Dog, 18, wearing diapers, escapes 5th floor Admiralty Drive flat & limps around void deck

Age takes it toll on humans, but also on their best friends.

So was the case when an 18-year-old dog found itself physically struggling to make its way home, having strayed too far.

At about 12:30pm on Dec. 17, a father and his sons spotted the lone canine making its way from the fifth floor to the void deck of Block 354B Admiralty Drive.

The man promptly took to a Facebook page dedicated to lost-and-found pets to search for its owner.

An elderly wanderer

The dog looked "exhausted", said the man.

In photos taken of the "poor fellow", the animal was a pitiful sight, clad in a diaper and riddled with age spots.

The man further observed that the dog appeared to be injured with "blood stains" on its body.

Deciding that the situation was beyond him, the man reached out to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) for help.

"However, [SPCA] replied that it may be a missing dog and advised my sons to go knock on doors to check out," the man reported.

Heeding SPCA's advice, he and his sons proceeded to ask around the neighbouring units.

Search for home

The quest to get the dog home soon became a community effort.

Concerned dog lovers flocked to his post, inquiring about the dog's condition and suggesting that he bring it to a vet.

One user, who identified himself as one of the man's sons, said that a stranger had stopped by to help them find boxes so they could make a temporary shelter for the dog.

He added that other passers-by had helped watch over their belongings while they tended to the animal.

"Thank you everyone for your concern, the owner of the dog has been located and the dog has been returned to him," he wrote in an update.

Home

Speaking to Mothership, Executive Director of SPCA Aarthi Sankar confirmed that the dog was reunited with its owner.

Sankar explained that SPCA did not stepped in initially as the dog "seemed to be an owned pet".

"Our frontline officer advised checking with neighbours to see if anyone was looking for their dog," she stated.

"This is our usual protocol for potentially lost pets who are found within a residential block, as there is likely to be an owner who is already anxiously searching for them.

Unless the pet has an injury or illness that requires urgent attention, bringing them back to the SPCA immediately may be premature as it could delay the reunion and create more anxiety for the pet owner."

When the man and his sons failed to locate the owner after an hour, SPCA deployed a rescue officer to the scene.

The dog had reunited with its owner by the time the officer arrived.

According to the owner, the 18-year-old dog had slipped out of the house unnoticed.

Hearing this, the officer shared precautions for ensuring the dog’s safety, and advised the owner to seek veterinary attention for his dog who appeared to be injured.

SPCA will continue to check in on the dog’s wellbeing.

Top images via Terrence Ning/Facebook