Dog Walking

I met a new American friend here in Singapore. Ana, I met her at the Gaelic Dragon bbq and we got along great. She invited me to volunteer to help walk dogs at a place near the airport. I told her I would love to, so we exchanged numbers and set the date for today (2/12/12).

This morning I got the call and was very excited. I met up with Ana at the MRT station that was in the middle between ours. We got some coffee and hailed a taxi. Once we got there I was in shock. We were not volunteering for the ASPCA because that company was so full that it had a waiting list to volunteer (found that out a couple of months ago). Ana found this place because she found out about the ASPCA problem and just googled volunteering dog walking and found the place we went to.

The reason why I was in such shock was because there were a lot of dogs, there must have been over 100 dogs. There were different sections caged off. Some dogs didn't get along with others so they had to stay in the kennel. Ana reminded me to walk with confidence and show the dogs who was in control. There were dogs that were disabled and dogs who were sick and dogs who just needed homes. It was so sad to see this many dogs but I was happy I could do my part and help them out, even if it was just walking them.

We went to one kennel, Sky's, because Ana has grown an attachment with him. He had already been walked so we gave him a bath instead. Now if I knew this was going to be an option I would have worn my gym clothing instead of shorts and tank. But oh well, I had to do laundry anyways. This dog was very hyper, jumped all over and mouthed. It was a little nerve racking but I was good when Ana was in the kennel because you could tell they had a bond, He just loved her.

After his bath we went out and cleaned off and was asked to clean the puppies that were in the kennel in the front. Oh My Gosh did these puppies melt my heart. They were so adorable. We had to use medicated shampoo and noticed that one of the puppies had a swollen stomach, they said it was because of worms but I am not so sure about that. When we were in there the puppies were just loves. One just kept jumping up and nipping playfully at my pants, being a puppy really. The other one with the swollen belly was not so energetic but was loving just the same. We were told they did not like water, and it was true. But once we just started petting them while washing them down the pups were fine.

It broke my heart that the sweet puppies were in this small kennel. Once we left all they did was sit by the door, they didn't bark or anything, they just looked so pitiful. I wanted to take them home!

After that we had time to wash one more dog. We got Tommy, he was not allowed around other dogs but was okay with humans. Ana and I were a little hesitant to go in because the dog showed no emotion, no tail wagging, no barking, no nothing. But one of the other volunteers said not to be too hesitant and reminded us of the Dog Whisperer (lol). So I gained my confidence and went in, Ana followed behind. I finally got on his level and just started scratching his head and he seemed fine. We got to washing and man there was hair everywhere. Apparently it had been awhile since the dog had gotten washed. Once we were done I wanted to brush him out because there was so much hair. I did that and again, no emotion. It made me sad and wonder what happened to that pup.

After we left and said our goodbyes I started thinking about the dogs on the way home. It made me feel so sad, how many places like this were there around Singapore? People buy from pet stores and yet all these dogs need homes. I know there is this problem around the world but I had never seen a place like this before with so many dogs. It is heartbreaking but I am glad that I could help brighten a dogs day by walking or bathing them. I don't know how to explain the emotions I am going though with the place. There is no inside where they have relief from the heat, they are outside all the time, but maybe they are use to that. I do want to go back and help out but I am sure I will want to bring a pup home.

This also makes me think of our Bandit boy. We treat him like he is our son and being around all the dogs made me miss our boy that much more.