An injured dog arrives and 2 cats are homed.

Two adult cats ( pictured here)Bobby and Reba have gone today to a lady who already has had a cat from us.I love these homes because I know they are good and I can feel assured the animals will be well cared for.Another person called and chose a cat, he too has one of ours already, he is bringing his wife Sunday to choose .
One of the cats which was a stray from Llandudno has shown signs of being unable to jump up on the shelf in the cat pen.She has been diagnosed with a bruised back and has been given anti inflammatories. Alex is not a young cat and with her problem I felt she might be happier in the conservatory where she has settled down on a cushion placed on the bottom shelf of what used to be an old Tv cabinet.The other cats have completely accepted the newcomer.They really are a mottley crew in there.I was looking around at the cats, there is Harvey the one eyed tabby,Leila with the skin disorder, one eyed Ebony,Gracie another cat with a hormonal problem affecting her coat.grumpy little Gill the elderly longhaired cat who never grooms herself , Cariad the longhaired ginger who has a spinal problem and is wobbly on her legs, plus a couple of ancient domestics and the boldest of the ferals who have moved in to this luxury accommodation. Its a cats life!
The ex farm Collie Bengy is a lovely dog, we have not yet seen his behaviour with cars etc and I am still hoping to find a method of training him which does not include the use of an electric collar(Mr MIlans chosen method)I remain a great fan of Cesar Milan but I do not approve of this particular method of training.
The collie from the Vet surgery arrived, brought in by one of the receptionists Sharon. This run in with a car on Wednesday has resulted in the dog having a fractured skull and he has stitches both in his head and leg.Nobody as yet has claimed him.He seems a nice dog, a little nervous of strangers but that is to be expected, after all he has been through a lot in just a few days.
The lady who was interested in one of our horses is interested in Drum the coloured cob. We have had a physiotherapist here working on both him and Rusty(one of the Anglesey ponies)Rusty, in particular has shown much improvement after her visit.It seems that alhough he is no longer in pain, the prolonged habit of hunching his body against the pain has resulted in his muscles seizing up, we have been given exercises for him and hope he will continue to improve.

The rescue of Archie

I returned from Liverpool to find that as i had expected the collie was claimed by his owner. The dog which Roy had gone to see turned out to be a lurcher around 12-18 months of age.Just as the caller had said, he was curled up in a ball outside a block of flats, he was shaking from head to foot and would not lift his head when approached.He had to be carried to the car.When Roy arrived with him the dog would not look at anybody, he hung his head and his tail was held down between his legs, a sign of great unhappiness. When we settled him down in a pen, he just turned his head to the wall and curled up again in a tight ball. His grey wiry coat was dirty and unkempt , this dog was certainly no loved family pet.One of our volunteers has taken him home to foster and we have named him Archie.Lets hope he soon realises that not all humans are unkind.
We have taken on another beautiful collie, Bengy is an unwanted farm dog (is there no end to them?)His problem is chasing cars/tractors etc, he attacks tyres apparently. That should be fun, must try and find out how Mr MIlan deals with this problem or if there are any forums I can look at to see how other rescues/dog owners have coped with this. I may have been doing this work for over 30 years but there is always something new to learn and dog training has never been my forte.Thats why I share my mealtimes with three ancient Yorkies who watch every mouthful I take with such envy I cant remember the last time I enjoyed a meal.I should have changed their habits a long time ago, I am guilty of allowing them to take charge but as they are over 20 years of age it is highly doubtful they will change now! They had bad habits before I took them over a year ago.Thats my excuse and im sticking to it!
Our vets receptionist has rung to ask if we can help with another collie who has been in a road traffic accident, he has a fractured skull and stitches in one of his legs.He will probably need a foster home so I will make some calls tonight.
The feral cat home did not transpire, they changed their minds, this was not entirely unexpected though very disappointing.
Whilst I was in Liverpool Mei has admitted a couple of cats.One is a nice little black female whose owner has died - this cat is very unlucky, she was a stray he took in at Christmas so she found a home and lost it within a matter of months.The other cat is a grey and white stray male, unneutered of course. Both appear to have nice natures which makes it easier for us to find homes for them.The crotchety ones seldom find sympathetic new owners.Personally I rather like those with difficult temperaments, they remind me of me!
The new Inspector for the World Horse Welfare(originally the International league for protection of horses)popped in for half an hour, he was investigating a report of neglect in this area and Norman Brown who has now retired had suggested he came to introduce himself.We had a brief chat about horse welfare and he told me that in North Wales, it was Wrexham which had the majority of neglect and cruelty incidents.I remember that the two major cases which hit the papers this past 12 months were both situated in that area.Appalling isnt it.

