A Little Help for the Fish Farm Dogs

A couple of years ago, the fish farm folks approached Hope’s volunteers for help when they saw us during one of the stray feeding rounds.  At that time, we were told, the farm dogs survived on fish food (Read the backstory here).

Volunteers helped the folks to arrange for the farm dogs to be sterilized, all 11 of them. We also gave them dog kibbles and canned food. Once a month we went down to apply Frontline on the dogs and bring them a feast of cooked food. We would also take their dogs to the vet each time they got sick or injured, and snake bites were common. We did this for a couple of months till the workers felt they could manage on their own.

Recently, we were informed that one of the dogs required a visit to the vet due to an ear infection. It looked like he had a haematoma.

On a Saturday, friends and volunteers went down to visit the farm and to assess the dog.

The farm has changed with time, but the folks around, including its immediate neighbours/workers, remain kind and are all trying their best to care for the animals around them.

We brought the dog with haematoma to the vet. The dog was very sweet despite the fact that he was nervous being away from his home and pack.

The vet examined the dog, cleaned his ears thoroughly and provided him with the necessary care and vaccination.  After which, the dog was returned safely back to the farm.

The folks would appreciate and could do with a little help with dog food for the dogs. If you would like to donate kibbles or canned food for the farm dogs and/or to support our weekly stray feeding session, please e-mail to hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg.  Thank you.

Too Many Cats...It's Madness

Update (26 Nov 2019):


Cat Welfare Society (CWS) has clarified that their funds are focused on the sterilization of community or stray cats, and they are unable to extend assistance required of pet cats. As it does not have a rescue or shelter facility, it is also unable to take in any animals. We appreciate CWS's clarification on this matter.  Taking this  opportunity, we would like to thank CWS for assisting us with cat sterilization at some of our feeding sites.


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Often, we hear of people hoarding cats. You know what? Recently, we were alerted to an elderly man with nearly 40 cats in a 3-room flat in an area that one of our volunteer feeds. We were concerned the cats may eventually end up being abandoned in the estate.

And so we made a trip to the flat.

The unit reeks of pee, and we were aghast by how many cats there were. We do not have an exact headcount yet, but the owner tells us it is near 40. From the looks of it, it ain't too far. And the cats are not sterilized. Gosh! It just means the numbers will multiply if we do nothing about it.

So what now?

First things first, sterilized the cats to prevent further breeding.

Good thing is, the owner seems open to the idea of sterilization and rehoming the cats.

The feeder called Cat Welfare Society and SPCA for help. They came down to assess the situation. Unfortunately, they don't have the budget to provide free or cheap sterilizations of this scale. 
Frankly, the feeder was extremely disappointed, but she thinks maybe they can’t afford it? So she approached us, and although we are essentially a dog rescue group who can’t afford to sterilize the 40 cats as well, we agreed to try our best and give it a shot, to do what we can. SPCA did eventually take in three kittens who were rather ill and needed medical treatment.

So here we are, Hope DOG Rescue, seeking $7,000 to sterilize and treat 40 cats and kittens. The owner has contributed $600/- while the rest of the amount, we hope to raise to help the cats. This amount is assuming the cats have no medical issues that require hospitalization.

We have just sterilized our first batch of 15 cats at $1,600 including transportation and 2 nights of pre/post-surgery boarding.

Can we sterilize the remaining cats and re-home them eventually?

It depends.

Funding is very much needed. On top of sterilization, we need funds for basic health checks and boarding if we want to re-home the cats properly.

If you can contribute, please email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg. The feeder thinks she has bitten off more than she can chew to get involved and she has also chipped in quite a bit to get the 15 cats sterilized. Let’s hope we can raise enough to help her and the cats.

Lil' Scooter Update 3

It has been a month since Scooter's leg surgery to fix his fractured right hind leg.

Look at that happy puppy face!! 

Scooter (previously known as Balloon) was a 6-month old stray puppy living in a factory compound. During one of our stray feeding rounds, we found him immobile and in pain. A worker later told us that Scooter was run down by a motorbike, four days before we found him.

Coincidentally, Scooter's mummy and sister were involved in a separate road accidents too, but they were tragically killed. Scooter was hit by a motorbike when he went out in search of them.

The good news is, Scooter is recovering well after his surgery. We were fortunate that we took him to a second vet when the first vet said to amputate.

Few days ago, Scooter was back at the vet to have his wound staples removed under local anesthetic. X-ray images were taken to check on his bone healing progress. According to the vet who saw him, Scooter is doing well. The prognosis is, his bones may take 6 months to a year to fully recover. Lucky that as a puppy, his healing is much better and faster.

Scooter can now put his full weight on the fractured leg. He can also take longer walks, but has to refrain from jumping and hopping.

His leg wound is healing nicely - staples would soon need to be removed 

He was also vaccinated and microchipped during the vet visit. On the vet's advice, we will bring Scooter back for sterilization in 4 weeks' time.

A final X-ray will be done 2 weeks later, to check that the pins and rods on Scooter's bones are in place. 

Scooter is currently in a foster home. He gets along with his humans, dogs and even cats! He seems respectful of other dogs and even though he loves his food, he would wait patiently for his turn until the resident dogs have eaten. He would also wait patiently at a corner until his foster calls for "dinner". So far, he has not shown any allergic reaction from eating kangaroo, beef, pork, chicken or fish. But the thing is, he is starting to be fussy with food, so we will have to correct this behaviour.

An extremely handsome and well-mannered puppy 

Scooter is grass trained. He recognizes the word " No" when said in a stern voice; don’t most dogs :)

But, Scooter does not walk well on leash and will require some guidance and patience. He is a rather playful dog with lots of energy, as with most puppies.

Scooter's recent vet treatment cost us $500. If you would like to help with his vet bills, please email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg