The Final Days of a Neglected Street Dog in Singapore
Save Our Street Dogs, an animal rescue group in Singapore, took him home and showed him tenderness. In the heartbreaking video, the group posted on YouTube, they film Ol Boy in the state they found him. Born on the streets, he survived on air conditioning water and leftovers given to him by the local shopkeepers. Weak from years of neglect, he could not stand up. The group wrapped him in newspapers and brought him to a vet for treatment. They found hundreds of ticks had burrowed into his skin, eventually resulting in tick fever. His teeth were warped and broken and he required an emergency blood infusion. He had numerous infections and possibly cancer, but remained sweet and loving, even while his body wrenched in agony. It was not long after that they realized that Ol Boy wasn’t just sick, he was dying. But rather than put him down, they took him home and let him rest in a warm, loving environment for the first time. ‘We stayed by his side, patting him whenever he cried in discomfort,’ the group said in their video. ‘That was all he wanted.’ The other dogs in the home stayed vigil over him as well, nuzzling him when he needed comfort. One night at 2 a.m., he suddenly sat up and drank water for the final time. He passed away peacefully at 4 a.m. His caretakers covered him in rose petals, wrapped his paws around a single sunflower and said goodbye. In an emotional ceremony, they scattered his ashes in an open field, where can finally run free. Save Our Street Dogs hopes that by sharing Ol Boy’s story with the world they can help other dogs in need. ‘Our mission is to save our street dogs to the best of our ability, and give them a chance in life,’ the group says on their website. They are a group of volunteers, banded together by a common passion to provide for the street dogs of Singapore. They have no funding nor a shelter, so their rescue efforts are constrained by their resources and manpower. ‘It will take the strength of the community to effect change for the welfare of our street dogs,‘ they say. ‘Every hand will help rescue efforts reach a little further.’