A day of strays.

Today was like an open day for volunteers! 3 new ladies turned up today so lots of extra jobs were done.I hope they will come back though many do not.I think the idea of helping at an animal shelter seems more attractive than it really is, the reality is so different from what many expect.All we can do is make them welcome and hope they like us enough to return.
Its so warm now that some of the ponies have had their winter rugs taken off ,its nice to see them again looking natural and they love the freedom of being without.Ross an elderly grey pony who came to Freshfields a few years ago is looking particularly well.There was a time 2 years ago when we thought he was on his last and a vet(not the one we use now) recommended having him put down.We availed ourselves of a second opinion and now he is looking better than ever.He is around 30 years now and is very cossetted by the staff, especially Mei who admits to him being one of her favourites. We love them all but there are a few who have special places in the hearts of the staff and of course everyone knows how I feel about little Noddy.
A call came throught today about a dog in a distressed state in the local village so I went out to try and find him.I was just about to give up when I spotted him, he was panting heavily and I half expected him to race off but he came to me as soon as I approached , Somehow I think he will be claimed although one never knows,he has a collar but no ID.(what is the point of a collar without ID, it is so frustrating)He is a bit matted under his throat but the rest of his coat is in good condition.
Tomorrow I will be attending the monthly trustee meeting in Liverpool and on the way I am taking a dog to a new home.My old friend Pat (who will hate me calling her old sorry Pat I mean that we have known each other many years!)who did the homecheck for me will be meeting us to take the dog on to his new home, Sams owners were about to lose their home and asked me to find him a new owner to take care of him.He seems a nice dog, not too boisterous at 3 years of age and appears to be quite an amenable animal.I do hope it will be a mutual liking when they meet.So far they have only seen a photograph of him.Not an ideal situation I admit but I am hopeful it will work.Sam is pictured above.
I cant remember if I mentioned that skinny Sadie has gone to her new home in Altrincham.I think I had only mentioned there was someone coming to see her.Well the two met, like the look of each other and I had an email today saying she had travelled well and had started to settle down in her new environment.I could not be more pleased, Sadie has come on in leaps and bounds since she first arrived here so frail and timid, this is what animal rescue is about.Just seeing the change in an abused animal when it realises there is only kindness to be had and a plentiful amount of food and exercise.Its brilliant seeing the fearful expression slowly fade from the eyes and replaced by a happy smiley one.What could be better?
Tomorrows meeting will be a long one, there is always so much to discuss about both shelters and tommorow there are many issues to cover, not least the poor financial situation and I am hoping to sort out a date for the very first Open Day to be held here at the Welsh centre.This both terrifies me and excites me. Excited to do this and promote the shelter to local people but terrified in case nobody turns up!!It should be July or August but will know tomorrow.There is also a bit of a communication problem with the two shelters which I hope we can iron out at the meeting.
Another call has come through about a dog which has been around a block of flats in Caernarfon since early this morning, he/she is lying down shivering and shaking.Poor thing, Roy the manager of our Caernarfon shop is going out to take a look and see if we can help.He is a marvellous person, he is one of those rare people who never says no to a request for help, if an animal needs rescuing he will be there immediately.If only there were more people like him.

Drum and Ken have a party.

