[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/give-a-senior-pet-a-loving-home-2\/#NewsArticle","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/give-a-senior-pet-a-loving-home-2\/","headline":"Give a senior pet a loving home","name":"Give a senior pet a loving home","description":"Meet Macs, a 15-year-old poodle currently residing at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Singapore. Macs was given up last October when his family\u2019s human child developed an allergy to his fur. What a good boy. (Photo courtesy of SPCA Singapore) Apart from his own few skin issues, Macs remains a […]","datePublished":"2021-11-26","dateModified":"2022-04-16","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/author\/rachel-teng\/#Person","name":"Rachel Teng","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/author\/rachel-teng\/","identifier":367,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/Rachel_Teng-100x100.jpg","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/Rachel_Teng-100x100.jpg","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"TheHomeGround Asia","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/photo_2021-07-22-222533.jpeg","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/photo_2021-07-22-222533.jpeg","width":640,"height":640}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/Credit-SPCA-Singapore_1920x1080px.jpg","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/Credit-SPCA-Singapore_1920x1080px.jpg","height":900,"width":1600},"url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/give-a-senior-pet-a-loving-home-2\/","about":["Community","Local","Singapore"],"wordCount":1229,"keywords":["aarthi sankar","cats","derrick tan","dogs","senior pet","senior pets","spca singapore","voices for animals"],"articleBody":"Meet Macs, a 15-year-old poodle currently residing at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Singapore.Macs was given up last October when his family\u2019s human child developed an allergy to his fur.What a good boy. (Photo courtesy of SPCA Singapore)Apart from his own few skin issues, Macs remains a jovial and healthy companion. One year on \u2014\u00a0because of his age, he is still waiting for that new home, that loving new family.Older pets do not find homes as fast as puppies and kittens, and cats and dogs older than seven years often have to wait longer to get adopted. According to Ms Aarthi Sankar, the incoming Executive Director of SPCA Singapore, senior animals are most often abandoned or surrendered at a time when they need care the most.There are two major challenges when it comes to rehoming rescued senior pets, she says.\u201cThe first is that many potential adopters often worry about developing emotional attachments with an animal that is near the end of its life. The second is that with older animals, there may be medical issues that require additional care and can be costly,\u201d she says.While it can sometimes be emotionally daunting for adopters, it is also an incredibly rewarding and beautiful experience. \u201cNo matter how short a period an animal has with its new family, it is one that adds value to both parties. Our senior animals deserve loving homes too,\u201d she adds.Derrick Tan, founder of animal welfare and rescue group\u00a0Voice For Animals (VFA), agrees. \u201cSometimes we do have amazing people who would only want older dogs that have been at our shelter for the longest time,\u201d he says.Mrs Lina Lewis, 43, is one such individual.Mrs Lewis and her husband named him Toof because he had several decayed teeth and one tooth was sticking out from his misshapen jaw. (Photo courtesy of Lina Lewis)After seeing photos of a five to seven-year-old chihuahua \u201con the brink of death\u201d on VFA\u2019s Facebook page, Mrs Lewis and her husband knew they had to adopt him.\u201cToof is an ex-breeding dog who was barely hanging on to dear life, and we knew he\u2019d not get picked if we didn\u2019t do so ourselves,\u201d says Mrs Lewis.He was severely malnourished, weighing just above 1 kg, has a broken jaw, rotting teeth, and two almost blind eyes. Toof also had heartworm, which meant that \u201cif he got too excited, he would just drop dead\u201d.Being mentally and financially prepared to nurse Toof back to health, Mrs Lewis waited a year for his heartworm to be cured before they put him through surgery to remove all his teeth, which \u201cwere so rotten his breath smelled like the arse crack of Hades\u201d.Today, Toof is in the pink of health, having doubled in weight and has zero health issues. \u201cEven if he dies any day now \u2014 we think he must be around 11 to 13 years old \u00a0\u2014 we feel we have given him a quality life,\u201d she adds.Mrs Lewis\u2019 husband, Ryan, with Toof. (Photo courtesy of Lina Lewis)Old is gold\u00a0According to Mrs Lewis, adopting a senior dog exempts owners from the \u201ccrazy puppy years\u201d. \u201cPoorly-raised pups can be destructive and some people struggle with training dogs, especially if they have no experience. But senior dogs are so very chill,\u201d she says.At the same time, adopters of senior dogs must realise the emotional histories these old-timers bring into their lives. Mr Tan is extra selective about who his rescues end up going home with.