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.

Food For Thought

A 2 mth old puppy living in dangerous conditions, waiting for food

“Do not feed the strays” – you might have heard this phrase at some point in your life.  You may or may not agree with this dispensed ‘wisdom’, but we at HOPE Dog Rescue believe that feeding the street dogs is the best way forward, not the other way around. And it works best for these poor dogs’ welfare, and who knows, perhaps for our brownie points as well.


We carry out our missions with good reason and gravity, and we sincerely hope that by the end of this article, you’ll be able to see things from our perspective. Maybe you’ll even find it in your heart to help us with our projects.

Not a life we can ever imagine

Many people disapprove of stray-feeding because “it encourages strays to breed”. Theoretically, giving these dogs food keeps them alive, and provides them with opportunities to breed. However, withholding food from these street dogs iis by no means a way to curb their population. For a fact, even hungry dogs can propagate. And their newborn puppies often go hungry as their mommies hardly have food for themselves, let alone milk to nurse them. At this point, you might think; why not deny them food then? A dead dog can’t breed. But is this what we want? Is this the most humane and compassionate means to control the stray dog population? 

Stray pup with eyes barely open, stuck on a sheet of metal

We build makeshift shelters for the puppies

Jac giving the street dogs some loving

A much better and kinder way of preventing strays from breeding would be to sterilize them. Our “Spay It Forward” program advocates a catch-and-release system. We bring in strays for sterilization before releasing them back to where we found them. Gradually, the stray population will be reduced. Feeding is a great way to carry out our “Spay It Forward” program. Why? As the dogs become more familiar with our volunteers, they’ll develop enough trust for us to approach them such that we are able to bring them to our vets, be it for sterilization or for injuries sustained from industrial accidents or dog fights. Without this trust, it would be difficult for our “Spay It Forward” program to reach these sometimes distressed dogs.

All this food just for the night as we also distribute food to workers

We provide food to factories who have care-givers

Our volunteers also get to know the dogs well through regular feeding rounds. This enables us keep track of the stray population in various industrial areas, as well as any new pups who are eligible for sterilization. This way, we can sterilize them before they reach breeding age. As such, our feeding and sterilization programs go hand in hand. This is a more organized and humane way of preventing breeding, rather than simply withholding food from stray dogs. This way, they can live their lives as strays in marginally increased comfort without more unwanted pregnancies. These dogs may not be pedigrees, but they deserve the right to live as much as you and me.

We apply Frontline on the street dogs in the hope that they won't get tick fever

Applying antiseptic powder on dogs with wounds and injuries

Another reason people commonly give for not feeding strays that is that “it attracts vermin”. The rationale behind this is that when you leave food for strays, you are also feeding pests such as rats and cockroaches with the leftovers. This may be true if you’re feeding your neighbourhood stray that’s already well fed by other kindly residents, but not with street dogs. The strays that live in the industrial areas have no proper source of food apart from what we give them. If we do not feed them, these dogs would be so desperate for food that they would devour bones, rubbish, stale food, and even stones. Yes, you heard us right. They would be so famished that they’ll resort to eating stones. Needless to say, they’ll await our weekly visits with much anticipation, and every morsel is ravenously gobbled down. In other words, there’s simply nothing left for pests!

This little puppy will be sterilized in two weeks' time

That is why we continue to nourish these dogs. Truth is, they have no cushy homes to find solace in. They don’t have anyone to love them like we do. And they don’t have anyone to bring them to the vet when they’re sick or in pain. With all this in mind, we can’t bear to let them go without food as well, or to watch them die a slow and agonizing death without doing anything to help. Simply put, our goal is to reduce and manage the stray population by sterilizing them, while allowing the remaining dogs to live a better life for the rest of their days.

We provide them with milk / food and sterilize them when they are of age

Would you help us fill these poor dogs’ bellies, and give them a chance to live? Their lives are hard enough, and it’s only right we give them a little kindness. A little goes a long way, and it would mean the world to them. If you would like to sponsor food for these street and factory dogs, please email fiona@hopedogrescue.org  The most precious gift you can give is the gift of love.

