Time to order in the haylage bales.

`Its a really nice day today,quite warm and even the sun is shining, its quite a change from the last few wintery days and a welcome respite.Little Katie has left us and so has Hadley.Willow goes tomorow . I am wondering if one of the people who rang after seeing them on the Dogsblog website might be interested in another I have just heard of.There is a 3 years old black female lurcher in a dog pound in Dolgellau (same one Hadley was taken to)so maybe just maybe there may be a home for her.Where are all these lurchers coming from? There seems to be a sudden spate of them in this area.
Did anyone see Doc Martin last night?I have always liked that programme, there is no gratuitous violence and no animal abuse so I always feel it is safe to watch in the knowledge there will be disturbing scenes in it. Not so last night, I had to switch off thanks to repeated close ups of a dead pheasant and a dead deer slung round someones neck with its poor head lolling lifelessly.I felt it was totally unecessary footage and far too graphic. There were far too many shots of the dead animals.I see enough in my day job, I certainly do not want to see this kind of thing when I am trying to relax. Its put me off watching again.I wonder do many other people feel this way.
There is little grass left here now so it is time to be ordering the big bales of haylage. This is when Trevor our old tractor is forced into life after a spell of hibernation during the summer months when he is almost redundant.Without him we would be unable to move the large bales into position in the fields and this is the cheapest way to feed the horses when the grass has diminished.See photo of the horses gathered round the hay container last winter.
The four youngsters,Celt,Merlin, Shanmrock and Finn have recovered well from their gelding operation and Finn who has gone to live with Cariads other pony, is coming along well with more individual attention.I am so glad that the ops are over and done with.I was in my usual mode of "keep out the way of blood and gore" and had to leave the premises until it was all over. Just the thought of it makes ,me feel faint! Animals are so stoical,I have the greatest of respect for them in their ability to recover from trauma and operations. Would that I shared some of that ability!
We are having six cats returned today, they were homed 4 years ago but apparently circumstances have changed so I am obliged to find space for them.Two are ferals and I am delighted to say that they already have a home,the man who delivers our hay wants a couple of ferals to live in his barn so these two should be ideal for him.Accommodating the remainder is not easy as we have lost a whole pen due to the roof situation,however they were our cats originally and their future must be assured. They will have to go in the old dog kennels with 2 other cats. The mnaterials for the temporary roof fixture should arrive today and with a bit of luck it will be repaired by the weekend. The long term solution is of course to pull it down and build a new cattery but as we have no way of knowing what the future holds for the shelter , its a case of taking each day as it comes.

Marjorie meets Crystal

The Dogsblog website once again has brought some homes for the dogs, there are people interested in Willow , Katie and also Hadley a lurcher being fostered by Rosie. Hadley was found, taken to the police in Porthmadog, then transferred to the dog pound where his time was up.He had staples in one leg where he had obviously had a recent operation but nevertheless he remained unclaimed.Pending homechecks all should be going early in the week.
2 adult cats Ernest (Che) and a little tortie adult have been reserved today also so not too bad at all for a bleak, cold, rainy and very windy Saturday.The highlight of the day however, has been a visit from supporters in Liverpool who travelled to the shelter with a cash donation and a huge amount of catfood packed into their car. What a treat to see a good supply of catfood stacked up once again.It felt like Christmas had come early. This will save us hundreds of pounds , the kindness of people lately has restored my often dimmed faith in human nature. Words are inadequate for the gratitude I feel towards those who have given us the practical help needed.
We also had a visit from Marjorie and her carer who come regularly to see the animals here.Marjorie sponsors Callie but today the old lady Callie, not Marjorie!) was grazing in the top fields and was nowhere to be seen so Mei introduced Crystal to her instead.It is always a pleasure to see how this wheelchair bound lady brightens up when she meets our animalresidents.It means a great deal to her and she thoroughly enjoys her trips to the shelter.
The bad news is that my neighbour has once again started complaining to the council about the noise of our dogs! It seems he is annoyed at the noise between 8 and 9 am and around 2pm in the afternoon,this is when the dogs are walked so they get excited, are they not to be allowed to make any noise at all? The council is going to be monitoring the noise. He is clearly not content with the fact that he has stopped us taking in dogs to our block of five kennels(I have never been able to understand how there was planning permission to build these kennels but we are not allowed to use them!!!!) but now the resident dogs are not allowed to make a noise either. I think he wants us gone and thats the truth of the matter. Well I am not so easy to get rid of. The perverse side of my nature will never give up no matter what is thrown at me and the more he hassles the more determined I become to carry on. In a way he has just spurred me on and given me even more reason to stay positive about the future of the shelter. I now would LIKE to end this days blog by a very rude comment and gesture to Mr. H. Clearly I am unable to do this so please feel free to use your imagination! The more imaginative the better.

Dawn leaves us and a very thin puppy arrives.

The donations are still coming in but there is a postal strike now,wouldnt you know!Anyhow so far we have received almost £2,000 so it is helping us greatly,thank goodness there are some animal lovers out there who really care about their local shelter.
I had decided we had to stop admitting animals as there is a large vets bill yet to be paid but yesterday someone turned up with a dog found tied up outside his house and she was so pitifully thin I could not turn her away .Willow as I have named her is now esconced in my living room with the Maggie Marthas ,Suzy and Pooty the old tortoishell cat.Willow (pictured here)is a young whippet cross about 5 and a half months old and reminds me rather of my lovely William, she is gentle and very calm around the other animals and I am going to find it very difficult to part with her. Even William who dislikes youngsters intensely seems passive around her.Incidentally I never did part with Meg the lurcher who had a tiff with Molly, she is still with me and always will be though I have to be careful not to make a fuss of any other animals when she is near, she is very jealous and possessive around me. Molly ,more or less keeps out of her way but they and Ben the old collie live amicably together now.Bens owner has agreed to let him live out his life here and although I did not want another dog,I am relieved. Ben is so settled here now and judging by his reaction when his owner visited him,I dont think he wanted to go back to him. His owner loved him dearly but Ben seems to prefer life here.At least now the man can accept the councils offer of a place to live instead of holding out for one where he could have his dog.He will now be able to leave the B&B where he has been accommodated for the past 6 months.
One of the lovely people who has supported us through this difficult time had expressed a desire to take a cat which had been here a long time and today he chose Dawn to live with him.Dawn has been here almost 18 months, a shy but sweet little tabby with bits of ginger colour always held back when visitors came and her nervousness did not endear herself to prospective owners.She was never a great one to make a fuss but amazingly today she was purring and making a great fuss of this gentleman. Real cat lovers are instantly recognised by cats and there is no doubt in my mind that she knew she was in with a chance today. How right she was. This is a real morale boost for the staff who, like me ,worry about those which are overlooked and for Dawn to be chosen when there are so many more outgoing and attractive cats here is a real pleasure to all of us.
There are two other adult cats reserved and should be going tomorrow.Which is just as well because to add to the pressures of the moment, the cattery roof is collapsing!We have had to evacuate one entire pen intothe old dog kennels and another 2 pens are affected so we need to empty these also.There is no money to pay fora new roof but we will need to repair well enough to see us through the winter ahead. We have builders arriving today to give a quote for minimum repair.Also Roy the volunteer manager of the Caernarfon shop has told me today he is stepping down so I need to find a replacement - not an easy task, Roy was so reliable and committed to the shelter but for personal reasons he feels unable to continue.What a nightmare. Oh well better to get all the rubbish luck out the way at once and then things can only get better!!!!!

Hunting continues in North Wales.

After speaking of my huntsman neighbour,I was horrified to hear (I was on a day off and away from the shelter) from Mei that there was a hunt taking place in Nasareth and the hounds were on the adjoining property to the shelter.There were a large number of hounds and Mei heard gunshots, I believe I am correct in saying that this is illegal, that control of foxes should occur with only two hounds!Apart from my great sadness for the slaughtered wildlife, my neighbours Nia and Andrew have cats and horses (some from here) and geese loose on their land so there could have been a veritable bloodbath.Had they wandered just that bit further the Freshfields animals would have also been at risk. Foxhounds are lovely animals, we have an elderly one here but Bonnie, although she has a gentle affectionate nature would behave totally differently if running with a pack. I will be making some complaints about this and will also talk to Nia and Andrew who will be horrified to hear what has happened on their land. These people have no regard for the law, they believe they are a law unto themselves and they cannot be allowed to carry on their murderous antics so close toour homes and putting our pets at risk.
The Welsh Assembly have produced excellent literature regarding the keeping of pets and an accepted Code of Practise for such.This morning there was a forum held in Anglesey and I was able to attend along with Sandra a friend and someone who has done much for animal welfare in this area over the years.It was interesting to hear of the efforts of various councils all over Wales, their efforts to improve animal welfare is to be applauded. The implementation and subsequent enforcement of these Codes of Practice are another matter.The law does not protect animals adequately and although the public can be given advice on pet ownership, it is quite another matter taking them to task over it. The judicious system as it stands gives ludicrously small sentences to those who have committed acts of animal cruelty(and also for child abuse!!)and until this changes and it is taken seriously it does not act as a deterrent.
Good news, our appeal in the newspapers has resulted in just over a thousand pounds being donated and I hope there will be more to come, I have never done as much positive thinking as I have done in the past few weeks.I am trying to push the negative thoughts out my mind,not easy but I cant succumb to it. As the self help books say -positive energy brings positivity into ones life.Heres hoping thats true.

A busy week.

This past week has been pretty hectic, the 4 young ponies have been gelded, the vet has been out to look at Crystals tumours, the farrier has been to do his regular foot trimming and the vet was called out a second time to look at Joseph the Jacob sheep who was limping.In between this a couple of cats and Lucy dog have been neutered,Bradley Briard had a cough which is being treated and local newspapers have published articles on our struggle to survive.
So to recap, Merlin, Celt, Shamrock and Finn are now testicle-less, they have all recovered well and Finn has gone to stay with Cariad one of the staff who will have more time to get him used to being handled.He needs that extra attentionif he is to becpome as friendly as the other three, vital if he is to be homed at some point in the future. The vet is going to give Crystal a tumour shrinking medication but he thinks she is not in pain, she has some infection surrounding it so she is on antibiotics to clear this but all in all she is fine at the moment and there is no imminent likelihood of her being put to sleep.Thats a great relief to us all.
Joseph has the beginnings of foot rot so he has had an injection and future medication is needed though he seems a lot better already.
I waa forced to contact the media to publicise our financial predicament and this week all have printed the article though one stated that we have an expediture of £10,000 a YEAR. It should have read £10,000 a MONTH!! I wish it was that little annually, we would be sailing along merrily if that was the case.I am hoping there will be a good response, a couple of people have already been to the shelter with donations of cat food which is more than welcome. The catfood bill is enormous.Unlike dogs they will refuse to eat the cheaper brands ,preferring to do without than to lower themselves to the level of eating third rate food.It is beneath their dignity. Only those starving animals which are admitted will show no fussiness at the meal table but before long they too will start with the offended glare and the " Do you really expect me to eat that rubbish" look on their faces.
Pictured here are some of the resident cats waiting for the Dinner Lady - ME to dish out the afternoon meal.
Minnie and Georgie Girl have gone to their new home this week and surprisingly they travelled well .They now have their own name plaques on their stable.Pictured here at their new homein Anglesey. We will miss them but thats the way it goes, decisions have to be made for the good of the animals and we all have our favourites which we would like to keep.It is what is best for them.Thats what we are here for and with a bit of luck,well a lot of luck actually we will struggle through this difficult time and come out the other end.
I have just been called to help with a stray sheep which has wandered on to our fields and is very distressed trying to find his way out, i think he may belong to our next door farming neighbours but nobody is in at moment so cant contact them. They are the better type of farm, dogs loose in the farm yard, not on chains,sheep checked daily and even better are good neighbours- Liz Jones eat your heart out!
In case people do not know of Liz Jones, she is a journalist and fashionista who writes a column in the Mail. Liz has moved from London to the countryside with disastrous results, having got on the wrong side of her neighbours with her animal rights views. It can be hard for people like Liz(and me)but there has to be a willingness to try and fit in for the sake of your own sanity.Of course I could not cope if my neighbours were shooting all the birds out the sky or were factory farmers but even so I have a hunting pack of hounds (yes they still hunt) plus working terriers kennelled at the back of Freshfields and they are owned by a very unpleasant countryside alliance type(a retired doctor no less!)I admit to not being friendly with HIM especially as for years he allowed his sheep to eat all the grass here and refused to repair his fences, that is until a male friend stepped in and guess what, he repaired his fences immediately. That is SO annoying when I had been nice to him, pleasant even, though it went against the grain, and he refused to do this. A true example of a woman alone being taken advantage of. I am not anti men by any means but men like that really do make my blood boil.Of course the fact that he is a huntsman colours my judgement rather a lot!

Sasha leaves us for a new life. and Rocky is to be returned.

