November Daisy

November. We dread feeding the strays in November as it is wet and rainy throughout the month. Do not get us wrong, we love dogs, especially street dogs. It is not the weather conditions that we mind, the reason being; it is simply heartbreaking to deny the street dogs a good meal, especially when it rains, when we can't even put food to feed as it would all be washed down by the rain. Worst if the weather decides to turn violent with thunder storm! We also see some dogs snuggling close to other dogs, all soaked wet from the rain, just to get some warmth from each other's body heat. Some are so thin with no fur and no fats to protect them, they just sit and tremble in the rain. Nothing could be more heartbreaking.

For the past many years, we feed every Saturday at a certain industrial area. We know our dogs well enough, the factories they are located at, where they hang out, the quiet streets where they rest and vacant lands where they seek refuge at. 

All Mommy dog wants is someone to love her

They will no longer need to live in this dump. No one deserves to live on the streets. 

Daisy. I couldn't help but notice her sagging breasts when I first saw her photos taken by fellow volunteers. The first thing that came to my mind was how sad a life for a female pregnant street dog to experience and endure. We can only imagine the hardship that Daisy and many other female street dogs have gone through. Not only are they "strays", they are also "female" and they get "impregnated" and "gang raped" by many male dogs when they come in heat, twice a year. What’s more tragic is for a female dog to give birth in NOVEMBER. Imagine drenched in the rain, the weather cold and wet, Daisy carrying 6 puppies in her tummy, all due in November, she can hardly find food for herself, let alone find food for her babies. She has to fend off unwanted attention from the industrial rats, who often feed on the newly born puppies when they are just born, alive but not moving. Mommy Daisy also has to live with the constant shoo-ing of the unkind humans and look on helplessly when humans came and took away her cute, light coloured puppies in front of her eyes. Perhaps, in her heart, she could only hope for the best for her children.

Black puppy saved

Brown puppy saved

Cream puppy missing. We pray he is alright

 Black puppy was hiding in his home growling at us

The team had a discussion about Daisy and her remaining 3 puppies (black, brown and cream). Keeping in mind we still owe a few vet clinics tens of thousands in vet bills, we bit the bullet and decided to rescue Daisy and her family. As they were residing in a dangerous industrial estate with heavy vehicles constantly moving about, the thought of witnessing one, two and three crushed and dead puppies worried the team. We understand that human nature is such that we are all suckers for cute little things, especially PUPPIES! Mommy dogs are rarely given a second look, or even rescued together with the entire family as there is cost to consider, such as boarding facilities, the prolonged boarding cost, food, medical check-ups and vet bills, shortage of manpower and the lack of knowledge in rehabilitating the dogs, and last but not least, to find a good permanent home for the entire family. But we promised Daisy, we would not leave her behind and we will do our best to help her family. We did not have the heart not to take Daisy, it was ALL or NOTHING. What a brave decision we have made.

Mommy Daisy in the car, looking worried and confused, on the way to the vet

After some discussion and planning, the day came to rescue the family. We were mentally prepared that we may be greeted with less than 4 dogs in total or none at all.

At the vet

Black pup tired out at the vet

When we arrived at the place where they were temporarily putting up at, we knew Daisy was a good mother. When we approached Daisy, it took us a while to gain trust from her especially since she needed to do what a mother had to do, to protect her puppies. After much sniffing and sensing we had no ill intention, she allowed us to pat her, carry her puppies and Mommy and puppies had a delicious home cooked meal specially cooked for them by the volunteers. We spent some time holding on Daisy and the two remaining pups. After more than an hour of searching, we successfully gathered the 3 dogs and headed straight to the vet. It is HOPE’s regular protocol that all dogs we rescue head straight to the vet for a thorough medical check-up. At the vet, while volunteer Val was holding on to Mommy dog Daisy, she said to me: I think the Mommy wants to get close to her puppies. So off I went, carrying the brown puppy close to Daisy for her to lick and sniff. It was a touching sight that could make any grown adult cry. What Mommy Daisy did was to lick and kiss both her puppies and tell them good bye. She knew that they would be separated from her and one could hear Daisy saying: My dear child, Mommy knows and is happy that you will go to a good and safe home. We shall say our good byes here today, I am sorry that mommy can't be with you anymore, take care my child. I love you very much.

