The rescue of Archie

I returned from Liverpool to find that as i had expected the collie was claimed by his owner. The dog which Roy had gone to see turned out to be a lurcher around 12-18 months of age.Just as the caller had said, he was curled up in a ball outside a block of flats, he was shaking from head to foot and would not lift his head when approached.He had to be carried to the car.When Roy arrived with him the dog would not look at anybody, he hung his head and his tail was held down between his legs, a sign of great unhappiness. When we settled him down in a pen, he just turned his head to the wall and curled up again in a tight ball. His grey wiry coat was dirty and unkempt , this dog was certainly no loved family pet.One of our volunteers has taken him home to foster and we have named him Archie.Lets hope he soon realises that not all humans are unkind.
We have taken on another beautiful collie, Bengy is an unwanted farm dog (is there no end to them?)His problem is chasing cars/tractors etc, he attacks tyres apparently. That should be fun, must try and find out how Mr MIlan deals with this problem or if there are any forums I can look at to see how other rescues/dog owners have coped with this. I may have been doing this work for over 30 years but there is always something new to learn and dog training has never been my forte.Thats why I share my mealtimes with three ancient Yorkies who watch every mouthful I take with such envy I cant remember the last time I enjoyed a meal.I should have changed their habits a long time ago, I am guilty of allowing them to take charge but as they are over 20 years of age it is highly doubtful they will change now! They had bad habits before I took them over a year ago.Thats my excuse and im sticking to it!
Our vets receptionist has rung to ask if we can help with another collie who has been in a road traffic accident, he has a fractured skull and stitches in one of his legs.He will probably need a foster home so I will make some calls tonight.
The feral cat home did not transpire, they changed their minds, this was not entirely unexpected though very disappointing.
Whilst I was in Liverpool Mei has admitted a couple of cats.One is a nice little black female whose owner has died - this cat is very unlucky, she was a stray he took in at Christmas so she found a home and lost it within a matter of months.The other cat is a grey and white stray male, unneutered of course. Both appear to have nice natures which makes it easier for us to find homes for them.The crotchety ones seldom find sympathetic new owners.Personally I rather like those with difficult temperaments, they remind me of me!
The new Inspector for the World Horse Welfare(originally the International league for protection of horses)popped in for half an hour, he was investigating a report of neglect in this area and Norman Brown who has now retired had suggested he came to introduce himself.We had a brief chat about horse welfare and he told me that in North Wales, it was Wrexham which had the majority of neglect and cruelty incidents.I remember that the two major cases which hit the papers this past 12 months were both situated in that area.Appalling isnt it.

A day of strays.

