I adopted Gigi back in 2017. I was a pawrent noob. Never owned a dog before, hardly knew anyone who owned a dog and knew nothing about Singapore Specials(SS). I did not know what to expect upon adopting and there were times i wondered if I was making a mistake.
My adopted SS – Gigi
One thing you have to know before adopting a SS is that they are all different – personalities, traits & temperament. There is no one-size fits all when it comes to Singapore Specials. I know of super timid, fearful SS but there are also SS who are very confident & friendly.
Gigi is a fearful dog who expresses her fear through aggression. When I first met her, I was told that she was aggressive towards other dogs and also very apprehensive towards strangers, especially in the house. Despite not knowing how to handle an “aggressive” dog, her pitiful past and adorable face moved me and I had to bring her home. She warmed up quickly to me and my family and that’s when I thought it was fate. Apart from her temperament, Gigi is all sorts of perfect – independent, house-trained and all-round well behaved. She could be left alone at home without a problem and she wouldn’t end up destroying the house.
Though she does not look it, she is fearful aggressive
But I struggled greatly with her temperament. She would bark at neighbours, lunge at other dogs, she even tried attacking strangers before. I started to live in fear of her accidentally injuring another dog or human which led to avoiding walking at crowded places or peak hours, waiting endlessly for an empty lift and refraining from inviting people over for dinner. Those were the times I asked myself if I had made a mistake adopting her.
I attempted to train her, engaged trainers, sent her for daycare all in hopes of helping her. There were failures and successes, there were times I really wanted to give up. Only when I came across our very last trainer did things change for us. It took a lot of conditioning, firm handling and hard work but I saw the changes in her. Both our lives have changed for the better and I cannot be more grateful.
If you asked me if I think adopting Gigi was a mistake – no, she is the best thing that happened to me and my family. And if given the choice I would still adopt her. But, there are some things I learned along the way and for anyone who is looking to adopt a SS, I would encourage you to consider these 3 things –
Be prepared – There were so many things I wished I knew before adopting, like how to handle her temperament & what to expect. That would have saved us from ending up living in fear and feeling hopeless.
Understand Singapore Specials – They may come with their trials & difficulties. SS are known to be skittish & fearful. Understand the temperament of the dog you are adopting be ready to make the commitment.
Do not give up – The journey may not be easy but it is rewarding and don’t give up on your furkid once you have made the commitment.
Hang in there pawrents!
There is no journey like the one you embark on with your dog. The key is to know what you are getting into and never give up.
In our brand new series of #TWAShares, we had the pleasure of chatting with 3 different cat owners, who decided to adopt their cats.
Read on to learn about their lives post-adoption, and some of their tips and tricks for those that are eager to adopt cats too!
Q: Tell us a little about your cats!
@zingertails
Zingertails: We have 3 adopted kitties Remo, Cozmo and Gizmo, all about a year old now! Cozmo and Gizmo are actually siblings that we adopted from SPCA and Remo was adopted from a rescuer.
@emplifying
Emplifying: We have 2 chonky seniors, Gary and Newton. Gary was named after Spongebob’s pet snail because he went ‘mao’ instead of ‘meow’. He was found at Tampines void deck with his siblings while Netwon was picked up at Newton Circus on a rainy day.
@diam0ndkitties
Diam0ndkitties: We have 2 adorable brothers, Nori Jisub and Truffle Gohan. They were found near a drain at the carpark at NUS by my brother in Jan 2020. We brought them home when they were about 2.5 months old when we brought them home. Nori is super athletic while Truffle loves jumping, sleeping and bird-watching.
Q: What was your first day home with your cats like?
Diam0ndkitties: The first week we brought them home, I couldn’t sleep very well as I was worried about them being alone in the dark. So, we left a small light on until they got familiar with the surroundings.
Emplifying: Newton was only about 4 months old when we took him in. He was wet, scrawny, muddy and had some injuries to his hind legs’ toes. We brought him home in a shopping bag because we didn’t think we would be taking him in. We took care of him in secret, because our parents didn’t want a pet at home. We kept him in an unused toilet for a night but his loud meows were heard by my parents! Eventually, he won my mom’s heart because she felt that he’s her lucky cat!
We found Gary at a void deck with his siblings, he was the chonkiest and most mischievous because we found him climbing a palm tree! Eventually, all his siblings were adopted and we brought Gary back home. I guess Gary was my mom’s favourite as she commented in a dialect that “This cat is so sweet”.
Zingertails: It was a bit chaotic because I met Remo at my clinic workplace! He was rescued and brought in with exposed flesh due to bacteria growth. He had to be hospitalized at a very young age [1 month] and I ended up taking him home to care for him. I too brought him home without my dad knowing, as he didn’t like cats in general. When he saw Remo, he was very against the idea of nursing him.
The first night was chaotic as Remo was constantly having diarrhoea and due to his open wound, had to be cleaned up as soon as possible. I kept him in my dad’s unused fish tank for the first night, and tried to syringe feed him water to avoid dehydration. As he was our first cat, the house wasn’t ‘cat-ready’ and the next day, I dashed out to Pet Lover Centre in the morning to get all the kitten essentials.
Emplifying: My parents were like that at first too! But they grew to accept them.
Zingertails: But Remo is really smart! He knows how to smooth his way out into my parents heart and first began by working his way to my mom by gently meowing and being all manja with her. That’s where my mother fell in love.
Q: What were your must-have products for the kittens?
Diam0ndkitties: A litter box and litter! I’m quite particular about home cleanliness so I was initially paranoid about litter box training and accidents. But luckily, the kittens took very naturally to the litter box which was a huge relief to us. But not to say there weren’t a few accidents though! Afterwards, we were hastily looking at which kitten food to buy. There’s just too much info out there that we have to sieve through, both for kittens and adult cats.
Emplifying: Definitely kitty pan, kitty sand and cat food! We had Daiso bowls as food and water bowls. Not forgetting cat mesh!
Diam0ndkitties: Yes! Daiso does have a lot of good stuff for pets, but they are not very commonly found at some outlets. We have tried the cat wipes but they were a little too thin.
Emplifying: We also got dish washing gloves for Newton and thought that bathing him with gloves would be easier (didn’t know what we were thinking!) but Newton shredded the gloves so… no gloves after that!
Zingertails: For us, we prepared lots and lots of pee pads. At that time, we weren’t prepared to adopt Remo so we used pee pads as well as a small little tray as a litter box! We also bought KMR milk, kitten mousse/kibbles and Nutripet vitamin supplements.
Q: Biggest challenge when trying to let your kitten get used to being domesticated?
