7 Heartwarming Pet Rescue Stories in Singapore

Many stray cats and stray dogs suffer from hunger and uncertainties of the road but thanks to the hardworking rescuers, volunteers, concerned callers, and kind animal lovers, we can still say Faith in humanity, restored. They lend their time, effort and energy just to make sure that these suffering animals don't have to wander the streets alone, injured and hungry. Here are 7 among many pet rescue stories in Singapore that will warm your heart: 

Chloe

Chloe is an 8-month old clumsy Calico and is adopted from a shelter. She’s the only kitten in the litter that has survived and unfortunately, her mother didn’t make it. As her owner describes her, she’s like a teenager who’s clumsy, sneaky, a little silly and likes to annoy for some midnight snacks.

Mayo Martin, her hooman, originally had no plans or thoughts of adopting a cat. It was his wife, who is the bigger cat person. His wife has always kept cats and has more than a thousand following of cats. When he entered the picture, the family had 2 cats back then, Franny and Wade. Sadly, they lost Wade to a UTI infection. His wife was devastated by the cat’s passing and that’s when he gave in to adopt another furry friend.

Thanks to his wife’s friend at Keep Cats, they were able to rehome Chloe and give her a furever home. As someone who has no experience being a cat parent, he studied eagerly on how to properly take care of a cat. He read and watch all about it. At times, he would overreact if there’s something different with Chloe. Now that he considered Chloe like a daughter, he also had to adjust his schedule to keep up with Chloe’s wellbeing. The senior cat person gets to feed and meanwhile, he’s assigned on cleaning the litter box.

Chloe brought happiness, laughter and affection to the couple. She would greet them with morning cuddles and entertain them with her clumsiness and playfulness.

 

Photo credit: SOSD

Saturn

Saturn is a sweet and gentle dog looking for a furever family. However, Jaslynn, was having second thoughts at first as the senior dog poses health risks. They eventually realised the benefits of owning a senior dog. Senior dogs like Saturn, are low-maintenance and are likely to be more affectionate, more grateful and loyal. Jaslynn has an elder mother and Saturn has low energy so it matches their family. As first time owners, keeping a senior dog will take less effort too.

Saturn was brought home and welcomed warmly in their family but she was initially distant and will interact only when it’s time for feeding or walking. After some time, she became much more affectionate and engaging. She would greet her humans a good morning and would get giddy when they come home from work. She’s also fond of patrolling the house to check in on them. Even as a senior dog, she became their companion in walking and outdoor exercise. It didn’t take too long to bring out the happiness and joy in Saturn.

With enough care and love, Saturn was able to unfold her personality and her ability to bring happiness in the family.

 

Photo credit: The Grateful Pet

 

Holly

Rachel believes that we should adopt instead of shopping for animals. She’s been browsing online for local shelters for the possibility of rehoming a dog. She decided to visit one and stumbled upon a black and quiet puppy. Unlike other dogs, she was not longing for attention. She adopted the loner puppy and named her Holly and the rest is history. Rachel and her family were later informed that Holly was born on Christmas season so her name became even more meaningful.

Mrs. Tng, Rachel’s mother, was initially against the idea as keeping a pet would entail responsibilities and commitment. Soon after they welcomed Holly, Mrs. Tng grew to love the dog and shower her with love, attention and comfort. She even learned to make little adjustments on their house to cater Holly’s needs.

On the other hand, Holly became Rachel’s emotional support on her thesis. She was there when Rachel was having panic attacks and working late at night. Her cute puppy eyes helped to ease and relax the mood.

Holly is a star. Whenever they bring her out for a walk, she would bring out the smiles on the passersby. Another great thing about Holly is she would not let a member of her pack is missing and would do rounds to make sure. At home, she learned tricks like lowering the volume of her bark from loud to soft. To score some treats she would place her head on their lap and use her charm.

From quiet puppy to an active member of the family, Holly became a lovable dog who can bring joy and unconditional love to anyone.

