The cost of a second chance: What it takes to keep Singapore’s animal rescue groups going

SINGAPORE – When Ian Tan adopted Pong Pong in 2019, the male pomeranian was frightened of people and suffered from poor skin, wounds and dental problems after spending much of his early life as a breeding dog.

A few days after arriving at his new home, Pong Pong made a small gesture, which continues to stick with Tan. The dog began eating properly. Then he walked over and licked his new owner.

“I felt that the lick was his way of telling me that he knew he was finally somewhere safe and warm,” the 38-year-old founder and medical director of local medical aesthetics group V Aesthetics Holdings tells The Straits Times.

Watching the rescue dog slowly become curious, trusting and happy made Tan realise what a second chance could mean for an animal. Pong Pong, now estimated to be about 13 years old, still lives with him, alongside Tan’s two other pomeranians, aged three and five.

That experience has now translated into a $400,000 commitment from V Aesthetics Holdings to local animal welfare charity SOSD through a dedicated V Aesthetics Holdings Animal Welfare Fund – the largest single-year corporate contribution SOSD has received.

Pong Pong was not from SOSD, but Tan chose the organisation as he was impressed by its genuine commitment to helping shelter dogs under its care find homes.

The funding, which runs from September to August 2027, will go towards two additional contract welfare staff, about 150 elevated beds, better meals and supplements, as well as shelter improvements at The Animal Lodge and Jurong Island.

The sum is equivalent to roughly a quarter of SOSD’s 2025 expenditure of $1.54 million. Tan says the amount was deliberately set at a level that could make a tangible difference.

“We wanted to commit an amount that was meaningful enough to create real impact, rather than make a symbolic contribution,” he says.

What he learnt from SOSD was that some of the most useful things to fund were also the least glamorous – people to walk and care for the dogs, food, supplements, comfortable bedding and a better living environment.

The bills keep coming

For SOSD president May Ngu, 37, the contribution provides the charity with room to improve the dogs’ quality of life beyond the basics.

But it does not mean that its everyday fund-raising needs have disappeared.

SOSD, which was started in 2011, requires about $1.5 million a year to maintain its current level of care and operations. Expenditure rose from $1.49 million in 2024 to around $1.54 million in 2025, in part because an ageing shelter population increasingly needs specialised diets, medication and medical attention.

Its veterinary and medication bill alone climbed from about $252,000 in 2024 to $298,000 in 2025.

The charity cares for close to 200 dogs across its shelters and foster network. The baseline cost of caring for one shelter dog is about $625 a month, according to Ngu.

But one critically ill dog requiring emergency surgery or intensive treatment can chalk up a bill of $10,000 to $20,000.

Cash donations to SOSD actually rose from $1.66 million in 2024 to $1.91 million in 2025. Public and corporate cash donations made up about 68 per cent of its total income in 2025, while government grants and matching schemes contributed around $511,000.

But Ngu says charities face an increasingly competitive fund-raising environment, with donor fatigue and economic uncertainty among the challenges.

There is also less matching support available. The Tote Board’s Enhanced Fundraising Programme provided dollar-for-dollar matching through 2025, but this was reduced to 50 per cent in 2026 and is scheduled to return to its pre-pandemic level of 20 per cent in 2027.

Crucially, the donation from V Aesthetics Holdings is earmarked for agreed uses and cannot simply be diverted to other expenses.

“Grassroots community support, whether it is a $10 or $50 donation, continues to form the foundation of our daily rescue work,” says Ngu.

More animals, more complex needs

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), a non-governmental charity, needs more than $4.5 million a year to fund operations ranging from emergency rescues and cruelty investigations to its shelter, non-profit community animal clinic, and adoption, education and advocacy programmes.

According to an SPCA spokesperson, its work has become more challenging, too.

Adoptions fell from almost 900 in 2021 to fewer than 300 in 2025, leaving its shelter consistently operating at maximum care capacity.

With fewer animals leaving and a constant flow of animals needing help, it has had to prioritise emergencies. Those entering its care increasingly have complex medical or behavioural needs, requiring prescription diets, surgery or specialist treatment.

The SPCA says its work in less visible areas also costs money. Education and advocacy aimed at preventing animal welfare problems may not inspire the same emotional response from donors as an injured animal, but they are essential to reducing the number of animals needing help in the first place.

Other non-profit animal welfare groups face different financial pressures.

For Purely Adoptions, which rescues and rehomes cats and dogs, annual operating expenses run to about $250,000. Unlike organisations with their own shelter space, it has to pay commercial boarding fees when foster homes are unavailable. It currently has 13 dogs in commercial boarding and another eight in foster care.

On top of boarding come veterinary bills, medication, vaccinations, sterilisation, food, transport and other rescue costs.

Founder Estella Lien, who started the charity organisation with her husband Patrick Cher in 2009, says its donations rose about 25 per cent from 2024 to 2025 and are growing again in 2026. But boarding, veterinary treatment and medication have become costlier.

Purely Adoptions’ largest single donation to date was about $1,000 from an individual. However, Lien says $10, $20 and $50 contributions add up and help cover the recurring bills that do not make for dramatic fund-raising appeals.

One particularly costly group comprises animals that have recovered from an initial medical emergency, but remain in boarding for months while awaiting adoption.

“There may no longer be an urgent medical story, but the boarding bill has to be paid every single day,” says Lien, who is in her 40s.

That means Purely Adoptions has to consider not just whether it can afford to rescue an animal now, but whether it can continue caring for it until a suitable home is found.

“Our philosophy is simple: We should not rescue an animal today if we cannot commit to caring for it tomorrow,” she says.

Rescue is only the beginning

Chained Dog Awareness Singapore (CDAS), which was started in 2015, is entirely volunteer-run and has no paid staff. Its expenditure rose from about $146,000 in 2024 to $181,000 in 2025, even as donations increased.

Its biggest expenses are veterinary care, professional boarding and rehabilitation. In 2025, it spent $73,840 on veterinary fees and medical supplies and $67,845 on boarding. It currently has 22 dogs under its care.

For dogs that have spent long periods chained, caged or neglected, rehabilitation can take months or even years.

Rescue is only the beginning, a CDAS spokesman says. “A dog may be removed from an unsuitable environment in a day, but helping that dog feel safe, develop confidence and become ready for a home can take many months,” he adds.

Financially, that makes every rescue a continuing commitment.

Accepting a dog is not a one-off financial decision. “It may mean committing to veterinary care, boarding, training and rehabilitation for an extended and unpredictable period.”

At SOSD, Ngu says one of its greatest unmet needs remains manpower. More caregivers and behavioural rehabilitation staff would mean more individual attention and socialisation for its dogs, potentially helping them become ready for homes sooner. SOSD currently has six full-time staff and seven part-timers across its two shelters.

This was also what struck Tan when he saw the scale of the work involved in caring for close to 200 dogs. Even the basics – feeding, walking, cleaning, monitoring older animals and keeping their environment comfortable – add up to a substantial daily operation.

“It put into perspective why recurring support for staff, food, bedding and other essentials can be just as important as funding a highly visible one-off project,” he says.