“Saving one dog will not change the world, but surely for that one dog, the world will change forever.” – Karen Davison
Sim Jia Yi has changed 10 worlds (and counting) since April 17 after joining SOSD. Whether palliative care, fostering, or animal rescues, she has done it all and still going on strong. Along the journey of animal welfare, she is guilty of what we call a “foster-fail”- adopting her first fostered dog Mellow (whom you see her with in the picture). Yes she was supposed to rehome Mellow, and she did- she rehomed Mellow right straight into her caring heart.
Strictly counting, she changed 11 worlds forever.
Always a joy communicating with Jia Yi, her bubbly personality and optimism is infectious, and we are very blessed to have such a dynamic happy pill embody all the values we live with in SOSD- “Seeing them in their new homes warms my heart deeply – them sleeping soundly under a roof, not having to worry when their next meal would be, and having a family who loves them so much. There are times when adoptions don’t work out for various reasons too, but it only makes me more determined to find the dog a better home as a failed homestay doesn’t mean a problematic dog, it just means there’s a more suitable family out there for him/her!”
For 21 year young Jia Yi, apart from learning how she can better handle and manage our dogs, she also honed her communication skills along the way (especially with our potential adopters or fosterers), and more soft skills such as problem solving and adaptability. To quote, “These skills are not just applicable in SOSD but even in my school and future work life too, and has definitely made me a more confident person!”
If there is a textbook model answer on how and what makes us all of us at SOSD go on doing what we do repeatedly, Jia Yi has imparted the essence of the spirit of an SOSD vollie- “There’s no doubt that I’ve definitely had some low times, but I found that it helped to *remind myself of why I had started in first place *- because I want to help the dogs who are more than deserving our love and care, and though they may be street dogs, they are as deserving of love as any other breed.”
