UPDATE (7 Feb, 4.15pm): In messages to MS News, Rufus’ owner Gaya related an eyewitness account that her pet was still walking just fine when he was first sighted on the Central Expressway (CTE). She also claimed that there was no driver around when the SPCA found Rufus on the side of the road. Suspecting that it was a hit-and-run accident, Gaya is thus appealing for dashcam footage from vehicles that travelled on the CTE towards the AYE, near the Orchard Road exit, sometime around 8.30pm-9.30pm on 5 Feb. Anyone who can help can contact Gaya at 8323 7926.
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For more than a week, the owner of a dog in Singapore appealed for help to find her lost pet that went missing near the National University of Singapore (NUS).
Rufus, a male Singapore special, ran off towards the direction of the university on 28 Jan.
Photo courtesy of Gaya
Following days of failed attempts to find and capture him, Rufus’ owner was eventually reunited with her dog, albeit under unfavourable circumstances.
Rufus’ owner Gaya, a 31-year-old customer service officer at HomeTeamNS, said her dog was brought to a dog run on 28 Jan, which was a Sunday.
But while he was in her brother’s van, he broke free from his leash which was loose.
Image courtesy of Gaya
He was seen running towards the direction of NUS. Though they chased after him, he went into hiding, she added.
Source: Google Maps
Throughout Rufus’ disappearance in the week that followed, Gaya and her family members relentlessly searched for him around NUS and West Coast Park.
But despite catching site of him a few times, she said that they never managed to get their pet dog back.
That was because he was running very fast, causing them to lose sight of him.
Since Rufus’ disappearance, sightings of him at several locations surfaced, mainly around:
Image courtesy of Gaya
However, he had also been seen near the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE) going into the forested area near Clementi, and as far away as Block 601 Clementi West Street 1.
Most of the sightings had been at the carparks outside the NUS Ventus Building and Temasek Hall, Kent Ridge Bus Interchange and SDE, Gaya added.
Rufus’ most recent sighting was at 1am on Monday (5 Feb), when someone spotted him along Kent Ridge Crescent in NUS.
In a video recorded by that person, the canine was seen seen walking up some steps onto a path by the side of the road.
Image courtesy of Gaya
When asked whether the witnesses tried to catch Rufus, his owner replied:
Whenever people try to run behind him, he sprints off.
In order to ‘trap’ Rufus, Gaya left food around the area he normally roamed daily.
On a few days, she found that the food had been eaten.
Source: Facebook
However, on days when the weather was bad, the food would be untouched, as Rufus might avoid the area and find shelter elsewhere, she believed.
His last sighting along Kent Ridge Crescent was at a location where she’d left food, she added, indicating that her efforts to “condition” him might be working.
As Rufus had been missing for more than a week, Gaya appealed to the public to keep a close lookout for him.
She described Rufus as a medium-built, brown dog, easily identifiable by his short tail. He also wore a blue collar and a dog tag with his name and Gaya’s contact number on it.
Photo courtesy of Gaya
Gaya warned, however, that her pet dog was timid and skittish. So, anyone who approached him had to do so gingerly.
“Loud, sudden noises and new faces” often scared him, she added.
Source:Facebook
In a post on Lost and found pets in Singapore on Facebook, she offered a monetary reward to those who could capture him.
Sadly, in an update in the wee hours of Tuesday (5 Feb) morning, Gaya told MS News that Rufus had passed on.
She shared that someone had spotted him on the Central Expressway (CTE) near the Orchard Road exit earlier in the night on 5 Feb.
Image courtesy of Gaya
The person took to the Telegram support group chat for lost pets to inform the members. They subsequently confirmed that the dog they saw at about 8.29pm was indeed Rufus.
Image courtesy of Gaya
What exactly transpired thereafter is unclear, but Gaya told MS News that witnesses saw Rufus dashing across the CTE. A vehicle then hit him “quite badly”.
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) later found the canine on the road and brought him to the vet.
At the time, Rufus was still alive, Gaya claimed, saying: “I saw him, he was looking at me.”
Unfortunately, the extent of Rufus’ internal injuries was grave, and vets tried and failed to revive him.
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Featured image adapted from Facebook.
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