There’s nothing more serendipitous than bringing a happy soul into your home just before a worldwide lockdown. Tammer Stein, an animal advocate, adopted Pluto two weeks before the coronavirus hit.
Her family moved to Singapore in late 2019. They decided to adopt because they believe that dogs bring happy chaos to a home.
The Steins met Pluto at a volunteer’s foster home from the Action for Singapore Dogs (ASD) when he was 4 months old. Tammer was initially captivated by Pluto’s confidence and curiosity. “He has the cutest face, and it always looks like he’s smiling,” she said. After meeting and interacting with Pluto multiple times, Tammer knew that he was a gentle soul and will become a great addition to the family.
Pluto was a street dog for the first few months of his life and he only ate leftovers that construction workers left behind. Tammer speculates that Pluto being a picky eater can be attributed to his experience of having tasted a wide variety of flavors. While human food offers an array of tastes that can be exciting for dogs, they’re not always safe. Some human foods are high in salt and other seasonings, which can be toxic for pets. It’s important to look for pet food brands that offer premium proteins full of flavors to help stimulate dogs’ appetite.
A piece of advice Tammer would like to give to people interested in adopting a shelter pet is to make sure they meet their potential pet a couple of times to learn about their personalities. Understand their dietary habits and how you can accommodate their needs.
It’s already been a year since the Steins adopted Pluto and they couldn’t be any happier. Even if the family is feeling the emotional toll of the dramatic changes to their habits due to the pandemic, having Pluto around helped them cope better and focus on positive things.
“Having him with us during circuit breaker was an absolute morale lift. He also taught our kids a lot about responsibility and the importance of taking care of their pet’s needs.”
–Addictionpet.com
At Addiction, we believe that all pets deserve quality food that provides all their nutritional needs. To support Action for Singapore Dogs (ASD) in their mission of improving the welfare of stray and abandoned dogs, we provide an adoption bundle kit that includes a bag of Addiction dry dog food. If you are interested in adopting from ASD, check out their adoption package to explore the benefits of adopting a dog from ASD.