12.10.12

Come Meet Prince And Other Rescue Dogs Tomorrow

Pets' Day Out 2012 is happening tomorrow! Our darling pooches will all be there to meet you, so bring your friends and family down!

Remember our rescue dogs that touched your hearts? Sunday and Rei (now known as Sapporo)?

Bet you've been wondering what this frail skeletal dog with no fur looks like today. 

Struggling to hold himself up to eat

He is no longer a pile of skin and bones... Come down and see for yourself how our little Prince looks like today :)

Come meet our little Prince
While you're there, don't miss our photo booth where you can take pictures with your pets and have them framed for only S$8. 





When you take more pictures, more proceeds will be channelled towards our rescue efforts.

It takes time and effort to nurse these abandoned dogs and street canines back to good health, and we certainly wouldn't have been able to do all this without our dear volunteers and big-hearted donors. 

Buy our HOPE 2013 calendars and help save more dogs!
 Although we can't rescue every injured or abandoned dog out there, we want to help as many as we possibly can. This takes much time, effort and of course, money for vet bills and transportation of animals (for when we run rescue missions in the wee hours of the morning, or when they are too large to fit into our cars). 

Events like Pets' Day Out 2012 help us not only gain proceeds through our merchandise sales, they also allow us to educate more people about our work and why we do what we do every single day come rain or shine, because this is the most important and challenging task for any rescue/welfare organization to accomplish.

Our doggies and volunteers are very grateful for all the love and support we've been receiving thus far, so we hope to see you TOMORROW!

Written by Kyna Tan

7.10.12

Pets’ Day Out 2012

Date: 13 October 2012, Saturday
Venue: Hard court at Blk 93, Henderson Road, Singapore 150093
Time: 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/492706647416956/





Getting there:
1) By Bus
Bus Stops 1 & 2: 32, 33, 63, 64, 132, 145
Bus Stops 3 & 4: 16, 132, 145, 851

2) By Train
MRT Station 1: Redhill (EW18 on the East-West Line)
MRT Station 2: Tiong Bahru (EW17 on the East-West Line)

See the image below for transport locations:


Booth Layout: Download the booth layout here: http://db.tt/doKep9PG



It's happening! We are just a week away from Pets' Day Out! Come join us for an awesome afternoon filled with pawfuls of fun and games, as well as get the chance to meet some familiar faces and new ones!

Highlights of the afternoon include:
  • A 'Cutest Pets' contest – this afternoon it's all about our faithful, furry companions! Attractive prizes up for grabs!
  • An adoption drive for some of our rescued dogs, whom you may remember reading about on our blog!

Present during Pets' Day Out:


Other dogs up for adoption but will not be present during Pets' Day Out:
NaNo
Calrose  (see photo in poster)
  • Photo Booth @ HOPE Dog Rescue's booth (located at the Basketball Court near Blk 95) - come snap a pic taken by professional photographers, with your loved ones as a momento of the day!  Each photo costs S$8 and comes in a coloured wooden frame.  All funds raised go towards our rescue efforts!
    Sponsored by Creme Photography.
  • Opportunities to interact with our famed rescued dogs - Prince, Rei (Sapporo), Sunday and their happy families! Learn first hand on their experiences of adopting these rescued dogs and if you were ever on the fence about doing the same yourselves, now is your chance to clear all your doubts! :)
    • 1 pm - 2 pm: Meet Sunday
 
    • 1.15 pm - 2.15 pm: Meet Prince 

    • 2 pm - 3 pm: Meet Rei (Sapporo) 
 

 
Apart from these, there will also be sale of merchandise at our booth: Official HOPE Dog Rescue T-shirts, car decals, 2013 calendars, and brooches made by our very own volunteer, Rina!


 

PSST! We've got something special for you...
We have 50 goody bags worth more than $50/-  each to be given out to the first 50 pet owners to come to our booth with their dog and say "I love HOPE!".
Goody bags generously sponsored by Pet HQ.


Our volunteer team will also be on site, so come on down if you have any questions for us, or just pop by to say 'Hi!' :)

If you've any queries about the day's event, please feel free to to e-mail fiona@hopedogrescue.org or leave a comment/query on our Facebook event page!