This weekend has been so much warmer , I love to hear the birds singing in the trees, makes me believe its finally Spring and isnt it wonderful the way daffodills and other spring bulbs are springing into flower everywhere.N0body likes the winter months but in an animal shelter it makes life that much harder for both staff and animals alike.
I went today to check out 2 homes, one for a couple of feral cats and the other for some geese and ducks which are in the Liverpool shelter needing new homes.The first one may not bear fruit as they were unsure about takling on feral cats so I left them to think it over carefully.The second will come back to me about the geese.So its possible neither may be successful.Never mind,they may both decide in favour,I can only hope.
I heard today from the lady who is fostering Ramona and Rusty the 2 chestnuts whose owner was seriously ill.The were signed over to our care in October and as we had no room have been at theirfoster home ever since.Its good news! Mary will keep them longer, thats great because I want to try and get some ponies into loan homes before next winter, Ramona and Rusty will need stabling and as the situation stands now there will not be room for them.Rusty has recently had some teeth out and he needs several small meals daily as he finds it hard eating hay.Mary has sectioned off part of the barn so he can be fed seperately as Ramona is a very greedy horse and will eat hers and then rush over to eat Rustys food too.Rusty needs time to finish his food and with Ramona he had little chance of that!
Drum and Ken (pictured above)who share a stable must have had a party last night- their dividing partition was open and the rubber matting was completely up and overturned.Heaven knows how they managed that but this morning they looked as if butter would not melt, they were a picture of innocence.The stable is out of use until we can get someone to level the floor again and restore the matting to its rightful place.Good job the weather is warmer, they will have to stay out until the work is done.

Well the call about the abandoned cats turned out to be not as urgent as first thought.The owner HAd moved but had taken one cat with him and could not catch the second though he was returning every day to try to catch her.
No cats rehomed today but Cody the abandoned collie (he was never claimed)has found new owners in Anglesey.Collies are always best going to homes where the people have had a collie before, they are lively dogs and need to be kept entertained mentally and physically, these people had always had collies so they know what they are taking on.One of his new owners is an artist and brought with her a beautiful framed print of an original painting of a foal, so we can raffle or sell it to raise funds.How thoughtful of her to do this.
I havent before felt like talking about it but my aunt Audrey passed away last week,I was brought up with her so it has been a big blow, not entirely unexpected as she was a very great age, just 6 months off her 100th!! She and my mum were sisters, we had always said that if one of them reached the age of 100 and received a telegram from the queen, it would be sent back with a "Thanks but no thanks" letter.We always deplored the Royal Familys penchant for killing every animal or bird that they come across in the name of sport.We thought we could get good publicity for the case agains hunting, I doubt if many send their telegram back.Sadly it was not to be though Audrey nearly made it and we nearly were able to make a protest in defence of animals.When she and my mum were children they went to a small private school run by 2 ladies who were great animals lovers.They taught the children to respect animal life and one day when they took them on an outing they witnessed a horse being beaten by its owner, one of the ladies ran across the road, took the whip off the man and set about HIM with it.They never forgot this distressing spectacle and retained their interest in animal welfare to the end of their lives.Both were greatly supportive of me and Freshfields and I miss them both.
Ona more cheerful note I have someone coming on Wednesday to look at the ponies here with a view to having one, they already have one of our horses(Big Murphy)There is also someone coming over from Cheshire to see Sadie the emaciated black and tan bitch who is no longer pathetically thin and is enjoying life to the full here.She is still nervous of strangers and barks at them before running and hiding but she is basically a nice natured dog and I think with more one to one attention her confidence will improve in leaps and bounds.
A home for two feral cats has been offered so I will do that tomorrow.It is local so will not take up too much time.

Billy the staff is neutered.

