Royston joins the permanent residents

Royston came in to us about 6 months ago, nobody showed any interest in her and because of her age I decided enough was enough.I decided to release her to live out her days at the shelter, she is now 13 years old and life in a cattery is no life for an elderly cat.This was on Saturday morning and already she has made herself completely at home, sleeping in the conservatory at night and pottering around during the day.
One young tortoishell female went today and a relative who accompanied the new owners fell in love with Megan the jack Russell so all being well she will be also going to a new home shortly. Grizzly the collie from a broken home came in yesterday and he too will be off to a new home this week.A stray pup was brought in yesterday, she is around 4 months old, looks like a cross german shepherd and I doubt if anyone will claim her. She appears to suffer from separation anxiety and makes a terrible racket when she is left.She has joined Molly and the other 3 in the kitchen, she is getting on famously with Gemini - the two of them are playing like young dogs do, lots of tugging and pulling at anything they can find(usually seems to be an item of mine from the ever increasing pile of recently washed and waiting to be put away clothes on the kitchen table)Never mind at least it provides entertainment for the dogs!One day I will get round to moving the clothes to their rightful place in the wardrobe but it wont be this week!
Blue , one of the Anglesey ponies has gone lame so is confined to barracks at the moment.It does not appear to be laminitis, rather a stiffness of the joints, perhaps his supplements need to be increased, if there is no improvement I will call out the vet.
I forgot to mention in an earlier blog entry that Andre our Equine Dentist is not only compassionate and gentle with our horses but he also does volunteer work abroad to help less fortunate equines.Each year he spends a month helping the Greek animal Welfare near Athens. How brilliant to know of someone who uses his skills in this way.Well done Andre.
The 2 little yorkshire terriers which went to a local home a week ago have been returned , in retrospect I think they were too lively for the lady who would maybe have been better off with just one more sedate yorkie.I did have a small flicker of doubt, I should have listened to my inner voice. These are tiny little dogs aged 6 years but they are full of energy and more suited to someone younger.They are happy enough to be back here and the Maggie Marthas just looked at them briefly and went back to sleep.Little Suzy also accepted the presence of the newcomers and as long as they keep their distance she is happy. Suzy is the grumpy one of the 3 permanent yorkies.The Maggie Marthas are gentle and sweet.Suzy chooses when to be affectionate, the rest of the time she is a little tinker but as she is so tiny and only has one tooth her bite is totally ineffective.
My car is back from the garage and William is so thrilled he has scarcely left it and has been curled up in the passenger seat ever since. I have to persuade him to leave it so I can lock it and bring him into the house.He is clearly scared it will disappear again.

The pigs enjoying a banana snack.

Barbara has arrived back from Leicestershire where she had been to collect a donation of petfood from Pedigree Petfoods.They have donated an amazing 96 cases of Whiskas and 53 cases of Chappie.Our petfood bill is incredibly high so this is very welcome and will make a great difference to us.
The house seems empty without Ruby which seems silly as I still have 5 permanent dogs but this is the lowest number I have had for a long time and those animals which require more intensive care seem to leave the biggest gap when they go. I will try not to take in any more permanent dogs for a while to give myself a break from caring for elderly and difficult dogs.It takes over your life and I have done it for over 30 years and feel I want a bit of "me" time.Is that selfish? I certainly feel guilty even just writing the words but I am saving up for a good holiday this year and I dont want to have to worry about leaving Mei and the staff coping with extra responsibiities.The remaining 5 with the exception of Molly are very old but so far have no major health issues.
Its a lovely bright day today, the pigs are lying in the sun , enjoying the fresh air.Of course they are never to be seen when it is cold, they bury themselves deep down in their warm bed of straw.Today they have spent most of their time outside pottering about and continuing their never ending search for food.
Poor little |cat Harry Black was found to have a massive tumour, there was nothing to be done Im afraid, I wish he had been in a home and not ended his days here although it would have been heartbreaking for a new owner to lose him so soon, maybe it was best it was discovered here.
Another 2 cats have been homed today. The sun must be bringing people out. Marmalade a 6 years old cat has been chosen along with Billy Jo , a very timid little black cat who has been here for 2 years.We are all over the moon about this, just when you start to think nobody will ever take a certain animal, then someone arrives who is immediately attracted to that same animal.Thank goodness it does happen or we would have so many more cats here permanently.
Rosie has been fostering a middle aged collie called Robbie, she is going away this weekend so I have put him in with Sasha who has brightened up considerably now she has a new companion.
We had a visit from a girl called Kerry who is going to take part in a sponsored skydive for us in July.Now thats what I call brave!

