Miracles Keep Us Going

Do you believe in miracles? 

Trixie in her new forever home 

We certainly do. Even when we face obstacles after obstacles and nothing seems to be going our way, we always believe that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. We experienced a miracle once when Travis adopted Wang Wang back in 2015. Stricken with cancer, the vet said he did not have much time left. All Travis wanted was to give Wang Wang lots of love in his last days so that he will not leave this world with only memories of hardship and pain. It has been more than a year, and Wang Wang has defied the vet's expectations by staying alive and living well with his family!

Kye Feng & Trixie, new best friends

Breakfast is served! Trixie, living it up

Finally, a home and a bed, after more than a decade on the streets

We had hopes but we did not expect any miracles to be happening anytime soon for Trixie. Yet, one did happen. Celine read about Trixie on Facebook and how she had been turned away by 2 potential fosterers because of her cancer. She felt so sorry for Trixie that she did not waste any time emailing us to express her interest in adopting Trixie. We responded as soon as we could and a meeting between Celine, her son, Kye Feng, and Trixie was arranged. Having experienced disappointments before, we waited with bated breath as Trixie was introduced to Celine and Kye Feng. We need not have worried. With the same enthusiasm one might expect of a buyer in a pet store full of puppies, Celine and Kye Feng fell in love with our sickly senior and decided to adopt her right away! We could barely believe our fortune!

Finally living a life she truly deserves!

Free upgrade to the bed

Trixie and her youngest sister, Christabelle

Love at first sight <3 

Mommy Celine and Trixe

Trixie's new family is no stranger to cancer. Kye Feng had spent most of his young life battling a rare type of leukemia which strikes one in every million people, and had beaten the odds not once, but twice (read his story here). Despite this, the faith of the close-knit family remains strong and this experience have only helped them grow stronger and kinder in the face of hardship. It is this compassion that has helped them see beyond Trixie's age and cancer. They don’t care what Trixie has or how long she has, they just want her to be loved and happy. These are simple, yet powerful sentiments.

All in the family

HOPE will continue to visit, support and advise on Trixie’s health and well-being after adoption. We’re all in this together, for Trixie. And who knows, with a new family, lots of love and happiness, she might live beyond the vet's expectations too, proving that love is the best medicine.

Have a great life Trixie! We're so happy for you!!

Written by: Sam

Sorry Vera

With heavy hearts, we just took back a dog from an adopter, after 5 mths being with her new family. We last saw her in December and all was well. But in the months that followed things took a turn for the worse and we did not know. 

Vera before she was rehomed; strong, confident, gorgeous.

A broken dog, when we took her out of her home

Last night we visited and when Vera greeted us at the door, volunteers fought hard to hold back their tears. Gone was her majestic figure with her pride, confidence and arrogance. What greeted us at the door was a weak dog, skin and bones, ribs protruding from her body and tail bones, her head was so shrunken and hollow, she looked like a refugee. Her weight had been reduced from a healthy 23kg to 16.85kg, a loss of 6kg in 5 short months. Her nails too, had not been clipped. 

This photo says it all, a shadow of herself

Vera weighs 16.85kg. She lost 6kg in 5 short months

Weak from malnourishment, her fur was falling out in clumps and her hind legs were weak and trembling

It would have taken a while to reach this stage of starvation and neglect, something the vet agreed on. In fact, the vet had rated her body scale as 1 out of 6, with 1 being the worst.

Bones protruding so badly, she looked even worse off than when she lived as a stray

Bones protruding across her entire spine

The family has issues, and we are not blaming them for the state Vera was found in. We’re just sad they never reached out to us for advice and help and let a strong, brave, gorgeous looking dog be reduced to a bag of bones with no confidence, no life and no more spirit. Of course, we can't help but wonder if we should have tried harder, done more to check on Vera. We are sorry Vera. 

Drawing blood to ascertain that her organs were still functioning well

Nails so long that her toes started pointing in an awkward position

Vera urgently needs a foster – a home with no dogs. We don’t how she is with cats. The foster needs to cook for her and feed her 3 small meals a day. Her stomach has shrunk so much, she throws up whatever little food we give her.

Her eyes were sunken and hollow with the skull bone protruding from her head 

She was sent to the vet and treated for malnourishment.

