An unpleasant Visit from the Council

The pony is not coming in, not because the owner has claimed him but rather that he has been found a home, which is great for us. I spoke to the World Horse Welfare Inspector who went to see the pony to check for a possible micrichip implant, of course there wasn't one.  He told  me that many ponies are being abandoned at the moment, usually young males who will need to be gelded so maybe the owners do not want the expense of this?  It all boils down to the fact that far too many people are breeding equines and there are simply not the homes for them all.Tragic! What is this obsession with breeding all about? In the spring, every field containing horses has at least one mare with a foal at foot and the horses sales are full of unwanted youngsters who will never have the chance of a full life. can't horse and pony owners understand this? What  is the justification for bringing more and more equines into a world where so many end up as petfood,it breaks my heart.

Amazingly The Staffordshire bull terrier was claimed, five days after we admitted him! Suffice it to say I was not particularly pleased that she had not even noticed his ears were bald and he had ear mites or the fact that she had not bothered to inform the microchip company of her change of address and telephone number, never mind ring her local shelter(us) to see if we knew anything about his whereabouts. Oh well, such is life, nothing I can do about it except maybe pop round in a wek or so and see how he is getting on.Yes I think that's what I will do to set my mind at rest.

A dear little middle aged Cocker Spaniel (pictured here)is being currently fostered by Rosie, initially I had to place her in local Boarding kennels because Rosie was away but she is now esconced in the Parry household and Rosie tells me she is a sweet little dog. Being a professional dog groomer , Rosie will be grooming her and getting rid of those matted ears (the mats not the ears!) I dont think she has lived in a home with other animals as she seems very nervous of them so I am looking for a nice quiet(ish) home for her .My grammar leaves a lot to be desired, have just read this back and it sounds as though Rosie is nervous of dogs. Trust me she IS NOT!

I had a lovely day off yesterday, I went birding with bird tour company 'The Biggest Twitch'. We only went round Pwllheli and Porthmadog harbours but it was very relaxing and I am learning more about birds each time I go. The only problem is that by the time I go again I have forgotten all I have learned! I rather like the idea of  going on a four - five day  holiday to Scotland with them, anybody fancy that too? It would be good to have three or four like minded people joining me.

Back to work issues.
Work is going on repairing the field shelters ready for the winter months ahead and I need to buy another shed for the feral cats here, one of theirs is falling apart and will not make it through another winter. I thought we were pretty organised for the next Big Freeze but all of a sudden there seem to be a million jobs to do!

Regarding the planning application I put in during the year 2008 which has been held back due to the future change in cattery regulations - I had an appointment here with  one of the people from the Environmental Health dept to discuss some of the possible changes and I must say it was extremely upsetting. Not only was I told that I may have to reduce the number of cats to something like 30! but that if I was not happy with these changes that I could always move somewhere bigger! Also I am  not allowed to give shelter to a dog in my own House!It seems that not only am I not allowed to use the kennels here but I cannot even have a rescued dog in my own  Home!!! Not content with  forcing me to foster my dogs out if I want to continue helping the many unwanted dogs in this region, I cannot so much as take a chihuahua in myself? 
Oh, and if I wanted more space for the cats I could always use the stables and get rid of the horses! Finally she told me (out of the blue) that she disagreed with my views on Aids cats! Where did that come from? Clearly she has been either reading my blog or the website but what has that got to do with the Council? I felt she was being very personal rather than just doing her job and I have decided that enough is enough.
I will be seeing my MP to attempt to garner some support for the charity. WHat really makes me upset  is that we are providing a fantastic service to this community and  yet I feel that the Council would only be happy if I closed down.  Well,  Hell will freeze over before that happens.
There has certainly not been any support from them since day one. We have provided jobs for local people, provide work placements for youngsters and have disadvantaged and disabled people working here with their carers.Not only that we help not only individuals with their animal problems but  work with the police, social services and other institutions. Clearly this all amounts to nothing in the eyes of Gwynedd Council.
Dont forget to vote for Freshfields on the link on my last blog. wqe still need more votes to win the money.Please send the link to all your animal loving facebook friends.

A friend who has a  nice mobile home on a nearby beach is willing to rent to people with pets and we will receive the deposit as a donation so if any of you are interested in a  caravan holiday in Wales , let me know and I will put you in touch. 01286 880808