\u201cIn order for one to adopt a senior dog [at VFA], one must have experience in caring for the geriatric, and commit to the very end of their lives. We always ensure that those who want to adopt a senior dog should be well prepared emotionally and also financially, since their medical bills can be quite high,\u201d he says.Similarly, the team at SPCA Singapore conducts a counselling session at any senior pet adoption, to find out what adopters are looking for in a companion animal \u2014 matching their lifestyle, habits, and the type of home environment they will be able to offer the elderly animal. \u201cWe also try to provide as much in-depth information about the animal\u2019s medical history and background as possible,\u201d says Ms Aarthi.When Ms Jennifer Lim adopted a senior dog a decade ago, she never looked back. Her first ex-breeding dog Ini fit her family\u2019s needs better than a puppy would.\u201cIni became family. We got used to having this not-so-noisy dog who doesn\u2019t do typical \u2018dog\u2019 things, like barking at the mailman or playing fetch,\u201d she says. \u201cMy parents are elderly, so they don\u2019t like when a dog over-barks.\u201dAfter Ini died, Ms Lim went on to adopt a 10-year-old mini-schnauzer Santa from SPCA\u2019s rehoming page. \u201cHe was still very sprightly at his age. He had a thousand toys, played fetch, and ate snacks,\u201d she says.So it came as a shock when he died at the vet\u2019s just a year later.\u201cHe had a good year with us, but we were quite traumatised. We adopted him during the Covid-19 period, and having a noisier dog helped because things were quite quiet then,\u201d she says.This, however, did not stop Ms Lim from adopting yet another furry friend in need. She found that what helped was having a community for a support system.\u201cWhen I got Santa, I joined this\u00a0mini-schnauzer Facebook group\u00a0for all the indulgent mini-schnauzer owners in Singapore,\u201d she says. \u201cEvery other day, someone would also lose his or her dog, and we would share in the grief. We also learn how people do memorials for their dogs as well.\u201dToday, the 57-year-old retiree is fostering yet another mini-schnauzer, this time from VFA. She is Butter and she is blind.Being familiar with blind people and guide dogs, the former executive director of the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped (SAVH) finds it \u201ca serendipitous work of fate\u201d that she is now caring for a blind dog.\u201cButter refuses to be leashed and our friend is very confident. She goes walking three times a day, and would listen to my helper\u2019s voice on walks to guide her,\u201d says Ms Lim.These little behaviours address the misconception that senior pets might find it harder to integrate with new environments. \u201cMany senior pets are still able to learn new things and settle in easily into their new homes,\u201d Ms Aarthi says.\u201cYou learn their quirks without expecting them to adapt to yours. Assimilation and integration into the household are all about patience and zero expectations,\u201d adds Mrs Lewis.Agreeing, Mr Tan adds, \u201cThe most important thing about caring for a senior dog is still lots of love. They might not want to do as much as a young dog, but they are still active. Their brains are still going. All they need is regular health checks. You\u2019re going to have to bring them into the vet a little more often to help them stay healthy and prolong their vitality.\u201dIf you wish to adopt Macs or other senior dogs like him, check out\u00a0SPCA Singapore\u00a0or\u00a0Voices For Animals\u2019 adoption Facebook pages.\u00a0Join the conversations on TheHomeGround Asia\u2019s\u00a0Facebook\u00a0and\u00a0Instagram, and get the latest updates via Telegram"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Destinations","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Singapore","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/\/singapore\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Give a senior pet a loving home","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/give-a-senior-pet-a-loving-home-2\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]