Written by Elena Lin

Caring For Street Dogs

A friend alerted us about 5 stray puppies in an open field at an industrial area.

So the next evening, Mul and I went to have a look and to check if they have sufficient food to eat and that their condition is fit for sterilization.

Playing in a field

Feeding the puppies

We got to know Uncle Tan who is their de-facto caregiver, as they were born in the workshop where he works. Uncle Tan, together with a few other kind souls, have been feeding the dogs there regularly.

Two years ago, there were only 3 dogs (1 female and 2 males). Unfortunately, only 1 of the males is sterilised. Recently, the unsterilized female gave birth to a litter of 8 puppies. One puppy died in an accident, leaving 7 puppies. The population then increased from 3 to 10 (4 females, 5 males and 1 unknown gender). From time to time, some people who passed by the area saw the cute puppies and took them home but "returned" them to the open field when the puppies grew too big for their new homes.

Uncle Tan feeds and cares for the dogs - they love him!

Mul befriending a sweet girl whom we named Trixie. 

She is available for rehoming.

The puppies looked 7-10 months old to us and we foresee that the first heat will come anytime soon. It is a race against time for us and we have to act fast before more litters of puppies are produced.


This is why sterilization is the key to controlling the population of stray dogs. These street dogs spend their whole life searching for scraps every day. If their population is not kept in check, this will result in overpopulation and fighting over already scarce food sources.


These are the challenges that we face when we sterilize street dogs:


1. We need to raise funds to pay for the sterilization costs. Since our funds are limited, we can only sterilize the females first.


2. We need volunteers who are available to pick up the dogs and send them to the vet’s clinic the night before the surgery as well as to return them back to where they come from the following evening after the surgery. In order to help us transport the strays, who will be in a large pet carrier, you would need to drive either a van or a SUV.
 3. If we cannot get volunteers then we have to arrange for pet transporters, which means we need to appeal for more funds to pay for the transportation costs.


4. We are given 2 sterilization slots every week, it means that we are limited to 2 stray dogs/cats per week. Thus, it has to be a weekly affair for the volunteers in order to cope with the huge number of strays waiting in queue to be sterilized.


5. The stray dogs are usually tick-infested which sometimes makes them anemic. Some even die from tick fever. We have to apply Frontline / Accurate on them weekly to get rid of the ticks before severe health problems surface.


An introduction to the 7 friendly puppies:

1 Tri Female (Trixie or Wang Wang)
1 Black Female (Timid)
2 Black Tan Females (White Nose and Sweet Girl)
1 Black Male (Snoopy)
1 Black Tan Male (Big Paw)
1 Black Tan Unknown (Missing For 2 Weeks)

HOPE Dog Rescue strongly believes that sterilization is the way to go, to control the stray dog population. Spay It Forward.

Contributed by Justina Han

Puppies In Danger

Someone alerted us to four little puppies living dangerously by the side of the road next to heavy vehicles and speeding traffic. We immediately went down to investigate the situation and see how best we could help.


True enough – upon arrival, we saw four extremely adorable long-coated puppies, approximately 4+ months old, playing happily by the side of a busy road, with not a care in the world and not knowing they didn’t have a home. It broke our hearts to see them playing so contentedly, oblivious to all the cars and trucks zooming by just a few feet away. As they are teething, their chew toys have been discarded cardboard boxes, sticks and branches, empty water bottles, etc. Should they get excited or decide to play catch and stumble onto the road, they would be dead in an instant and will never live to see and experience the world they now live in.

Living dangerously

This is where they live

Video showing where the puppies stay and sleep

After our visit, two volunteers were immediately assigned to feed the puppies regularly in order to gain their trust and friendship, and of course, to ensure they have regular meals. We could not find their mommy at all. We asked around to see if anyone had seen her, but sadly, no one did. It’s just them and them alone. Could mommy have been killed in an accident leaving her 4 young pups to fend for themselves? Or did they belong to someone who eventually abandoned them, perhaps having gotten tired of them? No matter what the reason may be, they are much too young to be living alone and in such a dangerous situation.