Well this is Billy, he appears to be very friendly and he certainly did not deserve to die but I am still worried in case I fail to find him a home.I have posted him on Dogsblog and the Freshfields website, I will look today to see if there any others I could try though I suspect they will all be full of similar dogs in desperate situations.It is incredibly sad that the media has the ability to panic people into thinking all staffordshire bull terriers should be destroyed, that they are dangerous and untrustworthy. several years ago the same happened to rottweillers and within days of the "panic articles" appearing in newspapers, we had 1 abandoned in the lane opposite the Liverpool shelter.I was walking some dogs up the lane and saw this rottweiller through the trees.I took the dogs back and returned to catch the dog.I was nervous, she could have been vicious but she came over to me and allowed me to clip the lead on to her collar.Sophie was the most gentle of dogs and the only reason I could see for her abandonment was that the owner had been panicked into getting rid of her.After this experience we were inundated with requests to take Rottweillers! Now it is staffordshires and crosses of the breed which are filling up the rescue centres.What next? Jack Russells?
I have been taking in feral cats from the local tip which has closed down, there had been men with terriers seen there and it was generally thought that they were after the cats. With the closure of the tip, this colony had become extremely vulnerable and those being trapped and brought in have been dehydrated and hungry.We homed four together to a smallholding but there have been no feral homes forthcoming for some time now.There will be a newspaper article abpout them, hopefuly next week and I am keeping my fingers crossed that another suitable home wiull be offered, even just for two, that would make a difference.My feral enclosure is full, I will not be able to give shelter to any others until a few are homed. As a rule Freshfields does not take in feral cats, we trap, neuter and release but every now and again there will be a situation where it would be dangerous to release them and the choice is to destroy or to take in.Needless to say destroying is not an option.They may be wild but they have the right to live the same as any domestic cat.
A call has just come through about someone who has moved and abandoned two cats.I have to find the number of the Housing association to gain access.More of that tomorrow

Noddy lives to fight another day

Noddy is well.Thank god for that,I really thought I was going to lose him.Of all the ponies here Noddy is very special to me. By 11pm he was eating normally and back to his old self.Today he is absolutely fine, last out, first in!I suppose he is particularly special as he has been in the care of this charity since he was eight years old.He was admitted after a call from his owner told us of his possible fate, she had been declared bankrupt and was concerned that Noddy would become part of the assets which could be removed and sold.He arrived from Derbyshire, a feisty uncontrollable stallion.(How did she cope with him in her back garden?)What a nightmare it was until we had him gelded and he started to calm down.Until that happened it was a regular occurrence to hear loud shouts of "help me " resounding from one of the fields.He was scared of nobody but my god we were all scared of him.This little shetland with extra short legs thought he was the size of a police horse, he would take on anybody and anything.More than once he had me pinned up in a corner of the field, he would lean forward and gnash his teeth at me, them swing round and kick up with his back legs.I would dodge him and then run like hell to a place of safety, often he would catch up just as I leaped over the fence and would make a grab for me hoping his teeth would meet up with some part of my anatomy(and they frequently did)Every day was fraught with terror whilst he was like this.Nobody who meets him now can believe what he was like all those years ago, this sweet mild mannered gentle little pony, No I dont believe it they say.Well, Believe me its true, we all lived in terror of him. Regardless of this past bad behaviour he is undoubtedly "My main Man"my pride and joy, and woe betide anyone who laughs at his misshapen body.He is BEAUTIFUL>
Thanks janette from Hearts n noses pig sanctuary in canada(check out her online diary)you know what its like when you think one of your beloved animals is on his last, I hardly slept that night
The bantam was claimed by a neighbour, 2 cats have been rehomed today, one a 7 years old black and white female called Aimee is going to live with one of my blog followers.Look after her well Margaret.
I am excited to see the new Freshfields website is up and running after months of preparation.It will be a joint site for both shelters, it is in its infancy and more content will be added but its looking good so far, a great improvement on the old one.I hope it will bring new supporters, animal homes and with a bit of luck more funds will come rolling in!Eventually all our adoptable animals will be on there, it takes time to get them all on but it should help with the rehoming side of things.I have already had several enquiries for dogs here and a homecheck is going ahead for the latest collie now named Cody.
A lady in Anglesey who has one of our horses, Big Murphy has been on the phone and may be taking another, I prefer that type of call to those wanting to part with horses. I have been asked to help with a dog whose days are up tomorrow in a dog pound, he is a 4 years old staffordshire bull terrier, I admit to being worried i will not find him a home, there is such antipathy and even animosity towards this breed at the moment due to bad press. I am a believer of the saying"there are no bad dogs, only bad owners" unfortunately the bad owners ruin what could have been perfectly nice animals and when damage is done It is no easy matter to find a new home.,Having said that, I am told this one is loveable and is not interested in being aggressive towards other animals.,We shall see.Watch this space.

