Matilda Happy Ever After

I've been fostering Matilda for awhile now and finally decided it was the right time to officially adopt her. 

Throughout the period as her foster, I've always treated her as an official member of our family and her presence has really brought us together. 

Read Matilda's story http://hopedogrescue.blogspot.com/2015/06/news-from-vacated-factory-3.html

Ying Jie & Matilda 

Even though they say fostering/adopting a dog changes their lives, I would say that she has changed mine. With her goofy personality, antics and the improvement she has made through her walks, she has taught me unconditional love, patience, and resilience in ways I cannot fathom. I also see my family start to change and grow accepting of her since she entered our lives – from being skeptical about the idea of having a dog, to opening their hearts to her and showering her with love (and plenty of pats and treats). 

I would like to thank HOPE for the support and trust given to us over the years, I would not have done it without Fiona and the team's support.

Written by: Ying Jie

Patience plays a big part in Matilda’s life . . . . . and finally good things came to all who wait. 

For about 8 years, this brindle beauty has been waiting for the right family to adopt her.

As she is skittish and easily spooked when outside, she needed a patient and firm handler who had experience dealing with skittish dogs, and one who was also physically strong enough to withstand her tugs.

In the early years, Matilda’s skittishness led her to a couple of unintended solo adventures; holding the unfortunate record of having been lost the most number of times. Fortunately, thanks to our volunteers’ help, Matilda was found safe and sound.

Matilda had been present at many meet-and-greet sessions to meet her potential family. Although a permanent home eluded her all these years, fortunately, Matilda had a great foster who patiently fostered her all these years. Matilda thrived under her care. 

There is a special bond between foster and dog after having been together for 5 years.

Recently, we approached the foster to ask if she would consider making Matilda an official member of her family. She shared with us that Matilda had all along been seen as part of her family. Her parents had wanted her to graduate from school and start working, so she could be financially responsible for Matilda. Her time is now - Matilda has been adopted by her foster, Ying Jie and family, and we couldn’t be happier for yet another foster fail!

Baby Matilda

Patience has finally paid off for Matilda. Good things indeed come to those who wait. We wish Ying Jie and family and Matilda many happy years ahead.

Written by: Hope Dog Rescue

Malcolm the Poodle (owner surrender)

Just when we thought our plates are full and couldn’t take on anymore, we met Malcolm.  

Does he look like a poodle? 

Malcolm is our latest case of owner surrendered dog. At 10 years of age, one would have expected him to be reasonably healthy, able to see and hear well. Yet the poodle that we met looked nothing like that. Balding in so many parts of his body, his eyes were listless and the face that we laid our eyes on told us this is a dog that has been through so much. 

A visit to our regular vet for the preliminary check and assessment found so many issues that we didn’t know how to list them all, so we shall focus on the main ones:

Did years of infection / allergies cause Malcolm to lose his hearing?

• Chronic allergies leading to hyperpigmentation, thickened skin, intense itch and balding. 
• Cornea scarring and loss of visibility in both eyes due to extreme dryness over a prolonged period. He is estimated to have only around 20% visibility. 
• Deaf in both ears.
• High globulin and enlarged lymph nodes underneath the tongue which could possibly be due to his skin condition. 

Long nails, fur loss :-( 

How long has he been suffering? 

Thankfully his overall blood test results were still not too bad, giving us some hope that with proper treatment and care, he will be able to bloom and lead a better quality of life. He was given an injection to help ease the itch. On his next review he will undergo ultrasound scans and possibly further tests to check for cushings and thyroid issues. He will also need a dental scaling, although this can wait for now.

Mini Zeus? 

Malcolm is currently staying with a temporary foster and we will look into rehomimg him when he is in a better state of health. The road to recovery may take a while but we will not give up on him. Likewise if you feel for Malcolm and would like to contribute towards his medical bills, please drop us a message at hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg.