Archie (owner surrender)

Just weeks after our shocking rescue of the grossly neglected CCK dog, now named Caitlyn, we rescued another dog from similar circumstances!!

When will there be stricter laws and penalties for such gross neglect? And, why do we still allow puppy mills ,given the worrying spike in such neglected cases?

An acquaintance, a housing agent, had visited a HDB flat for viewing and saw this dejected dog lying in the corner of a filthy enclosure. She sent us a photo of the dog and asked if we could help. Like Caitlyn’s story, all it took was one person’s initiative, to change the life of a fellow living being. 

The photo we received from the housing agent.

We found out that this little Pom passed through many hands. Owner died, passed Pom to his son, who then passed away in his 50s. Pom was passed to another brother to care for. This brother obviously wasn’t into dogs so he did the minimal. He fed the dog daily, but didn’t bother to clean the enclosure, leaving the poor sweet Pom to lie in years of poop. 5 years, to be exact, after the other brother passed on. 

Just so happy to be patted

After some discussion, the uncle finally agreed for us to visit the dog and take him away. When we got to the house, we could smell strong antiseptic. As we entered the house, we realized he had mopped the entire house with Dettol, except the enclosure. Was it another case of trying to remove evidence? We can't even begin to imagine how someone could live with that stench.

Dirty, smelly and badly matted. We wondered when his last bath was.

After chatting for a while, he agreed that we could take the dog to the vet. The dog was so, so smelly, and his fur was so badly matted that we imagined the vet clinic was going to take another few hours to shave him and discard their shavers again. We noticed he was not sterilized and his testicles were hard and swollen, causing him much pain. The dog will be going for a surgery as we write this. 

On the way to the vet, the grateful doggy kept licking the volunteer’s face, thanking her for coming to his rescue.

Hardened and painful testicles

He was so badly matted, his fur was literally peeling off his skin

Ears filled with discharge

Archie's paw!

We have named him Archie. He is not licensed and not microchipped – so there is no way to pin the blame. Animal welfare laws are really lax in Singapore. 

You're safe now, Archie <3

If you can do the following, please get in touch with us - hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg or drop us a private message.

Help Archie by sharing his post / helping with his vet bills / adopting him.

First Rescue of 2024 - Russell (owner surrender)

Twelve years together ain’t a short time. How does one have the heart to say goodbye or, even worse, leave behind a companion after more than a decade together? Such is the life of Russell, a 13-year-old mixed silky terrier who was surrendered to us by his family due to financial difficulties. 

A sad dog left behind by his owner 

Russell was adopted by his then-family when he was only 1-year-old. As the family expanded over the years, his family was plagued with financial difficulties and could no longer afford his medical treatments. His last vet visit was, in fact, four years ago in December 2019. To make matters more complicated, one of the four children in the family is allergic to pet fur. 

He was eventually left behind with the elderly parents-in-law when the family moved out a year ago. But didn’t it occur to them that their parents were getting old too, and it just wasn’t fair that the entire caretaking responsibility was on them now? It’s a relief that the owners reached out to us as they could no longer turn a blind eye to his health condition. 

We brought Russell to the vet last week for a review. He weighs 5.9 kg (which is a good weight to maintain) and the most obvious problem he has is severe dermatitis. It is one of the more severe cases we have seen. There are bacterial infections all over his body, causing his skin to be itchy, red and flaky. It was so bad that he could barely open his eyes. He was given an anti-itch cytopoint injection, and his foster will be using the prescribed mousse and shampoo on him weekly till the symptoms subside. He was also tested positive for ringworms.  

Bacterial and fungal infection on his skin. Redness all over

His eyes, ears and teeth weren't spared either. His eyesight seems fine but would need eye drops three times a day due to dryness. Both his ears are down with infection, but they have been cleaned at the vet. Ear drops were also dispensed for use. 

Ear infection

Eyes that show no glimmer of hope and nails so long they curled sideways

Poor dental health was in a way expected but we didn’t expect it to be so bad. There are two tiny holes in his gums and he will likely need a gum repair surgery and extraction in months to come.

Dental disease, holes in his gums

There was also a small lump observed on his tail but it shouldn’t be an issue and we will arrange for it to be removed during his dental appointment. 