A visiting bantam

Yes little Charlie pup went today, although I was pleased he has gone to a home, I was also delighted to have the kitchen puppyfree again.Its enough to cope with having big Moll, Skinny Sadie and Sally(the dog Im caring for whilst her owner is in hospital)though in all fairness Molly is very good with pups.Despite her size, she allows them to snuggle into her and share her bed.
Nobody has claimed the stray collie so far.I was half expecting a visit from a farmer today declaring the dog was a sheepdog in training!He is the sort of collie which is attractive to people - longhaired and young.The shortcoated ones do not seem to appeal as much to people, Barney and Minty are still with us after months of advertising them.I took some better photos of Minty today in the hope it may help to find him a home.He is not good with the horses at all and we have to be so careful that he is kept on a lead until he is away from the horses fields.
It has been a quiet weekend and apart from Charlie pup, we have homed just one adult cat today.Still, better than nothing at all and the cat today is Jay who is 7 years old and this is his second stay at the shelter, we homed him a few years ago and he was returned because -- the owners mother in law was going to live with her and she hated cats!!!!Not allergic, just didnt like cats! Well this has to be an excuse and not the truth surely.!He was returned along with their other 2 cats. Its just as well nobody wants to come and live with me who hates animals, they would not get over the doorstep!
A stray bantam has turned up in the pig field, occasionally hens from the next door farm wander on to our land but usually they are rhode island reds and this little fellow is white and black.Usually at the end of the day they disappear home but this one has been here for two days, its not safe here with the dogs so will have to make some attempts to catch him(that will be fun!!)
I was just about to finish this when Vanessasa started to bring the horses in, her son Richard was helping her and we noticed Noddy was not in his usual place at the front of the ponies,its a standing joke, he is always the last out, first in for food.Then we heard Rich shouting, we raced up to the field and Noddy was collapsed.We managed to get him on his feet but he went down again before he got to his stable.The vet has just been and given him an injection, we think its colic and he has to be monitored for the next couple of hours.I should not have tempted fate by saying it was quiet. Obviously because of Noddys great age any health issues can be serious, the vet says he has a heart murmer which is of no surprise, he had slowed down a lot in recent years.Please send positive thoughts tonight for him.

A very timid cat goes to a home.

Well, out of the 4 cats going to be neutered, one vanished the day it was due to go and out of the other 3, two had to be put down due to the terrible condition they were in(Only one made it to the shelter.Poor cats,what a hard life they must have had.We homed two cats today, one friendly adult and unbelievable one of our semi feral kittencats.She was a beautiful white and grey but needed a lot of work to bring her round, she was the best out of that particular litter but still very nervous.The new owners have a cat cage they will be using until she settles a little.All that litter are particularly pretty cats, so often that seems the case, so many beautiful feral cats are out there, it seems a shame to relegate them to farm homes though of course most cats would thoroughly enjoy that life.We want all cats to live a life of domesticity but in truth ferals in an outdoor home where they are fed regularly and have stables or barns to snuggle up to sleep on hay or straw bales can be the best environment for them. Certainly our ferals here seem to be very content, even the ones who are too wild to venture too near the house are happy enough to accept the hand that feeds them, at the same time not allowing too much familiarity! pictured above two of our pretty ferals Phoebe and Fliss.I had hoped for a lonmg time that they would find a home but it was not to be.I plan to release them here this summer.
Millie pup has gone to a new home and hopefully Charlie will be going tomorrow.They really are very bonny pups, no wonder they have had so much interest in them..
A stray collie has been brought in, he is young and in reasonable condition, we will see if anyone turns up to claim him in the next few days.
A young female ferret about 4 months of age has been admitted, she followed some children and has obviously been handled a lot, I need to find a suitable pet home for her, the Liverpool shelter has good facilities for them but I spoke to Lyn today and they have so many their is no room for any new admittances.She tells me that not many people have been asking for ferrets lately so none are going out to homes.There was a time when the pet rescue programmes were going out on TV, that ferrets were featured a lot in shelters and we had loads of enquiries and offers of homes.Clearly they are not the "Pet of the moment!.What a shame, they are such appealing creatures and such great fun to watch in play.
Rollo has gone to his new home and his new keeper has assured me he has settled in well with their own ponies.Always good to hear, I hate seeing them being loaded onto horse trailers, heaven knows what experiences they have had in the past, they must be fearful when they have been passed from pillar to post.Anyhow , after a difficult time getting him in he settled down and travelled well throughout the journey which was only short- Conway.

the Snow has cleared.

