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.

The Real Cost Of That Puppy In The Window

The gravel crunched beneath our feet as we stepped out of our cars. Right away, we could smell the dogs housed in the several kennels that dotted the area. We waited as Fiona, Lisa, and Diane made their way to the puppy mill; we were expecting to rescue at least four dogs that day.

Puppy mills are ‘factories’ where dogs are put through intense suffering, abused by profit-seeking breeders. Breeding dogs are perpetually pregnant or birthing, and spend their entire miserable lives in cages so small that they hardly have any space to turn or stand straight. They will never feel the warmth of the sun on their backs or cool raindrops on their faces. These poor dogs stand on wired floors that dig into their feet, and are sorely deprived of proper nutrition. This leaves them often sick with infections and untreated open sores.

It was my first time joining in a rescue – I had no idea what state the dogs could have been in. Many of them spend their entire lives caged up, reproducing litter after litter of puppies, a wretched existence we desperately wanted to free them from.
 

First to appear in Fiona’s arms was Nora, a female poodle, estimated to be three years old. She had dry flaky skin (a symptom of ringworms) but was such a sweetheart. Apparently, she was always bullied in the farm, hence she seemed very afraid of her new surroundings. She didn’t dare to move, and later at the vet, she didn’t dare to eat. She was extremely afraid of getting attacked by other dogs and clung tightly onto the volunteer who was carrying her.

Fiona and Rina wrapping Nora in towels

Nora's leg

Gratitude in Nora's eyes

Nora was so terrified at the vet, she didn't dare move an inch

Joey was next – a male peki-pom with beautiful golden brown fur that begged to be stroked. He too, had ringworms, but otherwise showed no major problems. He was about a year old, and had a rather dignified manner about him.

Joey safely in Rina's arms

He was followed by a black male Scottish Terrier, whom we dubbed Rob. He was a handsome creature, also about one year old. He had ringworms but his skin condition was not as serious as Nora’s. On our way to the vet, he sat quietly in my arms in a watchful manner, wary and unsure of his destiny.

Rob, with bad skin

Rob waiting to see the vet

Ear mites observed under a microscope (mites were from Rob's ear)

Rob and Sarah waiting for the vet techs to take their blood samples

Then came Sarah, who made my heart wrench when I saw her. She is a Scottish Terrier, also about one, but with severe skin problems. Much of her black fur had fallen out in clumps, where gaping patches of raw inflamed skin were showing. She was also grossly underweight and too small for a Scotty. Carrying her, you could feel all her bones beneath her skin. She kept peeing blood but the vet had not diagnosed her problems yet. She seemed, however, unbothered by her forlorn condition and started sniffing everywhere, rocketing on a leash once we put her on the floor. She is such an easy-going dog who craves attention and cuddles.

Little Sarah

Sarah and Nora safe in the arms of Alicia and Rina

Cleaning up the dogs

Johnathan calming Sarah at the vet. Johnathan is one of our treasured male volunteers.

Sarah, with Joey in the background

Blood in Sarah's pee

Sarah's skin condition was the worst of the lot

Her skin around her eyes were flaky

Swabs from inside Sarah's left & right ears

Blotchy skin on the top of her head and neck

Lola came out last – a female Peki-Pom, also about one. Little to our knowledge, she had a surprise in store for us – Lola was pregnant! An ultrasound scan showed that she was carrying two puppies, and she was about 57 days pregnant (dogs carry puppies for 63 days before giving birth). We were fortunate to find a foster who was able to care for her in such a condition. Three days later, she gave birth to four adorable Peki-Poms! It was a stroke of luck that we got her, or else her pups might have had to spend the rest of their lives reproducing for commercial purposes as well. The vet said it was her first pregnancy.

Lola waiting for her turn to see the vet

Mommy Lola was heavily pregnant (that's Joey in the background!)

Lola's ultrasound scan

Despite the fact that none of these dogs have had an easy or comfortable life, they seemed in high spirits and ready to give humans a second chance. I admire their resilience, but I also felt sad, because it made me think of all the people out there who abuse the simple faith and trust that these dogs have placed in us.  

Despite living in the same farm, these dogs were seeing each other for the first time

Like all the dogs we rescued, all five dogs underwent a series of standard tests on the very day we rescued them to ensure they were in good health. We thank the fosters who showed up that day and waited patiently for hours to bring the dogs home. The dogs were tested on their kidney and liver functions, heartworm and tick fever, and a skin culture for mites and ringworm. Being thorough comes at a cost, but it is important that they are in good health before they are re-homed, lest they infect the family dog in the foster home.

For now, one problem all five dogs have in common is ringworm, a fungal infection.

All the dogs are now with fosters. If you are keen on adopting, please email Alicia at alicia@hopedogrescue.org. Please do note that ringworms generally take about two months to clear.

Only Joey and Sarah are available for adoption at this time. Adoption fee applies and all dogs will be sterilised before they are re-homed.

Each year, hundreds of companion animals are euthanized due to over-population and the neglect of irresponsible pet owners. We need to heighten public awareness and hopefully, with better understanding and compassion, the suffering of the voiceless will end.

Puppy mills sell mainly to pet shops, although they do also sell to individual buyers. These callous puppy mill owners are least concerned about the physical health or psychological well being of their hundreds of dogs. Most dogs are disease-ridden and all are continuously force-bred; just imagine the concept of constant gang rape. They live in filthy conditions that you will never witness, as these places are strictly off-limits to the public.

If you ever hear of anyone who is contemplating on buying a dog, tell him or her about Prince and the horrors that he suffered in a puppy mill. Tell them about the connection between puppy mills and pet shops. Every puppy purchased from a pet store means one more adorable dog from a shelter will never find a home. Help make the puppy mill industry a relic of the dark past by only adopting, and never buying a puppy again!

Please save a life – adopt from a shelter or rescue group.

 

Recognitions

This rescue was a huge team effort and it is not possible without the help of all our volunteers. They were here from 9am to 4pm – at the rescue; at the vet; sending dogs to the foster; and settling them in. Hope Dog Rescue sincerely thanks all 15 of you. This cannot be done without such a terrific and dedicated team.

Written by Lin YQ. Photo credits - Lin YQ and Diane Wong.