SINGAPORE – Ms Rinchen Koh and Mr Benjamin Burke were on their usual walk in the neighbourhood with their shih tzu, Casper, when a German shepherd dashed out and attacked the smaller dog. 

As Casper was bleeding profusely from a ripped jaw, the couple could not get any taxis to take them to an animal hospital. Thankfully, a neighbour stepped in and sent them to Beecroft Animal Specialist & Emergency Hospital, where Casper underwent surgery to stop the bleeding. They arrived at the hospital about an hour after the incident occurred.

The horrifying ordeal in June 2023 left Casper with a ripped jaw, and he had to have his lower jaw replaced.

Ms Koh and Mr Burke were then working in veterinary clinics as a vet nurse and a vet technician respectively. The couple wondered if the response time could have been shortened if there had been an emergency service available.

Thus, in September 2023, together with a private investor, Ms Koh and Mr Burke pooled together $10,000 and set up Royal Animal Rescue (RAR). The goal is to provide swift pre-hospital care for all pets and transport them to a pet hospital as quickly as possible in an emergency.

RAR is Singapore’s first 24-hour pet rescue service with its own ambulance and medical motorbike. The private uniformed organisation’s full-time staff – including Mr Burke, 24, and Ms Koh, 21, who both hold the rank of captain; sergeant Azhar Ali, a paramedic, 25; and sergeant Zaidi Zainal, 35, an emergency medical technician – are trained to administer diverse first aid procedures tailored to animals.

RAR’s ambulance is equipped with vital medical equipment, including a trauma bag, oxygen tanks, a defibrillator, an intensive care unit with oxygen chamber, airway management kits and splints. The medical motorbike has a trauma bag and oxygen tanks.

When a call comes in, RAR’s dispatchers will guide the caller through a few questions to verify if the situation is an emergency, says Mr Burke. He had previously worked in an emergency animal hospital for more than six months, assisting in surgery, emergency procedures and co...