Today was like an open day for volunteers! 3 new ladies turned up today so lots of extra jobs were done.I hope they will come back though many do not.I think the idea of helping at an animal shelter seems more attractive than it really is, the reality is so different from what many expect.All we can do is make them welcome and hope they like us enough to return.
Its so warm now that some of the ponies have had their winter rugs taken off ,its nice to see them again looking natural and they love the freedom of being without.Ross an elderly grey pony who came to Freshfields a few years ago is looking particularly well.There was a time 2 years ago when we thought he was on his last and a vet(not the one we use now) recommended having him put down.We availed ourselves of a second opinion and now he is looking better than ever.He is around 30 years now and is very cossetted by the staff, especially Mei who admits to him being one of her favourites. We love them all but there are a few who have special places in the hearts of the staff and of course everyone knows how I feel about little Noddy.
A call came throught today about a dog in a distressed state in the local village so I went out to try and find him.I was just about to give up when I spotted him, he was panting heavily and I half expected him to race off but he came to me as soon as I approached , Somehow I think he will be claimed although one never knows,he has a collar but no ID.(what is the point of a collar without ID, it is so frustrating)He is a bit matted under his throat but the rest of his coat is in good condition.
Tomorrow I will be attending the monthly trustee meeting in Liverpool and on the way I am taking a dog to a new home.My old friend Pat (who will hate me calling her old sorry Pat I mean that we have known each other many years!)who did the homecheck for me will be meeting us to take the dog on to his new home, Sams owners were about to lose their home and asked me to find him a new owner to take care of him.He seems a nice dog, not too boisterous at 3 years of age and appears to be quite an amenable animal.I do hope it will be a mutual liking when they meet.So far they have only seen a photograph of him.Not an ideal situation I admit but I am hopeful it will work.Sam is pictured above.
I cant remember if I mentioned that skinny Sadie has gone to her new home in Altrincham.I think I had only mentioned there was someone coming to see her.Well the two met, like the look of each other and I had an email today saying she had travelled well and had started to settle down in her new environment.I could not be more pleased, Sadie has come on in leaps and bounds since she first arrived here so frail and timid, this is what animal rescue is about.Just seeing the change in an abused animal when it realises there is only kindness to be had and a plentiful amount of food and exercise.Its brilliant seeing the fearful expression slowly fade from the eyes and replaced by a happy smiley one.What could be better?
Tomorrows meeting will be a long one, there is always so much to discuss about both shelters and tommorow there are many issues to cover, not least the poor financial situation and I am hoping to sort out a date for the very first Open Day to be held here at the Welsh centre.This both terrifies me and excites me. Excited to do this and promote the shelter to local people but terrified in case nobody turns up!!It should be July or August but will know tomorrow.There is also a bit of a communication problem with the two shelters which I hope we can iron out at the meeting.
Another call has come through about a dog which has been around a block of flats in Caernarfon since early this morning, he/she is lying down shivering and shaking.Poor thing, Roy the manager of our Caernarfon shop is going out to take a look and see if we can help.He is a marvellous person, he is one of those rare people who never says no to a request for help, if an animal needs rescuing he will be there immediately.If only there were more people like him.

Drum and Ken have a party.

This weekend has been so much warmer , I love to hear the birds singing in the trees, makes me believe its finally Spring and isnt it wonderful the way daffodills and other spring bulbs are springing into flower everywhere.N0body likes the winter months but in an animal shelter it makes life that much harder for both staff and animals alike.
I went today to check out 2 homes, one for a couple of feral cats and the other for some geese and ducks which are in the Liverpool shelter needing new homes.The first one may not bear fruit as they were unsure about takling on feral cats so I left them to think it over carefully.The second will come back to me about the geese.So its possible neither may be successful.Never mind,they may both decide in favour,I can only hope.
I heard today from the lady who is fostering Ramona and Rusty the 2 chestnuts whose owner was seriously ill.The were signed over to our care in October and as we had no room have been at theirfoster home ever since.Its good news! Mary will keep them longer, thats great because I want to try and get some ponies into loan homes before next winter, Ramona and Rusty will need stabling and as the situation stands now there will not be room for them.Rusty has recently had some teeth out and he needs several small meals daily as he finds it hard eating hay.Mary has sectioned off part of the barn so he can be fed seperately as Ramona is a very greedy horse and will eat hers and then rush over to eat Rustys food too.Rusty needs time to finish his food and with Ramona he had little chance of that!
Drum and Ken (pictured above)who share a stable must have had a party last night- their dividing partition was open and the rubber matting was completely up and overturned.Heaven knows how they managed that but this morning they looked as if butter would not melt, they were a picture of innocence.The stable is out of use until we can get someone to level the floor again and restore the matting to its rightful place.Good job the weather is warmer, they will have to stay out until the work is done.

