Stray Feeding & Animal Welfare

For the past decade, we have been making weekly rounds to a certain industrial estate, befriending not just the stray dogs, but also the humans in the area. 

Pui Pui and her fav worker, Yongyhurt (Pui Pui is SiDa's friend)

For the dogs, we not only make sure that their bellies are filled at least once a week, but we also check on their health and welfare. To help manage the population of strays, we also try and sterilize as many of the dogs as we can catch. To date, we have sterilized more than 500 dogs and helped or rescued just as many. We try and re-home as many of the dogs as we can or place them in foster homes if there are willing fosters. Sida, Harper, Cody and Mathilda are some of our long-time residents but we are still holding on to hope that they will find their forever homes some day. However, there are still more dogs that need homes than there are adopters and fosters combined, so we have little choice but return most of the dogs to their usual haunts.

We go the routes less traveled to feed the forgotten

Each week, we require 40kg of food (cooked or canned food) to feed & distribute

This is where our friendship with the workers in the factories come into play. Over the years, we have befriended and been touched by the kindness of many of the workers. Yongyhurt, who was Sida's caretaker prior to her accident and still remains her favourite human even to this day. Mr Aziz, who played a vital role in Matthieu’s and Harper's rescue, and Uncle Ahmad - both are Muslims but still care greatly for the dogs in their compounds, looking out for their welfare and acting as intermediaries between the dogs and other workers. The Myanmar worker who insisted that we take his $10 to help the dogs. These are but some of the friends we have made over the last 10 years. This friendship was not fast to form. When we first started, some of the workers were not only hostile towards the dogs, but to us as well. But we persevered in befriending them, offering them help with the dogs, and donating clothes to them. Now they are some of our greatest allies. They care for the dogs during the week and alert us if there are any dogs that require our immediate help or if any of the dogs are captured by AVA. They even wait for us on Saturday nights to get food or medication for the dogs on their compounds. 

Uncle Ahmad receiving a gift from us, for his contribution to caring for the strays 

It has been an amazing journey and we have made many friends along the way. It has not been easy but we are very passionate about our work and so will continue doing this for as long as we are able. 

Uncle Nittiya who cares for the dogs in his factory

There are many ways that you can join us in our mission to help our strays. If you have a car (and a driver's licence!), you can be a driver on Saturday nights from 8-11pm. We need drivers to collect and distribute dog and cat food to the workers. If you can't drive, you can volunteer to be a stray feeder. If you are not free on Saturday nights, you can offer to cook for the strays. If you can't cook, you can sponsor the canned food which we mix in with the cooked food. Any help will be greatly appreciated by the dogs (and us) as it may be the only decent meal that they get to enjoy all week!

To be a volunteer driver, please fill out this volunteer form. 

To buy cat or dog canned food for the street dogs, you may purchase from
your regular supplier order through them, or use our pet food suppliers.


PET HQ
Call: 6265 8510 / 9661 6103 (Peggy)
Nature's Gift Canned Food (700g) - any flavour will do, the strays are not
fussy.

OR

REIN BIOTECH SERVICES PTE LTD
Click here for more detail.

Written by : Sam

All About Adora

There are many among us who love taking on challenges – running a 42km marathon, climbing a high mountain, or taking advanced classes to master a skill – the more difficult it is, the more joy and satisfaction derived! Well, would you consider adopting a dog as one of the biggest challenges in your life? You should, when it comes to the case of Adora!

She is a tough nut to crack, and what we have to say probably makes Adora sound like a veritable monster (and that's definitely not our intention). We could sugar-coat things and call her “quirky” or “unique” and “temperamental”. But in the case of Adora, we have had enough experience to say affirmatively that she is one of the most difficult rescues we have dealt with.

By sharing these true-grit aspects of Adora, we are fully aware it presents challenges that may deter people from taking the next step. 

Every time when we say she bites, potential adopters back off. Frankly speaking, Adora is a great challenge that requires plenty of time, patience and determination to overcome.

The story of how Adora came to us is as tumultuous as can be expected. 