Emplifying: It would be the late-night meowing, because we were so afraid that the neighbours will complain since cats are generally not allowed to be kept in HDBs.
Other than that, there would be occasional furniture/wire damage by kittens but glad to say that there wasn’t any mass destruction! Unlike dogs, I feel like cat’s may not be domesticated easily. Based on my experience, instead of trying to train them to NOT do a certain action, the only way we felt worked for us is to not encourage the behaviour. Instead, we keep things/furnitures away that could encourage the behaviour and exhaust the kitten’s energy with playtime!
Zingertails: Agreed! We really had a hard time trying to exhaust the kittens.
Diam0ndkitties: Yes, the biggest challenge for us when they were younger was to not let them scratch furniture or bite into wires, which they usually will do at night or when no one is around. We provided lots of scratching posts, and also tried the cat anti-scratch spray which unfortunately did not work. Exhausting them was not easy, they were just way too active. Sometimes even I got tired!
Zingertails: When the kittens start to get bored, especially Remo when he was the ‘single child’, he would start developing behaviour such as pouncing on the humans or even biting. It took us a while to correct this kind of behaviour. We do bring Remo out for walks but it’s not on a frequent basis. I have heard some cats ended up craving the ‘outside world’ a lot and will start to be destructive when kept indoors.
Emplifying: We bought a leash too, but they just flop and surrender on the floor, they did not even walk! Had to carry them all the way. I have also heard about cats not wanting to be kept in after being exposed to the ‘outside world’.
Q: Give a piece of advice to hoomans looking to adopt cats!
Diam0ndkitties: Wow, that’s going to have a long answer! But in short, be really sure that you can commit to ANY pets. Commitment to care for a pet is important. There will be good days and also bad days. For stray cats, it also depends how old they are when adopted, the older ones need more patience to adapt to the indoor life.
Emplifying: Just be patient & committed! And enjoy the process of finding out their silly characters. I really miss those kitten days! There may be both heart-aching and heart-melting moments through their course of life, but none of which I regret.
Zingertails: Yup I agree! It is not just a one two year commitment, but can last up till 20 year! You have to be financially ready and ave up funds for them, be it regular food and toys or even medical fees.
THE WOOF AGENCY would like to thank @diam0ndkitties, @emplifying and @zingertails for taking the time off to share with us their real-life experiences on adopting stray cats.
If you enjoyed this piece, drop a comment below and let us know what other types of pet groups you’d like to learn more about!
Lady-Mae is my first Singapore Special. We adopted her in 2012. She is my seventh dog in my life. When I was growing up, we could have unlimited number of dogs as long as they weren’t a nuisance to the neighbours.
As an experienced dog owner and handler, I did something totally out of the ordinary when it came to choosing Lady-Mae. I went purely with my instincts. I didn’t research about owning a rescue dog, I just went ahead to get one. (If you’re a new dog owner, I highly suggest that you speak to many fellow Singapore Special owners. A variety of owners and not just one type of owner. It’ll give you a more realistic view of this dog. Please do not follow my example.)
As time went by and I got involved in the dog community, I realised that many people struggled with their Sg Special because either their dog wasn’t properly socialised or they did not get a suitable trainer. So here’s a list of 12 things that I think will help you to decide if the Singapore Special or SS is for you and if you’re up to the challenge.
1. They are the toughest dog to train, even harder than a husky: Most trainers will tell you the Husky is the hardest dog to train. Well, move aside Husky because the Singapore Special tops that list. Singapore Specials don’t care about anyone. They are not bred to want to listen to you. They are bred to solve problems on their own. They do not do well with a wishy-washy handler. Not being able to make a decision on the fly is going to make you be a weakling in the Singapore Special’s eyes. Once you’re seen as a weakling, they will exploit that. I often tell fellow owners that making a bad decision is better than not making one at all.
2. You’ll need to find a GOOD balance trainer: A good balance trainer means a trainer who knows how to use Positive Reinforcement and knows how to teach corrections in a fair and just manner. Singapore Specials are sensitive dogs. They do not do well with high aversive training and neither do they do well solely on Positive Reinforcements only.
3. Singapore Specials need a firm owner: Being firm these days is being labeled a dictator. On the contrary. Being firm means that when you say NO to your dog, be prepared to say NO another one thousand times before your dog will take you seriously.
4. Critical Learning Period For every dog, not just the Singapore Special, the critical learning period is from 3 to 5months. During this time, if a dog is intentionally socialized well to the environment, people, and the lifestyle of the owner, it will grow up to be a balanced dog. However, this is highly critical for the Singapore Special. Missing out on this window creates many of the behavioural issues that the dog will carry through its life. The only reason why the dog becomes good is because of good management. So be prepared to manage your dog but it doesn’t mean you will see the problem behaviour go away.
5. Socialising your dog is a crazy long list over a crazy long time: For many Singapore Specials, they find it hard to adapt to the urban lifestyle that we live and move in. They need to have POSITIVE experiences from the time they are rescued all the way until they have matured adults (4 to 5years old). Socialisation is not going to be a ONE-time affair. These dogs need the consistent positive experience. Socialization isn’t bringing a dog to a dog park and letting it do what it wants. Socialization is an intentional affair with a specific goal.
6. Knowing who you are is critical: Self-awareness is probably the one thing that most SS owners struggle with. So before you bring one home, know what makes you tick. Know how you make decisions, what needs you have so that you can make decisions. And be comfortable in your own skin. E.g. some people need TIME to make a decision. If that’s you, then be aware that if your dog reacts, you should already have a backup plan because there will not be time for you to deliberate. Your Singapore Special is going to know you before the first day is over. And it’s going to know what your weaknesses are and how it can exploit you. E.g. if you’re afraid that the dog will bark its lungs out and get a complaint from a neighbour, the Singapore Special is going to bark the heck of its lungs out because it’s going to push every weakness button. It wants to see which of our weaknesses it can exploit.
7. It needs leadership: Leadership has become a nasty and dirty word in the dog world today. It’s sad because Singapore Special needs a person who is able to provide them clarity. These dogs need someone to give them clear definitions of what is and what isn’t acceptable behaviour. And they need someone to give them clear guidance on how to achieve acceptable behaviour. Failure to provide this will result in a Singapore Special that is highly fearful, reactive, or aggressive.
8. The Singapore Special is wild at heart: I think too many people downplay this trait in the Singapore Special. They are very feral. Almost wolf-like. But they are dogs. They will be eager to please if you can provide leadership. You’ll never be able to domesticate the Singapore Special but it doesn’t mean they cannot be in a home. I always felt guilty for adopting Lady-Mae because I felt like I was caging her by adopting her. It took me 8 years to be able to say that my rescue dog is beginning to be more like a dog that has been carefully bred for centuries.