Well the snow is almost cleared today, at last the wild birds can get at their natural food and we can all get our vehicles up the track.Barry had to go to the Liverpool shelter for a meeting and he came back with his carladen with food for the animals here.They are so lucky having so much food donated all through the year.It is a big occasion when it happens here, like the other week when people from Colwyn Bay came with hundreds of pounds worth of horse food.It was like Christmas! A lady whose old ponies we took in, regularly buys us 25 bales of hay and Mion who is a cat fosterer for us, bought us loads of cat food instead of buying gifts for people.We appreciate every little bit of help we can get, although we have now been here 6 years, it is a short time to establish a shelter and new helpers are asured of a warm welcome.Bring them on!
I have heard from ken and Sally who gave a home to Princess, she is settling well and following Sally everywhere and someone is interested in her brother Rocky. Anya Lurcher too has settled in her new home which is great news and of course Christy(now Ben) is the pride and joy in his Dorset home.I have daily email bulletins from Wendy who keeps me up to date on Bens progress.For an ex farm dog, he has had a lot to learn and Wendy and her husband have showed so much patience and kindness.
Barbara is doing the home visit today for Rollo the shetland pony, the Daily Post did not take up the article about ponies needing homes too so I will try them again later. All the ponies are doing well with the exception of little old Connie ,one of the black shetlands(or bog woppets as the farrier calls them)who has to have lots of small feeds as she has hardly any teeth, her weight has dropped dramatically even though she is on the best feeds and supplements money can buy.If this continues to happen we will have to call out the vet for another check up.Connie pictured above with Noddy on the day she arrived 2 years ago.
An adult cat has been rehomed today, hopefully the improvement in the weather will bring more visitors to the shelter, though I dont like the look of the dark clouds gathering! Does this mean more snow? The little black pregnant cat has gone to the vet to be spayed and will be back later.There will be some new admittances this weekend including a young ginger stray and 4 unwanted cats from the same home(these are all being neutered by our vets today)
Now I have to sort out the bills and pay the urgent ones, a task I hate but it must be done.It must be a wonderful feeling running a shelter with millions in the bank, I doubt I will ever know that feeling!!Just enough to not worry would be great, I could live with that.

More snow.

what a day today, its been snowing heavily all day and we have had no visitors althouugh we were delighted to see Dilys, an intrepid volunteer who managed to brave the weather to come and help with the cats.All the cats are staying indoors, its far too cold for them to brave the elements and why should they, the conservatory cats have both central heating and another heater for warmth.No wonder what was originally for the old cats is now becoming popular with some of the bolder ferals.Of course they glare at me with distrust when I enter the conservatory and some will quickly disappear through the cat flap to return only when I am not around.Others more daring simply stare at me with eyes wide as if daring me to make one move towards them. The cat flap unfortunately is now just a hole in the glass as William enters in and out through it so the flap is broken. How even a medium sizd lurcher can squeeze through it is amazing but he does it regularly and with great ease.
We have brought the old ponies early, it is too windy and cold for them, as always Noddy leads them all in, first to come in, last to go out.He is motivated by food naturally.The pigs have disappeared into their Piggy home and are snuggled up on a thick bed of straw, even the sheep have taken shelter today.That reminds me, I am taking two neutered rams from the Liverpool shelter.I cant wait to meet them, their names are Joseph and Jacob and they are very handsome Jacobs sheep.They should fit in nicely with the three resident sheep, Bertie, Sam and Chloe.
2 beautiful pups were admitted today, there are times I wish I had kennels here, its such a nuisance having to foster dogs out but what can I do with such a bad neighbour and a Council who backs his complaints?pictured above are the pups Millie and Charlie.

