Cancer patient faces eviction if she cannot find homes for 3 dogs

Singapore — A cancer patient fostering four dogs has taken to social media to ask if anyone was willing to adopt three of them as she faces eviction from her rented Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat.

On Sunday (Jan 31), Ms Corly Ngan took to Facebook page Dogs Singapore to appeal to members of the public to adopt a Poodle with cancer and a heart problem, a blind Shih Tzu and a healthy Pomeranian.

“I am a new member and would like to share my story. I got breast cancer stage 3 and under treatment now,” wrote Ms Ngan in her post, which was also shared in Facebook page 西施狗會社.

Ms Ngan began fostering dogs in 2018 and successfully got healthy dogs adopted by good families.

“I still have four special care dogs in my home,” she said. In addition to the three dogs mentioned earlier, she has an 11-year-old Japanese Spitz.

She has lived in the HDB flat since the end of 2017 and has never received a complaint from neighbours. However, she received a notice from her landlord on Jan 28 telling her to remove three of the dogs by Jan 31. Failure to comply could result in eviction, the landlord added.

“My dogs never make any problem, my maid cleans up well, they all sleep with me at 9:00, never barking at night,” said Ms Ngan.

She requested an extension until after the Chinese New Year to find good families for the three dogs or perhaps move to a different area. Ms Ngan noted she still had cancer treatments until June and was under chemotherapy every week, limiting her movement.

“They (landlord) rejected me,” said Ms Ngan. “I understand this is the law,” she added.

Ms Ngan’s daughter also appealed to the public for assistance. She said the landlord’s demands were “very unreasonable”, especially since there were no issues beforehand.

It is unclear if the landlord came to be aware of the dogs only now. Ms Ngan’s daughter highlighted that the agent handling the property had known about the situation when they renewed their contract in January 2021, according to a mothership.sg report.

The dogs provide her mother comfort and companionship as she cannot leave the house due to her condition, the daughter added.

According to the HDB website, only one dog from a list of approved breeds is allowed. Flat owners, the landlord in Ms Ngan’s case, who violate this rule can face a fine of up to S$4,000. /TISG

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