3.10.12

Now you can buy HOPE!

Celebrate World Animal Day with HOPE!

HOPE’s inaugural 2013 Calendar is out! Spread some love!
Remember Prince, the skeleton dog who did not even know how to sleep lying down?

Sunday, our rescued street dog who ran out of the clinic and was found 12 days later?

Babu Boy, our hero who survived distemper and a hit and run accident.

Rei, who had slash wounds and deep cuts all over his body and was later renamed Sapporo by his adopter?


Sweet Beano, survived human abuse, chemical burns and distemper. 

George, the street dog who was so hungry he ate stones?
The stories of these dogs and others, including those rescued from breeding farms, will be featured in our 2013 calendar. For just $10/- you could save many dogs from the hardships and suffering these dogs went through.
Gracing the front cover of the calendar is Harry, a street dog that was chained on a short leash on a 6th floor factory for years. We saved and rehomed him, and for six months, before he passed on from cancer, he got to experience the warmth of human kindness and love. Harry was the reason HOPE started and it is our quest to be able to give HOPE to other dogs like him.
So please support us and join us in our venture by purchasing our HOPE 2013 calendars!

For just S$10/- per calendar, you can buy a whole lot of kindness!
  1. Help with our vet bills for our rescued dogs. Vet bills inadvertently go up for dogs that require long term medical care such as old dogs and dogs with skin issues, heartworm and tick fever. Not a day goes by without us worrying about bills.
  2. Put up dogs which we are unable to find a foster for at boarding kennels. As we do not have our own shelter, we pay a commercial rate to rent space at these kennels.
  3. Provide food for the street and factory dogs which often live in filthy conditions and get so desperate they would even eat rubbish and stones.
  4. Provide food to low income and senior citizens for their dogs.
  5. Help with vet bills for low income dog-owners who love their dogs but cannot afford to take their dogs to the vet.
  6. Support our Spay it Forward program, our more humane way of curbing the stray population.
  7. Allow us to continue our journey in saving our furry friends, rebuild their trust in humans and try to protect more animals against unnecessary suffering.
  8. Have a meaningful Christmas when you buy our calendars to give it to your friends.
  9. Buy our calendars simply because you love dogs.
  10. The next time you see us blogging about yet another rescued dog, you know we wouldn’t have done it without you! 
Furthermore, for orders of 10 and above you get free delivery!
To buy our calendars, please download and print the order form. Then mail out the form along with your cheque (payable to "Hope Dog Rescue") to:
Whiteclip / HOPE Dog Rescue
28 Maxwell Road
Red Dot Traffic Building
#03-11
Singapore 069120

Alternatively, you may email fiona@hopedogrescue.org and make a fund transfer.
If you wish to save on postage fees, you may purchase our calendars from these places:

Bark & Bubbles Pet Grooming Studio
37 Jalan Rumah Tinggi, Singapore 150037
Contact: 6474 3115

Big O Café & Restaurant

Wheelock Place, 501 Orchard Road, #02-04/05, Orchard, 238880
Contact: 67378472
 

CakeWalk
Blk 63B Lengkok Bahru #01-362, Singapore 152063
Contact: 6472 1107

Cecilia Westberry Beauty Spa
Blk 6 Holland Close #01-20, Singapore 271006
Contact: 6774 0449

Cinq Studio @ Scotts Square
6 Scotts Road #03-16 Singapore 228209
Contact: 6636 0100

Colbar (dog-friendly cafe!)
9A Whitchurch Road, Singapore 138839 
Contact: 6779 4859

Dog Haven
5 Jasmine Rd, Singapore 576580
Contact: 6100 9663

Doggiestyle Cafe
23 Serangoon Central, NEX #04R-72, Singapore 556083
Contact: 6648 5485

Drips Bakery Cafe
82 Tiong Poh Road, #01-05, Singapore 160082
Contact: 6222 0400

House for Pets
5 Stagmont Ring, Singapore 688241
Contact: 6367 1753

Joie The Makeup Bar
119A East Coast Road, Singapore 428806
Contact: 9385 7769

Juz Purrfect
9 One-North Gateway #01-46, One North Residence, Singapore 138643
Contact: 8418 0486

