It doesn't get any better for Emma, the 4 month old stray kitten we rescued in January during one of our feeding rounds.
The kitten has finally found a home, a place she would always, and forever feel safe, surrounded by a loving family, good food and warm beds.
Emma's new family is a cat savvy couple with two bubbly young daughters who couldn't wait to welcome the kitten with open arms, and their 8-year old mild mannered rescued cat looking for companionship.
After a week in her new home, Emma's new mum remarked that the kitten is very purry, affectionate, and playful, which we suppose is pretty much the ultimate indication of absolute happiness. This spunky kitten plays well with her new cat brother so basically the family is perfect for Emma who loves feline and human company.
Emma was officially adopted in March 2019.
Two months ago, she was all alone on the cold dark streets, crying herself hoarse for help. The poor kitten was dirty, full of fleas, famished, and had crusty bleeding ears. She wasn't a pretty sight when our volunteers first laid eyes on her. Saving her was one thing, but finding her a a home was another. Our options were limited, and with so many stray kittens out there, her chances of being adopted were slim.
So, we couldn't be happier with the way this has turned out for sweet Emma. She didn’t have to spend a lifetime on the streets like many of the other strays.
Emma could still be on the streets begging for attention, if not for her rescuers, the kind boarding lady who nursed her back to health, and our contributors who helped with her medical bills. Thank you, for all the compassion and love you gave Emma.
We would also like to thank Emma's new family for letting the kitten be part of their loving home. We are glad that Emma is in a better place now.
Now, how many strays can be as lucky as Emma?
Written by: Meiling
28.3.19
Churros is Adopted
Every dog yearns for a home of their own, and Churros, the four-year-old local crossbreed that looks like a Malinois has finally found hers.
When Churros came to us two years ago, she was all skin and bones, and looked discouraged due to her circumstances. Then, she wasn’t having much luck with finding a forever home, as she went from one foster home to another over the years.
A few months ago, the Yongs, a young couple fostered her for three months, and found her extremely obedient and sweet. They were first time dog owners, and naturally had some concerns when they opened their home to Churros. We are proud and happy to say that Churros soon won them over with her shy timid ways, and the Yong family decided to adopt her in January 2019.
Today, Churros loves her new home and her new pawrents. She gets a new bed and toys, and her new family dotes on her, including grandma and grandpa.
Churros was officially adopted in March 2019.
Every adoption puts a smile on our faces, and gives our dogs a new lease of life. It also gives us hope that those left behind can find loving homes.
We would like to thank the Yongs, and we hope Churros and her new family will find eternal love, affection and comfort in one another.
Written by : Felicia
When Churros came to us two years ago, she was all skin and bones, and looked discouraged due to her circumstances. Then, she wasn’t having much luck with finding a forever home, as she went from one foster home to another over the years.
A few months ago, the Yongs, a young couple fostered her for three months, and found her extremely obedient and sweet. They were first time dog owners, and naturally had some concerns when they opened their home to Churros. We are proud and happy to say that Churros soon won them over with her shy timid ways, and the Yong family decided to adopt her in January 2019.
Today, Churros loves her new home and her new pawrents. She gets a new bed and toys, and her new family dotes on her, including grandma and grandpa.
Churros was officially adopted in March 2019.
Every adoption puts a smile on our faces, and gives our dogs a new lease of life. It also gives us hope that those left behind can find loving homes.
We would like to thank the Yongs, and we hope Churros and her new family will find eternal love, affection and comfort in one another.
Written by : Felicia
25.3.19
Dreams Come True
Hello everyone, long time no see! Some of you may not recognize me because of how pretty I look now! I used to be quite bald before!
I don’t know how to play fetch, but I do love my daily walks with Mummy and Grandpa!
I remember my first day in my new home – I was scared and I didn’t know what Mummy and other hoomans in this foreign-looking place wanted with me. I ran away from loud noises like the vacuum machine, hair dryer, and even the lobby gate closing.
Mummy says I’m so bossy now – I even sneak peeks downstairs when my hoomans are out past their curfew.
I have grown to love my hoomans so much I invited them to take a family portrait with me! The hoomans tried to get me to smile but I thought it’d be really prim and proper to put on my most serious face for such a grand occasion!
I can be quite goofy other times.
Sometimes when it rains and I’m scared at home, I think of my friends alone on the streets, probably hungry and thirsty and trying to find some place safe and dry.
If you could contribute in any way to help my friends, please do not hesitate to contact Hope Dog Rescue!