A day of sadness.

This morning I let Molly, alfred and Gem out and went to let Jackson and sasha out of their kennel as they all exercise together.Sasha was eagerly waiting but There was no sign of Jackson . I could see him in his basket and thinking he might be deaf went to wake him.To my great distress I could see he was dead.He looked as though he had died in his sleep but it was a terrible shock.Last night he had been enjoying his evening run, had been eating well too so I can only suppose he must have had a heart condition of which we were not aware.Poor Sasha is very quiet and subdued, she clearly misses him too.I am glad that for the time he was here, he was very happy, he loved itat the shelter, enjoyed his romps on the field(several times daily)and the company of the other dogs.From the first day he arrived he made himself at home, there were never any signs of fretting or unhappiness, on the contrary his tail never stopped wagging and his face always seemed to be smiling.He really was a lovely dog and at 6years he was far from old, such a shame.
As if this was not bad enough I was forced to make a decision regarding my old cavalier Ruby.For a while her back legs have become weaker and weaker and her kidneys have started to fail so I knew her time was imminent but it was the last straw today when I found her distressed and lying in her own excrement.This is not fair to any animal, they all deserve some dignity in their old age so I made that awful decision which I knew was right but nevertheless left me feeling so empty and sad. Rhian kindly offered to take her to the Vet and I readily accepted her offer.It had been a long time since Ruby really acknowledged me, she spent most of her time sleeping so I did not feel I was letting her down by not accompanying her.Rhian is so strong and I am so grateful to her for this, it is not easy for anyone to do and she has had a terrible past year with losing a few of her own dogs.I cant thank her enough.Shes a good friend as well as a work colleague.
Although these two incidents have understandably overshadowed the day, there have been some bright spots, we have found homes for 4 domestic cats and 5 feral cats have gone to a new home.These good moments make the others more bearable. I will focus on the fact that these lucky cats will soon be enjoying the life they deserve.

Shall we Make a Run for It?

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"Shall we make a run for it" Judging by the look on their faces thats what the ponies seem to be thinking.
Andre our equine dentist is visiting today.Most of the ponies are marvellous when they have their teeth examined but little Maggie shetland is a nightmare and we have to have the vet out as well to sedate her.Small she may be but she is very strong and can be dangerous, rearing on her hind legs and kicking.Noddy, on the other hand is a sweetheart(as usual)but it is only to be expected from the best looking, best natured, best behaved pony on the property.Of course I am not in the least bit biased!!
Carousel, Solitaire and Starlight are pictured in the Dentists Waiting Room (stable yard) looking back at him treating Noddy and wondering when it is their turn to be subjected to the indigity of having Andre peering in to their mouths.I know exactly how they feel having experienced that feeling myself - not with Andre I hasten to add ,and in fact when I was a child actually escaped through an open window when the dentist had his back turned. I ran all the way home.My mother was not amused.
The dentist was impressed with the difference in some of the ponies. When he first came here several of the ponies were impossible to handle having had very little socialisation before their admittance to the shelter.Now it is only Maggie who has to be sedated.Andre joined us for a coffee break and Blue(one of the Anglesey ponies) decided to have some too.Pictured drinking from Meis coffee cup.After all a visit to the dentist deserves a little treat.
3 dogs have gone to be neutered today- Megan the jack russell, Gem the eviction dog and a middle aged unwanted farm dog Robbie.Harry Black has also gone in for tests.This little black cat seems to have lost weight and there is always a worry there is something serious underlying.Blood tests are the best option so we know for once and for all what is the problem.
The people interested in Minty rang to say they were not having him, what a disappointment.He is such a nice dog too though like all collies he is very active.I dont know what the real reason was for not having him but as they had owned a collie before that cant have been what put them off. Maybe they saw a more attractive dog elsewhere. Who knows? Wendy in Dorset has seen a few suitable shops for us to consider opening as a charity shop in that area so will probably head off down to Dorset for a few days next week possibly. We desperately need to improve our income and shops seem to be the only way to do this, at least they bring in a regular sum.We have only been established in Wales for 6 years and it takes a long time to drum up support and funding.At the moment we are sailing close to the wind financially so the situation is urgent and with everyone worrying about the recession I am extremely worried about the future of the shelter.

