Crystal (HOPE's Oldest Rescue Dog)

How old are the oldest dogs you know? Maybe 18, 19? Are they enjoying their golden years, spoiled rotten by their owners and living a life of leisure? That's the life a dog should lead.

Crystal's home for almost a decade 

This is Crystal. Crystal is the oldest dog that HOPE has ever rescued, still tottering about at 20 years of age. 

I first met Crystal about 8 years ago when I sent my dog to the groomer. There, I often saw her locked in a cage, and I heard that she was there for boarding. I did not know then, that her boarding would last almost half her life - almost a decade. Frankly, Crystal has been living in a cage for even longer than some breeding dogs.

Crystal at the vet

Over the many years that I patronized the shop, I saw Crystal getting older, growing weaker, and losing the muscles in her legs from years of being caged without sufficient exercise. She became blind, losing her sight completely. One by one, all her teeth fell out. Now she's totally toothless, and her tongue hangs out. It’s sad, watching a dog grow old but not under ideal circumstances, and not being able to intervene.

Watch Crystal's video here.

A weepy sore on her bony shoulder

I then found out that Crystal belonged to a Mr K, who was between jobs. He had rented a room where pets were not allowed. Since he could not take her home, she ended up spending half her life in boarding at a grooming shop, waiting for the occasional day that the owner would come and see her... and perhaps one day take her home. She literally spent half her life waiting, locked in a cage.

Getting some fresh air outside her boarding shop

I often asked why the owner did not just rehome the dog. I was told that he loved her a lot and couldn't bear to part with her, but circumstances were such that he just could not take her home. And indeed, I've seen that he does love her a lot. It wasn't an ideal situation, but it was one that both owner and dog had learnt to cope with.

But Crystal has begun to deteriorate very quickly over the last 3 months. Each time I sent my dog to the shop for grooming, I would intentionally stay at the shop so that I could take her out of her cage and carry her out for a little walk and some fresh air. She loved it. She craved being carried and hugged. Remember that Crystal is blind. Blind dogs get assurance from physical contact, whether it's being carried, or just leaning on someone. I noticed that, by this time, her legs had almost no muscles left at all. She could hardly even hold herself up. She also seemed like she has dementia. Often, Crystal walks herself into a corner, gets stuck, and doesn’t know how to back up and get out – but at 20, this is to be expected.

In the last 2 months, my pity for her situation grew unbearable. How different was she really from a breeding dog, locked up for almost a decade, living and dying in a cage. I started bugging the shop owner to talk to Crystal’s owner, to let me take her home to foster. When she came back with a reply, she said that the owner needed time to think about it and was concerned that the shift to a new environment would stress her out and make her deteriorate faster. That thought did cross my mind too, but this at least meant that Mr K really did have Crystal's welfare in mind.

3 weeks ago, I started cooking for Crystal. Crystal had become skin and bones by then. The shop fed her dry kibbles and wet canned food, but I felt that, as a very senior dog, Crystal needed lots of extra care and attention. She should be having lots of small meals throughout the day. And she definitely should not have to stay in that cage anymore, standing and sleeping on those uncomfortable metal bars. I did the best I could to make Crystal's life at the groomer's more bearable. I brought her a lot of donated towels and asked the shop to line the base of the cage with them, so that the metal bars wouldn’t hurt her tiny frail paws. Again, I bugged the shop owner to let me foster Crystal.

Finally, on Sunday afternoon, I received the best of news. The shop owner said that Crystal’s owner would like to meet me! I practically flew down to the shop. We met and chatted for an hour, and I took Crystal home that same evening. I suggested for Mr K to come and visit Crystal at least twice a week, so that she wouldn’t be so stressed in the new environment. Anyway, he should take this chance to see her more often, because she's not getting younger.

Her first night in a home and on a nice, soft bed

When we got home, Crystal immediately started walking around, delighted with her freedom. She walked nonstop for an hour, skidded a bit, got stuck in corners, fell... etc. but yet she got up again and again, and happily continued to explore. She ate, and she slept. For the first time in almost a decade, she finally got to sleep on something padded (3 thick towels) instead of the cold hard floor of a metal cage. Over the next 2 days, I could feel her happiness and her contentment grow. She was grateful for her freedom, for love, for a home, and for comfort – all the things that were deprived from her for so long.

