A Tribute To Dear Harry, Cover Dog of HOPE 2013 Calendar

 

From Hailey, Harry's Mommy :

It has been a year since our beloved Harry has left us. I can still vividly remember the day we first met and the time we had spent together. I suppose those were the most quiet and peaceful times for Harry. He never asked for more.... Just 2 meals a day and someone to be there for him, to support him emotionally. We had hoped that he could live longer to enjoy his life with us but... "Dear Harry, you will always stay in our hearts. I believe you are an angel in heaven now and we will meet again. Please do wait for us. Love you always"

The very first time Hailey (in yellow) met Harry

Harry and his family

Harry was a gentle giant

From Fiona :

A Loan from God (Author Unknown)

God promised at the birth of time, a special friend to give,
His time on earth is short, he said, so love him while he lives.It may be six or seven years, or twelve or then sixteen,but will you, till I call him back, take care of him for me?
A wagging tail and cold wet nose, and silken velvet ears,a heart as big as all outdoors, to love you through the years.
His puppy ways will gladden you, and antics bring a smile,as guardian or friend he will, be loyal all the while.
He'll bring his charms to grace your life, and though his stay be brief,when he's gone the memories, are solace for your grief.
I cannot promise he will stay, since all from earth return,but lessons only a dog can teach, I want you each to learn.
Whatever love you give to him, returns in triple measure,follow his lead and gain a life, brim full of simple pleasure.
Enjoy each day as it comes, allow your heart to guide,be loyal and steadfast in love, as the dog there by your side.
Now will you give him all your love, nor think the labour vain,nor hate me when I come to call, to take him back again?
I fancy each of us would say, "Dear Lord, thy will be done,for all the joy this day shall bring, the risk of grief we'll run."
"We'll shelter him with tenderness, we'll love him while we may,and for the happiness we've known, forever grateful stay."
"But shall the angels call for him, much sooner than we've planned,we'll brave the bitter grief that comes, and try to understand."

Harry loved the outdoors, the sun on his back and always made time to stop and smell the flowers

Thank you Hailey and Brian. Harry's dream came true because of you. Thank you for being Harry's guardian angel.

Dearly missed by all who knew him

Photo Credits : Leslie Kok

 

Calendar Design : Lisa Goh (Whiteclip)

What New Animal Welfare Legislations?

It was during one of our regular stray feeding sessions when the unimaginable happened; the very first time in all these years of feeding.

It was a late night and we were making our rounds at one of the industrial estates where the strays lived and played. When they saw us coming, the strays ran out to meet us. Those who were unafraid came a little nearer and waited patiently for their dinner while the others kept their distance and only ran forward hungrily to their food once we walked away.

Most of the times the strays are smart enough to avoid humans and traffic. They keep an eye out for moving traffic and know how to get out of the way. Not so for this particular stray, who was unfortunate to be at the wrong place and at the wrong time. She was attempting to cross the mostly quiet street when a speeding lorry suddenly appeared and slammed into the poor stray dog. The impact was so strong that everyone could hear the unmistakable thud of metal hitting body. The stray’s yelp of pain pierced through the night.

Three of our volunteers witnessed it as it happened and yelled for the lorry to stop. The lorry driver ignored them and continued driving, inevitably rolling over the dog. We could hear the body hitting against the undercarriage of the lorry four times.

BAM.
BAM.
BAM.
BAM.

We shouted and waved but the lorry driver feigned ignorance. One of our volunteers bravely jumped in front of the lorry to stop it from leaving the scene of accident. The driver had no choice but to stop his vehicle. In a rage, she banged her hands against the door of the lorry and shouted at the driver to get out. He stared at her apathetically and remained in his seat.

By the time the lorry stopped, the poor stray had gone from being hit by the front of the lorry, rolled under the undercarriage, rolled under the lorry, being hit by all sorts of metal objects attached to the lorry’s undercarriage and then rolled out from the back of the lorry. Imagine a speeding chunk of metal weighing about 3,000 kg hits you and sends you flying before you hit the ground. To add to the agony, the same lorry rolls over you not once, but twice, while you lie there unable to do anything to stop it. Imagine the fear and agony running through your mind as all this is happening to you. A mere 3 seconds and it is over but the world has suddenly tilted and fallen around you.

That was what happened to the stray dog. Behind the lorry, it laid there crying in pain and trauma. Two of the volunteers rushed to the injured dog to try to help it but she picked herself up and limped across the road, crying as she ran back into her factory, her safe haven. Another volunteer took photographs of the lorry, its drivers, the location of the accident and the license plate number. Strangely, this lorry did not have the company details painted on the side of it. Another volunteer called the police.



