Humans are built to be imperfect. Most of us spend a lifetime coming to terms with the imperfections of ourselves and others.
We grow to become accepting of our inherent flaws and are quick to give second chances to people around us.
However, our four-legged friends do not share the same fate.
Sheltered animals today are still perceived as “second-grade” and “damaged”, according to The Perfect Voiceovers.
More than 1.5 million shelter animals are euthanised each year, leaving them with no luxury of a second chance.
9 Singaporeans have lent their voice to these animals in a touching video by The Perfect Voiceovers, hoping to encourage people to adopt from shelters.
As these 9 guests, the YouTube channel invited strong individuals who are fighting their own individual battles.
Paralympics gold medalist Theresa Goh was one of them.
She stands proud in front of a recording microphone as she shared her background as a spina bifida patient, a condition that leaves her unable to walk.
Among the other narrators are survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence, and cancer.
They bravely share the obstacles they had to overcome in life.
The voice talents were then given a script to read from, depicting a story.
Each of the stories somehow resonated with the narrator’s own life barriers.
For example, 60-year-old Kalai, who lost one of his legs to cancer. He narrated the story of Lexie whose leg had to be similarly amputated after a bad injury.
Lionel, who has been blind since he was one, recited the tale of Didi while his fingers grazed over the braille script:
I often wonder if I will ever see them again, before I never see anything again
Towards the end of her script, Jean teared up as the script echoed her conviction to “stay strong till the very end”, displaying her strength in face of cancer.
After the recording, the producers then arranged for the narrator to meet the “person” behind the stories.
The camera then pans to dramatically reveal the 9 courageous shelter dogs who story they read.
These dogs reside in shelters, and all bravely overcame their situations. Till today, they are waiting for owners to adopt them and give them a second chance.
The surprise brought the guests close to tears.
As Kalai sits on the ground to play with Lexie, he says that he can empathise with how Lexie felt when she had her leg amputated.
On the verge of tears, breast cancer survivor Charlene Koh declares, “they are not defected goods, neither are they ugly, and they deserve a new lease of life”.
This leaves us reflecting on our prejudices toward shelter dogs. We often view them as flawed or “second-hand goods”, and refuse to give them another opportunity at life.
Many fail to realise that we don’t expect humans to be perfect, why should we impose this expectation on our pets?
According to The Perfect Voiceovers, 3 in 4 households would rather buy a pet than adopt one from animal shelters.
When they are not adopted, these sheltered dogs and their powerful stories cease to exist.
Thus, the powerful video urges Singaporeans to adopt a pet from shelters, instead of buying one from shops.
Every time you adopt, you are giving a pet a second chance at life. #LendAVoice and tell the shelter dog story to others.
Featured image adapted from YouTube.
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