9. Singapore Specials need an outlet for problem-solving: Because these dogs have evolved to problem-solve daily, they need to be active participants in their training. One of the things that I do is WAIT for the dog to offer me a behaviour that I find acceptable. I don’t give it a command. This is what we call Free Shaping in dog training terminology. Eg. I will wait for the dog to calm down and not jump on me before putting the leash on. I will not tell the dog to sit etc. I will wait until the dog is calm and gives me eye contact before I reward the dog. Having fostered and helped so many dogs and families, Free shaping is highly integral for a Singapore Special. It keeps them engaged. It makes them think about what you want and that taps into their instincts to problem solve. Know how to work with their instincts not against it.
10. They need to roam free: Every Singapore Special yearns to be off the leash. It’s sad that many owners aren’t able to train their dogs to the point where their dogs can be off the lead and ignore people and dogs and just be engaged with their owners no matter what happens. So if you ever adopt one, be prepared to put aside EVERY free time you have and work with the dog until you can get here. Your dog will thank you daily.
11. They are purpose-driven: Singapore Specials are not the usual pet dog. If you’re looking for one, be prepared to go to a trainer who is adept at knowing how to train working breeds. They need a job. Some Sg Specials are really adept at obedience work. Some are great with tricks. Some are awesome with people, (yes there are some Sg Specials who are). And then, there are some who are like my dog, Lady-Mae who enjoys helping people and animals in distress. It’s going to take you at least a year or two before discovering that your dog’s purpose is. So be open minded, go try many activities. Lady-Mae and I have tried, Obedience Competition style training, Tricks, Pet therapy, Agility, Lure coursing. All these flopped terribly and miserably. My dog just stood there and looked at me like she was bored. Until we tried Nosework. Lady-Mae enjoys the search especially for an animal that’s in distress. She enjoys it so much that you can’t even lure her away with Mcnuggets!
12. They are resilient, have great perseverance, and are highly intelligent: Many times when I see descriptions of a Singapore Special up for adoption, nothing that is on that paragraph is what you’re really going to get. Singapore Special is a highly resilient dog, meaning it can withstand a lot of psychological challenges and it’s going to use that with you throughout its lifetime. The SS is also a dog with great perseverance hence they might look very stubborn. However, if you are able to persevere together with them, you will not only gain their love, loyalty, and devotion but their utmost respect. Lastly, the Singapore Special is highly intelligent. I think people do not give enough credit to this dog. Lady-Mae hasn’t ceased to surprise me every day with her ability to offer an innovative solution.
The Singapore Special requires us to put their needs way above ours for a very long time. Adopting one will consume you. It will take up a lot of your time, money, and energy daily for a good 3 to 4years before you’re able to see a highly reliable dog. That’s if you put in the work daily. I have not met a SS owner who said their adoption journey was easy.
Every SS owner will tell you how hard they worked to get where they are. I worked hard but I know of owners who had to work much harder than I did. If you are still up to adopt one, then, welcome to the club. You chose a dog that will not just change your life but it will force you to grow you in ways you never imagined.
Adopting a Singapore Special is not for the faint-hearted. It’s for people who are prepared to take on a self-development journey.
Every person getting a new dog, be it first-time or experienced dog owners, would arrive at this question at some point during their decision-making process: What breed of dog should I get? There are the usual pedigree breeds that have been labelled as “family-friendly” like our adorable Golden Retrievers and “easy to train” Maltipoo cross-breeds which we have crossed paths with during one of our evening leisure walks. However, when one considers between adoption and getting their new furkid from a known breeder, a major deterrent against opting for adoption is the lack of information on the temperaments of Singapore Specials (SS) (our affectionate name for our kampong dogs, also known to many as “mongrels”, “mixed-breeds” or “strays”).
As a first-time owner, I too hesitated on adopting a dog because I simply did not know much about SS. It seemed like an easier option to buy a pedigree dog whose temperaments, quirks, prey drive, receptivity to training was already analysed and readily available on the Internet. On the other hand, searching up “Singapore Specials/mongrels” on Google left me with few to no results about the things to expect from owning an SS. Thus, I finally decided to write about my experiences with owning an SS and behaviours characteristic to SS in hopes that this article will raise more awareness about our beloved local dogs and many potential owners will consider adopting a Special as their future companion, and best friend.
Before diving into the particularities of Singapore Specials, I felt that I should introduce myself first so you could put a name and face to this article. I’m Sabrina and this is my best friend, and “grandchild” (according to my parents), Kyla.
Kyla at 6 months old and still a compulsive worry queen
Kyla is nearly 7 months old and my family had adopted her from Mercylight in July 2020. While I am currently abroad for my undergraduate studies, I had spent most of my days in Singapore prior to my departure caring for Kyla and thus I will be sharing my experiences from that period (currently, my family is caring for her and I receive regular updates on her growth). In the process of writing this article, I had also spoken to other SS owners to compare my experiences with them so as to give a more accurate representation of SS as a “breed”. Of course, given that SS were never specially bred for any purpose as was the case for many pedigree dogs, their personalities may differ from what I write so that should be kept in mind when you read my article.
So without further ado, what are Singapore Specials like?
Past experiences can mean fearfulness and skittishness
While some SS may have been rescued when they were only a few days old, many others are often introduced to shelter life and exposure to humans after months or years of roaming and scavenging for food. Having spent their entire lives hiding from humans and sleeping near construction sites or fields, this means that they have never experienced living with humans in apartments, eating from bowls, being touched nor walking on leash. Naturally, SS which have not socialised properly are more fearful and resistant to a change in the environment. While I was fortunate enough to have adopted Kyla when she was still very young and thus could socialise her to new environments fairly easily, many other SS owners have to restart the socialisation process. This usually implies slowly introducing “unnatural” elements to them, even the smallest things like the TV or rooms in the house. One SS owner had shared with me that her SS was still very skittish even after four months of being with her family and had stayed in the same room for almost two months. It takes constant repetition, exposure to the same environments over and over again for Specials to recognise that these spaces are safe. Adopting an SS means harnessing that mountain of patience to go slow, and to reassure them that humans, other dogs and even their reflection in the food bowl is nothing to be afraid of.
