Pets, more often than not, become collateral damage in unfortunate family situations. While there are organizations for people that are informed as soon as a situation arises, animals are left behind and sometimes get forgotten in the midst of everything. Toby was one such case. Left alone at home without food or water when his owner was remanded, we were only informed of his plight some 3 weeks later. By the time we got to him, he was malnourished and his kidney levels were high, due to the lack of food and water intake.
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| Toby the cutest <3 |
Toby was given into the care of this family when he was 3 months old. He was previously with another family who used to tie his mouth and though it has been years since then, his snout still bears the scars of that horrific and inhumane action. Even after being passed into his second family, his life did not improve by much. Toby was often caught in the crossfire of family fights. In fact, when we first rescued him, he had an injury from an object that was thrown, albeit not at him.
Now that we have taken Toby out of a bad situation, we can start working on his rehabilitation. Toby is a sweet boy, despite all he has been through. However, he does has some behavioral challenges to overcome, owing to his bad experience growing up in his home. He is extremely afraid of his leash and harness as these were used to forcefully lead him to the toilet for his baths when younger. Despite his fear of them though, once you manage to get them on him and take him out, he walks really well on leash. Toby also experiences anxiety in certain situations and can get destructive if left alone. What we thought was separation anxiety may be claustrophobia, probably due to being left confined alone without light, food and water for so long, as he seems to be ok when left alone in open spaces. He also gets stressed and anxious around other dogs since he has not been well socialized with them as a puppy. Yet, for all his fears and insecurities, and despite all he has been through with humans, he is very sweet towards humans. He loves the attention and is a people pleaser, which, coupled with him being very food motivated and being smart to boot, means it will make it easy to teach him tricks.
Toby, like many of our rescues, did not have it easy early in life. And, like all of our rescues, we are determined to make sure that life can only go up for him from here. Toby needs a patient and understanding owner who can work with him through his fears and insecurities. Toby is estimated to be 5 years old, and is HDB-approved! Toby already has the makings of the perfect dog, what with his sweet demeanor. We believe that with time and the right guidance, he can overcome his bad habits to become the best dog that anyone can have. If you think you have what it takes to provide Toby with the love he deserves and the patience it will require to help Toby face and overcome his challenges, please email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg.
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| Toby loves human affection |