William misses his car and Will Minty ever find a home?

We got the boys back this morning, as I write this they are enjoying a well earned rest in their own field and Mei is busy poo picking around them. Usually they follow her and have happy times tipping the wheelbarrow over and watching her start all over again!Well happy times for them not for poor Mei who gets incredibly frustrated.At least they are giving her some peace today.Oops I spoke too soon, Mei has just come in for a coffee break having just had a full wheelbarrow tipped over by Sam. They are naughty boys.
The people for Minty were very nice and promised to let us know their decision today but as yet I have heard nothing so am disappointed.They seemed so suitable for him and were the first people ever to admire him and to think he was nice looking(except us)never mind there have been a few enquiries for him so maybe one will turn out to be THE home for him.
A couple, of dogwalkers have turned up today so that means extra walks for some of them.Not all will go with new people.Bonny our old foxhound is absolutely terrified of new faces and will run a mile if approached by a stranger, especially men.Even after being here for 2 years, she has not overcome this terror.It is such a shame, she is such a gentle affectionate dog but her background as a hunting dog appears to have left her scarred mentally.When she arrived she was emaciated and desperate for food and now she is a normal weight she still eats as though there will never be another meal.In fact if there is no food on offer she thinks nothing of stealing it, she has eaten the cats food,ripped open bags of donated dog food and even stolen
volunteers lunches. When dogs have been starved this seems to become a permananent state of mind for them.
Alfreds homecheck has passed so I must steel myself for him leaving soon.He is sharing the kitche with another rescue now and Molly seems quiet happy with the arrangement.Gemini is a lovely little cross cocker spaniel, full of life and vitality - her owner rang in a panic, she had been evicted and had nowhere for her 2 dogs, she had left them in her house and when Roy went out to collect them the owner of the house had called in the dog warden who was taking them to the dog Pound.Thankfully the council were quickly informed that these were not abandoned and had an owner and the dogs were returned within the hour.The B@B she was going to then said she could have one dog with her so we only brought one back.
My car is in the garage having a(very expensive) mot and work done on it.William is very upset, his kennel on wheels is not here and he is very restless.He keeps staring at me with reproach in his eyes and has resorted to sleeping in the cats kennel outside the office.This is not his usual choice of bedroom so he is not at all happy with me and this third rate accommodation.

Sam and Murphy make a bid for freedom!