Well the call about the abandoned cats turned out to be not as urgent as first thought.The owner HAd moved but had taken one cat with him and could not catch the second though he was returning every day to try to catch her.
No cats rehomed today but Cody the abandoned collie (he was never claimed)has found new owners in Anglesey.Collies are always best going to homes where the people have had a collie before, they are lively dogs and need to be kept entertained mentally and physically, these people had always had collies so they know what they are taking on.One of his new owners is an artist and brought with her a beautiful framed print of an original painting of a foal, so we can raffle or sell it to raise funds.How thoughtful of her to do this.
I havent before felt like talking about it but my aunt Audrey passed away last week,I was brought up with her so it has been a big blow, not entirely unexpected as she was a very great age, just 6 months off her 100th!! She and my mum were sisters, we had always said that if one of them reached the age of 100 and received a telegram from the queen, it would be sent back with a "Thanks but no thanks" letter.We always deplored the Royal Familys penchant for killing every animal or bird that they come across in the name of sport.We thought we could get good publicity for the case agains hunting, I doubt if many send their telegram back.Sadly it was not to be though Audrey nearly made it and we nearly were able to make a protest in defence of animals.When she and my mum were children they went to a small private school run by 2 ladies who were great animals lovers.They taught the children to respect animal life and one day when they took them on an outing they witnessed a horse being beaten by its owner, one of the ladies ran across the road, took the whip off the man and set about HIM with it.They never forgot this distressing spectacle and retained their interest in animal welfare to the end of their lives.Both were greatly supportive of me and Freshfields and I miss them both.
Ona more cheerful note I have someone coming on Wednesday to look at the ponies here with a view to having one, they already have one of our horses(Big Murphy)There is also someone coming over from Cheshire to see Sadie the emaciated black and tan bitch who is no longer pathetically thin and is enjoying life to the full here.She is still nervous of strangers and barks at them before running and hiding but she is basically a nice natured dog and I think with more one to one attention her confidence will improve in leaps and bounds.
A home for two feral cats has been offered so I will do that tomorrow.It is local so will not take up too much time.

Billy the staff is neutered.

Well this is Billy, he appears to be very friendly and he certainly did not deserve to die but I am still worried in case I fail to find him a home.I have posted him on Dogsblog and the Freshfields website, I will look today to see if there any others I could try though I suspect they will all be full of similar dogs in desperate situations.It is incredibly sad that the media has the ability to panic people into thinking all staffordshire bull terriers should be destroyed, that they are dangerous and untrustworthy. several years ago the same happened to rottweillers and within days of the "panic articles" appearing in newspapers, we had 1 abandoned in the lane opposite the Liverpool shelter.I was walking some dogs up the lane and saw this rottweiller through the trees.I took the dogs back and returned to catch the dog.I was nervous, she could have been vicious but she came over to me and allowed me to clip the lead on to her collar.Sophie was the most gentle of dogs and the only reason I could see for her abandonment was that the owner had been panicked into getting rid of her.After this experience we were inundated with requests to take Rottweillers! Now it is staffordshires and crosses of the breed which are filling up the rescue centres.What next? Jack Russells?
I have been taking in feral cats from the local tip which has closed down, there had been men with terriers seen there and it was generally thought that they were after the cats. With the closure of the tip, this colony had become extremely vulnerable and those being trapped and brought in have been dehydrated and hungry.We homed four together to a smallholding but there have been no feral homes forthcoming for some time now.There will be a newspaper article abpout them, hopefuly next week and I am keeping my fingers crossed that another suitable home wiull be offered, even just for two, that would make a difference.My feral enclosure is full, I will not be able to give shelter to any others until a few are homed. As a rule Freshfields does not take in feral cats, we trap, neuter and release but every now and again there will be a situation where it would be dangerous to release them and the choice is to destroy or to take in.Needless to say destroying is not an option.They may be wild but they have the right to live the same as any domestic cat.
A call has just come through about someone who has moved and abandoned two cats.I have to find the number of the Housing association to gain access.More of that tomorrow