Just chilling :-)

After a while, I noticed blood on the floor. Dismayed, I did a quick check, and 2 of Crystal's paws were red, sore and bleeding from years of standing on bars in that metal cage. As a result, her paws were also slightly deformed. In these first 2 days with her, I also noticed she circled a lot, and often to the right. I thought it stemmed from the years of being locked in cage, but I made a note to myself to ask the vet about it.

Very sore paws from years of standing on metal bars

Yesterday, I took Crystal to see a vet – something that she had not done for at least 10 years. Mr K met us there. We just wanted to do a general check up to make sure that Crystal is doing okay.

An extremely happy Crystal on her first day home (Crystal is blind, has no teeth and is slightly hard of hearing)

At the vet, we realised that Crystal weighs a mere 2.8kg! She is so frail that you feel you might hurt her just by holding her. It reminded us of Prince and Ah Boy. After a blood test, we found out that she has a severe heart murmur, and severe anemia. Her kidney wasn't working too well either. There was also a wart on her left shoulder that often bled. The vet also remarked that her paws were bleeding from all that time standing in a cage - but we already knew that. What we didn't anticipate was that Crystal's circling behaviour could be the result of a brain tumor, which is common in Maltese dogs, and unsurprising in a dog her age. The vet gave us some supplements for Crystal, and recommended that we do a subcut (subcutaneous cut) for her every alternate day, which is like kidney dialysis for dogs to flush out toxins.

Spending a nice lazy afternoon snoozing 

Her results were not terrible for such an old dog, but it still left me feeling gloomy at Crystal's plight. It's just so tragic that her life had played out this way. We should all be so lucky for our dogs to live to Crystal's ripe old age. Yet in all those years, what enjoyment did she have? Why did it even matter how long she lived, if all she had in life was that cage?

First night at foster home

Perhaps it had been too long a day, perhaps Crystal was stressed with the vet visit, or perhaps it was the medicines or really a tumour in her brain, we’ll never know. But that night, at 1am, Crystal had a series of seizures. Each seizure lasted 6 seconds, and it happened 3 times in 10 minutes. I was worried sick. And when it finally stopped, she remained restless, circling. No matter how I tried to calm her down, it didn't work. If I carried her in my arms, she would struggle to get down so that she could start to pace and circle again. At the end of one hour, she was finally completely exhausted. I took the opportunity to put her to bed, but then she stood up and threw up her dinner. That was it, I scooped her up and rushed her to the emergency vet. But it was no use, the vet too agreed that it was impossible to identify the cause of her seizures unless they conducted many more tests. All they could do was to ward Crystal for observation. But I didn't want her to be put in yet another cage, and so I insisted on taking her home.

As I watched, Crystal slept like a log at home for almost 14 hours. When she woke, it seemed that she had lost her appetite. Now, her days are spent sleeping, walking around, and drinking water. I carry her in my arms each time she starts circling. When she has to be home alone, she is put in a playpen for her own safety. Since I took Crystal home, my alarm is set to ring every hour throughout the night. I wake up to check that she is still breathing, and if she peed in her playpen, I change her pee pad, clean her up and put her back to sleep.

I am dismayed at how much she has weakened, and I very much want to keep alive that little glimmer of happiness I saw in her when she first came home with me. It’s so amazing how one can bring home a dog, and just immediately fall in love with her and accept her as part of the family.

Mr K told me that he used to take Crystal to East Coast Beach when she was young; that’s on our urgent to-do list. I don’t know how long I have with Crystal, but I pray that she stays with us long enough to enjoy her newfound freedom. It is my greatest honor to know Crystal, and to have this chance to care for her.

Crystal needs pee pads (45cm X 60cm, and the bigger ones 60cm X 90cm) and wet tissues. Please help us to care for Crystal in her old age. If you are able to contribute these items, please get in touch with us at hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg.

Clarification : The shop where Crystal was boarded did try their best to care for her. They let her out to walk about in the shop and customers also took Crystal out for fresh air :-)

The Amazing Matthieu

What? Another video about a black dog? When you see this video, this might be one of the thoughts running through your mind. Yes, it seems like Matthieu is just another regular black dog, another of our pitiful rescues that is of a colour traditionally thought of by the Chinese as a harbinger of bad luck. Yet, Matthieu is certainly not just another black dog. Each of our rescues is special and Matthieu is not any less unique or precious just because he is black. He is the one and only Matthieu and we are matt-ly in love with him. He is just so adorable, isn’t he? Just look at him amusing himself with his treat in the video.

