Fish Farm Dogs

Have you heard about HOPE’s “Fish Farm Dogs”?

We first met this group of dogs living at a fish farm in 2014. They grew up eating fish food as the workers did not have anything else to feed them. You may read more about the story here.

Over the years, we have sterilized and vaccinated all 11 of them while the workers there have been the main caregivers, feeding and taking care of them. It was only recently when one of the workers, Segar, reached out to us again.

He had been buying rice to cook for them but he needed help as he was also feeding the dogs in the neighbouring farms. That was really kind of him! This was also what sparked our recent appeal for food for these dogs.

We are really thankful for the response we received and we couldn’t  wait to bring the donated food down to the dogs! So despite having a late Saturday night feeding the strays, our dedicated volunteers got up early on a Sunday morning to bring the donated food and medications (such as Frontline) supplies to the fish farm. That was our second visit in recent months.

The volunteers managed to apply Frontline on the dogs and fed them while they were there. We are planning to visit them once a month for now until we feel that the dogs are settled and doing well again. One of the dogs was so skinny that we suspect he has parasites in his body, so the next thing we will be doing would be deworming them. We will bring dewormers on our next visit—thanks to fellow dog lovers who bought them when we needed it.

All these would not have been possible without the kind and generous help rendered by the donors and volunteers. We are ever grateful for the volunteers who spend their precious weekends helping out the dog and we are happy to see how they have become bonded over their love for animals. Till our next visit to the fish farm on the morning of March 15.

If you have a car and would like to help us bring food down, please email us. We also hope that we can have a volunteer photographer offer his / her services. This place is not accessible by public transport. Email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg

Written by: Shi Hua
Photo credit: Jonathan Tan

Wilted Willow

We had seen the post on Facebook. Yet another senior dog being given up for rehoming. There was nothing unusual about the post, even if it was posted amidst the Chinese New Year festivities. This time, it was a schnauzer that needed to be rehomed, albeit a rather pitiful looking one with most of its fur gone. Small breeds such as schnauzers are usually rehomed quickly. However, this one remained unadopted even after more than a week. So HOPE decided to step in and help out our first rescue in the year 2020.

The schnauzer was a female, around 10 years old. She had been living with an elderly couple in their 70s. The main caregiver was the grandmother in the couple. When she was admitted to the hospital, the responsibility of caring for the dog fell to the grandfather. As with most people his age, he was prone to absentmindedness and would sometimes forget to feed the dog the medication that she required. Concerned for the wellbeing of the dog, the couple’s daughter decided that it was in the dog’s best interest to be rehomed.

We contacted the daughter and arranged for her to meet us at the vet with the dog so we can have her overall health assessed. And what a laundry list of issues the poor old girl had. From the pictures we had seen of her in the Facebook post, we knew she had severe skin issues. Whether it was due to a food or environmental allergy, her skin was so dry and flaky and her constant scratching had left her bald in patches, and bleeding in others. She had arthritis in both hind legs, and her teeth on the right side of her mouth were rotten. She has cataracts in both eyes, and a heart murmur for which, an ultrasound was recommended. The vet also noted that she had increased gut movement and she was spotting as she was not sterilized.

The vet prescribed some oral medication, medicated cream and shampoo to address the skin condition. She has been placed with a foster who lets her wear shirts to prevent her from scratching herself raw. For now, we only hope that she starts to settle in her foster home. Her diet has been switched up to home-cooked food. She is slightly underweight at 6.9kg but not too much that it is a concern.Hopefully, with a more balanced and nutritious diet, and consistent administration of her medicines her skin condition will improve and her weight will increase. We must wait for her skin to get better before we can sterilize her as the constant itching now will only hinder the healing process of the surgical wound.

We have named this old girl Willow, after the pussy willows, in the spirit of Chinese New Year. Pussy willows are a symbol of good luck and fortune to the Chinese. We hope that with this auspicious name, it will represent a turn in luck and fortune for her.

Willow will need to go back to the vet for a review in 2 weeks. If you would like to help with Willow’s vet bills, please email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg.

Written by: Sam

HAPPY ENDINGS!

At Hope Dog Rescue, we work with stray animals. Most times, their stories are devastatingly sad. They have been abused, starved and neglected. They are often physically and emotionally traumatized, starved for food and love.

Which is why, it gives us so much pleasure to share a story with a happy ending!

Goldilocks enjoying her new perfect life 

Phoebe’s previous home used to be a golf course. She lived there with two other strays. Their lives of playing and rolling around outdoors unfortunately came to an end when some golf players complained about their presence. Even though they didn’t bite, chase or do anything to be a nuisance, their fates were sealed. They were banished to live out their days in small, filthy cages.

Phoebe - who has found her true love and forever home <3 

We finally rescued them from this awful existence. Like her other two canine companions, Phoebe was incredibly well behaved and good-natured. However, unlike them, she was less confident and quite terrified of being taken to the vet, of the new smells and sights. But through all these scary changes, she remained her sweet, affectionate self.

Goldilocks was rescued from a factory. Tests at the vet showed she had both heartworm and a low red blood count. Her long, furry coat was soaked in pee and dirt, and she was clearly traumatized and suffering from neglect. However, this sweet-natured dog held up through all the tests and check-ups, allowing us to hug and cuddle her. How incredible are animals and how amazing is their capacity to trust us though so much unimaginable trauma!

Goldilocks, living it up!

Like two lost souls, Phoebe and Goldilocks found each other at the rescue and became fast friends. We knew it would be heart breaking to separate them if they got adopted individually.

But after a lifetime of hardship, it was finally their turn for a stroke of luck. At an adoption drive, Pooja & Ankit came with the intention of adopting one dog. They originally picked Phoebe but because she was so attached to Goldilocks, they agreed to take them both!

Today, Phoebe and Goldilocks live happily with their humans, in a home that’s filled with tummy rubs, treats, comfy beds and walks…and of course, the companionship of each other!

Written by Sheenu Kapoor

Christmas Pet Therapy

Visiting St Joseph's Home has become a monthly affair for our volunteers and rescued dogs, including special needs dogs, Harper and Sida. We hope that our regular visits will bring comfort and joy to the residents at this home, who are generally elderly who have lost some of their mental capacity. Pet therapy (or animal-assisted therapy) is known for its significant benefits to patients’ healing and rehabilitation, especially in terms of lifting their spirits, thus reducing depression, encourages communication and socialization, and it also helps to improve motor skills and joint movements.

Ollie & Lassy bringing joy from the table top

Residents were gifted with photo frames of themselves with our dogs 

It has been a year and a half since we embarked on this pet therapy program, and we are heartened to know that the residents and staff would look forward to our visits on the first Saturday of each month!

Aunty Alice absolutely loves dogs - seen her squishing River 

Some of the residents, such as Aunty Alice, adore dogs as much as we do, or maybe even more. She would simply let them sit on her lap, and hold and pat them till it’s time for us to leave!

Special needs dog, Harper, is also a volunteer animal-assisted therapy dog 

During our last visit in December 2019, we had a simple Christmas celebration with the residents. The volunteers brought along snacks to distribute and a kind friend also sponsored 80 bottles of Dove body soap as requested by the home. We also printed and framed photographs of the residents as gifts for them. It is an indescribable feeling to see how our presence and these simple gifts can bring immense joy to the residents.

Volunteer, Syn Hwei & her dog, Lassy, making their rounds in the wards 

Aunty Alice has the most number of photo frames - seen here admiring the photos with River 

We love how meaningful our Saturday mornings have become. It makes waking up early all worthwhile!

Ollie in a manger 

Written by Shi Hua