Sancho and Lewis! This is now my go to expression. For some time my husband and I wanted to get another dog. We saw the cutest little pug puppy at a famous pet shop, and since we already had one -our lovely Sancho- we thought, “why not get one more?” When we took a step back and thought about all those puppy mill stories and the stress and strain the female dogs and the little puppies go through, we decided that it was better to adopt!
With this in mind, we headed to the new AVA enclosure where most stray dogs have been relocated to, and there we discovered SOSD.
A very enthusiastic volunteer (Maureen) explained to us the whole adoption process and showed us all the dogs that were waiting for a forever home. Some dogs were very anxious, others fearful and some playful, but I still remember when I saw Lewis. He was just lying on the white floor, with several dogs surrounding him playing and barking while he was just with his head on his front paws like he was waiting or thinking. I immediately said, “That one! What’s his name and is he ok with other dogs?” We chose two other dogs as well to see if Sancho would get along with them, but in the end Lewis was the best fit. At first they seemed to ignore each other rather than play or fight which, in my mind, was a good start already. We ended up hosting Lewis in our home for a few hours and then for a couple of weeks.
The two-week trial was not easy – Lewis was very afraid to go outside and strange noises – BUT Sancho somehow taught him that going outside was not as bad as Lewis thought!
After the first week Lewis was walking out of the house without me having to seriously drag him. He used to hate being close to the front door but now that is his “go to” place where he knows all the “cool people” come through! He is no longer scared when I open up a can of soda or when he sees me walking around with the laundry. He now knows what treats are and he cannot get enough of them. The only thing that has not changed since day one, and my husband is to blame for, is that he LOVES our bed! That is his safest place… he sometimes rests on the couch, but the bed is his absolute favorite. When it is bedtime we put him in his kennel to sleep and he is happy there. This is particularly helpful for when we leave the house.
He has come so far and I am so impressed with his progress. Some days I do feel like we have taken a few steps back especially because of his fear of strollers and umbrellas. It has not been easy but it has all been worth it! We are so happy to have gotten him and to know that, if we ever leave Singapore, a little piece of this country will come with us wherever we go because we have Lewis in our lives!
I took this series of pictures in the span of one hour and for some reason they seem like they were rotating on the bed- these two are the best! When there are bad days, it almost feels like, these two plot to brighten them up with their random shenanigans!
Adopt doggies and give them a chance, they just need love and patience! The world needs more of that!!!
– Lewis’s adopter