Tilly is Adopted

Friday:
Great news.Tilly  the cross staff/collie has been reserved. What a boost that is,it gives me faith Tess and Jackson  may eventually be adopted too.

Our young ponies came back for the winter today.It is always good to see them back. They are becoming so feisty I will have to bring in someone experienced to work with them or they will never find longterm homes. This winter we will be just able to provide stabling for them all, including the returned ones.This year we have not done as well as usual rehoming our ponies so we will be operating  at full capacity this coming winter. We have sorted out shelter for all but if another is unexpectedly returned we may have to resort temporarily to livery stabling(at high cost) please,please dont let one  be returned this winter.

Did anyone see the photos of the lab chimps liberated after 30 years in isolation and darkness? Wonderful to see their joy but outrageous that we continue to use these animals, our closest relatives, in research. To be honest even the thought of it makes me want to weep. In this day and age I fail to understand why more money is not being put into alternative forms of research. I am filled with admiration for those who campaigned for 14 long years to get these animals released. Well done to them and shame on those who refused to hand them over 14 years ago. It is one of those times I hope that there is such a thing as karma!

A tiny Papillon was brought to me today having been found wandering with no ID on him. His owner has just telephoned. I will ensure he is microchipped before he leaves here tomorrow.

Saturday:
The Owner of the Papillon  turned up. I Felt very sad as little dog did not show any pleasure at seeing  them and looked bewildered when placed in their car. Nobody seemed to be overjoyed at having him back safely, the child just picked him up and took him to the car and mum just put him straight on the back seat.I could not bear to look at the expression on the dogs face. He had settled so well with me and was constantly  giving me kisses ,I just hope that the people cared for him more than they showed when they were here.Perhaps I will give them a ring to see how he is.

Bud the Retriever has left today for his new home on Merseyside. Gail was clearly upset at parting with him, we get so fond of our foster pets! I did have a home  for him in Suffolk but was unable to find anyone to do the homecheck, these people already have a Freshfields dog (from the LIverpool shelter)and have been homechecked. WE all hope that this time he stays out for good, he is such a good dog and he needs to settle somewhere permanently.Apparently they had their first dog from me 22 years ago, it is good to know that they still come to Freshfields when they want another pet.

The old cat we called Isabella(the one crawling with maggots)has moved into the conservatory. I hasten to say that she is now completely maggot free! We decided that she was not likely to find a home at this stage of her life so she might as well enjoy the same comforts as the other oldies. When I look at her, I see what she must have looked like as  a kitten, her markings are so pretty and even though she is a very old girl, it is easy to imagine her as a headturning youngster.What is her story, why did she end up in such a bad condition, had she lived on the streets for a long time? So many questions for her and for all the other strays we admit. If only they could speak and tell us their tales! How interesting that would be.

A friend of mine has just told me that he saw a squirrel with a black and white tail yesterday? I am sure it could not have been a squirrel  but he insists that it had the same gait and was  roughly the same size but it disappeared into bushes before he could take a closer look. I wondered if someone had a pet skunk that had escaped? Has anyone else seen anything like this in North Wales?