Jessie’s Second Chance

“Two-year-old Jessie was found roaming alone by SOSD at Pasir Ris Farmway. Under the TNR (Trap, Neuter and Release) programme, she was neutered before being released at the same location. However, she was caught later by AVA and SOSD decided to give her a second chance at life by taking her into the shelter.

Jessie was uncomfortable with us and very shy at SOSD. Together with fellow volunteers, we slowly rehabilitated her by interacting with her and introducing her to the leash. Being very intelligent, Jessie quickly adapted to being leashed and looked forward to walks with her fellow doggy friends.

My wife and I adopted Jessie under ADORE. While there are challenges, Jessie is slowly but surely getting used to living in an HDB apartment. Initially, Jessie would howl in the middle of the night. We tried to understand why and used a variety of methods to ease her transition to living in an unfamiliar environment. Eventually, she stopped howling.

The learning never stops. It has been a month and she is increasingly comfortable with us. This may explain why she has also started barking and howling whenever we leave home. We will continue to work with her on this and we are certain that given time and proper guidance, she will improve.

Jessie has her strong points too. She loves walking and would eagerly offer her head for the leash to get her twice-daily walks. She walks very well by the side of the handler and can easily follow any change of pace without being distracted. We are surprised that she can walk so well so soon, given that she probably never was leashed during her first two years.

We would like to thank May, from the Re-Homing team, for all her suggestions, support and follow-up during the entire homestay and adoption process. We are happy to have Jessie as a new member of our family. Hopefully, more potential dog owners would seriously consider adopting instead of buying. 😊”

– Jessie’s adopter