An Angel Watching Over Bobby (Bobby’s Updates)

Bobby has finally left the vet after having been warded for close to 2 months for a series of issues. When he was discharged, he was still too weak to stand. He is still very weak and remains expressionless most of the time. He may possibly have been depressed form being cooped up in the cage all this time. How stifling it must be for someone who had been used to wandering the streets and enjoying the carefree life. When we discharged him, the poor boy did not even have the energy to stand. His legs kept giving way beneath him and so he had to be carried all the way to the car and to his foster’s place. Can you imagine our poor volunteer carrying 15.5kg worth of Bobby up 3 flights of steps? It’s no mean feat, I can assure you.

Leaving the Vet. Lifeless eyes, not knowing where he was headed to

Too weak to even stand

Although life has not being easy, an angel must be watching over him. His foster feeds him 3 to 4 times a day as smaller meals allows him to digest better. She adds supplements such as Glucosamine to his food as he has arthritis caused by old age and we will be adding donated Probiotics and Lingzhi as well to help his poor weak body absorb nutrients better. Bobby also gets to exercise daily as his foster brings him out to the garden outside her apartment every 4 hours to enjoy the sun and at the same time, encourage him to walk and build up his muscles, which has been wasting away. The garden can only be assessed by a flight of stairs which means Bobby’s foster has to carry a 15kg load up and down the stairs 4 times a day. I did it just once last Saturday when we brought him to the vet for his review and my back is still aching.

That's the volunteer that carried 15kg worth of Bobby to his foster home

Speaking of his review, I was so excited to meet Bobby again on Saturday. The updates from the foster for the past one week had been heartening. She told us Bobby had started to stand and walk short distances on his own and loves the time spent in the garden. He loves his food and would wait outside the kitchen. And what is more fascinating is that the usually expressionless boy has started to recognize and display excitement like wagging his tail when his foster appears. Does this mean Bobby boy is coming out from his depression?

First time in a home (foster)

Bobby and his signature "no expression" look

At the vet, we witnessed Bobby taking baby steps walking from the reception area to the consultation room. Although it’s a very short distance, it’s a huge step for Bobby. (Doesn’t it remind you of the phrase by Neil Armstrong: "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind") During the consultation, just when we thought it would be smooth sailing for Bobby from henceforth, we were dropped yet another bombshell. We finally received the results of his biopsy. Bobby has TVT or Transmissible Venereal Tumor. It is a type of cancer which is transmitted via sexual intercourse with infected dogs.

A transmissible venereal tumor, or TVT, is a naturally occurring tumor that is sexually transmitted from one dog to another. A high number of cases tend to be seen in large cities and temperate areas. TVT is usually seen in young, intact (non-neutered) dogs. This condition is the result of direct contact with tumor cells from a diseased animal. It is transmitted through the act of sex, and intact, free roaming dogs are at greater risk of acquiring and spreading this disease.

Although spontaneous regression can occur, TVT are usually progressive and are treated accordingly. Complete surgical excision, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy are effective treatments; however, chemotherapy is considered the treatment of choice. The prognosis for total remission with chemotherapy or radiation therapy is good.

Thus poor Bobby was immediately put on chemotherapy for a course of 4 weeks. He has just received his third treatment. During this period, we will need to ensure he has additional nutrients and send him to the vet weekly for his chemo jabs. Although the dosage is low and unlikely to have much side effects, he may experience some discomfort, nausea or hair loss. The vet is confident that Bobby will make a complete recovery and we have great faith in our boy that he will continue to fight. Hopefully when he recovers, this would be the last of his health problems and he can indeed live life happily ever after.

This was taken last weekend on his way to the vet for his chemo jab. Look at that face! Isn't it wonderful to finally see a smile? 

We are blessed that Bobby has a foster but it is hard work fostering Bobby as he requires exercise  a few times a day and fed 4 small meals throughout the day, so ideally we are hoping to have another foster who can alternate with his present foster and rotate foster homes every two weeks. If you can help this dear old boy, please hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg.