Kool Pawz (HOPE shirts and car decals also available here!)
Blk 2, Everton Park, 01-57, Singapore 081002
Contact: 6223 8309 / 96894307

Mount Pleasant Animal Medical Centre (Bedok)
Blk 158 Bedok South Ave 3, Singapore 460158
Contact: 6444 3561

Mount Pleasant Animal Medical Centre (Redhill)
Blk 113 Bukit Merah View #01-520, Singapore 150113
Contact: 6271 1132

Mount Pleasant Veterinary Centre (MPVC)
232 Whitley Road, Singapore 297824
Contact:  6251 7666

** Note: MPVC is moving soon, do call/check their website for updates!

Owls Brew
146 Mackenzie Road, Singapore 228723
Contact: 6333 3440

Paradise Pet Shop
232 Whitley Road (Mount Pleasant Veterinary Centre), Singapore City 297824
Contact: 62565525 / 62562500

Pet HQ

221 Boonlay Place, #02-112 Boonlay Shopping Centre, Singapore 640221
Contact: 6463 9177

Pets Instinct
34 Jalan Bukit Ho Swee, #01-866, Singapore 160034
Contact: 6274 0226

Polypets
109 Clementi St 11 #01-27/29, Singapore 120109
Contact: 6779 5309

Scent Discovery
221 Balestier Rd, Singapore 329928
Contact: 6256 5288

Songbitz
Holland Road Shopping Centre #03-03, 211 Holland Avenue, Singapore 278967
Contact: 64661229 (Wenna Song)

The Pet Doctors
3 Pandan Valley, Pandan Valley Condominium, 1-311 Chempaka Blk, Singapore 597627
Contact: 6438 7779

Town Vets Animal Clinic
22 Havelock Road #01-687, Singapore 160022
Contact: 6276 7026

Whiteclip
Red Dot Traffic Building, 28 Maxwell Road, Unit 03-11, Singapore 069120
Contact: 90477225 (by appointment only)

Yvonne's Creative Bridal & Photo Studio
75 Tanjong Pagar Road, Singapore 088496
Contact: 6327 8331 / 6227 8830


Last but not least, if you know of any shops, offices, vets, cafes or any others that would help sell our calendars, please do let us know too! That would be awesome!
Thank you from HOPE Dog Rescue.

30.9.12

Jaspar's and Fudge's Updates

Jaspar's Updates

Jaspar the gentleman



We are so relieved to say that Jaspar's condition has stabilized. He eats like there's no tomorrow! However, despite being fed so regularly with such nutritious food, Jaspar has instead lost some more weight and is thinner than ever. The doctor told us that it’s due to a condition called proteinuria. His body is not able to absorb protein, and he pees it out instead. To get him well again, Jaspar will be put on a special k/d diet for a few months, and undergo urine and blood tests every week. Luckily, it isn’t chronic and can be treated, but it’s likely that he may die if he returns to a life on the streets as the workers may not monitor him as closely as we would like them too, and not notice if he becomes too anemic.

Jaspar's wound is much smaller although his health isn't all that good



Just the tip of Jaspar's fear of being caged up

Jaspar, however, has been a very naughty boy. He was transferred to a new clinic, The Pet Doctors, as he was being too mischievous at the previous vet. The boy chewed on an air-conditioning pipe till it broke and flooded part of the clinic! He also broke the metal cage in which he was kept. The vets were not amused, although we were. It was really quite funny! Having worked with strays for so many years, we aren't surprised by their antics any more. Since they are used to having their freedom, they really dislike being confined. Poor Jaspar must have been miserable. Anyway, the silly boy was discharged earlier than he was due to be; no prizes for guessing why.