It has been a good weekend for cats.5 kittens and Mia an adult black cat went out yesterday. One lady took 3 to add to her feline family of two so at last we have a couple of spare pens for any more emergencies.
I appear to have offended one woman who took umbrage when I asked for her address to make a home visit. I had some doubts about the suitability of the home anyway after her children reeled off the names of past kittens/cats which either vanished, moved in with someone else, were run over or left behind when there was a house move! Oh and then there was the 8 weeks old puppy run over too!(but that was not their fault?) .Her face became set with fury and she marched the children out to her car,saying "all this fuss for a cat". Its a fact that those who react in this way are always the people I have a gut feeling about,is it guilt that provokes this reaction? I could not have been more pleasant whilst explaining why animal shelters make home visits but she was livid with anger and off she went dragging the protesting children with her.I am always sorry for the children when parents behave so irrationally.
Its a horrible day today,raining and misty,I dont think it will be long before we have to start putting on the heaters in the cattery.So far it has been quite warm in the sleeping areas and I want to leave it as long as possible so they will receive the benefit of the extra warmth when it is really needed.
Sasha the white Gsd has also left us today for a new life, she had originally been rescued from a home where she and several others were badly neglected, then her new owner kept her for 6 months and left the country leaving her behind with parents who had no desire to keep her.I hope this time she has found a permanent home where she can feel secure and loved.(I wouldnt mind one of those myself) Thank goodness I am not up for adoption, I would be one of those "difficult" animals that nobody wanted to take on, not good on socialisation, behavioural problems galore and a penchant for eating anything in sight,(as long as not animal based) known to thieve other peoples food when not looking and can be very noisy.Even I would not want to adopt me! I would be far too much hard work.
There is another horse being returned, this time it is Rocky who held a special place in my heart(see photo here)His carer has developed arthritis in her hands and is having difficulty looking after him. We are really pushed for space now, he and Buster will have to stay out in one of the field shelters as all the stables will be occupied, thankfully they are good well built and deep shelters with a permanent floor so they should be fine as long as they are rugged.It will be hard to part with him again, maybe I need to make a decision one way or another.
I spent another afternoon helping Roy to clear the old shop.Barry also turned up and we made another trip to the local skip with our vehicles full of rubbish.Last time we went there were good bicycles being thrown away and the Council will not allow anyone, even charities to remove them.Where is the sense in promoting recycling and yet allowing good items to be crushed and disposed of?? Dafydd of Cycle recycle cymru had already been to ask if he could have the bikes,He recycles(no pun intended ) them and then donates them to charities for them to raise funds.He is also trying to get off the ground a workshop to train and employ disabled people to be able to dothe same.But NO even he is not allowed to take anything thrown away.Where is the sense in it? I think I will write to them in protest.

The Boys are Back Again.

Today our horse trailer was used for the first time and there was a successful round up of our four youngsters by Rosie,Mei, Vanessa and Barbara. There was some worry that our latest pony Finn would prove to be a problem as he has had little handling this summer but he was caught after a comparatively short time and went into the trailer with no fuss. 2 trips were made with Barbara driving and the first to arrive were Merlin and Celt, followed by Finn and Shamrock (incidentally they both came from the same farm) The ponies travelled quite well and they unloaded easily too, all in all it was not the traumatic time as we expected.So next week they will have their feet trimmed and their male bits OFF.Pictured here are the boys arriving (we are so proud of our very first horse trailer)and enjoying a canter in their field.Finn looks so much better than he did when he arrived, see the before and after pics here.What a difference a few months can make!He really was in a shocking state. So next will be a trip to bring back Marigold and Melba and another to deliver Minnie and Georgie Girl to a new home.I had intended to keep the latter as Minnie had been through much in her life and I did not want her to ever feel fear and apprehension of leaving here where she felt safe, however I have been offered such a good permanent home for her and her daughter and they have been grazing out this summer anyway that I feel this to be the right decision for their future.
We have admitted a tiny stray kitten today and had a cat returned for scratching the children, an enquiry requesting me to take in a dog riddled with mange (I am trying to resolve this)and have found a home for Sasha the white German Shepherd.Oh and the people who brought in the feral cat and kittens rom Anglesey have come back for her,they are going to give her a home.Jemima as she is called is totally feral but they think the world of her having fed her for a long time.I am so pleased that they have decided to take her back as there was no hope of finding her a domestic home from the shelter.
Mei has had her cast taken off and the injury has healed so now I can get her to do some REAL work!!! Ever the sympathetic Boss!!