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| My story on Molly that was picked up & reported on by the press |
This article was first
published in the Lianhe Zaobao on 5 August 2012 and translated by Joceline Loo
(18 yrs old). Posted here with permission from the Lianhe Zaobao journalist,
Ms. Kristie Ong.
Just as I
was pondering on how to discuss the latest social issues with my children, a
friend of mine sent over a blog post on saving stray dogs.
This
article helped me to kick off the discussion.
Compared to
telling the children the incomprehensible issues such as female students
bribing with sex, the misuse of funds by churches, male teachers putting
pin-hole cameras in female toilets, female teachers charged with outrage of
modesty of male students…. Saving stray dogs in the middle of the night is
considered uncommon. At least I can tell them this is a true, local heart-warming
story about people saving a dog.
Feelings
that humans have are not restricted to lust. We are also able to feel love and
warmth. Between human and dogs, friendly relationships can be built. For
example, dogs are loyal towards humans and this loyalty may even be stronger
than friendships that humans have with each other. A story of a human saving a
dog will definitely have a positive impact compared to stories of humans
hurting each other.
This was a
rescue mission in Bukit Panjang on a late Sunday night.
A stray
dog, awfully bony was found under a void deck by a resident who realized that the
dog had a paw ripped out and was in agony.
A kind-
hearted person called HOPE Dog Rescue at 2am and asked for urgent assistance. Female
volunteers rushed to the place immediately and tried to use food to lure the
dog into the carrier. After many attempts, they finally succeeded after 2 hours
and brought the dog to a safe place.
The
volunteers named the dog Molly. They observed that her right paw was missing
and her bone was protruding from the wound. Her right leg was also seriously
wounded with rotting flesh and maggots crawling. The foul smell was
overwhelming. Molly may be caught in an animal trap and hence got hurt in the
process of breaking free.
The next
day, volunteers brought Molly to the vet to seek treatment. She was treated and went through an
amputation. Molly now is safe.
HOPE noted
down the whole rescue process and wrote a touching blog post on her ordeal.
The
volunteers behind Molly’s rescue are a group of dog lovers. They believe that
we should not willfully hurt and abuse animals, through their work, they wish
to have greater strength to save more dogs that need help and help the dogs
rebuild their trust in humans. This vision is definitely worthy of respect.
Look at it this way, in today’s society, how many Singaporeans are willing to
go out very late at night and spend two hours rescuing an injured stray?
If Molly
was not saved in time, her condition will definitely get worse. Unless the
person is completely heartless, when faced in such a situation, one will not hesitate
to save and show compassion for the animal. Besides, how can we deny that
selfish thoughts have never crossed one’s mind? Such as, if a terribly injured
stray is not taken care of, will it cause trouble to the community?
Fortunately, passionate volunteers came in time to rescue and prevented the
spread to the problem.
Someone
once said, by looking at how the country treats animals, we can tell how
civilized the country is. I was so
touched by Molly’s story that I goggled and found out that there are hundreds
of countries in the world, based on the country’s situation, that currently
have a law that protects against the abuse and cruelty of animals.
Information
that I found showed that, using England as an example, one of the laws that
protect the welfare of animals is the prohibition of animal abusers to own any
animals or pets. In America, animal abuse is a serious offence. In Canada,
animal abuse can send you to five years in prison. Germany’s laws for
protecting animals are significant within the European countries.
The German
federation legislative body had, through a ten year debate, voted that they
will include the protection of animal rights into their constitution. Germany
had since become the first European country to include this right into the constitution;
it was also a big deal for humans and animals in history.
In Asia,
there are many countries that also introduced laws that protect animals. In
Japan, to kill or willfully hurt an animal is punishable by law. In Singapore,
there is the ‘Animals and Birds act’. Those who abuse or abandon animals, if
found guilty, may be sentenced to one year in prison, or a maximum fine of ten
thousand dollars, or both.
This story
for my children has come to an end. But in the end, I still feel
that no matter it is an individual, a group or even a country, the mission of
saving Molly should continue on. Besides, in today’s Singapore having
overflowing Wants, saving Molly, in fact is also pulling up the continuously
sinking humanity.