Mommy saying good bye to her pups

What a sweet mommy dog

As much as we hope to rehome the 3 dogs to ONE family, the truth is, even rehoming ONE LOCAL STREET DOG takes a year or years. If the dog is born under a lucky star, perhaps he / she will find a home within weeks. Puppies will eventually be adopted first. For the adult dogs, they would need a patient and kind person or family that would look beyond the breed type, colour type, age and sex of the dog and most importantly the temperament. 

We're quite sure this wasn't her first litter of puppies

Gorgeous Mommy Daisy (definitely has Sharpei blood in her, look at her snout)

Mommy dog was named DAISY because daisies open at dawn as the day just begins. It symbolizes a NEW BEGINNING. To some, our plan to rescue the family may not be a practical thing to do, considering that we do not have a shelter, we owe hefty vet bills, we add on to the numbers of dogs on our rehoming list! To us and everyone at HOPE, it is the BEST thing we have ever done, the joy to save Daisy and her 2 remaining puppies is a priceless experience that money can't buy.

Too much excitement for the day, Mommy Daisy also knocked out at the vet

Mommy and babies safe and sound . . . finally . . .. 

We hope everyone could give Daisy a chance to live the best life that she deserves, free from the never ending "gang rape", free from the harsh abuse of humans, free from the unpredictable life span of living on the streets. Best of all, a good way to celebrate the coming new year, a fresh start for a street dog.

If you are interested to foster or to adopt the lovely Daisy, please email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg. She is estimated to be about 2 years old, is very calm, sweet and affectionate. She will be going to the vet today for her first vaccination. 

Written by Lisa Goh

Homeless Mommy And Her Babies

It’s always fun to play with puppies; their carefree charm, their playful nature and especially their infectious joyful squeaks. We found a litter during one of our regular feeding rounds and were completely smitten by them.

Volunteer, Val, with one of the puppies

For years, we have been feeding the strays around this particular industrial estate weekly, and yet not once had we spotted this particular dog until 3 weeks ago. We noticed that she seemed to be nursing and upon checking with some of the workers working in the area, understood that she had given birth to a litter of 6 puppies.

How did she suddenly appear in a dangerous industrial estate? Was she abandoned there because she was pregnant? 

Mommy and her cute puppy, who looks like a little bear

She truly longs for a home

Playing with her Mommy in a busy car park is not how a puppy should be raised

Food that is fed to these tiny puppies

This is their home

We decided to check on them regularly and last week, we headed back to the same location, but could only find the mother dog with 3 of her puppies, leaving us to wonder about the fate of the other 3 puppies. What could have happened to them? Were they knocked down by the trucks that frequently drove around the area, attacked by other animals or died from illness or infection?  It was too dark and we could hardly see, but we were too worried with the missing puppies and went back the very next day to take a better look at the litter.

The puppies live in here with Mommy

In the daylight, we took in their appalling living conditions with a sinking heart. There was a lingering smell of stale food which was lying all around them and huge rats almost as big as the puppies scampering around. Had a rat eaten one of the lost puppies?

This little one looks like a Retriever 

The little black bear

Volunteers feeding the puppies

These little puppies are living in a makeshift shelter plagued by dangers lying around every corner. They could be bitten by the huge rats, cut by the sharp objects that are strewn all over the floor, or hit and run over by huge trucks which was a common sight in the area. They are exposed to the elements with no proper shelter to seek refuge in and from the rain which has been pouring mercilessly almost every night. The poor babies do not even have a towel and must be feeling so cold. I could easily envision them shivering and trying to seek warmth by cuddling together but it probably wouldn’t help much.

The 3rd cute little puppy (all 3 are males)

Look how tiny they are, just slightly bigger than a can of dog food.

Although we try to feed them weekly, it is hardly enough as the puppies are still growing and their regular meals are those contributed by workers who worked or lived nearby and consists of leftovers that has gone sour and bad. No doubt these workers have kind intentions, but it’s scarcely enough to fill them and definitely insufficient for a growing baby.