Saved by a kind hearted lady who saw her collapsed on the floor near the brink of death, in terrible pain and a state of severe malnutrition. What really broke our hearts was the vet’s remarks when she was rushed in for emergency treatment: “She has such sad eyes – it’s like she has never known happiness before.” (Do read on for Adora’s heart-rending rescue here)

Life on the streets is a harsh reality for our rescues and we have seen many in all states of despair and devastation. For Adora, we have helped her to heal physically, but it is evident that her mental state still requires some care and attention. It’s been two years since we took her in and we’ve probably tried every trick in the book to help her get over her past experiences; unfortunately we just can't seem to rehabilitate her. Despite our best efforts, she still does not get along with other dogs. Adora is also prone to biting new people she meets, with a history of biting volunteers who help out with us. 

Sudden movements can also startle her enough for her to bare her teeth.

Every time Adora acts up, we can’t help but have this unthinkable thought run through our heads - should we put her down? Then you might ask: Why did we bother to save her in the first place? The answer is simply because we believe in the power of HOPE and that we sincerely thought that we could successfully rehome her. Now we are finding ourselves increasingly at our wits end as we are faced with harsh reality – we neither have the time, expertise or funds to rehabilitate Adora.

Do we regret saving her? To be brutally honest, on some particularly bad days, we do. And other days we find ourselves thinking that nobody might ever give her a chance. Adora means "beloved one" in Latin – a beautiful and well-meaning name that we fervently hope will be lived up to, when she finally finds her fur-ever home.

With all that being said, we do have a handful of regular volunteers who are able to bathe her, pat her and wipe her paws. This means that it is not impossible to gain her trust ­ it just takes more time and plenty of patience. In our observations, with weekly visits from our volunteers over a few sessions, Adora was entirely able to settle in and accept them. We do see a spark, a glimmer of hope for dear Adora. 

She has come a long way since her rescue and what she really needs is a patient, experienced and committed owner, who can look past her brusqueness and kindly take a chance on her.

We are looking for someone who can rise up to the challenge; a person whom she can trust to overcome her fear and to teach her the way to love and show affection. Potential adopters must be VERY patient, willing to put in time for training and most importantly of all, be able to love her for who she is. Somewhere out there, we hope that there is a kind soul who can take on and overcome this challenge, for we are sure the sense of achievement will be super sweet!

Please get in touch with us at hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg if you feel a connection with dear Adora and would love to get to know her better!


Written by: Wee Yen

St. Joseph's Home - Animal Assisted Therapy

Just because they are special-needs dogs doesn't mean that there is nothing they can do to give back to society. It just means that what they give back is something a little special that only they can give.

SiDa & Harper

It was Sida's first visit to St Joseph's home as a therapy dog but Harper is already an old pro at this. Both of them did very well as expected, bringing smiles to all at the home, patient and staff alike.

SiDa working her charm on the residents and they relate well to her as they too, are wheelchair users. 

SiDa makes an excellent therapy dog as she loves people and affection 

Therapy animals are a source of joy and comfort to the people who need them. Special-needs therapy animals like Harper and SiDa can give even more than that. Many of the elderly at St Joseph's home are wheelchair users. Seeing how our own wheelie-users, Harper and SiDa, still have that lust for life can help bring that same spark of life back into their eyes, more so than any other dog.

Harper keeping an elderly resident company

Special-needs dogs don't think they are special needs. They live and love the way all dogs do - like there is only one life to be lived to the fullest. This is the lesson that they teach and it is one that people like those in St Joseph's home can take to heart. It does not matter if you are old or in a wheelchair. Life is for the living so wheel yourself out there and smell the roses. And if you find yourself struggling at times, Harper and SiDa will be there, rolling right by your side, reminding you that you are not alone.

Harper, proud and delighted to be bringing joy to the residents 

The amazing dogs who volunteer once a month with their owners. (L to R : Lassy, Happy, SiDa, Harper, River & Ollie in front)

Written by: Sam

Feed Our Strays - Appeal for Food Donation

Our food bank is running low.

Every Saturday, for the past decade, our dedicated volunteers have been distributing canned food and feeding the strays in factories and construction sites in a particular industrial estate.