Watch Matthieu playing with his treat https://youtu.be/NloKWnzuH2Q

Guess how old Matthieu is? Four or five? Neh... he is more than a decade old! Can’t tell huh? He behaves just like a little boy even though he is a senior dog who has weathered the storm. Our volunteers call him ‘Ah Pek’ affectionately. He is an old man in dog years but a puppy at heart. Poor Matthieu was paralysed from the waist down after an industrial accident and went through operations, acupuncture, massage and hydrotherapy sessions before he could walk without a wheelchair. 

Our favourite old man! 

  

His willpower to survive is so admirable and touching. He hung on to life and lived on courageously despite the cards being stacked against him. Looking at Matthieu today, one can never imagine that he was once meant to be put down due to the appalling condition that he was found in. He looks just like any normal healthy dog and is super affectionate and loving. Whenever the volunteers visit Matthieu to bring him for his walks, he would muster all his strength to move his body towards them and welcome them with a low ‘groo’ sound. He would also stuff his cute little snout into the volunteers’ hands when they give him pats and shower them with lots of sloppy licks. He is such a sweetheart. He really grows on you and the volunteers always look forward to walking him. It is the highlight of their week. Matthieu gets along well with his two friends, Kiwi and Woodie, who live in the same foster home as him. He loves them so much that he would never go on his walks without them. He is easy to care for and can be left alone for the most part of the day. He just needs some TLC, home cooked meals and at least one long walk per day so that he can exercise his legs, be in touch with his neighbourhood and bond with you.

Matthieu, handsome & amazing

Would you like to meet Matthieu? We are sure you would drop all your prejudices about black dogs after you have matt Matthieu and would fall matt-ly in love with him too. His cute face and sweet nature would be sure to melt your heart! Matthieu’s name means ‘Gift of God’. We truly think he is a gift of God and hope that you can be a gift of God to him and he can be a gift of God to you too. If you are interested in adopting Matthieu and giving him the furever home that he craves and deserves so much, please email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg. 

Thank you! *sloppy kisses and exposed belly in love and gratitude from Matthieu* 

Written by : Weiling

Have A Heart. Adopt A Dog

Dog owners will agree that there's nothing quite like the reception we get coming home to our dogs. That dance of joy is enough to make anyone feel like a superstar with each arrival home! Dogs alleviate feelings of loneliness, whether we've been packed in like sardines with nameless strangers on the MRT, or just another person alone in their car stuck in the jam on the KJE. As dog owners, most of us are greeted first by our dogs, even if our home is packed with family members! For many elderly people who live alone, dogs are their constant companions.

Happy (3+ years, female, not HDB approved)

Research has shown that owning a pet helps decrease blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and provides greater opportunities for exercise and socialization. So many of us feel tired after a long day, drained of energy. Walking the dog is the last thing we want to do. We grab the leash regardless and drag ourselves outside, only to feel refreshed and relaxed after a nice walk with our best friend. Going on a walk, or playing with the dog outdoors often gives us the opportunity to meet new people. What better way to make new friends?

Bonnie (6 years, female, HDB approved)

So often we hear of people struggling with addiction, depression, physical impairments, or aging that force themselves to walk the dog, or go to the store to buy them food. The routine of caring for their dogs keeps them engaged in the world, and helps keep them going. Dogs are fast being recognized for their therapeutic abilities, for sensing seizures, leading the sightless, helping children with special needs, sniffing out drugs, explosives and even cancer. Dogs provide friendship and security to children. Children growing up with dogs learn compassion and empathy.

Roxy (2 years, female, HDB approved)

How many of us learned to be responsible caregivers as a result of caring for the family dog? Having a pet teaches children to respect another living being from an early age. Older children learn to be reliable and responsible - feeding, grooming and walking a living creature that depends on them. For kids who are too young to do much of the caregiving, they watch us model that behavior and the lessons of proper care, reliability, and trust become ingrained early. Take your kids with you to vet appointments so they can see all that's involved in caring for the dog. Let them ask questions and understand what's happening. Sometimes teenagers bring the family dog to the vet and this allows the teenager to understand the dog, to learn more about its health and ailments and how perhaps they can help give the dog a more comfortable lifestyle.

