Saturday, September 27, 2008

Left for dead, crippled mutt gets new lease of life

ST 27 Sep 2008

TWO years ago, Sayang was found in a drain on Jurong Island, emaciated, riddled with infections and his hind legs missing.

Now, the three-year-old mutt is busy chasing after his four-legged playmates in his new home at Upper Thomson.

Sayang has a wheelchair - imported from the United States by dog rescue organisation Action for Singapore Dogs (ASD) - and pulls himself around on his now-muscular front legs.

'He is very happy now. He gets around really fast,' said his owner, Ms Ng Choong Leng.

The 44-year-old adopted Sayang a year ago after a security guard found the dog lying in a drain.

'He was probably just surviving on drain water because he couldn't move,' said ASD president Ricky Yeo, 40.

No one knows exactly how Sayang lost his legs, though Mr Yeo suspects the dog could have been run over by a truck or been a victim of abuse.

After ASD volunteers rescued him, Sayang had to have his testicles removed because of an infection. He now wears diapers because he has no control over his urine and bowel movements.

When he first arrived at Ms Ng's home, Sayang was afraid of people. Over time, however, he has grown used to the presence of people and is now affectionate. He even sticks up for himself around Ms Ng's other dogs.

'Now he is very feisty and fights with the other dogs over food, and he stands his ground,' she said.

Sayang is the Malay term for love and affection.

'When we were nursing him, dressing his wounds, we would address him as 'sayang' to soothe and comfort him, so that name stuck,' said Ms Ng.

LIAW WY-CIN

(Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/Singapore/Story/STIStory_283001.html)

2 comments:

EJ. said...

Wonderful that Sayang has found his forever home with Ms Ng.

cat_aunty said...

What a lucky dog