Be prepared for a high prey-driven dog
See that rat that just ran past the pavement? The flock of birds minding their business on the grass patch next to you? You better hold your leash tight. Singapore Specials are your diamonds in the rough when you consider them as hunting dogs. Over decades of surviving on their own, they have acquired an acute sense of smell and sight valuable for sourcing out food. It is in their nature to hunt down birds and other small animals. Even Kyla, who never had to scour for food on the streets, was very attracted to rats and birds that she spotted on our walks. She would whine and tug very strongly on the leash when we prevented her from going closer to the rat hidden in the grass. On one walk, Kyla had found a dead flattened rat on our road and picked it up like it was a precious chew (and you can guess who had to forcefully take the rat from her). The point is, expect that SS have a high prey drive and if you ever thought of letting that rabbit next door be her new best friend, you should probably think twice.
Reactivity and the importance of training
A similar point to how past experiences have shaped the personalities of Singapore Specials, another common characteristic to note is that SS have the tendency to be more reactive and sensitive to new people and dogs. In defining “reactivity”, I refer to behaviours such as growling, barking, and defensive stances. While Kyla is more sensitive towards people (barking) and very playful around other dogs, other SS I have met are reactive to the latter and easy-going with people. Then again, there are some Specials that are friendly to all and have no problems with interactions, so it may not be set in their personalities after all. Nevertheless, given the fact that they are generally more fearful and skittish, it would be a good idea to invest time into obedience training sessions to learn to manage their reactivity and to desensitise them to new environments. Group training sessions are useful as they allow you to practice managing SS around other dogs-in-training which provides a controlled environment for correcting their reactive behaviours.
happy girl passed her first obedience training!
Highly intelligent thinkers
Singapore Specials are very intelligent. Period. Their resilience cultivated from their survival instincts ultimately means that they are determined to crack that puzzle to obtain that bonus treat. It took Kyla approximately a month to figure out how to push the baby gate open to let herself up to the second and third floors of our house, and she was able to recognise her reflection in the mirror in our living room after one house visit (back when we were still in the process of adopting her). However, because SS are able to solve challenges fairly quickly, it is also important to engage them intellectually to ensure that they exercise their mental capacities. This may mean making them work for treats and spending some time engaging in challenging play (personally, I play hide and seek with Kyla to do so).
Your best bodyguard, a fiercely loyal buddy
Last but not the least, SS are your residential guard dogs. Their sensitivity to new environments is also a valuable asset that can be harnessed. Perhaps it is the fact that they are eternally grateful to you for giving them a furever home and a lifetime supply of tasty treats, but Specials will reward you with their unwavering loyalty after they gain trust in you. One day, I was waiting at the void deck for my family to buy dinner with Kyla. She laid down 1m in front of me and was calm when people walked past us and went about their day. However, when one man had approached me to ask about her, Kyla immediately stood up and barked at him, always putting herself between me and the man. This was when I had realised that Kyla’s barking was due to the fact that she primarily wanted to protect and not to display dominance and aggression. You can therefore say that SS are amazing guard dogs, and their alleged “hostility” should not be taken for aggression but their strong loyalty to their owners.
—-
If you have read till this point, thank you for your support and I sincerely hope this article has helped one or two potential dog owners to make an informed decision regarding their new family member. All I wish for is that this article sheds more light on the temperaments of Singapore Specials so that we remove the stigma regarding stray dogs and that many may consider adopting an SS now with better information on what raising an SS is like. 🙂
Many thanks to those who have helped contribute to this article in one way or another!
Hi! I’m Jamie, and this is my puppy, Mako. He’s a cutie Singapore Special and I adopted him from Purely Adoptions when he was 3 months old. Adopting him has been the best decision of my life.
boop! henlo!
But I won’t lie, the process of adopting a dog can be hard.
However, in this post, I hope to shed some light on parts of the adoption process, my experience, explain why the adoption procedure can be so tedious, and WHY it is necessary, but most importantly – WHY it is STILL WORTH IT. This is why we adopt and don’t shop.
It takes too long!
Yes, adoption can take a long time. Many of my friends have stated that when they tried to adopt, the AWGs (Animal Welfare Groups) took forever to get back to them. Yes, the responses can be slow sometimes but do consider all the other work that the AWGs are often really busy with. Many AWGs have endless to-do lists, such as taking in abandoned dogs, dogs put up for rehoming, urgent medical treatment for shelter dogs, rescuing stray dogs, trapping and neutering stray dogs to control the population, etc. etc. Many rescuers take in entire litters of puppies at a time. These puppies often have many health issues and the care required to keep the puppies alive is basically an around-the-clock commitment, and not all the puppies make it. Imagine the heartbreak of losing your dog. Now multiply that by the number of rescued puppies that don’t survive, and then by the number of litters rescuers take in. It’s a huge toll and so I hope you understand when AWGs take more time than pet shops to respond. They just have so much to do!
Moreover, keep in mind how hard 2020 has been for AWGs that can no longer hold adoption drives, fundraising events, or have volunteers over during the Circuit Breaker to help with shelter care. As much as we want to adopt WFH companions as soon as possible, do consider that there is a lot going on behind the scenes.
But they do get back to you eventually! One key thing you must have when you want to adopt is persistence. Don’t stop at enquiring at one AWG, enquire at others too. You will get a response if you keep trying.
When I started my search for my forever furkid, I began with the first AWG I knew of SPCA. However, SPCA has limited dogs available for adoption. I couldn’t find one that really spoke to me and applications were not even open because of high demand during Circuit Breaker!
So I kept digging. I only knew of a couple AWGS at that time, like SPCA and Save Our Street Dogs (SOSD). Perhaps you’re the same. But in reality, there are many, many, many AWGs out there with dogs that need a home! Here is a list of all the AWGs I looked at when looking for my furever furkid:
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA)
Action for Singapore Dogs (ASD)
Save Our Street Dogs (SOSD)
Mercylight Animal Sanctuary
F7 Home Kennel
Oasis Second Chance Animal Shelter (OSCAS)
Voices for Animals (VFA)
Animal Lovers League (ALL)
Causes For Animals
Forget Me Not Dog Shelter
Exclusively Mongrels (EM)
Purely Adoptions (not last because of importance, last because this is where I found my furbabe! There are also several more I have not mentioned here!)
dav
Yes, it can take a long time. But consider this: what is a few months delay when you are potentially adopting a companion who will be by your side for 10-15 years?
Why is the process so tough?
Even as determined as I was to adopt, I still found the research process was long and tedious. I messaged many shelters via their social media and received no replies for some. And even when I got through, there were just so many dogs that needed a home! How to choose? Eventually, I started submitting applications to a few AWGs, shortlisting a few dogs from each shelter that I seemed to like, hoping to meet them. (I applied for like, 8 dogs each from ASD and Mercylight!)
Here comes the discouraging part.
