Angel & Starz Blessing

TWO OLDER DOGS, ONE LOVING FOREVER HOME

Tell us about yourselves and your dogs.

Pierre: I work in a bank and moved to Singapore in 2017. Dogs have always been a big part of my life. Back in the Philippines, my father and aunt were veterinarians, and my family adopted street dogs, so I grew up caring for rescues.

Maricel: I moved to Singapore with Pierre and work as a clinic assistant. We adopted our first SS, Cotton, from another shelter. She had cancer when we adopted her, but she recovered and lived with us until her health declined and she passed away in February this year at the age of 11.

Why did you choose Mercylight?

Pierre: After Cotton passed away, we knew we still wanted dogs in our lives. We considered getting a pedigree puppy and researched different breeds, while also looking at shelter websites. We were undecided, but when we visited Mercylight, our hearts were moved again. We felt that these dogs deserved a chance.

Maricel: We initially considered Ace and visited him three times, but we could not build the connection we hoped for. During a pack walk, Kelly handed Angel to us. She was very well behaved, but we were still hesitant because of her age.

We also considered Nova, but she was more active. Kelly reminded us that choosing a dog is not only about who you like most. It is also about finding the right match for your lifestyle. The more time we spent with Angel, the more comfortable we became. We kept talking about her after every visit, and that was when we realised she was the one for us.

How did Starz join the family?

Maricel: Kelly suggested bringing Starz along during Angel’s first home trial to help her settle in. For the second trial, we took Angel alone. When we picked her up, Starz cried and whined as if asking why we were leaving him behind. Angel was also noticeably more timid without him.

For the last trial, we brought both dogs home for two weeks. By then, we had grown attached to Starz too. He is such a sweet boy, and we felt bad about leaving him behind.

Pierre: Even during the third trial, we did not tell Kelly we were considering adopting Starz. We were still thinking about our finances and whether our helper could manage two dogs. In the end, she had also fallen in love with both of them.

How was the adoption process like?

Pierre: Kelly told us the process would take around three to four months, and involve pack walks and shelter visits to bond with the dogs. We also went through three home trials in total.

We live in Pasir Ris and do not drive, so travelling to the shelter was challenging. At first, we wondered if the process would be too troublesome. However, we decided to make the necessary sacrifices. Looking back, the process was very beneficial, as it helped us identify challenges and decide whether the dogs suited our home and lifestyle. The last thing we wanted was to rush into an adoption and later return them.

What surprised you the most about Starz and Angel?

Maricel: We initially wanted to adopt Starz as we felt bad for him. He was very timid at first and needed to be hand-fed. He would settle in a corner before we could slowly approach and pet him. We worried about whether he would adjust and thrive. Now, he has opened up and become extremely attached to us. He whines even when we go to the toilet and waits outside until we are done. Although he is still timid at times, he is becoming more confident. He even shows us his bum when he wants scratches.

Angel is quite bossy! She sometimes decides she wants Starz’s bed, so she lures him away to play and then steals it. She also sees Starz being hand-fed and sometimes wants the same treatment.

Pierre: Angel loves our bed. She sleeps in the middle, takes up all the space and sometimes blocks our view of the TV. If we accidentally bump into her, she gets annoyed! Despite her name, she is not always an angel. She farts a lot and at times points her bottom towards us before doing it - sometimes even waking us up in the middle of the night. Definitely not very angelic of her!

Did you overcome any noteable challenges?

Pierre: One of the challenges with Angel is that she is afraid of going on longer walks. Sometimes, she will suddenly stop and insist on turning back. She is quite particular and likes to go where she wants to go. We are still working on helping her become more comfortable exploring the neighbourhood and gradually encouraging her to go on longer walks.

Surprisingly, Starz has not been as challenging as we expected. The main challenge with him is thunderstorms. During one thunderstorm, he hid inside a side table and ended up getting stuck inside.

Maricel: After that incident, we bought mini tents for them so they would have a safe space to retreat to. Now, whenever Starz begins pacing, we prepare the tent and he knows to go inside by himself.

Any advice for others who are considering adoption?

Pierre: If you are planning to adopt two dogs, it is important to really think it through and take your time. It is not something to rush into based only on emotions. You need to plan for the future, consider different scenarios, and make sure you are financially and practically prepared.

We also want to encourage people to consider adopting older dogs. We initially wanted a puppy because we hoped to have more years together, especially after losing Cotton.

However, older dogs are not necessarily more difficult - they are often calmer and may be a better fit depending on your lifestyle. At the end of the day, it is about finding the right match. Angel and Starz fit our lifestyle perfectly.

We also love that we adopted them together. I think they would have struggled more if they had been separated. Starz gives Angel more confidence during walks, and they balance each other out really well.

Maricel: One of our biggest worries about adopting older dogs was that we might not get as many years with them. But beyond their age, we felt they still deserved the chance to experience a happy life.

We also hope more people will look beyond the colour of a dog’s fur. We feel sad that black dogs sometimes receive less attention because of the negative associations people have with them. They are just like any other dog, and their fur colour does not define their personality or how much love they can give.

Pierre: We have had people comment that Angel and Starz look fierce or intimidating, or even shun us during our walks, just because they are black dogs. But there are also people who told us that they look beautiful. We hope that the perception of black dogs will continue to change over time.

We would also like to thank everyone at Mercylight for giving us such a great adoption experience. The process may seem tedious at first, but it is truly worth it. It makes the adoption journey more meaningful because you are given the time to build a relationship with the dogs and understand each other.

"Black Dog Syndrome" refers to the phenomenon where darkcoated dogs have lower adoption rates and take longer to rehome than lighter-colored dogs. This is often due to misconceptions, superstitions, or unconscious bias surrounding their appearance. The truth is, they are just as loyal, affectionate, and deserving of a forever home as any other dog. Sometimes, all they need is someone willing to look beyond the colour of their fur.

Q3 2026