JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED

Would you give up a successful career to volunteer in rescuing stray dogs? That's exactly what CPT (NS) (Dr) Siew Tuck Wah did.

They say never work with animals or children, but clearly, none of us got the memo. One of our canine models had to be swapped out because he was having a bad day.

It was a good thing that our man of the day, Captain (CPT) (NS) (Dr) Siew, was totally in his element. He remained cool and collected throughout the shoot, handling the three dogs with aplomb (and treats!).

His patience comes as no surprise, given that he is the President of animal welfare group Save Our Street Dogs (SOSD).

In October, the 36-year-old left his job as an aesthetics doctor at The Sloane Clinic to devote himself fully to running the charity organisation.

"I've been President of SOSD since 2012. For the last three years, I've been struggling because it's very difficult to hold two jobs," he said.

"Clinic work was becoming very busy, so for half a year before I left my old job, I didn't have very much time to look into SOSD It was surviving, but I felt that it could be so much more. It became very clear that if I wanted to 'go up one more level', I had to dedicate more time to it."

Leader of the pack

The move to become a full-time volunteer garnered him many kudos both online and off, but also some "you siao ah" (Hokkien for "you're crazy") reactions.

A month after quitting, two of the most common questions he was asked were: "How do you get your money?" and "Are you very free nowadays?"

To the first, his frank answer was: "Money ah, I spend less and eat air lor." As for the second, he pointed out that he was, in fact, busier than ever.

Most might think that running an animal shelter is only about taking care of dogs. In reality, CPT (NS) (Dr) Siew's work also has just as much to do with outreach and building relations with potential partners. A typical day involves three to four meetings which can take up half his day.

"There are so many people who want to help, but previously, we didn't have the bandwidth to even talk to them," explained CPT (NS) (Dr) Siew. "Reading emails, going through the internal paperwork and admin processes take up a lot of time as well."

Doc days

Running SOSD needs him to not just have a passion for helping dogs, but also be a people person. The organisation has three administrative staff and two shelter workers, but the bulk of the work is dependent on its 400-odd volunteers.

"When you're not paying people, you cannot tell them 'I'm your boss, I need you to do this'. So the challenge is how I can motivate people," said CPT (NS) (Dr) Siew.

The tight-knit bonds he shares with SOSD members are similar to what he enjoys most about being a medical officer in the Navy.

"We run medical centres just like the other Services, but on top of that, we're very lucky because we get to sail," he said.

"When you sail, it's just you and the crew, so there's a very strong sense of community. I made a lot of friends whom I m still in contact with today."

He added: "I did a lot admin work and liaising work during National Service, so that's very helpful to me now in writing papers and sending out proposals."

A dog's best friend

Despite his packed schedule, life has changed for the better.

"I used to be so stressed rushing to work and worrying about SOSD," he said candidly. "We're funded solely by individual donations, so during the six months I was busy at work, money ran dry because we didn't have time to speak to donors and manage our social media properly."

The animal activist continued: "Of course, getting enough funding continues to be a challenge... But I know I now have more time to dedicate to solving these problems, so I can sleep better these days.

"And I'm happier because I know that the time I spend is meaningful. I'm not helping an organisation chase after money. Now I'm chasing after a cause."

Visit sosd.org.sg for details on adoption and volunteering!