We thank the family for the contribution of $1000/- to Vera’s vet bills. It’s going to be a long journey to recovery, mental and physical wellness.

Blaming and pointing fingers won't help Vera, but an immediate foster will. If you can foster Vera immediately, please email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg.  Please do not leave comments on our Facebook page as our volunteers do not have the time to check.

Foster requirements :
1) 2 walks a day
2) home cooked meals - 3 to 4 small meals a day
3) provide daily updates on her mental and physical well-being
4) no dogs and no cats in the home
5) no young / small children

Feeding Mr Akira's Dogs

Did you know that HOPE supplies food to the pets of low income families and senior citizens? Not many people know about this! We believe that pets provide important companionship to humans. One of the beneficiaries of this initiative is Mr Akira, whom we met about 5 years ago.

Mr Akira has had dogs all his life, and they are very much a part of him. For an artist, life has ups and downs. His dog was the inspiration behind all the artwork he has created. When times were bad, Mr Akira's dog was his source of comfort. They were happy just to share simple meals together. When he started working in a hotel, he even brought his dog with him! Thankfully, the hotel was happy to accommodate them.

Mr Akira is known for his art pieces using recycled materials

After he retired, people heard about his love for dogs and began to approach him with unwanted dogs. Mr Akira started taking in dogs from people who have left the country, and couples who have had babies and no longer wanted to keep their pets. Today, he has 3 adopted dogs living with him. Two of them are old, and he has to feed them by hand twice a day. It's not always easy feeding all of them, but he doesn't have the heart to turn them away and watch them starve in the streets without someone who loves them.

Mr Akira and HOPE Dog Rescue founder met by chance one afternoon. He was attending to an abandoned dog, while she was searching for a lost dog. They started chatting, and came to know of Mr Akira's financial struggles and kind heart. Although he isn't wealthy, he is sincere and dedicated to providing a good life for his dogs. They are very much loved, and even sleep in his bed all the time! So, HOPE Dog Rescue extended a helping hand to Mr Akira, and began providing him with food for the dogs under his care.

That was 5 years ago. We've been delivering dog food to Mr Akira every month ever since, and sometimes we pick up the tab for his dogs' vet bills too. Although we cannot take in every dog in need, we're very glad that we can be of help to someone who shares the same cause.

"It was a great relief. With happiness, I look forward to being home every moment to be with the dogs. Thank you so much HOPE Dog Rescue, for helping me and my dogs." - Mr Akira.

If you would like to help out this cause and contribute to the monthly food provision fund for Mr Akira, and other families like him, please email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg Thank you.

Brandy Urgently Needs A Foster

Storm anxiety in dogs is a common but mysterious phobia. No one knows quite what it is about storms that sends some dogs into a panic attack. Even dogs that are usually not prone to anxiety or fear can freak out during a storm. One such dog is Brandy. Usually calm and laid back, she goes into an absolute panic when a storm hits while she is alone at home. And thanks to our tropical climate where afternoon storms are all but common, she is more often than not alone when it happens.

Just last week, this was what her foster came home to :-(

We have not been able to find Brandy a foster so she currently lives with a volunteer who works long hours. Brandy goes into an absolute frenzy trying to escape when a  storm hits while the volunteer is at work. When the volunteer comes home, it is like coming home to a scene from CSI with dried blood on the walls and door where Brandy has tried to dig her way out. One wonders how Brandy coped with storms while she was a stray!

Brandy had panicked in the day when there was a storm and hurt herself badly

Blood stains on the door as she tried to claw her way out 

Brandy is normally a chill and independent dog. She is affectionate and while she does not mind taking slow walks with her human, she would much prefer rolling in the grass if given a choice! She does not have separation anxiety and can be left alone at home as long as there are no hints of a storm on the horizon. And she is less reactive during a storm if there is a human to pat her and reassure her through it. 

Brandy is the most laid back dog in our present brood. Chill to the max <3

We do not wish to see Brandy continue to hurt herself and hope someone who has more time to work with her to overcome her storm phobia would foster or, better yet, adopt her. If you have what it takes to be Brandy's security blanket during storms, email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg.

Adopt or foster Brandy? Sweet, affectionate, well-behaved, pleasant, laid back, nice to dogs and humans, PERFECT DOG.

Written by: Sam