One shelter rejected me because all the dogs I was interested in were either already adopted, on homestay, or they did not want to let me adopt because they were skittish and I am a first-time dog owner. I couldn’t even meet the dog! I was really discouraged. But all I could do was keep trying.
Why continue? Well, just look at that long list of AWGs above! There are so many places you can try applying to. I think some people are not aware that there are so many AWGs in Singapore helping to rehome dogs, and don’t look for dogs there, especially for the smaller AWGs. If one rejects you, just try again! Some people are discouraged because of the HDB restrictions on many dogs up for adoption, and thus choose to buy HDB approved breeds instead. However, keep trying! There are many HDB-approved size Singapore Specials waiting for a home! Voices For Animals is an AWG that rehomes a lot of smaller sized dogs!
But why are AWGs so strict?
At the heart of it all, the AWGs primary concern is the welfare of the dogs. Think of it this way, it’s basically as important as adopting a child, but this child will depend on you all their life, and they have no voice to speak out if they are in a less than the optimal home environment. The AWGs just want to make sure the dogs go to a suitable home. The last thing anyone wants is for a family to abandon or return a dog they adopted because they realise they weren’t ready or suited for the dog. This is HIGHLY traumatic for the abandoned/returned dog and makes it even harder for them to be adopted in the future. That’s why they ask so many questions, so thoroughly check your home, and so carefully evaluate whether you are suitable. They have the dog’s welfare at heart.
But I don’t get to pick my dream dog…
We all love the smiley golden retrievers and adorable butt-shaking corgis. But at the end of the day, all dog owners know that they don’t love their dog for their breed, they love their dog for their dog’s pupsonality and the personal connection they feel with their dog. This is possible too, and with adoption, you really get the chance to find the right companion for you.
With adoption, the rehomers want their dogs to go to good homes, so they will help you find a dog that is a good match for you. Confession: Mako was not my first choice dog. There was a 1.5-year-old SS from another shelter I REALLY wanted to adopt, but he was massive, 30kg, and the shelter decided they did not think he was suitable for my first-timer family and I had to give up. However, the happy ending is that I feel like it was fate because I cannot imagine my life without my Mako now.
A shelter dog can be your dream dog too. Just give them that chance to connect with you.
Look how adorable he is with this toy I gave him on his first night home
Some people think that adopting a dog from a shelter means that you don’t know whether they are sick or have behavioural issues. THIS IS A BIG MISCONCEPTION. In fact, AWGs are likely to fully disclose if a dog has any issues and REALLY check that you are okay with these before letting you adopt. They have no vested interest in forcing you to adopt a dog you will have to give up later. They want the furkid to find their forever home too. When I wanted to adopt Mako, his rehomer at Purely Adoptions warned me extensively about the downsides of puppy raising, like the biting and the destruction, and the issues with skittish puppies. Only when I was fully agreeable and fully aware of what I was getting myself into, did she proceed to discuss with me viewing of puppies. I am so grateful she gave me that chance. Mako was a skittish, timid puppy who has blossomed into a loving, manja boy who loves cuddles and his humans, and all his doggy friends!
Why, how, can such a process still be worth it?
In my opinion? Yes. Here’s my take:
The dog chooses you. Unlike buying a puppy, where you sometimes don’t get to interact with the puppy much before taking it home, you do know the dog’s personality, quirks, and potential issues before you have to decide whether to bring it into your family. And when a dog has chosen you and imprinted on you, the bond you feel is unspeakable.
You save lives. This is the most important point. All the work, at the end of the day, is worth it because you are SAVING LIVES. A dog that struggles to find its next meal on the streets, that lives in fear of unfriendly humans and urban traffic, has the chance to live in the comfort of a home, loved and well-fed, knowing they will be taken care of for as long as they shall live. When you adopt, you free up space for another dog to take its place in the shelter. At minimum, you save two lives by adopting.
You are very thoroughly supported through the adoption process, before, during, even after the papers are signed. That is in my experience, though I’ve heard similar from other adopters. Before the adoption, I could ask as many questions as I wanted. I felt bad but the fosterer and my contact point at Purely Adoptions were so kind and always ready to help me. During the trial homestay, they checked in to see how my family was doing, and check on how Mako was handling the transition. Even now, months after the adoption, whenever I have issues with Mako, such as fear, aggression, diarrhoea, I can always go to them to ask for help and advice (let me know in the comments if I should do an article on my experience with adopting a fearful puppy!). They are able to connect me to good sources of help. I got to meet Mako’s rescuer, who is also his pawma’s stray feeder, and she connected me to DawkStar, the most incredible doggy daycare that took Mako in for a week to teach him how to walk on leash despite his leash fear+aggression and socialise him. If the trial period for you does not work out, there is no judgement. The AWGs will help you find a dog suitable for your family. So the dog you adopt in the end, there is a higher chance that they are suited for you, compared to the odds when picking up a puppy you don’t know at all (unsuitable families for puppies, not unsuitable puppies, are often the cause of puppy abandonment later)
Yes, your dog will love you so much. You are your dog’s entire world. Mako runs to greet me at the door whenever I return from work, demands to play with me, excitedly comes to me when I call him and wants to cuddle whenever I am around. Some say he is lucky to have me adopt him, but I think it goes the other way. Through the whole adoption process, I am lucky to have him. Thank you, Purely Adoptions, for bringing him into my life, which has forever been changed for the better.
mako hopes you have a wonderful day!
So this is a bit of a long read, but I do hope it sheds some light on the adoption process, for those interested to adopt a dog. If you want a puppy, yes there are puppies out there that need a home. However, take your time to find the right one for you. It is worth it. You may spend a few months in the process of adopting, but a dog is for life. What are a few months, when the result is a wonderful companion that will be with you for the next 10-15 years?
If you are interested to hear my experience adopting Mako and how my journey has been as a first-time owner, adopting a Singapore Special puppy, let me know in the comments below so I can write about it!
When my husband and I were moving into our new home, we both knew that our home will not be complete without a dog; He had grown up with one while I have always wanted one. We were dreaming of all the moments we would share with our furry companion, and while we never regretted our decision to adopt Talia, I wish I knew these things (to prep myself mentally) before adopting a dog:
You’re Gonna Spend A Lot of Money I thought I would be a chill pawrent, and she’s just gonna get the basics. She’s gonna sleep on the IKEA bath mat (recommended to us by the shelter), eat her kibbles, and probably have just a leash, collar and a couple of toys under her name. Well, I thought wrong. Talia currently has two beds (she even had a Sealy dog bed at one point which I sold at a loss because she decided that she doesn’t want to sleep on it), one crate, a boxful of toys, more leashes and collars than she needed, and enjoys a home-cooked diet and pet treats. But that’s not all.
