What a year 2024 has been for HOPE. In the past 365 days, we rescued 21 dogs, and successfully rehomed 14 dogs and one cat (Inky was rescued in 2023). The numbers may seem small, but it was by no means an easy feat for a small team like us.
Please Adopt, Don't Shop
Almost half of the rescues were senior dogs over 10 years old with extremely poor health conditions, and 11 of them are ex-breeding dogs bailed out from a commercial breeding facility. Every single rescue has a story to tell, but some were so exceptionally shocking that they left an indelible mark on our hearts. Take Caitlyn, the grossly neglected Choa Chu Kang dog who was chained to the gate of a HDB flat (https://hopedogrescue.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-choa-chu-kang-dog-from-street-62.html). And, as if it wasn't sad enough to be neglected even with a "family", there was poor Archie who spent years alone in an enclosure of an empty flat (https://hopedogrescue.blogspot.com/2024/02/archie-owner-surrender.html). The most heartbreaking of all was Richie, who was handed over to us in a bag (https://hopedogrescue.blogspot.com/2024/04/little-richie-owner-surrender.html). Years of rescue work still cannot prepare us for such sad and shocking cases. A pet is a companion for life. What did these dogs do to deserve such treatments?
Similarly, breeding dogs are sadly tossed aside after the breeders no longer need them. We try to bail as many as we can, but our hands are tied with limited resources. Among the 11 ex-breeding dogs we bailed, two of them were 3-month-old handicapped puppies with deformed back legs. We simply couldn't imagine what their fate would be, had we not taken them out. Rehabilitating these ex-breeding dogs is a long process and requires great patience, especially since they had limited socialization, and experienced neglect and emotional distress. Tommy and Cassidy took almost half a year convalescing from illnesses and emotional distress before they found homes.
However, it gets quite disheartening to see our efforts just trickling along as long as commercial breeders are permitted in Singapore. Oftentimes, we wonder why these breeding horrors (https://hopedogrescue.blogspot.com/2024/03/the-horrors-of-breeding-kennel.html) are still allowed to exist today. We believe it's high time that the government intervenes and looks at prohibiting commercial pet breeding for good. Allowing pet sale and large-scale breeding operations without proper care for the animals will only perpetuate more health problems, illnesses and sufferings for them. In the long run, pet owners of these animals will also have a hefty bill to pay, with hospitalization costs that can easily hit a five-figure sum now.
Extending Care and Support Beyond Rescues
Besides direct rescue efforts, we continue to help low-income families with dog food and/or vet bills, though we have scaled back lately due to resource constraints. This year, we have also stepped in to help halfway house dogs, Kobi, Bryan and Lucky (https://hopedogrescue.blogspot.com/2024/09/halfway-house-dogs.html), all of whom found homes after receiving medical care. Oreo and Taco, who belong to two elderly owners, continue to be beneficiaries of our help over the years. We believe that pets are important companions of senior citizens and they should not be separated if we can help it.
Another group close to our hearts are the fish farm dogs whom we have been providing food for almost a decade now, and will continue to do so for as long as we can.
Raising Awareness and Advocating Changes
With the growing awareness of animal welfare and increasing media coverage of animal cruelty cases, NParks is taking steps to review the Animals and Birds Act and negligence in pet grooming and boarding. While this is a positive start, we hope to see more deterrent measures in place against unethical and unacceptable practices, as well as pet sales.
Legislation is unfortunately beyond us, but what's within our means is to continue educating the public to be responsible pet owners via our social media platforms; through stories of our rescues, breeding facilities, helping pet owners recognize early signs of illnesses for timely veterinary intervention, and more. As part of our outreach initiatives, we have also started weekly dog walks for new volunteers and potential new owners so that they can receive guidance from experienced volunteers.
Small animal welfare groups like HOPE struggle to stay afloat and need all the help we can receive. We hope to see corporate donors play a bigger role in promoting animal welfare with the help of their resources and influence.
New Year, Old Fears and New Hope
As the year comes to a close, we would also like to take a moment to honour the rescues we have lost along the way—Chloe, Zeus, Olive, Adora, Banjo and Little Richie—each of them fought hard through old age, terminal or long-term illness. Regardless of the time we spent together, every end-of-life care is an emotional experience for us; it doesn't and will never get easier.
We also grieve the loss of our human friends, Julianna and Jenna, who were gone too soon. Both of them had been volunteering with us and their contributions will never be forgotten. We are so thankful to have crossed paths with these kind and generous souls.
We don't have a crystal ball but we believe 2025 will be just as tough as 2024 with rising pet population increases (no thanks to the boom in pet population during pandemic) and vet costs. Affordability is a growing concern and this is affecting the adoption rate for senior dogs as they require frequent medical attention. We urge all new potential pet owners to do their due diligence to research, consider their lifestyle and plan the finances before adopting. We have seen way too many cases of pets being surrendered due to these underestimated aspects of pet ownership.
As we usher in the new year, all of us at HOPE want to thank you, you and you for standing by us through our journey. May 2025 bring new hope and brighter days for everyone. 🫶
