The glass doors were locked for the day and BP express - as we have come to affectionately refer to our four wheeled drive - hit the road so we can all say hi to the many woofs and meows residing at the Animal Lovers League (ALL) in Sungei Tengah (a place some might describe to be on the other side of the world 🤷).
With the unmistakable scent of pee, we were greeted by doggos of all kinds - shy, scared, playful, frail, young, excited, old, doggo with 3 legs, doggo labeled dangerous, doggo abandoned, doggo with skin issues, doggo with perfect skin, you name it, they were all there and probably still are.
Excited doggos
Parked in their kennels, it was quite obvious the animals could do with a walk, so walk them we did. Led by one of our colleagues who happens to be one of the many dedicated volunteers of ALL, we took the doggos out for a quick walkabout. For those who welcomed our presence in their space a little more, we also proceeded to clip their nails - this was undoubtedly a grooming win for us.
Happy doggos!
Grooming win!
The time we spent there was short, but we know the same cannot be said for the hundreds of animals who would be waking up within the confines of a kennel for many days, weeks, months even years to come. Unless of course the status quo changes. The status quo will change when more of us come to realise and understand a very basic concept that all dogs are essentially dogs.
Regardless of size, breed, eye colour, fur length, height, a dog will wag its tail (if a tail is missing the butt will take its place) and love you all the same. (Yes, this is a verified point).
This is why shelter doggos are really no different from a store bought puppy. They all spark joy and this joy is independent of the dog’s breed.
This is not to sugarcoat the reality. The reality is, to successfully coexist with a four legged creature and bask in the resulting joy, there is going to be some level of commitment and effort required on your part. This is the reality whether you buy a dog from a store or adopt a dog from the shelter. If store bought doggos are easier to care for, abandonment and the sights of pure breeds/ special breeds in the shelters will not be commonplace.
This is joy right here
Time is of the essence, and the time for a change is now. Although walking into a store to get a puppy sounds like the easiest way to get a four-legged family member, the sheer volume of animals waking up in shelters right at this moment is reason enough to put in that extra effort.
So if you are that person who is looking for that special four-legged family member, these shelters have plenty of them impatiently waiting to join your family.
If we can help an animal live the best life he or she could possibly have, why don’t we?
Doggos being doggos 🐶
This non-exhaustive list brings you to the adoption procedures of just some of the many animal welfare groups in Singapore, we hope you find this compilation useful🤗