The driver

 

Lorry that hit the poor dog

A crowd of foreign workers stood around us as they watched the commotion. We did not know if anyone of them saw the accident as it happened but none of them said or did anything.

The onlookers

The volunteers moved to block the lorry so that it did not try to move away. One of the volunteers opened the driver’s door, turned off his engine and asked him to step out of his lorry. A brave thing to do, but we were afraid that he might just take the opportunity to drive away. Both driver and passenger tried to ignore us at first but we were insistent. They finally did so reluctantly, smiling as they did so. We did not want to even guess what he thought was worth smiling about when something so tragic had just happened. We asked if they saw the dog and they claimed that they did not see it. We asked why he did not stop the lorry when he hit the dog but continued rolling over it, he did not have an answer to that.

Driver and the lorry waiting for the police to arrive

We waited for the police to arrive, thinking that perhaps something could be done. It took them an hour and 4 phone calls later, to get to the scene of the accident. One of the police officers took down our statement of what had occurred. The image of the dog’s brown body rolling under a moving lorry was firmly stuck in our minds. He asked if we had any pictures of the dog’s body under the lorry but we didn’t. It happened too fast for us to do anything more than to shout at the lorry to stop. The officer mentioned that without any photographic evidence of the dog being under the lorry, it was difficult to pin a case on the driver.

Police car at the scene

We were shocked beyond words. Didn’t the eye witness account of three people matter? If the dog’s body hadn’t rolled out from the back because of the lorry driver’s refusal to stop until someone jumped in front of the lorry, were we supposed to have left the dog’s body under the lorry? We didn’t understand the logic behind the officer’s comment.

After taking our statements, the police took down the driver’s statement. The passenger however was nowhere to be found. In all the excitement, he must have taken the opportunity to slip away in the crowd of foreign workers who were watching the commotion.

The passenger who mysteriously disappeared 

Under the Road Traffic Act, if you are involved in an accident where a person or an animal is injured, you have to stop your vehicle and help the victim. Otherwise you will face a fine of up to $3,000 or be jailed up to a year. For a subsequent conviction, you can be fined up to $5,000 or jailed up to two years.

As the officer took our statement, two volunteers ran into factories in search of the injured dog. After many rounds of asking, they found her, drenched in her own pee from fear, trembling, tears in her eyes, abrasions on her face, legs, undersides, paw pads torn off from being dragged on the rough road surface and in all that pain, her caregiver, a Thai worker, hugged her and held her in his arms.

Looking at caregiver for assurance with tears in her eyes



Paw pad torn from being dragged on road

Wet from her own pee. She was terrified and traumatized

Pee out of fear when the dog was hit



Oil all over her body from the lorry's undercarriage



Poo and oil all over her

Cut on her leg

Pui Pui was in shock



In too much pain to stand

Shock and trauma she peed all over herself and her eyes were red

We called for a volunteer to rush down to take her, named Pui Pui by the worker, to take her to the emergency hospital. The worker was terribly upset and we sensed his pain and sadness so we asked if he wanted to go along with her to the vet. He smiled and immediately carried her into our car.

At the hospital

The dog suffered internal injuries and abrasions on many parts of the body, which must have been from the impact of being hit and rolling under the lorry. She was covered with patches of oil from the lorry. The poor dog was in such shock and pain that she was shaking from the encounter, and her cry in the consult room was chilling and pitiful. X-rays and blood test were carried out and the vet said that her intestines have been pushed up abnormally from the impact of rolling between the hard tarmac and the lorry and estimated that it will take a month before the intestines shift back to normal position. Meanwhile, poor Pui Pui would just have to suffer the pain until it healed gradually.

Wound of leg

Wound on hind leg

The vet recommended that she be warded 3 days for observation, so we checked her in. It also turned out that Pui Pui had a guardian angel of her own. Her caregiver was a worker in that area, who earlier stepped up during the incident and wanted to follow Pui Pui to the vet out of concern. He could not bear to leave her and kept consoling her in a mix of Thai and Chinese. It was only at our promise that we will be in touch with him regarding Pui Pui that he agreed to return to his dormitory for the night. Before he left, he told her, “sleep good good”. We knew what he meant and were touched by his love for her.

Her care-giver assuring her

After 3 days, she was discharged and returned to her factory when she showed no further signs of being in danger. She was visibly in pain, limping as if her body still hurt from the impact. She moved her body carefully and sat at a strange angle, as if it were the only way to alleviate the pain somewhat. It was a miracle she did not have any serious injuries, considering how she was hit and subsequently rolled like a rag doll under the lorry.