Written by Wendy Yeo

Dead From A Broken Heart (Good Bye Taz)

It is with deepest regrets that we announce that Taz had passed away earlier this morning in his sleep.

Life had not been kind to Taz. After Taz was discharged from the vet, he was brought back to the place where he was found as there was nobody to foster him. In the few short days that he was back there, poor Taz often fell into the drain and could not get back up due to his poor coordination and vision, possibly due to suspected neurological problems. While awake, he would pee and poo in the same place and not move away, causing him to be soaked in pee and pestered by flies. Luckily, the caregiver in the area, Mr Lim, would look out for him and carry him out of the drain. Unfortunately, this was hardly the ideal solution as Mr Lim had to work and it was too dangerous for Taz to continue living there.

Abandoned and Taz found this and called it home

Subsequently, a kind lady, Ms L, read about Taz and offered to take care of Taz and Taz was brought under her care. What seemed to be a new start for Taz proved to be otherwise.

All he did was sleep 24/7. He had no friends and none of the dogs would go near him.

He hardly ever opened his eyes

Taz was fed three square meals a day and despite that, did not put on any weight at all. Taz was also often in a world of his own and was often found stuck facing walls or corners and needed help to turn him around. Taz would spend whole days sleeping. He would also bark late into the night for no apparent reason. However, numerous blood tests showed nothing wrong and Taz was scheduled for another consultation next week to try to get to the root of his problems and source for an answer for his puzzling behaviour. In fact, we had pooled our funds together and had made an appointment for him to have a CT brain scan next week as we suspected he might have a brain tumour.

Soaked in his own pee and covered with flies

Often he would wander about and fall Into this drain

Kind Mr. Lim would search for him and carry him out

In the past two weeks, Taz also had two grand mal seizures, with the last one happening last night – after which Taz appeared restless and finally slept past midnight.

Early this morning, the foster saw Taz and Taz was still sleeping soundly. The helper then went to prepare Taz’s meal and came back half an hour later to find that Taz had just pass away in his sleep, with his body still warm.

Strange that he hardly opened his eyes

Taz was estimated to be only a year old or so, and yet throughout his short time here in our world, each day was plagued with suffering and pain. From being abandoned to living on the streets and even subsequently to when he had a home, Taz did not seem to enjoy a day of happiness, unlike other young dogs his age.

We would like to sincerely thank Ms L for her kindness in taking such good care of Taz in his final days and for providing him with the love and care that he deserved.

Rescued and went to Ms. L's house and eyes were still closed

We’re not sure what Taz died of. Apart from a broken heart, we speculate he may have a ruptured brain tumour.

Taz’s unwavering loyalty to his owner even after he was abandoned was truly inspiring and he would forever have a place in our hearts. A private cremation would be held for him this Sunday noon.

The only comfort we had was that Taz passed away peacefully and painlessly, and that he would be in a better place now.

Rest in peace, Taz.

Written by Yeo Zhiyi

Amazing Cassie [Adopt / Foster Cassie]

Cassie has been discharged and she needs a foster / adopter! 

Our dear girl has come such a long way. Her doggy angels must have been looking out for her as she literally landed on our lap!

When Cassie was found

A dog trapper was engaged to catch an injured stray dog in the area and he got Cassie instead. She was injured so badly that even he was horrified and called Fiona, the founder of Hope Dog Rescue and asked if she would help her and he would not charge any fees for catching and sending her to the vet. Imagine a dog trapper whose job is to trap strays, feeling sorry for a stray! Fate had intervened.

When Cassie was carried into the vet, she invoked deep pangs of pity and gasps of horror from everyone in the crowded reception area. The terror in her eyes, her skeleton frame and huge gaping wound on her neck was heartbreaking and the pain she felt must be excruciating. Blood dripped and maggots fell off her body as we waited for her turn to see the vet. 

She was covered in fleas and ticks and these parasites crawled all over her and even into her raw flesh. If she was left any longer in the forested area where she was found, she would not have survived as she was by then very weak and septic shock would have set in if she didn’t die from infection or starvation first.

