First meeting on Saturday 3rd July 4pm

Dear volunteers there is a meeting on Saturday 3rd July at 4pm at Somewhere more accessible and conducive*.
If you would like to come for the meeting, please contact me (AKA Karen) at 92224607.

Meeting objectives:

To talk about how MissionFTH can help to manage the dogs that Mary (owner of the 80 plus dogs) has in the shelter.

Agenda:

(a) Financial Help
- How to get MissionFTH registered under the Registry of Societies so that funding and donations can be received automatically and legally from sponsors.
- The above may require some time hence, alternatives need to be explored while the above undergoes processing.
(b) Physical Help
- RR of Volunteers.
- RR of committee members.

* Venue is at Singapore EXPO Burger King.
Please report your attendance to me so that I know how many people are coming.
Thank you!

Regards
Karen

The Visit @ Erisson Farm, Kennel 9, 11 & 12

A Humble Beginning

Dear friends,

I've created this blog specially for every individual who has ever helped a furrypal on earth.

No matter which group you belong to, I believe we all have one thing in common - To care for and to love our furrypals.

I believe most of you have learnt about the case of Mary Soo and her dogs at Erisson Farm. I bet you heard some nasty remarks about her and that you probably want her out of the SPCA board. Well, in a situation like this, it is of high possibility that everyone would rally hatred towards her and want her dead (I'm sorry, Mary)BUT it is also a time like this that made people who truly want to HELP (the DOGS)to come forward.

I've always wanted to set up my own shelter for strays BUT money is always the issue. However Mary's story and the bunch of Mary Soo-haters spurred me to DO SOMETHING. And then I realized, I am not alone. Many people out there, in Singapore are actually willing to help! Really Good news! =)

I've always been saving strays, lost or abandoned pets on a not so official basis compared to THIS. I've never been attached to any organization. I volunteered for every shelter, any shelter or animal welfare group because all of them are DOING THE SAME THING - saving animals! So, how different can these org/society/group/shelter be?

But, do a reality check. Do we really have zero differences? Haha, how can it be?
I am really an amateur in this animal welfare work and being new, I heard a fair amount of "stories" about how the different animal groups/shelters/orgs are actually against each other or dislike each other.
These "stories"...I can never comprehend.
It sounds like some kind of parents who love their children so much that they hate one another's way of parenting. They fight and hate one another because they want to love their children their own way. Period.

While loving our furrypals is important, did we forget to accept one another's differences/achievements/goals?
Have we as human beings, forgotten the most important human aspect called RESPECT?
We teach our dogs NOT to fight, Not to bark at each other BUT to live HARMONIOUSLY, yet we are NOT doing what we preach.
So, how do we convince people to start loving our furrypals when animal-lovers are hating one another?

Looking forward, do we want to be so segregated? Does this system work?
How does this help us in loving our furrypals?
To be honest, I do not take for regard the "behind story" that some shelters/groups would feed me with. There is only one reason and one reason only. The words, "SAVE our FURRYPALS" stands out more than anything else.

With all my heart, I sincerely hope that every furrypal group/society/org/shelter can come forward to collaborate and to form a circle of support for one another; not just for ourselves BUT for our furrypals too! You all have done so much to help our furrypals and I salute to every one of you!

Regards
Karen

Statement from Mary Soo

Mary SooDear All,Like you, I am a passionate animal lover AND like you, I sometimes do tend to be overruled by my heart instead of my head. Yes, I undertook to sponsor the rescue and upkeep of the Changi dogs and puppies/dogs brought over from the neighbouring islands for culling by the AVA over a period of more than 5 years. On hindsight, as a few of ... See Moreyou so rightly said, I should have done my financial calculations properly and should have just turned away and left them to fate.Prior to the rescue of the Changi dogs, I was also involved in the nightly feeding of these strays, hence when the time came when the Government was clearing the land for the building of the aerospace and wanted the strays culled, my friends (two ladies) and I could not bear the thought of seeing the lives of these lovely friends being terminated so tragically as over time a strong bond had developed. A snap decision was made to save the dogs. The ladies did not have the financial muscle to pay for the rescue work and because of my love for these dogs, I decided to save them even if it meant having to forego more than half my salary and any savings for my old age (I am now 63).Shortly after the rescue, one lady fell off as she did not want to be involved with the long-term commitment. The other lady put in all her insurance payout she received and I chipped in for the balance. The rental costs S$5,350 per month excluding food and medical. Apart from this rental, I am still paying boarding charges of nearly S$1,000 a month at another shelter where I have 6 rescued dogs and one stray I undertook to sponsor at the shelter.Not surprisingly, now the other lady is feeling the strain and has also opted out, thus leaving me alone, not just to carry the financial burden but also to go down to the kennels on a regular basis after work and on weekends to ensure that the area is clean and dry (workers tend not mop dry) for my beloved babies. I also pay the worker to cook rice with meat dust plus chicken liver for the dogs everyday. It’s sixteen 5kg bags of rice each week @ $6.25 per bag (farm only, excluding my home dogs and stray feeding).I do not compromise on the comfort and health of my dogs. They go to one of the best vets (Companion Animal Surgery) – recently one of the dogs was badly bitten by another and the surgery cost was $5,000. This does not include the regular wound dressing (every 3 days) and the cost of the pet transport.IT HAS NEVER BEEN MY INTENTION TO PUT DOWN ALL MY BELOVED BABIES AT THE FARM. I knew that soon I may run into difficulties financing the project (at 63 I may not have a job very soon). That is why I have been soliciting fellow shelters for help, asking if they could help to take over the puppies (as I know they have the sophistication of a website where adoption could be arranged), and perhaps for a few of the adoptable dogs too. Before it really becomes financially tough on me, I am still committed to protecting and caring for all my dogs and will continue to solicit for help. I just rescued 2 puppies whose siblings were eaten up by a monitor lizard at Changi (I am still feeding strays in Changi and once a week at Halus) and to prevent overcrowding, I have in May just taken up additional kennel space with Ericsson. My rental per month is now $6,826 with Ericsson. If you want evidence of this, I shall be very happy to meet up with you and show you the receipts. I have nothing to hide.It is unfortunate that this has been blown out of context and proportion by unsubstantiated rumours. To those who have reserved judgment and clarified, I thank you. Others may learn from this and use their heads instead of their hearts when thinking of helping animals long term.I urge all animal lovers to unite in the cause we all believe in, providing support instead of working against each other. I welcome help from you for my dear animals and wish you all the best in your rescue work.