Bonnie in Dec 2015 |
Bonnie in Dec 2018 |
I don’t know how to play fetch, but I do love my daily walks with Mummy and Grandpa!
I remember my first day in my new home – I was scared and I didn’t know what Mummy and other hoomans in this foreign-looking place wanted with me. I ran away from loud noises like the vacuum machine, hair dryer, and even the lobby gate closing.
Mummy says I’m so bossy now – I even sneak peeks downstairs when my hoomans are out past their curfew.
I have grown to love my hoomans so much I invited them to take a family portrait with me! The hoomans tried to get me to smile but I thought it’d be really prim and proper to put on my most serious face for such a grand occasion!
I can be quite goofy other times.
Sometimes when it rains and I’m scared at home, I think of my friends alone on the streets, probably hungry and thirsty and trying to find some place safe and dry.
If you could contribute in any way to help my friends, please do not hesitate to contact Hope Dog Rescue!
Written by Bonnie's owner, Jian Rong
14.3.19
Why Do People Still Buy Dogs?
Breeding dogs lead very sad lives. I hope the word gets out. If you do, I hope you’ll learn to empathize with their situation. If you don’t, then we hope you will learn something from us today, and spread the word.
Leaving the shelter, leaving the past behind. |
Breeding dogs don’t get any rest since young. They are bred from their first heat, at around 6 months old, until they retire at around 6 to 8 years old. How do breeders ensure the female pup gets pregnant? They lock 2 to 3 male dogs inside a small cage with the poor girl and they take turns to rape her. That would definitely ensure she gets pregnant.
How many times has this poor dog given birth? 10 times? How much money has she made for the breeders? Her poor tiny body has never rested |
To put it into context, that’s akin to raping a primary school kid, forced to give birth twice a year, and is only fed white rice and meat shavings for all their lives. Breeding dogs are not provided any medical treatment, and aren’t well-fed.
Rotten teeth that will need to be extracted when her health is more stable |
A growth on her eye that bleeds and will need to be removed during her sterilization |
In their lives, breeding dogs would have given birth about 8 to 12 times, before breeders decide to retire them. This means giving or selling them to animal welfare groups to rehome.
Think about that for a bit.
These poor breeding dogs are then taken from the breeders straight to shelters then to adoption drives, still without medical treatment / medical checkups. Kind people who want to adopt these ex-breeding dogs actually need to be prepared to spend anything from $1000 to $5000 after they have saved the dogs by adopting it and giving it a forever home. This amount is dependent on what illness or health issues the adopted dog has. Most common conditions include pyometra, which is an infection in the uterus, rotten teeth, arthritis / stiff joints from standing in an overcrowded cage for years, skin issues from inbreeding or hip dysplasia.
Leaving the shelter, scared and confused - she had no idea what was happening |
Inbreeding also occurs. Brother is mated with sister, mother, with son.
Imagine doing that to your very own family. Would you be comfortable with that? When inbreeding happens, your offspring will be affected, too.
"You're going to a new family today."
"What's a family? Why must I go?"
These poor breeding dogs have no idea what a family is. They have not known love during their short little lives.
Meet Tiny, a breeding dog, who I brought home today. I brought her to the vet for a full medical checkup because she has not been given any medical care at all.
She will need to be sterilized, she is constantly drooling because she has rotten teeth that need to be extracted and her gums are sore. After the dental treatments, she may have just 4 to 6 teeth left. She has a growth on her left eye that bleeds and that needs to be removed. She has a skin tag / cyst on her left rump and this needs to be removed as well although this isn't life threatening.
That's way too many things to be addressed in one surgery so we would need to prioritize as ideally a dog shouldn't be under GA for more than 2 hours, or her health is put at risk.
She is about 10.55kg, and is overweight. But she hasn’t been eating well and enough. Where is all this weight coming from? By being forced to stand all day with minimal movement, and being fed only white rice, which is extremely unhealthy.
Again. Imagine it for yourself.
Shaving off all her fur so we can see the condition of her skin, check for sores etc |
The first night in her new home, she stood and stared at nothing for 3 hours before sitting down to stare blankly for another 3 hours before finally falling into a light sleep. She must have been locked in a cage so small that she only had space to stand and sleep. Given more space, she had no idea how to behave.
Her tired, overworked body looks like a cow, with dangling tits almost touching the floor. She drools constantly because her teeth are so rotten, she needs dental treatment, and soon. However, years of giving birth and being fed a poor diet has made her severely anaemic and she can't yet undergo a surgery until her body is in a more stable condition. X-ray also revealed she has an enlarged spleen and liver.