Pui Pui’s bill came up to about $1200 for 3 days stay, emergency charges, X-rays and medication. If we could, we would ask the perpetrators to take responsibility for this; do we seek compensation from the irresponsible driver? Or should we approach the driver’s boss instead? Would they step up to admit that this was their wrongdoing and do what they can to make things right?

Thankfully we were there when the incident happened that we could send Pui Pui to the vet immediately. How many other strays are hit by speeding cars and lorries every day. How many are victims of hit and run accidents?

We have given our statement and photographs to the police but it is now up to them to pursue the matter. There is no point to a regulation if there is no enforcement. It has been a full week since the incident and we have yet to hear from the police. We will be surprised if we do because in the grand scheme of things, most people do not place a stray dog’s life with any priority, especially one that survived an accident. They would most likely mark this as a minor accident and file this as Unimportant.

In the new animal welfare legislation, it has been proposed that the government implement stiffer fines and jail terms for animal neglect and abuse. While all this talk may seem like change is happening, this will mean nothing if the regulations are not enforced at all. If the people equipped to enforce the law do not do so at all, what is the point of changing the rules? Despite having THREE eyewitnesses, photographs of the drivers, and an injured dog as proof, we have little confidence that anything will be done at all.

We are seeking for help with this poor stray’s medical fees. If you feel strongly about wanting to help us help this dog on its road to recovery, please contact Fiona at fiona@hopedogrescue.org 

Note : Photographs courtesy of Eileen, Lisa and Nicholas. Poor quality of photographs as they were taken with mobile phones at night.

Written by Elaine Quek.

Help Save Oscar's Life

For those of you who have been following HOPE Dog Rescue from the start, you will remember Oscar as one of the 3 puppies that we rescued from cemetery. In that sad story, his 2 other siblings died from serious mange, a common skin disease caused by several parasite mites. The mites cause severe skin infections if they are left untreated. At the time that we found Oscar, he not only had mites, he also had a multitude of canine skin problems such as ringworms, fungal infection, demodex, and so on. Whatever canine skin problem a dog could have, Oscar had it all.

Oscar - Before. He didn't want to look at anyone.

Oscar - Now

Oscar underwent 4 months of intensive treatment to treat his ailments. He was put on a course of steroids and antibiotics treatment through injections so he spent most of his time at the kennel. He fought hard to beat his infections and the volunteers cheered him on. They took time off from work and life to take care of little Oscar, who was just a few months old then. Our dedicated volunteers took turns to ferry him weekly from kennel to vet, for 4 months until he got better. Since he was the last of the litter to survive, it was important to us that we had to rescue Oscar no matter what time and effort it took! During those days, Oscar was shy, filled with low self esteem and lacked confidence. He knew he looked bad and spent his days hiding away in a corner or shying away from us and his kennel buddies. 

Oscar spent close to 5 months at the kennel and gradually got better. A young couple, Charlene and Jon, who made every effort to connect with Oscar while he was healing, finally adopted him. They had earlier visited him during an adoption drive and even fostered him for a while before finally deciding that they wanted Oscar as a part of their family.

A loving home at long last

As with all of our adoption cases, we visited Oscar a few weeks after adoption to make sure that he was adjusting fine. Immediately we noticed that Oscar was a different dog from when we first rescued him. Then, he was a sickly dog with little to no self-esteem, which could be due to his skin condition. Like humans, dogs are very sensitive to their own condition and he probably knew what he was suffering from, and thus hid and kept very much to himself, not interacting even with the other dogs. Who would have thought this little darling could one day transform to a much confident dog that he is today.

Oscar is a very lively dog and loves to run and jog with his new owners. Jon and Charlene teach him simple commands like, 'Sit', "Paw" and “Come”, responding actively and behaving very much like how a dog should behave; wagging his tail, responding positively to humans, and interacting. It was a joy to see Oscar find a family who could give him the love he deserved. We saw him blossom from a sickly rescued stray to a handsome confident young adult.

Each & every day is a brand new refreshing experience for Oscar

Acting cute to beg for Bak Kwa during Chinese New Year

It was to be a happy ending. Unfortunately, the unexpected happened. On 3rd March Sunday, we got a call from his owners. They had brought Oscar to the vet after noticing that not only were there rashes and general itchiness on his body, Oscar was lethargic. The vet gave Oscar steroid jabs and antibiotics. When the vet tried to get Oscar to stand, he wouldn’t move and had to be lifted up for the vet to examine him properly.