Lump on the tail

Moving on to better news… his joints seem okay in general with good muscle mass and he walks pretty well! The sad thing is his nails were so overgrown that it must have been painful for him to walk long distances. But then again, we wonder… he was not taken out for daily walks 🙁

Overgrown nails

His blood works came back okay overall; there were no issues with his liver despite his age and health conditions. He does have mild anemia but we believe that would improve with dedicated care moving forward. The next step would be ultrasound to check on his heart as he has a grade 4 (out of 6) heart murmur. 

Russell has been nothing but sweet during all these health checks and our time with him. He has a very mild temperament and is food motivated. He’s currently staying with a foster whom kindly came forward when we were seeking help. 

We are sharing his story not to blame or flame anyone but it really saddens us to see this sweet, senior dog in this state due to neglect. We can’t emphasize enough how important it is to think and plan carefully when you decide to get a pet. Having a pet is a lifetime commitment, not one you can simply dismiss due to circumstances in life. We don’t know how long his recovery journey will take and if it’d be an arduous one. But we are determined to nurse him back to health, and find him a nice and loving family that he so deserves, and spend his twilight years in. 

If you would like to find out more about adopting Russell, please fill in this non-obligatory form (https://goo.gl/forms/ia4w4IlWYk) and we will be in touch. Or if you would like to contribute to his vet bills, please drop us an email at hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg. With your support, we can help Russell find a second chance in life ♥️

Russell getting a second chance in life
(photo courtesy of foster)

The Choa Chu Kang Dog From Street 62

It was close to dinner time on 30 Jan, and a volunteer pinged us to share news about an abused dog on Mothership  https://mothership.sg/2024/01/dog-abuse-hdb-flat-choa-chu-kang/. You could imagine our concern when we read that SPCA visited the unit and failed to get the dog out. So, we decided to save the dog. Call it bravery or simply foolish.

Every minute counts when it comes to rescue work. Images of the matted dog gave us the strength to act. After dinner and within an hour,  we gathered a handful of volunteers at the block.  We rummaged about the rubbish dump in case we find a carcass of the dog. There we saw discarded pee trays similar to the ones in the Mothership article. We went from floor to floor looking for a gate that resembled the picture in the article. Thankfully, we did not have to climb too many floors.

The door was open with clothes and stuff strewn across the hall, just like we saw in the news article. But, there was no dog, and the floor was clean. We called out and a lady came out from the bedroom.

Us: Where's your dog?

Lady: She's showering.

Us: We came to help the dog.

Lady: She's showering.

We said we would wait. All this while during the conversation, the lady stood afar at the bedroom door while we were outside her gate. We told her to give us the dog because her story is all over the media and she is going to get into a lot of trouble. She said: "I don't even know who you are".

She asked us which group we represented. We gave her our mobile number and showed her Hope's Facebook page. She scrolled through the pages while we waited. When she came across one of our volunteer's photo, she looked up and seemed convinced we were legit.

It was 10pm+. Again, she said the dog was in a shower. There is a certain irony here, of course.

She appeared hesitant about giving the dog to us, so we reminded her that she could get into trouble with the law. Suddenly, the lady told us to get coffee somewhere. We assumed that meant she would hand over the dog to us. We persisted in waiting in case she gets rid of the dog.

We hung around the unit. In the midst of waiting, an RC member showed up, took our photos, but did not identify herself until we spoke to her. She refused to say much except that she had to report to her boss. 

After nearly 2 hours of waiting and close to midnight, the lady of the unit appeared at the door with the dog wrapped in a wet towel. Two young men came out with her. Poor dog, why the sudden need to bathe and shave in the middle of the night after years of neglect! Obviously, she was getting rid of all the evidence of neglect. This is why we must reach the dog fast; time is of the essence.

We left quickly after she surrendered the dog to us, before she changed her mind.

Once we reached the void deck, we used spare towels we brought along to wipe the poor trembling dog and covered her from the cold. Despite her bath, you cannot imagine the stench. Brown liquid was also flowing out of her ears.  

As the dog was stable, we took the dog back to a volunteer's house for the night. It was past midnight and several 24-hour hospitals we called, were either short of staff or busy with emergencies which required us to wait 3-4 hours. 

