Why Fostering and Adopting Matters: Meet Dawn, Proof That All A Dog Needs, Is Patience and Love.

Despite being a 3 legged dog, Dawn was one of the fiercest strays we had ever come across. She guarded her factory fiercely and every one of us was terrified of her. She was past middle age when we met her and she had lost her leg in a traffic accident. After amputation, she was returned to the factory as the canteen workers would care for her. They also helped us trap her when we needed to send her to the vet. There was no way we could have gone near her.

Each time we visited her factory and needed to walk around the compound looking for the other dogs, she would be hot on our heels. We literally had to draw lots and see who we would sacrifice to enter the factory. She would be just behind us, near our ankles and it was scary knowing she would snap at your ankles anytime. You had to keep pace - too slow and she would chomp. If you dared to turn around and look at her, your ankles might have been gone too.

Anyway, long story short, her factory was soon closing down and the workers pleaded with us to take her, especially since she was 3 legged. We were hesitant because she was really fierce, and no one would dare to handle her.

Through a twist of fate, we found a foster in Pamela. We all know that fostering is permanent but glad that Pam didn’t know it that that time. And so with lots of patience and love, Dawn was tamed!

Not only was she good with humans eventually, she was also good with babies. Who would have thought that!! And today, after 4 years, she has been domesticated and is happy with her new family now.

Dawn guarding her new baby brother  

All strays can be tamed. What they need is time. That's why it's so very important to have fosters.

Amazing how a fierce street dog can be so sweet to a baby 

Written by: Felicia Tan