MY PAPER MONDAY OCTOBER 5, 2009
MY NEWS HOME
That’s what drove Jacintha Abisheganaden to adopt pet mongrel Chestnut
SIA LING XIN
ONE morning was all it took for Singaporean singer and songwriter Jacintha Abisheganaden, 52, to make “the perfect choice’’.
Three weeks ago, she adopted a seven-year-old cross-breed dog from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).
When s h e a n d h e r 10-year-old son were sussing out the different dogs up for adoption, she initially thought that they would adopt a Siberian husky.
But after spending just an hour with a cross-breed dog named Chestnut, which an SPCA worker recommended, they knew that it was the one they would be taking home.“I’m not a breed-ist,’’ she quipped.
Since then, Chestnut has become the family’s “treasure”, Ms Abisheganaden said.
She laughingly added that she has probably lost 2kg chasing after Chestnut, which sits down when it is told to, but playfully runs off whenever she approaches it.
When asked what she would say to those who are considering adopting a pet, Ms Abisheganaden said simply: “Do it.’’
She decided to adopt instead of buying a new pet, as she felt that there were many unwanted animals which deserve love.
People need to be more open and realise that animals up for adoption are not “second-rate”, she said.
It is also less expensive – the SPCA charges less than $150 for a dog. At a shop, a dog could cost up to thousands of dollars, depending on its breed.
She is among those who have helped the SPCA – which runs the largest animal shelter here – boost its adoption rate.
But the problem has not been entirely nipped in the bud, with the picture being less rosy at some smaller groups.
The House Rabbit Society of Singapore has seen more rabbits being given up.
But it remains optimistic, saying that this “shows that most people have stopped taking the easy way out by abandoning their rabbits in the wild’’ and are acting more responsibly by bringing unwanted rabbits to the group.
Action for Singapore Dogs (ASD) has been given 25 per cent more dogs since the recession started in September last year, from about 20 dogs each month to 25 now.
Their owners claim that they no longer have the means to keep their dogs, said ASD president Ricky Yeo.
This is a poor excuse, as owners can cut costs in many ways, say, by brushing the dog’s coat themselves instead of sending it to a groomer, he said.
The ASD is working with the Pet Lovers Foundation to train abandoned dogs to become search-and-rescue dogs or guide dogs for the blind. They hope that in this way, the dogs can find new homes and the shelters will not become overcrowded.
lingxin@sph.com.sg
