Hi, my name is Happy! I’m born in Singapore so they say I’m a local breed. The first two years of my life is a secret… but I can say I have “two” kids and I was caught by AVA… luckily SOSD took me in.
I’m now happily adopted for a year and this is my adoption story…
“We have been thinking of adopting a dog for some time but had to delay it due to overseas work commitment.
Finally, in December 2015, we were ready to adopt a furry friend! We chose to visit SOSD for various reasons and we were glad we did. Tuck Wah was our senior for many years and we wanted to support his good cause and great work in raising awareness for our street dogs. More importantly, our encounter with SOSD volunteers had been very positive. Their love for these dogs and their commitment to this cause resonates with us and we are glad to have the opportunity to make a difference in Happy’s life.
The first time we met Happy, we had a pleasant feeling about her but didn’t think she was particularly special, so very special as we will come to realise… She has a coat of brown fur with black accent, as well as a pair of big, gentle eyes that reveal her docile nature. We supposed it was her shy yet curious demeanor which touched our hearts. We had a lot of difficulties trying to coax her out of the shelter on our first encounter. With much help from Vanessa and other volunteers, we finally led Happy out for her first walk! Once outside, Happy was very obedient and all of us couldn’t stop praising how sweet and well-behaved she was. After our first walk with Happy, we knew we would love to have her join our family! We needed a dog which was HDB-approved and would not be overly active or needy as both of us will be at work the whole day. Happy seems like the perfect companion for us. She is quiet and reserved, enjoying some company but not to the extent of wanting to play the whole time! Having set our eyes on Happy, we went back on two more occasions to interact with her before bringing her back home on 31st Dec 2015. As this is our first time owning a dog, we had a lot of help and advice from the rehoming team to prepare ourselves and our home for Happy.
Over the course of the next few months, we completed Happy’s obedience classes (after much bribing with ‘high-value’ treats haha) and obtained her first certificate!
As she gradually settled into her new home and got closer to us, we also grew increasingly attached to her…
We’ve come to realise that caring for a dog is like caring for a kid who will never grow up to be independent. It comes with responsibilities and adjustments to our daily routine; something we have told ourselves to be mentally prepared for but definitely not realising the extent till we had Happy. It is true we no longer have long dinners after work so as to rush home to walk and feed Happy, or our fabric sofa is covered in Happy’s fur and all our floor mats reveal evidence of Happy’s chewing…
But interestingly, we gladly accepted these things because, in return, Happy will be dancing her tail and squealing in delight when we reach home; drooling and staring with bright eager eyes while waiting for her treat, and assuming the most comical posture while asking for a belly rub!!!
While she brings joy to our lives, it is also our wish that she no longer needs to worry or fear and can be happy for the rest of her life. That is why we named her Happy.
Some of our friends commented how lucky a shelter dog is to have found a home, but we really feel it’s the other way round: How lucky we are to have met and adopted such a sweet and lovely girl like Happy!”