Match Made in Heaven (I Hope)

The stray cat was bought in, she is pregnant so clearly was in need of rescuing so this time the caller was correct in assuming she was homeless.She is a pretty little all black cat who looks barely past kittenhood herself.There is so much help nowadays for people who are unable to afford veterinary costs of neutering cats, why is it that so many are still being brought in pregnant and when the kitten season starts, why we will receive hundreds of calls from owners whose cats have had litters? What needs to be done to get the word out to people? Mind you I had a call today from a man who wanted a collie male to breed with his female collie.I was as polite as could be(Yes I was, honestly) but suggested he spay the female as there wrere too many unwanted dogs being destroyed every day in the Uk and collies are hard to find suitable homes especially when there are so many in rescue shelters.What was his reaction? He told me there was something wrong with my attitude and hung up!!!So even when I am the politest most charming I can be, the fact is if someone does not want to hear something it is like talking to a brick wall and on top of that I get insulted!! Is it worth it? Yes because every now and again someone will take new inmformation and advice on board and may even be glad to receive that information and if it stops even one litter of pups being taken to a rescue centre or sold to unsuitable people then it is worthwhile.
I was very upset after receiving a call from the owner of the beautiful lurcher dogs anya and Rocky, they were to be destroyed that day!I was at my computer checking emails when this happened, I was close to tears and then noticed an email had come through entitled Anya the lurcher.A home was being offered, people in Yorkshire were prepared to travel to Wales to see her as she was so like their own dog who had died.I quickly rang back the owner and told her to bring them in, then remembered someone had shown interest in Rocky, I emailed her and today she has driven from manchester to foster Rocky until we find him a suitable home.Both dogs are now safe.Anya is on her way to Harrogate to start a new life.
I have also been fortunate to place a very timid dog Princess with a couple from east Sussex.Princess and her sibling Junior were in desperate need of homes so onto the website they went and I was inundated with calls for them but Princess needed a special home with people who knew how to deal with such a frightened animal.her new people have run an animal sanctuary and have had experience with dogs like Princess.She will need much patience and understanding before she behaves like a normal dog. She is one of the most timid I have seen here and believe me there have been a few! I will be waiting anxiously for news.
Princess is pictured with her new best friends Ken and Sally.The other photo I took of Anya and her new people did not turn out but they promised to send me some photos when they settle her in so I will have to wait until then.

Sam, Rollo and Murphy shetlands in the snow.

Rosie Lee has found a home already, she will be going to a home in Oxford next Friday.Mei is travelling there to see a friend and is going with one of our horse homecheckers Jan(jan has 4 of our ponies on loan- Buster and Did and Heather and Paddy shetlands)so they will be able to see for themselves where RosIe Lee will be living. She really is a sweet natured little dog.
The snow is clearing a little bit but tonight its snowing again so if it keeps it up all night, everywhere will be covered in white again. Most of the staff are managing to get in to work with the exception of Rhian who also lives in a hill property and may not make it tomorrow.A 4 x 4 is definitely needed to traverse the track although Roy the manager of our Caernarfon shop braved it today but almost got stuck when he tried to leave.Its so icy I would prefer people did not attempt it in case there is an accident.Most people are leaving their vehicles at the bottom of the track and trudging up through the snow.
Our youngest kittencat "Anthony" went to a home yesterday. I brought him back from Liverpool with me, he belonged to a girl I know whose dog was showing signs of aggression towards him, she was very upset having to part with him but it was an accident waiting to happen so she did the right thing in giving him up for adoption.
Also 2 elderly cats have gone to their homes. Toots and Tabitha have both gone to live with elderly people, nice quiet homes which should suit them down to the ground and just in case anybody is conjuring up images of frail pensioners battling through the snow on Zimmer frames we delivered both cats straight to the door!
A new cat was admitted today, Jonesey a middle aged Tortoishell and white cat has lost her owner and there is nobody to care for her. She seems quite happy so far, well as happy as a suddenly bereaved and homeless cat can be.Another may arrive tomorrow, a call came through today about a stray cat living in an old shed in someones garden.The cat is wearing a collar so I have asked the caller to check with neighbours before bringing her in. Often people say that there is a stray cat around and then the irate owner rings the shelter demanding his cat back, sometimes the owner only lives doors away from where the cat was "found".
Years ago I had a distinctively marked grey and white cat which always sat on my front wall in Formby.One day I was looking out the window and saw a car pull up, a lady got out the car, picked up my cat and droive off with him.I was devastated and ran oputside only to see the car disappearing into the distance. All sorts went through my mind.Was he being taken for vivisection, catfur?? I contacted the local paper and they ran an article the following week, I received a call from the "kidnapper" as soon as the article was published.It seems this lady had seen the cat, thought it was her own grey and white cat, took him home, found hers in the house and instead of returning mine, kept him until she saw the article in the newspaper. I have to say although I was greatly relieved to have him back safely I found it hard to understand why she did not recognise her own cat and more importantly why she failed to return mine the same day. She could have saved me a week of heartache.My point is that cats who visit other homes to get fed and who sit on walls are not necessarily lost or homeless and people should check before they jump to this conclusion, it can be distressing for both cat and owner.