He has been totally living it up in the new clinic though, enjoying lots of human company and attention. He loves rolling on the grass, although the vet tech needs to clean his wound again each time he does that! After which he spends up to 18 hours snoozing.
Look where he sleeps at The Pet Doctors
Thank you for making Jaspar smile
Although we're glad that he seems to be having fun, we can't help but be bothered by the nagging thought that it would be cruel to return him to factory life after he has gotten used to being treated like a king. We feel terrible about it, and we would like to implore you to consider adopting him. Rescued strays are really just homeless pets waiting for a loving family to claim them.
Jaspar is sweet and estimated to be around 6 to 7 years old. His rate of survival is not high without someone to care for him and nurse him back to health. The rescue process isn't truly over till they have found their forever homes, so will you please save their lives and help to give them one?


Fudge's Updates
 

Gorgeous Fudge. All of 10 months old


Little Fudge's wound was not healing so well, so it was stitched up two days ago. His wound is still bleeding. He really hates wearing the e-collar, like most dogs, so the doctor put a shirt on him instead. He has also been sterilized, and is still at the vet recovering. He has been allowed to stay on because he wasn't destructive like Jaspar. He loves attention and wants to be patted all day long. He is really well-behaved, given his young age, and we're so impressed! Fudge is really just like a baby; he loves being massaged and patted, and often hams it up and flips upside down to offer his belly for pats and attention. Whoever thought that strays would behave this way?


Fudge enjoying his pats from volunteers

Tough little Fudge's huge wound, all stitched up


When we rescue street dogs who need to be boarded at the vet, we try as much as possible to return them to the streets within 7 to 10 days. We feel that anything longer than that would be unfair to the dog as he would have gotten used to human contact and regular meals. Putting him back on the streets would be tantamount to abandonment in our opinion. Then again, there is no way we could afford to keep every dog we save or help. If we ran our own kennel or shelter, we definitely would. As it happens, we can barely afford our vet bills, let alone the costs of running a shelter, or even just renting one.
If nobody is able to foster or adopt these two sweeties, we will have to return them to the streets soon to minimise the emotional pain they will feel. We really don't want to do that.


His wound is not entirely dried
Fudge needed to wear a shirt as he truly hates the e-collar

Handsome little Fudge
We at HOPE Dog Rescue implore you to seriously consider adopting one of these dogs. Fudge is an energetic and affectionate dog, a loving addition to any family willing to have him. Jaspar is happy and playful, and will definitely amuse his new family to no end. They may not be pedigree breeds, but we can ensure you that they will give you as much love as them, if not more. All they need is a chance and a loving family.

Please contact us immediately if you are keen to adopt or foster Jaspar or Fudge.

Written by Elena Lin

25.9.12

Jolly Molly

Since the last update, Molly has been doing very well...

Molly, our little gorgeous, has indeed come a long way!
About 3 weeks ago, with a leash, I managed to coax Molly to walk out of the kitchen area and slowly into the front garden where she touched grass for the first time since her rescue. She sniffed at every corner of the garden, joined her furry friends in the house, and shared the big doggie mattress with Doris the Labrador. She was also very agile when she jumped onto the couch and chilled out with Cookie the golden retriever. Her foster parents had a very pleasant surprise when they came home to Molly coming out from the house with me in tow to say 'hello'. That day, for the very first time, Molly's foster dad managed to pat her (Molly is rather wary of males, probably due to previous bad experiences). From that day onwards, Molly was put on a long cable leash, allowing her access to the house, front porch and garden.
Molly's first walk in the foster's garden
On my second visit that week, under cloudy skies, I managed to bring Molly out for a walk. She was initially a little hesitant about going out but once she was out, she was walking happily next to me on threes. Considering she was a stray, Molly was surprisingly good at walking on a leash; she didn't pull at all. She favoured walking on my left and would follow my cues with just a gentle tug on the leash. When we headed back to the house, Molly resisted going through the gate, so I had to pull her in. But once she entered the compound, Molly was fine again. 
 
Molly's very first bath!

Look at that cute grumpy face after her first bath!
 
 

I decided to try walking her again after a half-hour interval, and this time, she did not resist going back home. On the day of the vet visit, I went earlier to walk her and had a chance to chat with her foster mom, Ann, about her progress. According to Ann, Molly has integrated very well with the other dogs, sharing beds with them and eating alongside each other at mealtimes. While the other dogs rushed out to bark at disturbances, Molly would do the reverse, heading back into the house for security. As always, her appetite was very good and she loved all food except apples and bananas. Both Ann and her daughter had no problems patting her at all.