Low self confidence and extremely timid

What’s truly heartbreaking was her demeanor at the vet after she was warded. For weeks, she curled in a corner and looked out at the world with fear in her eyes. She didn’t dare move at all and even in her hunger, she would not eat when anyone was near or looking at her. What has caused this reaction? She must have been ostracized by the packs in the area she was living in and attacked. A simple dog fight would not have caused a wound of this magnitude and she was most likely attacked by a pack of dogs that were out to kill. She does not dare eat when anyone is near; not even by volunteers trying to tempt her with the most tantalizing treats. She would not move but would just look on with longing eyes until they left and she could safely eat. We speculate that perhaps she was abandoned.

Cassie was warded at the vet for 2 months

Time has proven to be the best medicine. After more than a month at the vet, a volunteer finally manage to hand feed Cassie and she would eat even with someone looking on. Perhaps she finally realized we meant well and would not hurt her and she was starting to feel a certain degree of safety. Her horrific wound was by then almost closed and so she had to undergo a surgery to stitch her wound, as well as sterilize her. We needed to discharge her soon as the vet bills were mounting rapidly. It amounted to almost $10,000 for her 2 month stay, sterilization and surgery to stitch the wound when it was clean and healthy enough to be stitched.

Day of discharge

The day had come when we were finally discharging Cassie to a temporary foster home. Although she had recovered completely from her wounds physically, she still had a long way to go emotionally. She had come to see her cage in the hospital as her safe haven and was so stressed with having to leave the hospital that had been her home for almost 2 months that she left a trail of watery diarrhea from her cage to the carrier. She was rigid with fear and had to be carried. However, she wasn’t very appreciative with the special service and rewarded the vet tech with another burst of watery diarrhea which dripped down her pants. (So sorry about that, hope you managed to wash out that heavenly aroma from your pants; its Cassie’s farewell gift. :P)

Once she was safely transported to her temporary foster home, her explosive diarrhea continued and when she was taken out of the carrier, she stayed glued in the same spot for hours, crouched in fear. Thank goodness for patient volunteers who sat with her for hours, talking to her, stroking her head and calming her down amidst the unforgettable aroma of her watery poo.

Terrified of being in a new environment

We suspect that Cassie grew up in another location as a puppy, and had a caregiver. But when she was a few months old, perhaps her caregiver could no longer care for her and took her to the forested area where she was found, and abandoned her there. Having been fed as a puppy, Cassie did not know how to search for food and being in a new territory caused her to be savagely attacked by dogs protecting their own home.

Cassie behaves like a young dog and when she is in the presence of other dogs, she plays like a puppy and thus we think she might be just a year old. She has a good appetite (this is an understatement, she eats like a dinosaur!) and loves her treats. Since going to her temporary foster home, she has improved by leaps and bounds within a week, thanks to the efforts of our volunteers.

From jumping out of her skin, she now allows volunteers to pat, touch, hug and kiss her. She even had her very first bath without protesting. 

In 3 days, she paper trained herself and will now eat her meal when someone is beside her, although she still won’t pee / poo when someone is watching. She is still terrified of the leash but with her new positive attitude, we are sure she will overcome her emotional scars in no time at all.

Within a week she was getting less wary

Because we have not found a long term foster for Cassie, she has been staying with a volunteer and a team of 8 volunteers have been taking round the clock shifts to care for Cassie, preparing her meals, keeping her room clean and encouraging her to eventually leave her room. But this arrangement can’t possibly go on long term as the volunteers have been taking time off from work to stay over and help out.

She is now able to eat with people looking on

Cassie is alright with other dogs around her. In fact, she takes comfort in their presence. Ideally, she would do well in a home with one or two nice, calm dogs, guiding and encouraging her.

Learning to be a pet

The deep seeded fear of attack will probably take months or years to subside or perhaps never. Cassie doesn’t need expensive toys or a luxurious bed or even gourmet food, all she needs is a home where she can be safe and a patient caregiver who can shower her with love. You can see that in her eyes, she is tired from hiding and living in fear and all she yearns for is a home where she can eat in peace and a family who welcomes her into their ‘pack’.