Noddy lives to fight another day

Noddy is well.Thank god for that,I really thought I was going to lose him.Of all the ponies here Noddy is very special to me. By 11pm he was eating normally and back to his old self.Today he is absolutely fine, last out, first in!I suppose he is particularly special as he has been in the care of this charity since he was eight years old.He was admitted after a call from his owner told us of his possible fate, she had been declared bankrupt and was concerned that Noddy would become part of the assets which could be removed and sold.He arrived from Derbyshire, a feisty uncontrollable stallion.(How did she cope with him in her back garden?)What a nightmare it was until we had him gelded and he started to calm down.Until that happened it was a regular occurrence to hear loud shouts of "help me " resounding from one of the fields.He was scared of nobody but my god we were all scared of him.This little shetland with extra short legs thought he was the size of a police horse, he would take on anybody and anything.More than once he had me pinned up in a corner of the field, he would lean forward and gnash his teeth at me, them swing round and kick up with his back legs.I would dodge him and then run like hell to a place of safety, often he would catch up just as I leaped over the fence and would make a grab for me hoping his teeth would meet up with some part of my anatomy(and they frequently did)Every day was fraught with terror whilst he was like this.Nobody who meets him now can believe what he was like all those years ago, this sweet mild mannered gentle little pony, No I dont believe it they say.Well, Believe me its true, we all lived in terror of him. Regardless of this past bad behaviour he is undoubtedly "My main Man"my pride and joy, and woe betide anyone who laughs at his misshapen body.He is BEAUTIFUL>
Thanks janette from Hearts n noses pig sanctuary in canada(check out her online diary)you know what its like when you think one of your beloved animals is on his last, I hardly slept that night
The bantam was claimed by a neighbour, 2 cats have been rehomed today, one a 7 years old black and white female called Aimee is going to live with one of my blog followers.Look after her well Margaret.
I am excited to see the new Freshfields website is up and running after months of preparation.It will be a joint site for both shelters, it is in its infancy and more content will be added but its looking good so far, a great improvement on the old one.I hope it will bring new supporters, animal homes and with a bit of luck more funds will come rolling in!Eventually all our adoptable animals will be on there, it takes time to get them all on but it should help with the rehoming side of things.I have already had several enquiries for dogs here and a homecheck is going ahead for the latest collie now named Cody.
A lady in Anglesey who has one of our horses, Big Murphy has been on the phone and may be taking another, I prefer that type of call to those wanting to part with horses. I have been asked to help with a dog whose days are up tomorrow in a dog pound, he is a 4 years old staffordshire bull terrier, I admit to being worried i will not find him a home, there is such antipathy and even animosity towards this breed at the moment due to bad press. I am a believer of the saying"there are no bad dogs, only bad owners" unfortunately the bad owners ruin what could have been perfectly nice animals and when damage is done It is no easy matter to find a new home.,Having said that, I am told this one is loveable and is not interested in being aggressive towards other animals.,We shall see.Watch this space.

A visiting bantam

Yes little Charlie pup went today, although I was pleased he has gone to a home, I was also delighted to have the kitchen puppyfree again.Its enough to cope with having big Moll, Skinny Sadie and Sally(the dog Im caring for whilst her owner is in hospital)though in all fairness Molly is very good with pups.Despite her size, she allows them to snuggle into her and share her bed.
Nobody has claimed the stray collie so far.I was half expecting a visit from a farmer today declaring the dog was a sheepdog in training!He is the sort of collie which is attractive to people - longhaired and young.The shortcoated ones do not seem to appeal as much to people, Barney and Minty are still with us after months of advertising them.I took some better photos of Minty today in the hope it may help to find him a home.He is not good with the horses at all and we have to be so careful that he is kept on a lead until he is away from the horses fields.
It has been a quiet weekend and apart from Charlie pup, we have homed just one adult cat today.Still, better than nothing at all and the cat today is Jay who is 7 years old and this is his second stay at the shelter, we homed him a few years ago and he was returned because -- the owners mother in law was going to live with her and she hated cats!!!!Not allergic, just didnt like cats! Well this has to be an excuse and not the truth surely.!He was returned along with their other 2 cats. Its just as well nobody wants to come and live with me who hates animals, they would not get over the doorstep!
A stray bantam has turned up in the pig field, occasionally hens from the next door farm wander on to our land but usually they are rhode island reds and this little fellow is white and black.Usually at the end of the day they disappear home but this one has been here for two days, its not safe here with the dogs so will have to make some attempts to catch him(that will be fun!!)
I was just about to finish this when Vanessasa started to bring the horses in, her son Richard was helping her and we noticed Noddy was not in his usual place at the front of the ponies,its a standing joke, he is always the last out, first in for food.Then we heard Rich shouting, we raced up to the field and Noddy was collapsed.We managed to get him on his feet but he went down again before he got to his stable.The vet has just been and given him an injection, we think its colic and he has to be monitored for the next couple of hours.I should not have tempted fate by saying it was quiet. Obviously because of Noddys great age any health issues can be serious, the vet says he has a heart murmer which is of no surprise, he had slowed down a lot in recent years.Please send positive thoughts tonight for him.