A busy day today, someone came to look at feral cats so pending a homecheck 3 lucky ferals may soon have a new home.The little yorkie has gone this morning, she has gone to Kev and Linda who already have a yorkie from Freshfields, their two oldest died recently making room for another rescue.This couple adore their dogs and will be the perfect home for little Minnie.I couldnt be more pleased.
Alfred the lurcher has someone interested in him .They live in Kent so I am waiting to hear how that homecheck went, I have a good feeling about it.The sooner he goes the better, I am becoming rather attached to him.I love lurchers, they are one of my favourite dogs and Alfred fits in so well! Its so tempting when a dog comes along that really seems to fit into the lifestyle here but I always have to remind myself that by keeping some that means I will have no room to help any others which may be in need of help.It is hard though to be rational ALL of the time.
Jan came again today to help with the office work. When she lost all her work last time after the computer crashed, I had doubts she would turn up again.I am so glad she hasnt given up on us, I really do need help in the office, there seems to be so much paperwork to deal with nowadays and it takes up so much time.
A friend emailed me about the lack of ladybirds telling me that she has seen loads of them where she lives on the LLyn peninsula so perhaps I will see some here this spring.There were buzzards directly overhead today, I worry about the safety of the old cats but I think they were doing a mating dance.They seemed more interested in each other than searching for food on the ground.I dont know if they would ever attempt to take a cat but I suppose it is possible, they are big, powerful birds.
Last year I gave a talk to a group called Quaker concern for animals, they have nominated me for an award which is given annually by The Young Indian vegetarians.I am to receive it on April 18th at a venue near manchester. Each year they present an award to someone whose work displays compassion so I am honoured to be chosen and look forward to meeting some nice people at the event.
I have done some posters to try and rehome Fluff the heart murmer cat, he is already on the catchat website under special needs and on the Freshfields website.There MUST be someone out there for him, maybe the posters will do the trick.
Naughty shetlands Sam and Murphy broke out their field today and decided to explore another part of the shelter and could we get them back? They were having none of it and eventually Mei and I gave it up as a bad job.Exhausted and dirty, looking like stig of the dump (from falling over)we conceded defeat.They have joined the bigger ponies in the next field - When shetlands decide to do something they can be very stubborn, they may be small but they have minds of their own and can be harder to deal with than the largest horse.Tomorrow is another day.they will probably give themselves up after they have enjoyed their days freedom.They clearly wanted to be with the Big Boys.
I cant believe it, someone has arrived who is interested in Minty the collie who has been here for 6 months.Nobody ever looks at him, the shortcoated collies are not as popular as the longcoated dogs and he is constantly overlooked.More of this tomorrow.

Where are all the butterflies and ladybirds?

Photo of Elaine on her visit to the shelter, she has our old cat "Fatticat "! in her arms and is meeting Marigold , Suzy took a lovely photo of Marigold and Melba which I had to show.These two ponies get on so well together. Marigold came from a home where she had been in a field on her own for 12 years, had no handling and no pony companionship either.Her owner could not handle her and certainly when she came here, she was very skittish and nervous.She still is not the most placid of ponies but so much better now.Melba came to us one winter, we had heard of a pony kept in a small stable for the whole winter and the owners were happy to hand her over to us.When she arrived she galloped round and round the fields for hours.Her joy was wonderful to behold. No wonder she was happy - she had a field at her old home but they would not let her in it in case she got dirty!!!
I had a call from Horse and Rider magazine, they are considering my letter for publication and wanted some photos.I hope they do decide to print it.
It is lovely here today, the sun is shining and it is really warm, I was talking to Roy who runs our charity shop in Caernarfon and we were discussing the lack of butterflies seen last year. There is a definite decrease in much of our wildlife.
Last night there was an article in the Mail about the disappearance of many birds due mainly to the change of climate and I was shocked at the statistics.Apparently there is a 50 percent decline in the numbers of cuckoos in the UK. The shelter is in Lon Pant-y-gog which in English means Cuckoo Dip lane and each April their distinctive call announces the arrival of Spring.Will I hear it this year? Another creature I rarely see now are ladybirds and frogs.A few years ago we had a massive influx of frogs around the shelter.I spent days rescuing them from the cats and from the animal water bowls, they were everywhere, it was difficult to even walk without dodging them underfoot.The last two years I have only seen a very small number and no ladybirds at all.I remember reading a book, I think it was in the sixties, a book called Silent Spring by Rachael Carson.At the time she was thought to have very radical views,her book told of the disastrous effect pesticides were having on the balance of nature, that sooner or later there would be no birdsong heard and how right she was, that combined with climate change has changed the countryside as we knew it. One can only hope that her prophecy will not come true completely.