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| Pretty Fat Sister, happy to be alive! (Available for adoption) |
The Fat Sisters’ stories are, unfortunately, not uncommon. Life on the streets is tough, and there are many other dogs out there who need our help. One such dog is Lulu, another stray who lives a few factories away from the Fat Sisters.
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| Lulu has lived on the streets for the past 5 years |
Lulu is a medium sized white dog, approximately 5-6 years old. Our volunteers have been feeding her since she was a puppy at 5 months old. Though shy, Lulu has a sweet and gentle disposition that endears her to anyone who meets her.
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| Leslie feeding Lulu while brother, Orh Lulu looked on. This was taken in October 2011, one and a half years ago. Lulu's brother has since passed on from distemper |
Our first thought was that Lulu could have also contacted
distemper so we rushed down to find her.
When we saw her, we found her skinny and weak. She had lost a lot of
weight in just the 4 days that we had not seen her.
We brought Lulu to the vet where she was warded for three weeks and underwent a battery of tests and observation. Much to our relief, the vet said that Lulu tested
negative for distemper. Many dog lovers will know that distemper is a very
serious and painful illness. If the disease is not detected early, the chance
of survival is very slim.
Video of distemper stray: http://youtu.be/Ja-azxl0S7A
The video was recorded from the car as we did not want to risk contamination by going near Orh Lulu. You can see how he has difficulty breathing, how the virus goes into his immune system, then he stumbles from weakness. Distemper is a deadly virus. The strays who are not spared died a slow, painful death. Watching Orh Lulu climb through the gate back into the factory made us terribly sad but there was nothing we could have done. He died in the next few days . . . workers found his body under a lorry . . . slowly decomposing. . . .such is the life of a stray. If not for us and the workers, nobody would even have missed them.
For Lulu, the vet diagnosed her as having a strain of tick fever known as Babesia instead. Babesia is a form of infection caused by parasites that attack blood cells and the severity of illness varies. Lulu was put on treatment for Babesia 2 weeks ago and she is slowly recovering, and has even put on some weight. Although reserved and very well behaved, she cannot help but display her excitement when she sees the familiar faces of the volunteers who visit her at the vet. Of course, the home cooked chicken meals and cod liver oil that the volunteers bring with them to feed her may have played a part too.
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| At the Vet |
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| Lulu has such lovely brown eyes but often looked as if she was deep in thought or worried |
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| Dirty, thin and tired from years of hardship on the streets |
The factory, which Lulu had called home for the last 5 years, is no longer safe for Lulu. The recent outbreak of distemper in that area means that if we put Lulu back there, there is a very high chance of her contacting and succumbing to the disease. How can we bear to send Lulu to what could possibly be pain and suffering, and worse, death? Moreover, her brother Orh Lulu, who had been her companion her whole life at the factory, is already gone.
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| Finally discharged after staying more than 3 weeks at the vet |
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| The exotic beauty |
Lulu has really nice, big, round brown eyes. However, unlike the cheekiness you see in some pet dogs’ eyes, we see sadness and weariness in Lulu’s. She is shy around humans, almost wary of us at times, yet, one can tell that she wants to trust us, and hope that perhaps one day, she too can have a “human” whom she can call her owner. Someone who will greet her every morning with hugs, whom she can smile and wag her tail at, and gently tuck her into bed every night.
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| Isabelle (foster), Sharon and Jin Hui spending time with Lulu |
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| Lulu for adoption |
Help us help Lulu by sharing this story. We need to find a home for Lulu so that she stay in a safe and secure environment.
If you do not have a dog and are considering to get one, instead of buying one from a pet shop, why not consider giving Lulu a chance. She may not be pedigree, but she is no less beautiful or inferior. It has been said that rescued dogs tend to be very loyal and affectionate. Having been neglected or abandoned before, they are all the more grateful for your love and extremely grateful for what you give them.
Thank you Isabelle for fostering Lulu and taking such good care of her.
If you are interested in adopting Lulu, or simply would like to enquire more about Lulu, please contact Fiona at fiona@hopedogrescue.org.
Written by Michelle Yap
