Ready to invite a pet into your family? Adopt, don’t shop – in fact, why not consider local community dogs that have been in the shelter for some time?
A pilot programme called Furever Yours by Singapore Zoo and SPCA is shining a light on the canines that have been left behind at shelters. Stigmatised as unfriendly and untrainable, these loveable and intelligent dogs are just as suitable for adoption and are being given a second lease of life through this initiative.
Through the programme, the team behind Singapore Zoo’s Animal Friends Show provides SPCA’s long-term shelter dogs with individualised care and training to prepare them for life with a family, alongside fostering and adoption support – all in the hopes of finding the dogs forever homes.
The very first SPCA shelter dog selected for Furever Yours is Bruce. He was found on the streets in a choke chain and rescued in May 2016. Since joining the pack at the Animal Friends Show in August 2019, Bruce has benefited from basic obedience training and enrichment activities – transforming from a reserved and cautious rescue to a curious and friendly canine. If he had a Tinder bio, it would probably say, “Enjoys buggy rides and long walks around the zoo.”
“The dogs are introduced to a gentler form of training called positive reinforcement. For cooperating in a variety of behaviours, they earn rewards which make training fun and enriching for both the dog and the trainer”, explains Gail Laule, Director, Animal Presentations, Wildlife Reserves Singapore. “In nurturing a more loving and sociable demeanour in dogs like Bruce which have experienced rejection and abandonment, we are confident that they can become adoptable.”
Find out more about Bruce at spca.org.sg/bruce, and begin the adoption process if you’re all ready to take him home. Otherwise, the Animal Friends Show welcomes one SPCA dog at a time, so do keep your eyes peeled for more adorable rescues.
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