There are vet visits, both scheduled and unscheduled ones that will happen. If you think a visit to the doctor is expensive, a trip to the vet is even more so. While I know roughly how much the yearly check-up visits would cost, it’s the unpredictable trips to the vet that really burn a hole in my pockets. After one acute pancreatitis episode, I now set aside a rainy day fund for Talia for such unpredictable situations!
What’s more, if you don’t own a car, the cost of bringing your dog out for fun activities is even higher. Before we had a car, I had to get a GrabPet ride everywhere to take Talia out to fun experiences. A trip to the beach to and fro could easily come up to $30, and if excursions are a frequent thing, things would quickly add up.
Do Not Expect Your Dog To Be Like Other Dogs When we first got Talia, we wondered why she was so different from what we expected of a dog. She didn’t care much for other dogs when we are out on walks, and she doesn’t engage in play with dogs even if we bring her to the dog park. It took me a while to come to terms that she has her own personality, and that she takes a while to warm up to other dogs. Even then, she only has a small group of doggy friends that she would initiate play with.
Extended Travel or Weeknight Plans Will Be A Thing Of The Past
Before we had Talia, going away for extended periods of time was no issue. Now, we don’t go away longer than 2 weeks, firstly because our family members are taking turns to dog-sit her, and secondly, I would miss her far too much. We also used to have dates on weeknights, but we no longer do so because she needs to be taken out for her potty breaks as she’s grass-trained, and she would be starving since she only had her meal more than 12 hours ago. Unless a family member can come in to take care of her on our behalf on weeknights, weeknight plans are now history.
Training Doesn’t Stop, Ever
I thought passing the obedience test required for dogs under Project ADORE would be the end of all the training that’s required. Most people usually stop there (and so would I), but after Talia developed separation anxiety and also ran out of my workplace once, so I decided to engage a trainer to help her with that, and to work on her recall. We are done with the second round of training, but we still go for classes and talks to learn more about dog handling and understanding Talia better. We train because I want to be able to take her out everywhere with me. Everyday, we still practise what we have learnt and occasionally teach her new things to keep it interesting for her!
If You Choose To Feed A Home-Cooked Diet, Make Sure It’s Nutritionally Balanced
We didn’t manage to transition Talia to a kibble diet because she was a picky eater, and partly because she was fed a diet of rice and pork when she was at the factory. She is used to fresh food, and we decided to keep it that way.
What we learnt from our first trainer was that the food intake should be about 2-3% of her body weight so we kept that in mind when we prepared her meals. In terms of her diet, she got eggs, brown rice, carrots, minced pork/beef. However when she started to itch and scratch more, we decided to do an elimination food trial to determine the source of her itch.
The vet recommended us to start with a protein that she hasn’t tried before, and duck was our option at that point. We started giving her minced duck, she was just enjoying it, and I only realised my folly when she started having black tarry stools and vomiting. She was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis, and after the vet gave us the all-clear, I decided to engage a nutritionist to design her diet and conduct the elimination food trial at the same time in a safe way. That’s when I realised that while we want to feed our dogs fresh food, it is important that it’s nutritionally balanced to avoid unnecessary health problems.
You Will Learn A Lot Of Things
If you wish to give your dog the best life possible, you would probably be on a lifelong journey to acquire knowledge and to understand your dog better. I’ve learnt things I never knew before like how to trim a dog’s nails, to prepare kefir and even animal communication. I enjoy learning so, yay for us!
We hear the phrase all too often; ‘Adopt, don’t shop.’ Out of all the posts for adoption I encountered, one of them deeply caught my attention. An owner looking in desperation to re-home her cats or they will be handed over to the shelters. Behind that cute fluffy faces and mighty paws, a touching story began to unfold as we got to know the cats better. Because of the circumstances, we weren’t given ample time to let the cats get used to our “scents”. There were not much time to fully prepare for their arrivals but hey, I remembered how excited and nervous we were!
Separation anxiety commonly occurs when a cat is too attached to its owner or a pet buddy during the course of separation. As first time cat owners, my husband and I read some articles to gain knowledge so we can be responsible pawrents to our adopted furbabies. What we didn’t read on was, if separation anxiety is real for such an independently known animal.
Our Experience
On the first night with our furbabies, they were shivering and barely touch the food served. One of them got scared till he peed on the cat carrier and refused to move away from it. Both of our furbabies began to lay on top of one another, as if hugging each other tightly. Occasionally one of them would lick the other’s head, as a form of comforting. We learnt of their close bonding with their former owners, through updates via text messages. With a wishful of happy thoughts and all the information we had on hand, we saw progress. Miraculously, both of them started to show positive behaviours as the third day gone by.
We strongly encourage all keen adopters to do a little research before adopting. Understanding the cats you’re bringing home plays an important factor in their emotional stability later on. The more you understand your furbabies, the higher chances of bridging the gap of bonding they once had with their former owner.
The common signs in cats with separation anxiety include excessive Meow-ing, rejecting food, urinate and even poop outside their designated litter. One of the ways we tried to ensure smooth transition for our furbabies was to use some of their former belongings and place it into our home. We ensured both cats receive plenty of quality time. It seemed to work well for them. Take time to get to know their characteristics, their likes and dislikes. We promise, it just gets better each day! Getting vertical scratching posts and tall cat condo also help to provide a sense of security for cats.
We are no experts in handling separation anxiety but hope that sharing our experiences will help cat owners, especially a greenhorn like us! If you have tried all means to treat your furbabies and the signs persist, it is always recommended to see a vet when in doubt. After all, putting yourself at ease allows you to make the right choices for both you and your new furbabies. Good luck!
“Rescuing one cat won’t change the world, but it will change the world for one cat.” – Unknown
I became a volunteer in 2018 at The Right To Live (TRTL) dog shelter, and have been volunteering there ever since. Many people have asked me what it’s like to volunteer at a dog shelter. They wonder about the friendliness of the dogs, what I do to care for them and how the environment is like. Thus, I thought I would pen down my experience as a volunteer in hopes of encouraging animal lovers like yourself to support local shelters!
What kind of dogs do you care for?
Manja and I at Jurong Lake Garden Dog Run ❤️ (*taken before COVID-19)
“Are there any puppies at the shelter?” is a popular question I often receive. It is a misconception that most dogs you will meet at shelters are purebred young pups. They are mostly mongrels (aka Singapore specials), which refer to dogs who are bred on the streets. Singapore specials are commonly rescued from construction sites or sadly, families who have abandoned them. As they are a product of different dog breeds, Singapore specials do not look like purebred dogs. Despite their differences in appearance, they are no different from any other purebred dogs. Every Singapore special that I have met have their unique quirks, just like Manja in the photo above who REALLY loves her belly rubs.