She barked a few times throughout the night, probably from fear and confusion of being in a strange environment but when we patted her, she would fall back to sleep.

The next morning, we brought the dog to the vet, and also updated AVS. Everyone gasped when they saw the dog. She looked like a scene out of a horror movie. We speculate it would take years of neglect to reach this state. Her eyes were covered with furs stuck with thick layers of faeces. Medical staff took almost 3 hours to clean the horrible huge tangles on her fur, and discarded 3 shavers in the process. The dog was expressionless on the vet's table, resigned to her fate.

How did all this unraveled?

The reader who tipped off Mothership gave us an account of her story. 

She was on community work at the block on 27 Jan, and came across the unit. Dog chained to the gate kept barking. Aghast at the cruelty, she contacted AVS, the MP, and the media the next day desperate to get help. The stars were aligned when Mothership released the story on 30 Jan so that we could get to the dog. 

Clearly, the neglect of Caitlyn has been ongoing for a long period of time. Apparently, the neighbours are aware and told the Mothership reader this has been happening for some time. It surprises us that the neighbours could put up with it at all, and that the RC did not get wind of it. 

Come to think of it, we are surprised that AVS did not seize the dog immediately considering that the dog was in a vulnerable position. Only AVS and the police have power to take legal action in cruelty cases.  The dog was neither microchipped or licensed.

We don't mean to brag but we are extremely impressed by our team of volunteers who responded so quickly late into the night, negotiated with the owner for hours, and having to resume work the next day. We are proud of what Hope has achieved despite being a small group, and for saving this sweet dog whom we have named Caitlyn.

This is another sad statistic to add to our stack of animal abuse cases. Coincidentally, it was the very same day that SPCA released its 2023 annual report, highlighting a spike in animal cruelty investigations that hit an 11-year high. 

For a long time, animal welfare groups have been calling for tougher sanctions against offenders. 

Will it happen now?

Caitlyn weighs a mere 3.3kg, half of what a normal Shih Tzu would weigh. Presently warded at the clinic, her vitals are stable, but she has mange and we are waiting for her ringworm results. Vet estimates her to be about 10 years old or lesser.  We will arrange a heart and abdomen ultrasound because she has a heart murmur. More details about her medical condition will be posted in the next few days.

If you can foster Caitlyn, or help with her vet bills, please drop us a private message on Facebook or email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg. We need all the help we can get.

Caitlyn will be available for adoption later. 

Investigations are ongoing. 

Lavender’s Adoption Story

Adopted!

Lavender was an owner surrendered case.

This was her story - https://hopedogrescue.blogspot.com/2023/10/lavender-owner-surrender.html

We are delighted to share that Lavender has officially been adopted by her foster family! The 9-year-old Poodle-mix has found a forever home to frolic and play in for the rest of her doggy days. Congrats to sweet Lavender for finding your forever home with sisters, Jean & Julie ❤

Let's hear it from Jean & and Julie, who break down her journey from Rescue Dog to Super Dog.

Lavender's Start at HOPE

Lavender was given up by her owner around the end of September 2023. She had a copious amount of health issues - ringworms, yeast infection, itching, sensitive windpipe, benign tumours, etc, but was given a new start in life at Hope. Slowly, she got better over time and became free of many of her past ailments. She went on frequent HOPE walks and events, and had many experiences that she had never had before. With the help of HOPE, Lavender had her first ever doggy bed. It was such a big deal because at her old home, her bed was akin to a hard plastic laundry pail, and for years, that resulted in large calluses on her legs.

Our Experiences

It was hard getting used to having Lavender at the start as many changes were needed to be put in place. Nonetheless, Lavender is a very sweet girl who is always happy to see us. She would run up to us with her tail wagging and a smile on her face every time she saw us. Our parents were never keen on getting a dog, but they quickly grew fond of her. They even brought her for walks and helped to take care of her. We soon realized that this was it. She was family. We express our desire to adopt her, and after adhering to HOPE's adoption requirements, we signed her adoption papers in January 2024.

