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
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.Video showing where the puppies stay and sleep
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.
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 (9839 1308) or Jo (9873 7794). 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.