We really need your help to continue with our stray feeding sessions. Life can be hard, but it's even tougher for our strays who are exposed to the elements. The least we can do is fill their bellies.

And, while we are not a cat rescue group, we do ask that you send us some cat food too. We've come across stray cats during our feeding sessions, so we try to do our part to help them too. Although these poor cats will eat the dog food as well because they are often starving.

You may contact our pet food shop partners and order through them, or use your own pet food suppliers.

PET HQ

Call: 6265 8510 / 9661 6103 (Peggy)

Nature's Gift Canned Food (700g) - any flavour will do, the strays are not fussy.

OR

REIN BIOTECH SERVICES PTE LTD

Click here for more detail.

It is only with your support that we can continue our rescue work. Thank you!

Written by: Cindy

Why Kopi?

We had our previous dog for 15 years, so we were very sad when he passed on. But we did miss having a dog, so we started looking at various adoption sites.  We knew what we were looking for – an older dog, good with children, who really needed a home.  

We saw Kopi on the Hope Dog Rescue site, he’d been rescued from a factory, and thought he was a very handsome dog and his profile fitted what we needed, so we arranged to meet up.  

An extremely handsome Kopi 

He was a charmer from the off, easy going and relaxed when our children made a fuss of him and we knew we would want to adopt him so we arranged a proper home visit.  

Don't I look good in black? 

We're sure Kopi could learn to live with such comfort 

When he came to our house he was immediately at home, visiting all the rooms and enjoying a sniff round the garden, so we went ahead and signed the papers and notified AVA that Kopi was our dog.  

Watching squirrels

That's a lovely drawing of me, by my sister

Now, some months later, Kopi has really settled down with us. His easy going personality and intelligence shine through. He absolutely loves his soft bed and being wrapped in a blanket, but also baking himself in the sun on our drive and going for walks, but mostly coming back to our house.  

Playing hide and seek!

Snuggling during a thunderstorm - he loves anything soft!

We look forward to many happy years with our handsome Singapore Special.

Finally, a family of my own 

Written by: Suzy (Kopi's mommy)

A renewed HOPE

It’s with great joy that we make this announcement … Matthieu has been adopted! For those of you who’ve been following Matthieu’s story with us over the years, you’ll surely share our joy.

Matthieu, when he was first rescued in 2012

At the ripe old age of 15+ years, Matthieu is our oldest and longest-staying resident. He had been waiting for a forever home for the past six years. Like many of the dogs cared for by the fosters of HOPE, Matthieu has special needs. When he was about 10+ years old, Matthieu was found badly injured and paralysed from the waist down, close to starvation.

Matthieu at the vet in 2012

After being treated for his injuries and discharged from hospital, Matthieu was taken into a temporary home where he was showered with love and affection for the first time in his life. Several animal lovers also contributed time and money to help improve Matthieu’s quality of life. One ordered a walkabout harness from the States to help volunteers support Matthieu’s body while he exercised. Another sponsored a customised wheelchair – specially imported from Thailand – to help Matthieu with his mobility.

On the road to recover in the early days 

In addition to the wheelchair, Matthieu also attended twice-weekly hydrotherapy sessions to improve his mobility in the early days but stopped after he suffered a slipped disc. He has been having weekly massage as well, thanks to a kind and generous sponsor, Cynthia. Over the years, we have seen his renewed confidence and improved self-esteem that really touched us. And through it all, he has remained sweet and charming. 

Despite all these improvements to his life, we didn’t have high expectations of Matthieu getting adopted. After all, he had several strikes against him – he’s aged, handicapped, and he’s also black (unfortunately, many people still have biases against black dogs).

This is why we were overjoyed when one of our longtime volunteer of HOPE, Flora, stepped forward this September to open her home to Matthieu. It was more than a kind gesture – it was a miracle. Even though we have seen many adoptions, it never fails to touch our hearts each time someone agrees to open their heart and home to an animal friend. Each time a special needs dog finds a home, it feels like we’re witnessing a miracle.