Rover (4 mths old, male, uncertain if he will be HDB approved as he is still growing)

Do you still need more reasons for owning a dog? They bring beauty, loyalty and joy to our lives. There's a purity in our relationship with our dogs that's unique and constant. I love my dogs. My entire life and being revolves around them. They are my life, for without them, I would have no life. They’ve opened my eyes to a world I never knew existed. They taught me love, kindness, compassion, patience and so much more that we were never taught in school.

Have a heart. ADOPT.

Take a look at our rescued dogs needing a home

Babu's Updates (After Surgery)

Babu had his surgery as scheduled. It was a long and intense procedure which lasted 4 whole hours. Babu's bones were fractured into fragments such that they could not just insert a steel plate. Screws had to be inserted to hold the steel plate in place.

Look how badly his bones have been shattered

Imagine the pain. We don't know how long he was suffering for before he was picked up by SPCA. It was no wonder his arm was so swollen. It's amazing how tough dogs are. Humans whine so much at the tiniest cut, and anything bigger than that would require immediate medication and rest. Dogs on the other hand can go through all this pain without any such luxury and still survive. Babu had no one to turn to and no one to help or pamper him.

Steel plates and screws in Babu's front right leg

We visited Babu today. He needed some coaxing but he finally finished the home cooked food which was delivered by our volunteers. We could see the sadness in his eyes. Though he was on strong pain killers, he still whined pitifully. 

Poor darling Babu feeling very sorry for himself 

We do not know if he will be able to use his leg. We will just have to wait and see in the next few days. It will be a long road to recovery for Babu.

What a long surgical wound, nicely stitched by his vet (the vet did mention that Babu is very muscular and well built) 

Earlier in a Facebook update, we said that Babu was about 9 to 10 years old. Checking back on his previous records which we had kept, he should only be about 6 to 7 years old. Barely middle aged and already struck by misfortune twice. Poor Babu.

Babu has gone through so much pain and suffering in his life. Can any kind soul please give him a home? 

Thanks to everyone who responded to our plea for help with Babu's surgery bills. He will require many more vet reviews in the upcoming weeks, not to mention massage and hydrotherapy, if we can afford it. We hope that fellow dog lovers will continue to help with his vet bills. Babu is also up for adoption. To help with Babu's vet bills or adopt him, email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg

Written by Sam

Babu, Is That You?

We first met Babu in May 2012 when someone informed us of a hit and run case. Babu was a very sweet street dog that was cared for by some workers. He had gone out to look for them when he was struck by a car and dragged a distance. Thankfully, he survived the accident and only suffered a broken leg and some abrasions. Read more about his accident here.

His troubles were far from over though. While at the vet, he may have contracted distemper. But this resilient boy toughed it out and became the first dog in HOPE's history to survive distemper.

Luckily for Babu, he had workers who loved him. It was not our practice to return a recuperating dog to the place we rescued him from. But this was an exceptional case as it was evident that the workers loved Babu and were committed to his care. So we returned him to the workers and we kept in touch with them over the first year as Babu recovered. Read more of Babu's story here and here.

Babu's main caretaker left the premises after about a year, but another worker said that he would continue to care for Babu and having experienced how well the workers took care of Babu, we soon left him entirely to their care.

Handsome Babu leaving SPCA and heading to the vet

Fast forward to this morning when we received a call from SPCA – they had a male dog in their care. Someone had seen him sitting in the middle of the road, in too much pain to move and called SPCA, and the caller had kindly stayed with him till SPCA arrived. SPCA scanned the dog for a chip and traced the chip back to HOPE. Lo and behold, the dog they had in their care was none other than Babu.

Watch video of Babu leaving SPCA:

We rushed down and were shocked to see Babu. The workers must have all left the country and left him to fend for himself. His front right leg was dangling as if the joint was totally severed and his shoulder was swollen to almost 3 times its normal size.

Look at how swollen Babu's right shoulder is

His right leg must be in so much pain

He must have been hit by a car and dragged on the road. Besides a very swollen and broken leg, he was also bleeding from his nose, had abrasions under his chin and a swollen muzzle

He was anxious and in obvious distress, and kept looking out for the workers and wanting to go outdoors. We immediately took him to the vet. He was in so much stress and pain that he did not seem to remember us. The vet did not want to stress him any further and so put off examination of his injury. For now, they have just warded him and put him on a drip and given him some pain killers.