The puppies are only 6 to 7 weeks old and one look is enough to melt your heart. They are sweet and friendly and one of them even turned over for a belly rub! Although the mother dog is protective of her puppies initially, she soon lost her reservations and warmed up to us quickly and is ever so affectionate! She begged for hugs and even reciprocates by giving you a little kiss on your lips! Mummy dog is very young and estimated to be less than 2 years old. She is such a pretty girl and is possibly a Sharpei cross.

Poor Mommy, heavily laden with milk

It's so unbelievable, Mommy is absolutely gorgeous, calm and affectionate. 

We have been reiterating that we are stretched to the limits recently with the spate of rescues and we have currently 20 dogs waiting to be adopted. We do not have a shelter and no place to house them. We cannot even afford to buy time by putting them at a temporary foster because we are just unable to commit. It pains us to leave them but we have no choice. It has been raining every night and this poor family has been wet and cold while we are warm and snug under our blankets.

The three male puppies that are available for adoption

We have begged so many times for adopters and we knew how slim a chance it is trying to get not 1, but 4! And yet, we cannot help but to appeal once again for your help. This Christmas, instead of buying another bag, instead of going for another holiday, perhaps you may want to open your door to a furry angel who will give you the best Christmas ever. Sometimes, we procrastinate, we worry if we can commit, if we can provide adequate care, if we will have sufficient time. Yes, adopting a dog requires commitment, a long term one akin to having a child, but the rewards more than exceeds any sacrifices.

‘Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.’  By Roger Caras

Time is of the essence here due to the perils that they face in their living environment. Please email us at hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg and make this the best Christmas for Mummy dog and her babies.

Note : We are looking for adopters. Not fosters. With fostering, very often people return the dogs / puppies to us after a few weeks / months of fostering and then what happens? We can’t possibly return them to the streets after having fostered them for a few months. As a result, we would then have to put them at commercial boarding, up to $480 per dog / per month and this may go on for years and we definitely can’t afford that. So we hope you will understand that we purely want adopters, not fosters.

A Remarkable Dog, Bobby

Left for dead in a factory, Bobby had gone without food and water for weeks and was too weak to even drag himself up to search for food. Three months later, things are looking brighter for this remarkable dog.

When we first rescued him, covered with bloody sores

Three months later, still skinny but so much happier and many shades lighter!

3 months ago, his body was covered with open sores with maggots crawling out, he was tick infested and had fleas all over his entire body crawling over his face, ears and eyes! Saying that he was in a pathetic state was an understatement! But time and again in rescue work, we have been surprised and impressed by the will and resilience of our charges. They don’t complain, they don’t whine and moan and they take it all in their stride.

Look at Bobby – to say the least, he has gone through hell and back. He has been warded for more than 2 months, had his penis amputated and was diagnosed with TVT and post op, he had to undergo 4 courses of chemotherapy to ensure his body was free from cancer.

Volunteer, Wendy, with her best friend, Bobby

He's even strong enough for go for walks!!

His right ear, which had closed on its own due to a prolonged infection, has yet to recover. It still oozes pus from a tiny pinhole opening in his right ear. There is no way that a vet can examine the inside of his ear as it has been sealed shut. The only way will  be to surgically open his ear hole which means putting him under GA yet again. With his age and heart murmur, this is a risk we are hesitant to take.

Bobby truly deserves a family of his own and to enjoy his golden retirement years. In this article, we will like to overload you with gorgeous photographs of Bobby because we simply can’t believe how far he has come and how good looking he is today.

From the bottom of our hearts, we THANK each and every one who has helped in Bobby’s recovery. Without your love and support, Bobby may not be with us today.

Bobby is a local street dog, estimated by the vets to be between 9 to 11 years old. Because of living on the streets for years, there is a lot of wear and tear in this old boy; he suffers from heart murmur, arthritis and loss of hearing in one ear.

He gets on with dogs and humans and is pretty much an independent dog. He needs regular short walks daily to pee, poo and exercise to ensure his muscles do not waste away.

If you can give him a piece of your garden, a space in your home and a room in your heart, please email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg

*HOPE Dog Rescue will not be rescuing any more dogs as we now have 20 dogs in our care. If our dogs are not rehomed, more street dogs will continue to wait in vain for help to arrive.