Mongrel – why this dog is twice the fun

When Louis first saw Toby in 2016, the mongrel appeared aggressive, had bad skin and in poor health. Toby was housed at Exclusively Mongrels Limited (EM), a non-profit animal shelter for stray dogs in Singapore.

Undaunted, Louis decided to give the mongrel a chance and fostered the dog for 2 weeks. Upon reflection, Louis was grateful for the support from Kevin Neo, the director at EM, who guided him on caring for the dog and making the transition easier.

a mongrel can be a fun and faithful companion

“Kevin would check back with us every alternate days to find out how we were coping. He was also sharing various tips on handling, up-keeping costs and food selection for Toby,” shares Louis.

“Kevin’s support and patience to us were very key to make the adoption successful. In less than 2 weeks, we confirmed the adoption and later we renamed him as Toby.”

To further prepare him as a paw-parent, Louis then registered for a 6 weeks dog-training program conducted by a certified master trainer through EM.

Today Toby is healthy and happy, spotted with a flawless golden brown fur coat. He now has a sister, another mongrel Louis adopted a year after Toby.

Unlike many mongrels who are adaptable, Daisy is skittish and does not trust male persons at all. She was previously abandoned and got caught by the Animal & Veterinary Services (AVS).

build trust in a mongrel with kindness and patience

“She was afraid of loud sounds, people shouting and kids running. Anything that moves, will cause her panic and distress. We bought her home for a trial and it was tough initially,” Louis recalled.

For the first week at home, Daisy kept her distance from Louis. After countless efforts from her human to make her feel safe, she finally relented when fed with humble chicken rice.

At the end of the 2 weeks trial, Louis promptly adopted the mongrel, as companion to Toby. Today she is the darling of the household and together, Toby and Daisy are thick as thieves, developing unique personalities.

“Toby is very approachable with humans but selective with certain dogs. He always have the Alpha male look. Daisy is only approachable with dogs but weary of humans,” shares Louis.

Looking back, Louis admitted that Kevin’s passion about rehoming rescue dogs has helped tremendously in his adoption journey.

“Without him Kevin, it would not have been possible to have so many success adoption stories.”