Matthieu and his one true love, Flora 

At HOPE, we truly believe in miracles. That’s why our small group continues to have the highest number of special needs dogs [among other dog shelters in Singapore] because we believe these paralyzed dogs will someday walk again; that they will one day get adopted and find their forever home. And indeed with Matthieu and Flora, our faith has been tested and proven sound. But maybe, just maybe, it shouldn't be so surprising. As the American writer Willa Cather once said, “Where there is great love, there are always miracles.”

Written by: Vanessa

________________________________________________________________________


In May 2016, after my previous dog passed away from cancer, I looked around for a suitable dog rescue organization to offer my help.

Then, in Sep 2016, I saw HOPE's Facebook post in search of a volunteer  to walk a special needs dog. I decided to try it out, and thus, began my journey to meeting Matthieu.








































I remember vividly the day I met Matthieu. It was on 30 Sep 2016. We met for the first time, and had our first walk together. Matthieu was chilled out and relaxed with me. By the second visit, he rolled on his back, wanted belly rubs, and gave me high five with his paws.

Matthieu & Flora 

Since our dog-walking days together, Matthieu has had walking  difficulty.  I visited him as much as I could, followed him as he went from one foster to another. Poor old man, he had no place to call his own. I didn’t want him to feel alone and abandoned. I wanted Matthieu  to know there will always be a familiar face, and a friend that he can count on. Together, we went on Diaper Club outings, and the much dreaded vet visits. Once when he had nowhere to go, I fostered him for three whole weeks. As regularly as I could, I visited him and tried to  make him happy. Then again, how can he be happy without a real home?

The king on his diaper club outing 

True love <3

And so, a month ago, I adopted Matthieu. I didn’t want him moving from one commercial boarding to another. He is an old man at 15+ years, and I really want him to have a home of his own. I do not want to live with the regret over knowing that this old buddy of mine may pass on without knowing what a real home is like.

Some things in life are just meant to be <3

The adoption was finalized on 30 Sep 2018, exactly two years since I  met Matthieu. Matthieu now proudly wears his collar, and has his very own tag. I am setting up in a new place soon but it's not ready yet.  In the meantime, I am only too happy to take full responsibility for  Matthieu. Gradually, I will ease him into his new home.

Matthieu can now truly enjoy his golden years, and live a life fit for a king.

Written by: Flora Yee 

Blake says YEAH!!!!

In the five years that Blake has been with us, we’ve always wondered why Blake, who is such a sweet spirit, hadn’t found his forever home.

Life wasn’t easy for Blake. At just six months young, we found him in excruciating pain when he was still living in a vacant factory with his siblings, under less-than-ideal conditions.

While waiting for a forever home, Blake spent most of his formative years in commercial boarding, until he met Cherlyn, who was volunteering with HOPE.

Our young volunteer, who’s always had a soft spot for black dogs, offered to foster him during her school holidays, where she could cope better with the hours. It was also during that time that they further bonded. And after school began, and after her exams ended, Cherlyn decided that it was time Blake would be under her care for good.

As Cherlyn is still studying and has no means of an income, HOPE waived the adoption fee and basic obedience course fee for the both of them. We are so glad to see they are both adapting well to one another one.

This is the life he waited 5 years for!! 

The look of LOVE

Thank you so much, Cherlyn; we are so grateful to you, for giving Blake a forever home.

Now, on to our next oldest resident, Matthieu, who is an absolute sweetheart; we hope he too, finds his forever home soon.



Written by Cherlyn, Blake’s new BFF:


They say dogs choose their owners, it happened to me.

I first saw Blake about 2 years ago and he was definitely a hi-bye dog because at that point of time, he was staying at boarding. And him being a shy and timid dog, I didn’t really interact much with him because he always shuns away when strangers approach.

When I first took him home, he didn’t listen to anybody in the house except me because I was the only one he knew. All he did was to hide in a corner and come out during meal times. Even then, he didn’t really trust us although he wasn’t aggressive or anything. If anyone tried to hug him when he’s lying down or as long as when his paws are not on the ground, he would immediately jump up and run away / go back to his corner.

I think after months, he has gotten used to me annoying him every day, like flipping him over like BBQ meat or rolling him off the bed when he doesn’t wanna wake up. Hahahaha.


He’s definitely a gentle giant in that “humongous, black, scary dog” and I hope he loves his new life with me.