Key Takeaways

From this experience, we've learnt to be forever grateful. The immense help and guidance we received from HOPE has allowed us to be better guardians for Lavender, and we are eternally appreciative. We've also learnt that second chances at life are always possible. We are inspired by Lavender's resilience and kindness. Lavender's entire life changed, living her best life after her past struggles. This makes us hopeful for a better world.

Ocean and Paris (Ex-breeding dogs rescue)

 “You want take Shetland and Poodle? Come today, here no space.” 

We received a call right after Christmas from a breeder who needed to “clear his retired stock”. The 2 dogs they wanted to get rid of is a 12-year-old Shetland Sheepdog and a 1-year-old Poodle. We made immediate arrangements to head down because we know the fate of these 2 dogs are going to be grim if we don’t. 

Paris and Ocean's very first time out in the sunshine <3 

The first thing that hit us when we arrived at the farm was the smell, or rather the stench of dogs who hadn’t had baths in years and their pitiful yelping and barking. We weren’t allowed in the areas where they kept the breeding dogs, but from experience, we are very well aware that they are kept in tiny filthy cages where they lived, breathed, ate, peed, pooed till they are no longer commercially lucrative.  

The worker who is in charge of the dogs greeted us at the showroom, a cozily furnished area where they bring out puppies to show prospective pawrents. A completely stark contrast to where their breeding dogs spent their days. He brought out the Sheltie, a super sweet girl with beguiling eyes and a gentle demeanor. She waddled around to sniff us curiously, wondering why we are there. She was grossly overweight.

Breeding dogs are kept in their cages 24/7, they have never seen the sunshine, breathed fresh air, felt grass beneath their paws or taken a single walk in their short, sad lives. Its actually rare that we have an overweight breeding dog - further chats with the worker revealed that the Sheltie is one of his favourite charges – he probably fed her more than the others but she doesn’t get the exercise needed. Breeding dogs rarely get medical care they need and are usually fed cheap kibbles to keep costs down and when their health no longer allows them to reproduce, they are disposed of unceremoniously.

The 1-year-old poodle is an energetic furball pacing excitedly in his cage, sniffing the air with anticipation, too innocent to understand what’s happening in the big, bad world they are born into. We signed the release papers and took their registration cards from the worker, hearts heavy and eager to leave the place which we all know too well the miserable lives breeding dogs lead, yet unable to save them all.

Ocean the poodle

We carried both dogs out to where we parked our cars and took our first inspection of them. The poor Sheltie’s hind legs had no muscle tone, caused by years of standing in the cramped cage. The condition of the poodle wasn’t too bad, his saving grace of being released from a lifetime of breeding was he only has one testicle, which is a heritable defect which made him unable to reproduce. 

Paris the sheltie, a total sweetheart

Decayed teeth after years of neglect and malnutrition 

Paris - badly matted fur and weak hind legs (later with xray, we found out she has hip dysplasia)

Sore paws from standing on the metal cage

We leashed them up and sat them on our laps to bring them to the vet for full medical checks and start them on treatments they desperately needed. Both of them were so well-behaved during the car ride, inquisitively looking out of the window and listening to us assuring them that their lives will only get better. We felt so sorry for the Sheltie who had lived the most part of her life being a commercial commodity for us humans in deplorable conditions. We will fulfil our promise to her that she will live out the rest of her life with a family who will love and care for her, which all sentient beings deserve. 

Adopt, don’t shop. We can’t emphasize this enough. Because of the demand of puppies, breeding dogs are bred. It’s a vicious cycle that only we can put a stop to. Before you purchase that cute little puppy at the window, do stop and think of where they came from and the desolate lives their mummy and daddy dogs lead, all for the purpose of moolah and human wants. 

We have named the Sheltie “Paris” and the Poodle “Ocean”. Paris - a beautiful name befitting of a sweet and gentle soul. Ocean - young and freedom rightfully restored.

Both of them have cleared their medical reviews and will be put up for adoption in the days ahead. Do look out for their adoption posts in our Facebook and Instagram pages and if you are able to provide a loving home for them, email us at hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg 

We hope you understand that we want nothing less than good homes for them and our standard adoption screening and procedures applies. Thank you for supporting the rescue work we do. We cannot save every one of the breeding dogs in those cages, but we can change the lives of the ones we save. And we are going to do it with your help, with zealousness and a determined focus to ensure that every dog that chances through Hope Dog Rescue gets a happily-ever-after.

