, and told us how sorry they felt for the pup.

Blake's front left leg was terribly swollen and infected

Blake was running a fever from the infection, and was immediately warded and put on a drip. The next day, he underwent surgery to remove the remaining hook. While sedated, he was also sterilized and ear-tipped. Although the worker said that she had pulled out one hook, the doctor couldn't find any other wounds on him. Blake also has terrible skin, possibly due to mites or ringworm. When he's feeling better in a few days' time, the doctor will run a few tests to determine the cause of his skin problems.

Huge 6cm hook removed during surgery the following day

Recovering after surgery

Poor Blake has been feeling very scared throughout the ordeal. He is Velvet's brother. She too had been injured and was rescued. Fortunately, we were able to find a foster home for her before she was adopted by Karen and Gerben. Velvet left behind two siblings, Blake and another brown and white puppy.

They had grown up together in a vacated factory and their mom had died in car accident some months back. Since then, we have been trying to catch Blake and his sibling to bring them in for sterilization but they're extremely wary and afraid of us so we couldn't even go near them. The workers don't understand the importance of sterilization and refuse to help with catching the dogs (unless they're hurt, like in Velvet and Blake's cases).

So now with Velvet rehomed and Blake at the vet, their poor little sister is left all alone at factory to fend for herself. We will be engaging the services of a dog catcher and these services don’t come cheap, but we MUST catch her before she comes on heat. She is about 6 months old, and it's about time that she is going to be gang-raped by the male dogs.

The last sibling left behind. We are engaging the services of a dog catcher to trap, sterilize and release her.

Recovering. Blake is a 6 mths old local crossbreed dog

This is no doubt a scary and lonely time for her, and we don't want her to experience the additional stress and trauma of mating and giving birth. We don't want another litter to be born into a world that would only be full of suffering for them. Just think of how much hardship this one little family has experienced. Blake, a victim of terrible animal cruelty. Velvet, who was injured living in a dangerous environment. Their 4 other siblings who had all died as young puppies one by one, from accidents or disease. Their mother, dead from a car accident. And her previous litter that had been wiped out by a distemper outbreak last Christmas.

Ideally, every dog should have a home and live in a loving, nurturing environment. Dogs are man's best friends. We domesticated these animals, and bred them to be loyal and loving companions for us. But then we abandoned them and called them strays, leaving them to grow wild again, to fend for themselves in a hostile world. Homeless dogs breed and bring even more dogs into a world that doesn't have enough love for them. How many dogs will be homeless and without love this Christmas? It's a brutal life on the streets; for the females, it's continuous and painful mating as soon as they come in heat, being mounted by male after male for hours and days and weeks until they can't walk any more. Then there's the fighting and scavenging, scrounging for every scrap of food they can find. Even with our weekly feeding rounds, there's never enough.

Handsome Blake feeling much better

We put a lot of effort into catching and sterilizing street dogs, to eventually reduce their number so each one of them will have a better chance at survival and an easier life. We meticulously get to know each and every dog we see, keeping track of new puppies and those who are coming of age. Our street dogs are fully vaccinated, on Frontline and Heartgard. We work with the factory workers who are willing to work with us, catching these dogs so we can bring them in for sterilization. Some of them act as caregivers and form loving bonds with the dogs they care for, like Yongyurt and Sida.

Will you please adopt me and save me from the streets?

While we're doing all we can, not all dogs are lucky enough to even experience anything like love or care. Blake will be at the vet till this Sunday to give his wound the chance to heal thoroughly, and he will be returned to the factory, where his sister is waiting for him.

If anyone would like to give Blake a real home, please email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg before he is discharged.

Written by Elena Lin