 

Photo credit: SPCA Singapore

Amin

Amin celebrated her 5th adoption anniversary last 28th of January. Like most rescues, Amin chose her hoomans. When they entered the shelter, she was the one to greet them first and snuggle in their lap. Black cats are less likely to get adopted because of superstitious so Amin has to take extra effort to get rehomed. Her dad was a little skeptic at first because of her coat but he eventually give in to her charm and chonkyness. Her family made efforts to learn more about cats so they can properly take care of her and the cat community.

 

Photo credit: Animal Lovers League

Montana

Montana was one of the choices but her owners didn’t fall in lover with her at first. When they visited the shelter, she’s always curled up alone in the corner, quiet and looking outside the bars. They thought she looked hopeless and very sad and that’s when they decided to bring her home. Nana (her nickname) unleashed her energy when she got her furever home. She became active, energetic and playful. Looking back, she was a different dog but now, she loves it when her humans bring her to daily walks.

Her owners had to deal with papers and processing as they live in an HDB and they must go through Project Adore to rehome Montana. But all those effort paid off when they see Nana smiling and wagging her tail.

Mongrels, like senior dogs or black cats, have lesser chance in getting a home. They used to be stray animals and wander the streets and that’s why people avoid them. But if given the chance to lead a normal and comfortable life, they will definitely return your love with trust and loyalty.

 

Photo credit: SPCA Singapore

Rex

Rex was one of SPCA’s rehomed dog who got a little too excited and lost control. He would chew furniture, rip pee pads, nip his parents and bolt during walks. But his owners didn’t give up on him and introduced him to a positive reinforcement training. All those training and check-ins from SPCA was worth it because he is now a well-behaved dog who unlearned his destructive behaviour. In turn, he learned to be patient, to listen to commands and to wait for food. He can also signal when he’s ready for walks.

With proper training, behavioural problems in animals can be corrected, even for adult dogs! All it takes is patience and determination to never give up on your furry loved ones.

 

Photo credit: SPCA Singapore

Lily 

Lily, formerly Butterscotch, was rescued thanks to a caller from SPCA. She was bleeding in her stomach and had a bald patch on her face. Unfortunately, her pregnancy resulted to premature miscarriage and she had to undergo c-section to remove her foetuses.

Hartini came across Lily in a website and she was reminded of her former cat Daisy, who was also a rescue from SPCA too. Upon visiting, she was delighted that it was Lily who greeted her first. She took her home and slowly introduced Lily with her other cats, Rosy and Simba. Now, Lily is getting along with the family and is very active.

One of the most rewarding feelings in the world is seeing that your pet leads a comfortable life, safe from the dangers of the outside world, because of you. While it is an exciting journey to adopt a pet, remember that it is also a long-term commitment. Can you deal with the maintenance of cleaning the litter box and scooping the waste? Can you spend a little time to play and hang out with your furry friend? Can you provide them food, safe shelter and your time? If you think that you are 100% capable of being a pawrent, then this is the perfect time to visit a shelter online or personal.

Planning to rehome a pet soon? Here's a list of shelters where you can adopt or volunteer:

• SOSD Singapore
• Mercylight
• Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA)
• Action for Singapore Dogs
• Cat Welfare Society
• Causes for Animals Singapore (CAS)
• Animal Lovers League (ALL) 
• Mdm Wong’s Shelter and Friends
• Voices for Animals (VFA)
• Uncle Khoe’s Shelter (UK9)
• Kitten Sanctuary SG
• Project Luni
• Project Save Our Street Kittens Singapore
• Love Kuching Project
• Mutts & Mittens
• Keep Cats

 

 

Sources:

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/lifestyle/cat-adoption-first-time-pet-owner-singapore-10153544

https://sosd.org.sg/sweet-natured-gentle-dog-saturn/

https://thegratefulpet.sg/a-rescue-dog-and-her-heartwarming-adoption-story/

SPCA Instagram

https://www.animalloversleague.com/adoption-stories

https://sosd.org.sg/category/rescue-stories/

https://www.wonderwall.sg/workplay/forever-furkids--pet-adoption-stories-to-lift-your-spirits/