Watch her video here.

If you are the family she is patiently waiting for, please email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg.

No More Rescues, Sorry

It has been a stressful few months as we have been operating at full or should I say bursting capacity with almost 5 to 6 dogs at the vet at any one time. We had Cassie, Bobby and Dawn who were hospitalized for months. There was also Taz, Cody, Hiraku, Ah Mei, Milky and Kopi. This has caused a huge strain on our resources.

We need help urgently as we are currently in serious need of funds. We will not be taking in any more new rescues as we simply cannot afford it. There have been a never-ending stream of requests for help but we are unable to assist simply because we cannot afford it. It is very tough on us as we feel very guilty for every NO uttered to each request for help. Any new admission will require a deposit and although some vets do allow us some slack in terms of payment, there is a limit to the overdrawn amount. It has come to a point whereby for the first time in years, we are not even able to clear our outstanding bills.

What is even scarier is that we spent most of the spare funds we had put aside for our dogs who are in commercial boarding. We have 3 dogs who are on long term commercial boarding because no fosters / adopters have come forward for them and we could not bear to release them as they will not be able to survive as strays simply because they were rescued when they were very young or they were abandoned cases. We did not want to leave them at kennels where they would be kept in small enclosures with no human contact. Thus, we placed them in a boarding facility where they will not be caged and costs were also higher at $480/month for each dog (after discount). This is a fixed cost we incur monthly and with 3 dogs, this translates to almost $1500/month and payment for this will be due in a week’s time.

Other than rescue work, we provide kibbles and food for our weekly stray feeding of 50 dogs, food for factory caregivers and low income senior citizens, and we have a list of more than 20 dogs from various factories whom we visit monthly to apply Frontline and Revolution because it’s cheaper to prevent than to treat. We also have 3 special needs dogs who have a list of items required such as diapers, wet tissues, pee pads, acupuncture, hydrotherapy, massage and long term medical care. We have already stopped hydrotherapy and acupuncture for Matthieu and Harper but continue for SiDa as she still needs lots of support to get better. All these don’t come cheap and when there are no incoming funds, it’s a steady drain on our resources.

We are not a big rescue group with unlimited resources and we rely heavily on your kindness. When there is a dramatic new case with heart wrenching injuries, donations stream in, but afterwards, after the dog recovers, there are still mounting expenses for follow up vet reviews or therapies, which we have to pay. Harper is now 1.5 years old. When she was first rescued, she was so adorable and sweet. We received assistance initially for her medical treatment, but how many know the daily struggles in taking care of her? That she needs 8 to 10 diapers a day as she has no control over her pee / poo. Or that she needs nappy rash cream as she has rashes and sores from long term use of diapers, or that she needs medications applied on her twice a day as she has open wounds from dragging herself on days that she is just too weak to push herself up to stand. Or SiDa who goes for acupuncture only once a week because that’s all we can afford and each session costs us $132 (2 way transport $60 and the acupuncture session $72) as it’s on a weekday and we can’t find volunteers with cars to fetch her.

Or Elmo on his special diet ($35 per pack per week) or else he may still not have fur. Oscar, who is on a host of medications for his long term heart medication and permanent skin problems. And he may have liver failure re-occurrence which is extremely worrying. It doesn’t seem like a lot, but these small amounts add up and with the 19 dogs, we can no longer afford to pay for their upkeep.

We are known to have extremely strict guidelines on adopting our dogs. We have also been criticized for being too strict on the selection of our adopters. We stick by our beliefs that adopting a dog is a lifelong commitment and we only want the best for our dogs as once we rescue them, they become our responsibility. We could easily rehome dogs to any individual who writes in, not bother to conduct house checks and just give them a dog or two, but we don’t. We rush after work and break our necks just to do our due diligence and we don’t take short cuts. We don’t take chances and we try to find the best home for all our charges. We won’t rehome dogs to families who are out more than 10 hours a day, leaving the dogs home alone for long hours as that’s not what it means to have a dog. We work very hard to make the right decision on behalf of the dogs as we do not wish for any dogs to be abused, returned, neglected or abandoned.