Befriending the puppies in order to sterilize them

Our volunteers feeding the little pups

Having their meal

We soon learned that they only came out to play in the day. During the night, they would huddle close together in the forested area beside the road, braving the chilly night winds. Our volunteers went in to recce their living area; there is absolutely no shelter from the storm or sun. It pains us tremendously to think that these puppies live out there at night, all alone, with the possibility of snakes lurking – but we can’t imagine how cold they would get when it pours. There they are, shivering their little paws off while we snuggle up in our warm comfy beds.

Mocha

CoCo

Cafe, the only male out of the four

Latte

With no proper food, no clean water, no shelter from sun or storm and no parents; they have nothing but each other.


This is where HOPE comes in. We can help them find forever homes, where they will never have to live dangerously by the roads, or struggle through cold and windy nights.


Ever since we began circulating our adoption poster, many people have offered to sponsor kennel space for them. We appreciate their kind offer but boarding is never a long-term solution. What if the puppies do not get rehomed after some months - will they be caged up 24/7 for the rest if their lives, for the next 10 years? Rehoming is our preference. Fostering is another option.

If you have a space in your home and heart for a little furkid, please contact us immediately. Be it adopting or fostering – you’ll be bringing hope to those puppies.


Even if you are unable to take any of them in, please help to spread the word about their plight. If everyone shares this with all their friends either by word of mouth, Facebook or email, news of the puppies will go a long way and somewhere along the road, someone would be able to save a little puppy’s life.

Cute as pie!

Sleepy after a hearty meal

These gorgeous pups aren't more than 5 months old

They pass their days playing on the sidewalk

This week, we took the (only) male for sterilization, his first vaccination and deworming. Frontline has also been applied on all the puppies to prevent them from being tick infested. Sterilization is very important to us - it prevents the puppies from breeding and producing more unwanted puppies once they are of age.  We wouldn’t want more litters of puppies living by the road, getting crushed by passing vehicles or going through everyday wondering where their next meal is coming from.

Strays are ear tipped after sterilization, for easy identification

Sterilized, vaccinated, dewormed  and ready to be discharged

A sterilized male puppy

After sterilization, all ready to go back to his playground by the roadside

We are raising funds to sterilize the remaining three female puppies. Sterilization of each dog costs around $100 - $150 depending on their weight, and while at the vet, they are also dewormed and vaccinated. If you wish to contribute to theirs and other streets dogs sterilization, please email Fiona at pops_snaps@singnet.com.sg to offer your help. All contributions will go directly to the vet.

The Lonesome Four

Please help us Spay It Forward!

Latest Update : 26 August 2011, 3pm

Volunteers (Patrick, Ann and Miao Li) had gone to check on the puppies and feed them, only to discover that two puppies were missing - Cafe and Latte (the two white pups). For two hours, they searched the area and asked around but no one had seen the two white puppies. While the volunteers were there, the two remaining pups ventured onto the road and almost had a tyre roll over them!

Fearing for their safety, they have been immediately removed from their home in the forested area and is safely with our volunteer.

The two puppies with us, Coco and Mocha, have been bathed and fed. Mocha's leg seems injured and she is not bearing weight on it. We will take both the puppies to the vet.

Friends and volunteers, Patrick, Ann and Jen will continue to comb the area where the puppies were last seen, hoping and praying that they will reappear.

There will be an adoption drive tomorrow, Saturday (27 August 2011) for those interested in adopting Mocha and Coco. The details are as follows:

Adoption Drive

Saturday, 27 August 2011

4 - 6pm

Ericsson Pet Farm

16 Pasir Ris Farmway 2

Do let your friends and family know of this adoption drive. You'll never know -  a puppy might find true love.

For more details, please contact Fiona  or Jo . Please save our contact numbers in case you get lost or are unable to locate us tomorrow. In case of poor weather, do give us a call too to check if the adoption drive is discontinued.

Thank you.