Molly loves being brushed

Loves having her ears cleaned. All first time experiences for this little darling

Nice and clean. Dozing off

I brought Molly for a longer walk this time and she began running a bit. I actually had to run to keep pace with her. That was pretty impressive progress for a three-legged dog. On our way back, Molly was a little tired and stopped to lie down a couple of times before we reached home. Soon it was time to bring her to the vet... We had a van to transport her but as the van was too high for her to leap into with 3 legs, we tried putting a ramp for her to walk up but the incline was too steep for her. I had no choice but to carry her (for the first time) and dear Molly didn't resist much, allowing me to carry her onto the van. I sat with her on the way to the vet with her resting her paw on my foot and when we were nearing, she hid behind me, perhaps for security.

Leslie trying to coax Molly into the van.
 
Arriving at the vet




However, upon arrival, once the door was opened, Molly happily jumped down without any difficulty and was soon checking out the surroundings. She seemed to have no traumatic memories of the vet clinic at all and went into the clinic with no resistance. Everyone including volunteers and Molly's vet were surprised at her progress, saying she was like a different dog. The vet jokingly asked if this was the same Molly she saw as Molly was snappy and unfriendly when we first rescued her.

Her wound has healed well. She has obviously given birth on the streets previously and will be sterilized when she has put on more weight and cured of her heartworm.
A lot more comfortable with the human touch now
Molly made herself at home on the long bench, enjoying pats from everyone. Her vet review was positive: she had put on 2kgs, her wound had completely healed, she had her second vaccination and her second dosage of heartgard was due. As poor Molly has heartworms, she needs to be on heartgard medication to prepare her body for the actual injection to kill all the worms. The vet also said that Molly shouldn't run at all as any over-exertion could trigger a heart attack... So from now on, Molly can only go for short walks which do not put any stress on her heart. On the way home, Molly discovered the window in the van and was happily standing on threes and enjoying the sights, with me ready to catch her if she fell. The first thing the darling girl did when she reached home was to jump onto the couch and have a snooze :)


Molly and Leslie waiting to see Dr Raj
A couple of days after visiting the vet, I gave Molly her very first bath! The sweetheart was really good! She didn't mind the lathering and scrubbing at all, although she was definitely not a fan of the scoop bath. She tried to move away from the splash of water but never really struggled much. After the rinse, as I was reaching for the towel, Molly immediately went to hide under the table with Jack, the other retriever, giving me accusing looks but she eventually came to me when I tugged at her cable leash gently. After towelling dry, came Molly's favourite... the grooming! She laid down and let me brush her all over and had her ears cleaned with wipes followed by cotton buds. Then it was back to her favourite pastime, chilling on the couch!


Molly now comes to me when I call her. She loves it when I stroke her head and scratch her cheek. I gave her a big fat kiss on her nose recently, catching her by surprise but from her expression, not an unpleasant surprise. As her 'god mom' (that's what Ann calls me), nothing gives me greater pleasure than seeing the progress Molly has made... she no longer wears a frown or worried look, she really seems contented and happy, and she is getting used to being a part of a family unit instead of being a lone stray. After the complete cure of the heartworms, her future will only grow brighter.

Story and photographs by Leslie Kok

Note from Fiona : Working with street dogs is very different from working with a rescued pet dog. With street dogs, often it takes months of patience, persistence and building trust as the dog is not used to being touched by a human and may have possibly been abused. These rescued dogs have no idea what a hug is, or what love is and rehabilitating them takes months, sometimes even years.

I thank Leslie for working with Molly, visiting her so regularly since her rescue, persisting and gaining Molly's trust, despite being snapped at countless times. The risks have finally paid off! Molly is more trusting of humans now, comfortable with being touched and happy with life.

Thank you Ann and family for loving Molly the way you have, despite your fear of being snapped at, you never gave up and you didn't return her to us!

Molly is a changed dog because of all the love and patience she has experienced in the past 2 months. This is what HOPE is all about and this is what keeps us going. Thank you to all our friends and fellow dog lovers for your generous support, contributing to our work and allowing us to touch and change more lives.