Guinea pigs, a returned dog and a one eyed kitten

Two baby guinea pigs have been brought in, we have many people asking for these animals so they should be no problem to rehome and they are males so there will be no chance of them breeding.
The bedraggled kitten which was taken to staff at our Porthmadog shop has had to have an operation to remove an eye which was too badly infected to save.Poor little thing.Mion is still fostering her and she is doing well.How amazing animals are, they are so stoical in the face of pain and change. Well most are, lurchers and greyhounds must be the exception, they are total wimps and William is no exception- brush past him with the slightest of pressure and it will result in a piercing scream of outrage and exaggerated pain!
We had a dog returned today.A young collie pup went out 7 months ago,now his owner is homeless and the dog is back with us minus vaccinations!I am annoyed with myself really because this same dog was picked up some months ago with no name tag,I traced the owner and told her off about it.It seemed a genuine reason that the dog had just escaped and I gave her the benefit of the doubt.WRONG.I should have taken him back there and then or at least followed it up and to my everlasting shame I failed to do so. Even after so many years doing this work I still make mistakes and I am very very angry with myself for overlooking this potential problem.All I can say in my defence is that I rarely ignore such warning signs and a warning sign it certainly was.I should have known then that the home was not as good as it had originally seemed. The good news is that he has been reserved already by a couple who will be bringing their own dog back on Monday to see if the two get on together.
At last some adult cats have gone.Even better is the fact that the two chosen today are Toby and Twinkle,Toby has amputated ears and they are middle aged.It is hard to home such cats and they had to be rehomed together so I am thrilled for them. Also reserved is Bunty a little kitten cat with stunted growth, she has always been half the size of her litter sisters and as a young kitten had incredibly short legs but has now turned into an attractive little cat.
A car drives into our yard around 5.30pm.I look up from typing and wonder is this someone else wanting to get rid of an animal and yes it is so another goes on our waiting list.This time it is a young cross collie/german shepherd which has grown too big for the family.At least it has been neutered which will save us some money.The vets bill is enormous and the less we have to pay out foreach animal the better we can manage our finances which are never in a marvellous state!
Yesterday I was in Liverpool attending a trustee meeting of the charity and the Manager Helen had written her report for the month in which she states that the recession is definitely making a big difference to them,both in donations and animals coming in.Of course it may not really be the credit crunch causing this,after all it is the perfect excuse to get rid of an unwanted pet without being made to feel guilty! Yes I know I am a hardened cynic but I know from years of dealing with people and their pets that there are certainly many genuine people whom we are delighted to assist if we are able but for every one of these there are 20 without a good reason. I much prefer people to tell me the truth, even if it is just that they dont like the animal anymore, I hate the lies which can sometimes this can be detrimental to the pet.We need to know the truth and as much information as possible whenm we admit them This helps with rehoming and finding the right match for people and pet.
It has been quite a good day for homing animals so as I finish this entry I feel reasonably upbeat.I can see the swallows flitting about the stables catching insects on the wing and I know that I dont have to put as much effort in for my forthcoming meal.Have Microwave, Will Eat!