We are snowed in.

I returned from my brothers funeral in Liverpool, to a snowed in shelter! The snow is quite deep here and I got stuck halfway up the track! I had a boring drive home as someone broke into my car in Prestatyn(I left it outside my nieces house to travel in her car to liverpool) and stole my stereo, It was just the last straw.Oh well, thats life.
The animals are all enjoying the snow, particularly the dogs.They are all in high spirits chasing each other round the fields.Even William was tempted into a mad half hour(see photo)Not bad for an elderly chap! I had a call yesterday from a lady in Porthmadog who had found an abandoned dog tied up in her drive, the poor dog was shivering and very frightened.I had to phone a friend who has a health store in that area and ask if he would go and untie the dog as the lady was a little nervous.He did so and the lady kindly allowed him to put the scared dog
in an outhouse with a heater for the night.Today she is mingling happily with our dogs, she is a young cross staffordshire bull terrier female, very friendly and puppyish.I hope she will be alright with the cats, that is the next step, we need to know this or we cannot let her off the lead at all.picture above is of Mei giving her a cuddle.
A farmer has just been here with yet another collie, this time the dog is unsuitable for sheepdog trials, he has no style apparently!Well I think he has plenty of style though I cannot say that for the owner.Shep is a stunning sheepdog, the type people like, longcoated balck and white.I doubt he will be homeless for long.
Good news - Rollo is going to his new home as soon as the snow clears, I had an email about him, Im so pleased that they did not change their mind.

MeeT Rollo

Well I still havent heard from the lady who was interested in Rollo(oictured here)I hope she hasnt changed her mind though better to do so at this stage than later when he is already home with them.
Another disappointment has been the back out of the home for Junior in Coventry.It seems the children were set on Princess the other dog pictured on the same site, however I did not feel Princess was right for a home with childern so Again best it happens at this stage.
On a good note - Bobby has gone to a home, heres hoping he settles in and more importantly that the people give him time to settle.I tell everyone to give new animals a chance to settle but often they panic after 24 hours and return them. This really upsets the animal concerned,I always honour our policy of having our own animals back if it doesnt work out but people should be more understanding of how traumatised animals are that have been taken to a shelter or abandoned, they need to feel safe and secure again and this does not happen overnight.A good example of this is Christy(now Ben) the collie who went to live in Dorset.His new owners have been so patient and showed so much compassion and understanding through many difficult weeks, they are still not out of the woods but they are dealing with the problems because they have already formed a close bond and they know that it takes time.
On the subject of the microchipped cat found in Bangor - it is looking as though it was the owner herself who handed the cat in as a stray!!!!! I am truly angry, she filled in an adoption form, was told that we would have the cat back if their circumstances ever changed and what do they do-- lie and take the cat somewhere else 2 years later.!!! Thank goodness Nell was taken in by the Cats Protection League people who have cared for her this past week.We will of course be bringing her back to Freshfields but this was all so unnecessary.Poor little Nell. I feel I really let her down.
A new homechecker has turned up to help us, Jean is willing to cover the Anglesey and Bangor areas.It does seem that we are finally drawing in the volunteers we have needed for so long, though we need several more to cover other areas of Gwynedd.
It is freezing here today, icy cold and the forecast is for snow.I am going to my brothers funeral in liverpool tomorrow so I am hoping that the roads will be clear enough.We havent had much snow at all so far but if the forecasts are anything to go by that will all change this coming week. I am going to top up all the bird feeders tonight and put lots of fat balls out for them as well.