A critically ill Oscar

They then decided that his condition was rather serious and put him on an IV drip, keeping him overnight at the vet for observation. Meanwhile, while his red blood count was normal, Oscar’s platelet count continued to drop. The Vet suspected that it might have been an infection in his liver as there were a lot of bacteria in his poo, so he put Oscar on a series of tests. 

By Monday, his platelet count plummeted so badly that he had an emergency plasma transfusion, although that was not enough. On Tuesday, with Rudolf’s help, Oscar managed to receive much needed blood transfusion. Despite all that the vet had done, his blood count continued to drop dangerously.

Rescued dog, Rudolf, waiting for the blood transfusion to commence.
 

Rudolf's blood typing card

Oscar's blood typing card

The vet decided to give us the bad news. Oscar might not pull through this time. When we heard that, we were in shock. Things had taken a 360 degree turn almost overnight! We told ourselves we had to mentally prepare for the worst. His family, Charlene and Jon, were extremely sad that this had happened to their precious baby. Our hearts were heavy as we watched them talk to Oscar, telling him that everything will be okay, that he had to fight this infection and get better. It was all we could do to keep ourselves from tearing, at the thought that someone in your family was slowly wasting away, and that there was nothing one could do except to pray and hope for a miracle. We had to be strong for Oscar. 

Oscar is currently warded at the vet and is in intensive care, where the owners had to pay extra for a night nurse to check on Oscar every two hours. If he pulls through the night, he would be expected to stay in ICU for up to 4 days then transferring to a normal cage for two weeks till his condition stabilizes enough for him to return home. He is on oxygen 24 hours a day (at $10 / hour) as his breathing is terribly labored.

With oxygen tube

The vet is currently testing his liver but the signs are not good; the liver is definitely failing with readings hitting 10 times higher than normal readings (which is typically kept at around 100). The ultrasound scan showed that he also has Hepatitis. No one knows what the cause of the infection is although it is suspected that Oscar may have eaten something poisonous or he developed a bacteria infection that attacked his liver. 

His kidney is also not functioning very well now and his spleen is enlarged. We can only pray that the infection does not spread any further. His temperature fluctuates, with the last reading at 40C. Oscar still eats normally but is abnormally quiet. Although his body is very hot, his limbs and ears are cold, signs that blood is not circulating properly. The vet put him on IV drip, prescription diet and liver supplements. Hopefully this would help in whatever way to keep the infection at bay. 

It is now up to Oscar to fight the infection, and we have to stand by him and support him so that he knows he’s very much loved and not alone. We appeal to your hearts to do whatever you can for Oscar; kind thoughts, prayers and funds to pay for his medical treatment. Oscar requires intensive treatment and 24 hours care at the clinic, and such treatment is very expensive. As of today, the vet bills have hit the $3,000 mark and we still have a few more weeks of hospitalization before his condition stabilizes. To date, Oscar’s owners have already settled this amount.

Oscar needs our prayers and help

Oscar’s family wants do anything they can to save their family member and have emptied whatever savings they have for Oscar. We at Hope Dog Rescue will do what we can to help one of our former rescues as the love we show our rescues do not stop once they leave our care. 

 

We hope that you can help us help Oscar. If you can find it in your heart to do so, please contact fiona@hopedogrescue.org   

 

To help with Oscar’s vet bills, please issue your cheques to The Animal Doctors Pte Ltd and send it to Block 108, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4 (Street 11), #01-94/96, Singapore 560108. On the back of the cheque, please write “For Oscar”. 

 

We apologize that Oscar will not have any visitors for now as he needs all his strength and energy to fight this through. 

O Lord, 
Every creature, 
in every forest, field, and home, 
belongs to you, 
and is under your loving care. 
May your blessing be upon this dog, 
and, in your great kindness, 
Keep him safe from all harm. 
We pray that you would show forth your eternal love and mercy, 
in the companionship and friendship that this dog provides. 
Amen 
David Bennett. 

Written by Elaine Quek

When Jack Met Julie

My journey with HOPE Dog Rescue has opened my eyes to a lot of things. Things you don’t often see on the streets, read in the newspapers, or hear of in your daily conversations. Truth be told, before volunteering, I was oblivious to the magnitude of suffering that strays, breeding dogs, and even some domestic dogs in Singapore go through. After all, the pooches I meet on the streets are almost always impeccably groomed, admired by passersby and accompanied by adoring owners. Besides, who would have guessed this beautiful, orderly nation of ours, home to a society of educated, law-abiding citizens, actually houses so many stone-hearted individuals who have complete disregard for animals?

