Adopt, not shop.
With so many stray and shelter dogs out there, it only makes sense to adopt (if you’re in the market for a canine companion, that is). If you’re not convinced, here are some of the reasons you should:
- When you buy a dog from a pet store, you may be supporting cruel puppy mills – you can see the effect it has on dogs because some of these ‘breeding dogs’ end up in dog shelters.
- You may want a specific breed of dog, but not all are born in Singapore – they’re shipped from countries like Australia, meaning you’re also contributing to carbon emission.
- Some Singapore Specials can even be smarter than some purebred dogs.
- Purebred toy dogs tend to bark way more than shelter dogs.
- Most of the older shelter dogs are already toilet-trained.
- If you live in an HDB, you can adopt larger Singapore Specials under Project ADORE – they are already obedience-trained.
- You can also find puppies at shelters, not just older dogs.
Even if you can’t adopt, you can also foster them for a limited time in order to ease the burden at various shelters. And who knows – you may even fall in love with your new buddy.
There are many volunteer dog rescue organisations in Singapore, all requiring public donations to continue their mission to rescue and rehome street dogs.
One such organisation is SOSD which is making a big move from East to West, and therefore hopes to raise funds for the renovation of their new pet shelter. Also, if you feel that you are able to provide a happy home for some of these furbabies in SOSD, here are some that are up for adoption:
Duncan may be old, but he behaves very much like a big puppy!
Faith is a clever girl – as long as you whip out those treats.
Little Vienna has been growing up in the shelter, and is a very sweet and affectionate girl.
Adopting, fostering, or even sponsoring a shelter pet is an extremely rewarding experience. You can check out SOSD’s other furbabies here.
All GIFs provided by Ubersnaps, a GIF-printing photo booth.