Her joints are stiff and painful and her paws so rough it feels as if she has walked miles but in actual fact, she never even got to walk. It's rough from standing in a metal cage all her life.
Part of her tongue is missing because she gets into fights with the other dogs for food. Or the lack of it. Her tongue hangs out semi-permanently because most of her front teeth are missing from a lifetime of poor nutrition.
Part of her tongue bitten off during a dog fight where they fought for food cos there wasn't enough |
She is estimated to be about 8 years old. She has been treated like this for most of her life now.
She cowers when we walk past her because she has been rough-handled so much that she is so fearful yet when we squat down, she literally leopard crawls to us to be patted.
Think about how sad this is. To fear humans, and yet to crave for their love, affection, and be so eager to please. Is your heart breaking already?
Skin tag / cyst on her left rump will be removed during her sterilization |
I call her and talk to her but she behaves like a deaf dog, she only responds to dogs barking because that's the only sound she has been surrounded by and is used to, incessant dogs barking in the breeding farms.
"Are you deaf?"
"I didn't know you were talking to me, no one has ever talked to me. Please be patient with me, teach me gestures and sign language first."
When I first laid eyes on her, I was told she was a Schnauzer. I laughed.
Which part is Schnauzer? She had been at the kennels since September 2018. No one seemed to be keen on her because she was supposedly noisy and didn't look like a pure breed. The other dogs such as the Corgis, Spitz and Shetland Sheepdogs literally had people fighting over them. This little dog was in the kennel, jumping on her painful hind legs for attention but no one even bothered to pat her. Always one for underdogs, I decided I would take her.
What breed are you?
"I don't know. I'm different from the rest."
I believe she is probably a mixed terrier of sorts.
From now onwards, your name is TINY.
"The name makes no difference to me."
How sad to not have a name or identity all their lives and to be used only as a sex worker, helping the breeders get rich.
Now you must be thinking, so many problems, why would someone adopt an ex-breeding dog? Fortunately we have kind dog lovers around and these days, with more awareness on puppy mills, more such dogs are given opportunities and a second chance in life.
The road to rehabilitation can be long but patience and love conquers all.
A lot of socialization is also needed to teach your new dog how to behave like a normal dog. And the icing on the cake? These dogs are often so sweet, submissive, eager to please, you wonder how evil humans could have taken advantage of them, used and abused them.
And why did I choose to adopt an ex-breeding dog? Because I have the capacity to make her smile. Maybe not immediately but in time.
10.3.19
A Sweet, Tired Soul
All dogs shouldn’t be strays, but the reality is many dogs are.
Some dogs fare better than others at being a stray – Clooney isn’t one of them.
Clooney is a stray that lives in a factory. At 27 kg, he is not a small dog. But his size didn’t mean he could defend himself when dogs from a neighbouring factory attacked him, because he has a gentle personality that is of little good on the streets.
When we found him, he had a gaping wound in his head. The workers at the factory where he lived tried to help by pouring diesel into the wound to disinfect it. Imagine the pain. The wound was eventually infested by flesh eating maggots which also ate away his right ear. Read his story here.
We hired a dog trapper to trap the skittish Clooney and rushed him to the vet. What is amazing about Clooney is his resilience, for despite everything he has been through, his personality remains gentle.
During his stay at the vet, the staff shared how sweet he was, even though he was initially confused and scared. He is an unusual dog because he never whined nor barked despite the pain; neither did he fuss when he was bathed. He enjoyed pats and allowed the nurses to carry him around too.
Yet Clooney is tired and sad; during his stay at the vet, he slept a tremendous amount. It’s common among stray dogs we rescue. When they finally have a place to set their head down in peace, they take the chance to catch up on the rest that is so fleeting when life is about anticipating danger – unfriendly humans, traffic or in Clooney’s case, other hostile strays.
After his stint at the vet, Clooney is much better, although he now only has one ear. His right ear had to be removed because the maggots had attacked the injured flesh so badly.
He was born with the right personality to fit in a home, but he wasn’t born with the right kind of luck. We know he would have much love to give if someone would be able to take him in, but the reality is, there is no home for him yet. Clooney, with his one ear left, is going back to the factory that he has known all his life, once again at risk of the dangers of life on the streets.
Would you like to meet gentle Clooney, and maybe bring him home?
Written by: Jeanine
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