The fur of a 3 year old Maltese, Jack

I wonder if fate should be blamed for animals’ sufferings? Or was luck at play? Why do some dogs have access to an unlimited supply of food and a shelter overhead, while others lead a beggar’s life in solitude, prone to danger and hunger? And why are some pooches the apple of their owner’s eyes, while others are grossly mistreated without dignity and respect? Sure, life isn’t fair to any of us – some people live in riches while others like paupers – but being at the apex of the food chain does not give us any right to ill-treat animals. It doesn’t allow or excuse our erroneous behavior of inflicting pain on the weaker beings!

Jack tied to a leash that restrains his movements for 6 months before Julie found him
(Photograph taken from mobile phone)

Jack could have been the popular neighbourhood Maltese that would have made everyone he met gushing about his bright round eyes, petite frame, and fluffy white coat; but as luck would have it, he was confined to the back of a shop for six months before Julie saw him.

Julie recalled seeing a forlorn looking Jack tied to a leash and sprawled uncomfortably beside two empty bowls. His doleful eyes, hidden beneath his scruffy, overgrown fur, called out to Julie and she felt compelled to intervene. 



A brave smile from Jack, whose coat was unkempt, overgrown, foul smelling and terribly tangled. You can hardly even see his paw pads!

After consulting with us, Julie spoke with Jack’s owner who revealed that it was his friend who had given Jack to him, and that he had never wanted Jack in the first place despite taking him in. As a result, he decided to confine Jack and kept him permanently leashed round the clock for six months straight!

Saddened by Jack’s predicament, Julie offered to adopt Jack but was turned down flatly. The owner’s refusal came as a shock to us because the man clearly had no intention of caring for Jack and had found him a burden. It is odd how humans can be so mercurial and territorial! And in all honesty, I doubt there was any emotional attachment involved in his decision, and I am fairly certain he merely wanted to keep Jack because someone else is interested in him now!

Ears that haven’t been cleaned for 1 year or more

The conversation persisted for a while (mostly with Julie telling him how cute Jack was and how much she wanted to adopt him) before the owner relented by saying he needed some time to think through it. His line of thought is extremely ironic and puzzling to us, given that he barely gave any effort in caring for his pet. To top it off, he was the one who said he didn’t want Jack and had chosen to keep him on a leash for six months. Pray tell us, why is he so hesitant about putting Jack up for adoption?

Left with no choice, we waited anxiously for his decision. Meanwhile, we assembled a team of volunteers, made arrangements with a foster, and had a vet appointment booked.

The fateful day came when the owner decided to give him up. We are relieved to share that Jack no longer has to sleep, live and eat with a rope fastened to him. The man finally gave in and entrusted Jack to us.

Once we got hold of Jack, we whisked him off to the vet immediately. The vet was shocked by the extent of his ear infection – wet, gooey and filled with yellowish discharge – and his horribly matted fur that was beyond salvation and had to be shaved off eventually. The vet also said that Jack’s ears probably haven’t been cleaned for at least 6 months to a year! No wonder the room reeked of the pungent odor from his ears, which had us all holding our breaths. All this didn’t seem to bother Jack at all, as he smiled adoringly at the vet while being treated.



Further checks also revealed that Jack has very high liver enzymes and needs to be on liver supplements for a while. He also has a hernia and undescended testicles. These will be operated on at a later stage when his liver readings go back to normal.

Badly matted fur caked up into a big patch on his belly

Jack still bore a smile even after his fur was shaved off! He’s rocking his bald body.

What should have been loose and fluffy ended up compressed into a matted layer stuck to the skin. A result of prolonged neglect.

It is hard to comprehend how anyone can neglect a dog like Jack. His ebony round eyes twinkle every time he looked at me, and I couldn’t help but give him another pat on his furry head. I swear those innocent eyes can brighten even the darkest day. Jack is presently boarding at a pet shop and requires a foster or someone to give him a good, loving home. We thank Kathleen, who fostered him initially when he required medical treatment. Despite being a first-time foster, Kathleen did an excellent job at caring for him – cleaning his ears, medicating him regularly, and paper-training him. Jack is a Maltese, estimated to be about 3 years old. He is a fast learner, slightly alpha and extremely easy-going. Please email sherry@hopedogrescue.org if you would like to adopt him.

Our gratitude goes to Julie for saving Jack and putting an end to his misery. Without her, he wouldn’t be the carefree dog he is today. 

Written by Claire Chai