Not being able to bear weight on his right leg, and having a swollen muzzle

Tomorrow, once he has calmed down, they will take an x-ray of his front right leg to assess the extent of the injury. We were concerned about his old fracture but the vet reckoned that it was ok and not causing him any problems.

The vet examining Babu  

The vet bill was estimated to cost $4k. Assuming all goes well, they will insert a steel plate and discharge him on Monday. The required deposit was $3k, however we could only afford $1k. Surgery has been scheduled for Friday but we need to come up with the $3k in order for Babu to get the surgery he needs. 

This was a photograph of Baby Babu, given to us by his favourite worker, who has since left the country

Still as good looking, albeit a swollen muzzle

They say that lightning never strikes twice, so how unlucky is Babu to be a victim of a hit and run not just once but twice? He broke one leg 3 years earlier, and today, 3 years later, history repeats itself on another of his leg. Not only that, he has also lost the love and support of his beloved workers. We can only imagine how scared and alone he must feel right now. How much more must this handsome boy go through before his luck takes a turn for the better? 

As he no longer has the workers to look after him, we will need to find him a foster once he is discharged, and hopefully a forever home after he recovers. But our most urgent concern is to see him through his surgery. For now, we urgently need help with his vet bills. The sooner he undergoes the surgery, the better his chances of recovery. If you can help contribute towards his vet bills, please email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg. Thank you.

Written by Sam

Frontline & Revolution Needed

Look at all the happy doggies!!

What does Animal Rescue mean? It’s not always about dramatic rescues, but the mundane day to day tasks may be even more important. Every month, we visit more than 20 dogs under our care, living in factories or farms, to apply Frontline and Revolution. Tick and heartworm prevention does not sound exciting, but they are absolutely important in ensuring the health of our dogs and like what they say; prevention is always better than cure.

Applying Frontline on all the dogs living in the fish farm

Help buy Frontline & Revolution for us please

All the doggies are sooo cute and sweet!

Worker, Saegar, helping us hold Tiger while we apply

This is Tiger; intelligent, handsome and well-loved by the workers

Living in the open means constant exposure to ticks, parasites and of course, lots of mosquitoes, and we want to ensure the doggies are safe from possible life threatening illness. After all, it is cheaper to prevent, than to treat. Heartworm treatment can take up to 6 months and is not only costly but also extremely stressful for the dog. We are currently low on supplies and will desperately need new supplies of Frontline (for dogs 10 to 20kg and more than 20kg), Revolution (for dogs 10 to 20kg and more than 20kg) and also Frontline for cats as we will apply for the felines as well if we have sufficient supply.

Please email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg if you have any leftovers to donate or if you will like to purchase the Frontline / Revolution directly and send it to us. Please join us in our fight to help the doggies stay Healthy and Happy!

And after all that is done, it's time for a feast! Our volunteers bake meatloaves and cook for these dogs on all our visits. 

Be Prepared! First Aid Saves Lives

Volunteers being taught how to approach an injured dog

Our volunteers are dedicated and passionate about what they do. Often finding themselves on the front line of rescue work, they wanted to be equipped with more knowledge on how to help the dogs they come across, and also of course, how to be a better pet owner at the same time.

Learning how to muzzle a dog when you don't have a muzzle on hand

The substitute muzzle made the poor doggy look like a Christmas present. 

So they attended the Pet Savers Program conducted by Pawsitive Sensations. There, they learnt Pet CPR and first aid. They also gained a deeper insight into what to do in certain emergencies like how to help a dog choking, how to stop the bleeding if a dog gets a serious cut and is bleeding excessively or what can be done when a dog stops breathing or goes into shock. Learning about how to take a dog’s pulse and how to tell if a dog has a fever are equally important concerns to learn about. These topics are important in our line of work with the strays, as well as good to have knowhow as pet owners.

Performing CPR on the dog

Checking for pulse

Of non-emergency cases, they learnt how to care for senior dogs. How to make senior dogs comfortable, what ailments senior dogs are more susceptible to, and how to spot these symptoms. They also learnt how to provide simple dental care and what checks to do daily to ensure the well-being of our much loved dogs and much more. Our volunteers left the class feeling smarter and much better equipped with knowledge to be able to help more of our street dogs, and their own dogs as well.  

Instructor Zoe Gan

It was a fun and insightful day. Our volunteers took back a lot of newfound information and are more confident in their rescue work as they are better equipped with the knowledge to help our strays.

Learning to tie a pressure bandage

Written by: Sam