“Dear hooman, rub my belly please… “
What do you do at the shelter?
Toffee giving me paw-fives ?
TRTL houses over more than 120 dogs. At our shelter, volunteers can walk and bath the dogs. The scope of work for volunteers may vary for different shelters but most shelters primarily need more volunteers to help with walking and bonding. As Singapore specials spend most of their days cooped up in their kennels, they do not get to make many hooman friends. Therefore, they get SUPER excited when they meet volunteers. Like many pet dogs out there, Singapore specials take time to warm up to new faces. The longer you commit, the better they will get to know you. One problem shelters face is finding regular volunteers who would stick around for long. These dogs need to foster a sense of familiarity with humans.
How is the shelter environment like?
Other TRTL volunteers ? (*taken before COVID-19)
When I first started, I had to gain the trust of many dogs at the shelter. Dog shelters house many dogs with different temperaments. Due to past experiences, some dogs may take more time to open up than others. Nothing wrong with requiring that extra boost of patience and T.L.C (tender, loving, care) right? What inspired me to continue my volunteer work at the dog shelter was witnessing how much I could brighten a dog’s day. Their smiles, hugs and antics keep me going.
“Not today hooman”
In a nutshell, many shelters in Singapore are looking for passionate helping hands to help care for our beloved Singapore specials. Besides joining volunteering programs, there are other thoughtful ways in which you can support local shelters. You could choose to adopt and not shop for a pet or become a dog sponsor. My volunteering journey has certainly been a fulfilling one, and I hope that it has sparked some inspiration in you to start your journey as well!
I’m sharing with you guys our journey with Kobe; our 3 legged Mongrel a.k.a Singapore Special. He was found with his left hind leg severed below its knee; and a huge maggot wound behind his back. The cause of his injuries until today is unclear. Rescuers managed to get him to the vet, and it was determined after a specialist’s assessment that amputation of his hindlimb is essential to improve his quality of life.
Maggot Wound
Severed Limb
We apologise for the graphic content!
However, Kobe recovered quickly from the surgery under the loving care of his foster parents. Shortly after, we took him in and adopted Kobe as part of our family. He has always been such a happy go lucky doggo!
Doing tricks!
As this is our first experience loving and caring for a 3-legged dog, there are of course many factors you must consider before adopting a pet that may or may not have any special requirements. We did our own research and was mentally prepared to take up a lifetime challenge/responsibility of providing to the best of our ability to ensure Kobe has an enriched life.
Through the months we had Kobe, like any other dog owners out there, we had our fair share of struggles, trials and errors. But through those tough times were lessons that taught us patience to understand the reasons for Kobe’s behaviours and actions. Through these experiences, these are some of the important highlights to take note of:
Keep tripod doggo slim!
According to the Vet and Therapist; The most common health issue with a three legged pet is that they may develop arthritis earlier than other pets.
Because of his missing hind limb; weight bearing on both his front limbs, can result in increased muscle tension of his biceps and triceps.
Thats because more stress is placed on his remaining joints, hence, more wear and tear in the future. Therefore, it is very important to keep them healthy and slim, so as to not have any additional joint stresses from excess weight. A Balanced diet is the key!
Since maintaining a healthy weight is important, its important to strengthen the core muscles! Using balance discs is one good way of strengthening the stomach’s muscles.
However we should take extra care to not overdo any exercise or prolonged walking. It is important to look out for signs of fatigue – Kobe would suddenly sit halfway during his walks and that meant he had reached his limit for the day.
It is also important to avoid ACL injuries (anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) as it is one of the key ligaments that help stabilise the knee joints) on their remaining limbs!
It is highly recommended to consider consulting a Veterinary rehabilitation therapist for advise on how to protect and strengthen their remaining limbs!
We apply it every night before he sleeps after his night walk.
It helps if you shave off your pet’s excessive paw pad fur so that dirt does not get trapped in between their toes and they don’t slip as easy while walking or running around the house!
Ensure there are not too many slippery surfaces in the house.
If you have slippery surfaces like wood, tiles or marble, covering these surfaces with rugs or baby foam mats helps especially when they are busy happily running or playing! As 3 legged dogs have less balance, extra care is needed to prevent them from slipping, as they are more prone to injuries.
Lucky us, our floor is made of overlay Vinyl instead of regular tiles.
It would also benefit them by providing raised water/food bowls, to avoid prolonged neck bending while drinking or having their meal!
We bring Kobe out on fun walks, swims on beach days and dog parks to allow him to socialise with other people and dog buddies!
Having a 3 legged dog does not stop them from their ability to engage in normal activities a dog would do. Kobe loves to have his daily zoomies around the house with his cat brothers & sisters. He excitedly jumps up and down the sofa whenever he is most happy about something.
Having lost his hind limb a such a young age, he has adapted the use of his remaining hind limb growing up. He behaves like any other normal happy dog would, and probably thinks other dogs are weird for having an extra hind limb.
“How much time is enough time before we decide that this is not going anywhere?”
“I don’t think I can do this. I don’t know how else to help her.”
“Do you think she’ll ever love us?”
“Will she be like this forever? What if this is the real her and she’s going to be permanently this way?”
“What if she likes being a stray more and being at home is not what she wants?”
These are just some of the honest questions that have come up since Mayo came into our lives.
Ever heard of the 3-3-3 rule when it comes to adopting a rescue dog? Do a simple search and google will tell you most rescue dogs follow this 3-3-3 rule.
Credit: rescuedogs101.com
They say the first 3 days the dog would probably be shut down. After 3 weeks the dog more comfortable, and after 3 months the dog is completely comfortable.
We didn’t understand. We watched every Youtube video there was, we even read books, we read 10000001 articles to prepare ourselves but nothing worked. Nothing was relatable and Mayo went against all the rules and training tips we’ve watched/read. Although there was strong support from the Singapore Specials community on Instagram (for which I am so so thankful for), we didn’t come across any account we could really relate with that understood what we went through, or had a dog remotely like Mayo. We felt incredibly lonely in our journey because we had no answers.. There were a ton of doubts and uncertainties, and besides sharing them on Instagram we were pretty helpless and hopeless on most days.
The Lows..
