Siobhan poses for her photograph.

I love this photo of Siobhan, I will use this on posters to try and find her a good home.Rosie our dog foster mum will have a housefull after this weekend - another 2 stray collieshave been brought in, one from a member of the public, the other arrived in a police car! Both dogs are in good condition though the one which arrived today is very nervous of people which concerns me, young dogs generally are happy and friendly.I always want to know why a dog cowers when approached,its not normal behaviour.When they are like this I always hope the owners do not turn up though there is always the possibility the dog is a rescued dog and it may not be the fault of the current owner.Then again neither dog has any form of ID on them so thats not a good sign.
When I was in Liverpool, several years ago we had a rough collie brought in with no identification on him. He was a middle aged dog, pedigree , shy but nice natured and as expected it was not long before his owner turned up. I will never forget what happened next, The collie followed me to the front door, when he saw his owner and the family, he changed personality immediately, his tail went between his legs, he hid behind me and was clearly terrified of him, refusing to even look at him let alone go out to greet them. After talking to him I gathered he did not really want him anymore anyway but the "kids" did so I asked if he would go away and think about letting me keep him which he did.The following day he agreed to sign him over.I was so thankful, there was no way on earth that dog was going back to that family. I discovered later that the owner regularly battered the dog and people had heard him screaming regularly(why didnt they report him?)So I never forgot that incident and now whenever a stray dog turns up and it is nervous or shy I am apprehensive about the kind of home it has escaped from.I am always pleased if the dog greets its owner like a long lost friend, thats what I want to see and thats how a lost dog should react.
Little Shamrock the foal is perking up today, he is halfway through his worming programme and he is eating well, altogether he is looking brighter .He will be much happier once he can join the other foal and they can start their bonding process(hopefully)At the moment he is stabled next to old Tangy and he really needs to be with someone his own age.
It is a horrendous day today, it is extremely windy and the rain has been torrential, non stop all day.In spite of this we have had several visitors and I am delighted to say that 4 kittens have found homes. Weekends can be very busy and now the horses are coming in at night,Mei will be busy with them so it looks as though I may have to take on someone else to help with cats at weekends.The wages bill is a big expense but the care of the animals can not be compromised and volunteers , welcome though they are, cannot be expected to drop everything and turn up whenever we need them.