What makes a journey worthwhile and what makes a sweet simple girl rise to the challenges of love and life, and conquering it? A heart of pureness, goodness and kindness- that Emilyn, volunteer of 5 years with SOSD, radiates through her bubbly personality whenever she goes.
Emilyn heads our Kennel Rehabilitation team, which helps the new rescues that come to us learn to trust us, to start walking on leash, socialize and take their first step towards getting adopted. She’s dealt with dogs of all types (and size)- shy dogs, sensitive dogs, energetic dogs and she’s great with all of them. She was a shelter team Tuesday pack walk IC, and is also currently a writer for social media writeups for the shelter dogs- all those ‘dog-mentaries’ are mostly written by her!
(Disclaimer: This post is written by volunteer management 😊)
“I once wrote to appeal for a home for Hero (a dog that many adored, but knew he’ll be a difficult one to ever find a home for). I wrote in his voice. When his wonderful adopter read that piece and finally stepped forward and adopted him, they wrote me back a card in his voice to thank me for that very simple writeup. I remember shedding tears then. He got lucky. We got lucky.” And this, was the very first time Emilyn saw the meaning of her work in SOSD.
As she interacts more with our dogs, her resolute but genteel persona eased her into the role of Rehabilitation IC. One of the dogs who touched her life the most was Rangi (pictured here with her), a Rottweiler, whose entry notes indicated “he tried to go for the vet’s neck”. Emilyn’s task is to perform muzzle conditioning on him. Despite his big size and cautionary notes, she managed to make it happen, as captured in the lovely picture. “You could read so much trust and love in his actions… such a big boy and biggest puppy face with the biggest heart.
It certainly wasn’t easy- in between working (as an educational therapist), doing her Masters dissertation and having to travel a looooong distance to the shelter after we moved, her 5 years journey with us has been nothing but commitment and passion. Needless to say, she and her family inadvertently opened up their home and hearts to adopt one of SOSD’s dogs along the way.
What keeps Emilyn going all these while is the focus on the welfare of the dogs- again with her quiet strength, she shared, “In the midst of rescue work, it may give rise to a lot of disagreements, but that’s because a lot of things come together to make that difference for the dog. And that difference shall be what matters.”
To open your hearts and your home to a furry member, please visit https://sosd.org.sg/adopt-a-dog/
To volunteer with us and make that difference, please sign up at https://sosd.org.sg/join-us/volunteers-sign-up/