Dogs that are presently in our care, some for almost two years :

1)    Matthieu (Special Needs) 

2)    SiDa (Special Needs)

3)    Harper (Special Needs)

4)    Elmo (Special Needs)

5)    Happy

6)    Oscar

7)    Walter

8)    Jerry

9)    Blake

10)   Sasha

11)   Sunny (Senior)

12)   Ah Boy (Senior)

13)   Kate (has one eye missing from a nasty accident)

14)   Cassie

15)   Bobby (Senior)

16)   Blossom

17)   Cody

18)   Mishka (Puppy)

19)   Dawn (3-legged)

We appreciate any amount you can help with, big or small. It would be great if you can sponsor a dog on a regular basis as well towards his / her boarding or medical care. Email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg if you can help in anyway; be it financial, in kind, or if you can volunteer your time, the doggies say "Thank You”!

Adopt Jerry. Tall, sleek and lean machine!

Jerry was rescued when he was a 1 month old,  found in a construction site with a broken tail. 

He recovered well after his tail was amputated. Within 2 months, he was adopted by a French family, who kept Jerry for 8 months but they left him behind when they left Singapore.

We're going to bombard you with many photographs of Jerry, to convince you that he's the best thing that could ever happen to you!

Look at Jerry's mesmerizing eyes

Jerry is enjoying the view outside. He is on leash because he is at a friend's apartment and there are no window grilles. (Safety precaution)

A little goofy, Jerry is really a gentle giant despite his size. At first sight, his size may be rather intimidating but he would never harm a fly. Always standing still to allow little humans to stroke him, he is an angel with children of all ages and other dogs, including small dogs. In fact, if he could, he would be friends with the whole world; such is his gregarious, gentle nature.

Such a pleasant sweetheart

Enjoying his walk with our volunteer

Other than humans, and dogs, Jerry loves food! With food, all things are possible with Jerry. He learns fast with the right motivation and is ever eager to please. He knows when to play and when to remain calm and chill. He enjoys his walks and runs but is equally comfortable lazing beside you while you work or watch TV. Toys are his other love. He is able to entertain himself when given a toy. Not only does he entertain himself, he will also entertain you with his silly antics! Jerry is not destructive, is outdoor, as well as pee pad trained. How much better can it get?

What a gentleman!

Jerry loves his toys and will entertain himself when you are busy

If you are looking for an exercise companion, Jerry is the perfect fit for you. With his tall and lean build, he is able to keep pace with you as you go on your runs. He could probably gallop much faster but being the sweetheart that he is, he is willing to accommodate your pace and run beside you, looking to you for direction every now and then. 

Jerry loves playing fetch and catch

Intelligent and a fast learner

Easy-going and happy-go-lucky, his temperament is sweet and when you meet him, this charming boy will steal your heart easily, and his gorgeous brown eyes will mesmerize you. Jerry will really thrive in a home with children, attention and love. He would be a perfect family dog, lying quietly while the children brush or pat him. Will you open your heart and home to him and bring him home?

He'll be your child's best friend (Children who grow up with dogs learn empathy and compassion.)

This young boy was initially terrified of dogs but Jerry taught him how to overcome his fear

Jerry gets on well with dogs of all sizes (Seen here with Harper)

Jerry is presently at a home foster and will only have the home foster till October 15, after which he will need to go to commercial boarding. This will not only cost us money (boarding fees), it will also upset Jerry tremendously while he readjusts to being kept in a commercial boarding facility.

  

Will you please give Jerry a home? He dreads going to the commercial boarding facility

Will you give Jerry a home?

Jerry is excellent with children

Jerry is a local crossbreed, extremely tall, lanky and graceful looking. He is estimated to be about 1 ½ years old and definitely not HDB approved.

To give Jerry a home, please email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg He is equally comfortable in an apartment or in a house with a garden.