These dogs need a home; food, donations welcome, too
Esther Ng, Today Online 26 Dec 08;
IT WAS not quite your usual festive party: Three-legged Sugee scampered across the room as fast as her four-legged friends, while Cheryl, a sweet mongrel paralysed from the waist down, was happy to be the centre of attention at a Christmas party thrown by Action for Singapore Dogs (ASD) and Pet Lovers Centre.
The celebration for handicapped and homeless dogs last Saturday at Vivocity doubled up as a donation and adoption drive.
With the recession only just setting in, the ASD has seen a 20-per-cent drop in donations this year.
At the same time, there has been a 20- to 30-per-cent rise in the number of pets given up because of owners’ financial difficulties.
“All the animal shelters are very stretched. We’re struggling to cope with the bare necessities like the price of dog food, which has gone up by 30 per cent,” said ASD’s president Ricky Yeo.
And resources will be further squeezed with the number of abandoned pets expected to rise, when the economic crunch worsens. “The loss of job or income is not a good enough reason to give up a pet,” said Mr Yeo. “There are always solutions or alternatives. You could cut down on luxuries like grooming and treats.”
This coming year, the society hopes to raise $240,000. “We could do with manpower and food donation too,” saidMr Yeo, noting that fosterers — who take in rescued dogs for short periods — are urgently needed.
:There are already 70 dogs at ASD’s shelter in Lim Chu Kang, which costs $15,000 a month to run.
Nine-month-old Sugee was found in Sungei Kadut with her left hind leg shredded and tendons exposed, while Cheryl was found with a broken spine in Tuas. “We get many of these hit-and-run cases,” said Mr Yeo.
Though a dog like Cheryl is incontinent and semi-paralysed, “she’s very sociable” and would not cost more money to look after, said Mr Yeo — “just time and attention”.
Donors who want to help can buy food for the ASD’s shelter dogs at highly discounted rates at P:et Lovers Centre’s Vivocity branch, in a donation drive which ends on Jan 3.
:So far, 90 kg of dog food has been donated and the store is aiming for 130 kg more.