It’s hard to pinpoint an exact lowest because everyday seemed to be an accumulation of the whirlwind of emotions we experienced. The first 2 weeks we barely slept. There were nights Mayo howled and cried (?) for hours straight in the middle of the night. Whenever we got up to walk in her direction in first 1 month, she would literally shiver & cower even though we didn’t give any eye contact or said a word. We..just..walked.. She was probably so stressed out that she had violent seizures in her sleep the first month or so. We were worried it was a neurological problem and that made us sleepless and watched the camera monitor every night but thankfully it went away as she got more comfortable.
We are not proud to say this but in the spirit of sharing, we also actually lost Mayo, TWICE, within the first 2 months. She got spooked by a sudden sound, lodged herself behind one of those things along on the road and the leash flew from my hand. I spent 30 mins looking for her under ditches, construction sites, bushes.. but guess what? I got a text from our neighbourhood chat that Mayo was at our HDB lift lobby. Our regular cleaner uncle took her up and tied her to our gate. When I lost her I heard voices of our volunteers in my head, “If Mayo this kind get lost, confirm cannot find one!” But although she was still frightened of us, she chose to go back home – my guess is she knew it was safe and choose us over living on the streets alone. Still blows me away how she knew the way home especially since there have been so many stories of lost dogs that never find their way home.
Photo sent by neighbour who spotted her downstairs.
Cleaner uncle who recognized her brought her up and tied her to our gate.
She definitely regressed especially on walks after that because her confidence was shaken – mine was too. She was constantly pulling on leash and wanting to go home. I was at my wits end and so highly discouraged because it just seem more and more like she won’t break out of this fear cycle. Then one day… a fellow dog owner told me fearful dogs need a confident leader. They can sense our anxiety and i guess she knew. If I could I would avoid walking her because I was insecure and worried that I would lose her again. That afternoon I picked up the leash, puffed my chest, took a deep breath and said ‘Mayo, come!’. Lo and behold, she came. This time I kept my head up, and when she pulled ahead out of fear, I stopped. I took a step ahead of her, deep breath, and continued walking. Like magic, she calmed down and we had a good walk. Positive reinforcement, pack leader, whatever 100001 other training theories bla bla bla – you do you. Mayo was so scared of me she wouldn’t take treats from me – we barely have a relationship yet, so how to reinforce? How to reduce the threshold when she goes from 0-100 in an instant. I can’t predict what & who we meet on our walks. I could only assure her that you know what, I got this. I know where we are going, and I dont need her to worry about bicycles, traffic, runners incoming. Just follow me, you will be fine. #letthemsniff they say.. I would love to let Mayo sniff. When she is confident to sniff, I let her sniff. But i noticed that when she walks ahead of me, she is more easily triggered and reacts in fear perhaps because she feels like she is defenseless and has no clue how to respond to all these new triggers. Now, even though she is so much more confident on walks and typically walks ahead of me, when she sees something that makes her worry, she still comes back to me and allows me to take over in a particularly unsure situation.
But above all, I found it most challenging to see Mayo not being a dog. Don’t get me wrong, she was a good dog! She didn’t whine, she doesn’t bark (well now she does!!), she doesn’t pee & poo at home, she sleeps, she eats. But, she wasn’t a dog. We were told to give her time. But as the days went by and we saw minimal to no progress, we wondered how much time is enough? How much time does she need? What can we do? What if she is simply just like this?
So what made us press on? What lessons have we learnt?
I mean there were days that our anxiety skyrocketed through the roof and it seemed like every tiny thing sends her into a frenzy and we have to walk on egg shells around her for fear of making her regress and more fearful. Some days maybe we took things too far and she was stressed. Some days maybe she was triggered by an aggressive dog. And as humans we become so consumed by our own human worries. But like everybody says, dogs live in the moment. I used to think ‘oh no, Mayo got scared. she hates me. she’s going to hate me.’ NO SHE’S NOT. The next morning, she’s ok already. Give your dogs some credit, and cut yourself some slack! Don’t be too hard on yourself – it’s something I remind myself everyday. She proves to us day after day how resilient she is.
The Highs!
With every low, we have to remember there will also be highs 🙂
Definitely one of the highs was the first time Mayo left her bed to come to the dining table to sniff. We were having curry chicken. Curry seemed to have a magical effect on Mayo – curry makes mayo brave haha. Came to find out later on that actually her rescuer/feeder fed her packets of curry chicken rice occasionally for 6 months! Now Mayo has an upgrade and has doggy-safe curry made with love filled with greek yogurt, capsicum, turmeric & chicken.
During circuit breaker I (mama) had a lot more time to work with Mayo. Started off by tossing yummy treats around the house to encourage her to move around the house. Little by little, I think maybe 3 months into her adoption in May, she started becoming a little more ‘kaypoh’ and confident to come sniff when there’s food on the table. Little signs of her becoming more like a dog.
mayo with her paws on the table demanding for curry
One of my biggest highs, was the day mayo learnt to sit. It took us a grand total of 6 months and because she was so fearful of me, I couldnt use any treats to lure her into a sit like most people do. Neither could I touch her butt to push her down because she was fearful and usually out of reach anyway haha – this dog observes safe distancing very well. I shared on my Instagram that the ‘Sit’ command is literally one of the first things that people teach their dogs. It seems like a no-brainer thing and ya, we were a bit ‘FOMO’ that mayo doesn’t know a single ‘trick’. But hey!!!!!! we took 5 months, but we still got there eventually. Yea we might take longer, but not about the destination but the journey correct? Hehe as at September 10th 2020, she already knows ‘down’, ‘sit’, ‘paw’, ‘chin’, ‘touch’ and ‘bow’. Again, none of these were learnt through luring with treats, or through simply grabbing their paw/chin etc. We ‘captured’ the behavior! Like a camera! Don’t underestimate your fearful dog! Whenever she did the behavior on her own e.g sit, or lie down – we will use a verbal cue e.g SIT and mark it with a marker. Anyway…. ahahaha ok I won’t go into too much detail about the training – next post ok?
Mayo in a ‘down.’
TLDR;
Hahahaha, in summary…… Don’t sweat it if your dog doesn’t follow the ‘rules’. Even after 7 months, Mayo has yet to fully trust us. She still hides from us when we come home but everyday we are seeing new sides of her. But 7 months ago it seemed like an impossible feat for her to me lying beside us. Yet today we can play with her, and she will occassionally willingly lie next to us. If you have a dog like Mayo, I just want to say you are not alone. You might not feel like your dog loves you yet, but remember that it ends with .. YET. Someday I believe they will. I am still telling myself all these everyday while I encourage others. We are all still work in progress and I look forward to the day I can upload a video of Mayo excitedly wagging her tail when she sees us.
Till the next time, I hope you take comfort and pride in your own adoption journey.