Dogs dental health

Just like people, dogs need regular dental care, but unfortunately, dental hygiene for dogs is sometimes overlooked.

Few pawrents brush their dogs’ teeth frequently enough.

Plaque builds up on the teeth and turns into hard tartar, also called calculus. Plaque and tartar harbor bacteria that

eat away at the teeth and gums. Halitosis, periodontal disease, oral pain, and tooth loss can occur. However, the

bacteria not only cause disease in the mouth; they can also affect other parts of the body, like the heart and kidneys.

      

Poor oral hygiene

Dental disease begins early in life. By the age of three, most dogs would have some degree of dental disease. The

early signs of dental disease in pets include bad breath, yellow tartar buildup on the teeth, and red and swollen gums.

Receding gums and rotten teeth

             

Early detection of your pet’s dental disease is vital. If left untreated, it will progress to cause chronic pain and

inflammation. To detect dental disease before it negatively affects your doggo’s quality of life, vets usually

recommend dental evaluations as part of your pet’s regular preventive care exam, which should take place at least

once a year.

Dental hygiene is just as important to your dog’s overall health as things like nutrition, proper exercise, and routine

grooming. There are several things you can do to help keep your dog’s teeth in good shape. Start a dental care

routine as early as possible in your dog’s life and stick with it.

Some vets may also recommend a professional dental cleaning, which would require general anesthesia. During the

procedure, your dog’s teeth and gums will be examined closely for problems. The teeth will then be scaled and

polished to slow the redevelopment of tartar. While some dog groomers may offer teeth cleaning services, don't

expect to get a deep cleaning. They can brush the dog's teeth just like you could at home, but for a thorough,

complete cleaning, the teeth need to be cleaned under the gumline. This isn't something that should be done while

the dog is awake. Some dogs need dental cleaning once a year, while others maybe once every 2 to 3 years. Be

sure to follow your vet's recommendations.

Nicki, homeless this Christmas (Owner surrender)

8 years ago, a family took in a sweet dog for their autistic son. Pets can be a very healing energy for people with special needs so we are not against this. However, pets are not just props and should be treated with love and respect and a member of the family. Unfortunately, this family treated this dog as just that, a prop to keep their son entertained. They decided to surrender the dog to us when their son started bullying the dog recently. They were not able to give us much information about the dog before we picked up the dog. They could not (or would not) tell us if the dog was sterilized or microchipped, what brand of food the dog was on, nor how old the dog was. Only that the dog was called Jimmy. 

Our first meeting with Jimmy was on a rainy day. The family made no effort to shield or protect Jimmy from the rain so we were handed a soaked and trembling dog. And then, we found out that Jimmy was a "she". 

Sensing her owner was going to give her away

This is how she was handed to us 

We have since renamed her Nicki. Nicki was taken to the vet for a thorough checkup. She has dry eyes with discharge in her left eye. Both her ears are also infected with yeast and bacteria. Her skin is also flaky with significant yeast infection and she has severe dental disease. The vet also found a mammary mass in her left mammary gland. A spinal xray was done on her and we found that she has significant arthritis in her lower spine and her kidneys look very enlarged. The vet recommended an abdominal ultrasound to assess further, as well as dental and spay and removal of the mammary mass, but we do not have the funds for this at the moment. Her blood tests show elevated white blood count which could be due to any of the many reasons mentioned above. In the meantime, we have started her on long term eye drops for her dry eyes, as well as a shorter term one to treat the infection in her left eye. She also needs medicated ear drops, shampoo and anti-yeast oral medication to address her many yeast and bacterial infections. She was also given antibiotics for her elevated white blood count and Gabapentin for spinal pain. 

At the vet

Flaky skin and a mammary lump that needs to be removed 

Checking her eyes - she's such a sweetheart <3 

Badly in need of dental 

Feeling dejected

Unkempt; one of the reasons she couldn't walk properly and kept slipping

Through all of this, Nicki is very sweet and did not fuss at all. If you would like to help this girl kick start a new and better life (with a more appropriate name), please consider contributing to her vet bills so she can get the procedures she requires. To contribute, please email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg.