Its snowing again

Up[loading photos successful today and no John it is NOT because i am blonde! There was a temporary problem with the blog uploading feature.So here is little Junior(the mini William)in his new home with resident cat Jake.
I couldnt believe it when I looked out the window this morning, thick snow everywhere! After letting the dogs out I rushed to replenish the food on the bird tables, the birds were hovering around anxiously waiting for "the dinner lady"to do her stuff. Realised I had run out of the goldfinches favourite Nyger seeds so made a quick trip to the local agricultural merchants to purchase some more and some catfood which is being eaten up at an alarming rate (by the cats not the birds!) The track to the road was a bit slippy but the main roads are all clear.
Shortly on my return a man turned up with two dogs, a middle aged collie and a Siberian Husky. He was moving tomorrow and this was the dogs last chance! I still havent found foster homes for Thunder the young husky with the broken leg, I have had two offers but both people had cats and she hates them with a vengeance. I expected the collies to be going today but with the weather there has had to be a change of plan.Hopefully they will go very soon so they can start their rehabilitation. They had their first vaccinations yesterday but there are no funds right now to spay the two females. After the charity being established for 30 plus years I believed by now we would be financially well established but it seems to get no better and of course the recession has really hit charities.Those small ones like us with no investments and assets are the worst hit. Everyone is complaining of the same struggle to keep heads above water.For all Britain is a nation of animal lovers, it seems to be the charities established for human benefit which are the better off. Perhaps I should start a religious cult, they seem to do alright!
Our water pump is not working and we have had no running water for three days but other than that all is well!
Pictured are Monty and Lucy the shetland ponies in need of a new home together,I have put them on our website and am keeping my fingers crossed we will be successful placing them in a suitable and permanent home.
Now let me think of some cheery anecdotes for the day.Well Meirwen has just reminded me how I gave her an Easter egg last year and when she opened it there was a large chunk taken out of it, the foil around it was carefully replaced to look as though the egg was intact underneath.Yes youve guessed it, the culprit was me. I must have been having a "desperate for something sweet day".
Speaking of easter its our Easter fair tomorrow at the Royal Sportsman in Porthmadog and I am now panicking that nobody will turn up because of the weather, and on the fifth we have our first coffeee morning in Barmouth at the Dragon Theatre. Please let the weather improve for them.
A handsome all white cat has just been admitted,poor old chap is about 12 years old and has been brought here because the owner refused to let him in the house and he has been making a nuisance of himself trying to get in!!!! I would like to put her out in the cold and see how she likes it. It looks like the first kittens are about to start arriving.,We have a litter coming in tomorrow, Gail is picking them up from Pwyllhelli on her way into work.

Road accident dogs doing well.

The road accident collie(reallymust find her a name) has had two operations now,poor little thing and she is doing well.The first op was to put her intestines back into place and repair two hernias and the second performed the day before yesterday was to amputate a badly shattered back leg. She has been through quite an ordeal and she has shown what a lovely gentle nature she has. Even when she was first rescued and was in such a horrific state there was no sign of aggression though she must have been in such pain with her injuries. Both she and Thunder will be returning on Wednesday.We urgently need foster homes for both so need to spread the word around.
The 4 collies will be going to a border collie rescue in Yorkshire just as soon as transport can be arranged, we will have their first vaccination done tomorrow ready for their departure. The boys have recovered well from their neutering operations and Robins wound is healing very well. Unfortunately there has been no word from the farmer about the other collies but I am still hopeful he will revert to his original decision to hand them over to us. It is preying on my mind ,they desperately need to be rehomed where they can have company and exercise,some are displaying signs of pyschological problems which is no wonder after being incarcerated all these years.
Pebbles the 12 years old cat recently admitted(I called her Phoebe by mistake!) has found a home already, she is going to live with another cat"Theo" and they will be collected on wednesday.What a lucky cat to be chosen so quickly, Im sure her last owner will be thrilled,I know she was upset at having to part with her and this news will be just what she needs to hear.
I have received several calls requesting places at the shelter for horses and ponies but we have neither the funds nor the space for any more, however I am going to try my best to find them homes. and am waiting for photos to place on our website. If homes are found we will do it through the shelters loan agreement scheme. There are two shetland ponies which are fairly young and must stay together (though one has bouts of laminitis)and two big horses which also need to find a home where they can stay together(not an easy task).At least the 17 hands boys are problem free and healthy so that makes it a little easier but they will need someone with enough land and funds to keep such large animals healthy and happy. Oh how I wish I had lots more land and money to help these animals.There are just so many in need.
We have a possible home offered to Ken the ex riding school horse, I need to visit the home in Flint as soon as possible, and our lovely Rocky will be going soon although no home visit is needed as they already have ponies from Freshfields. Even with these two going we do not have the money to take on any new equines at the moment and there always has to be stabling available for any which may be returned.
The farrier has been out this morning and once again all the horses have nice tidy feet, now we need to make an appointment for Andre the dentist to visit. He calls regularly and is due in April but we need to confirm a date with him so we can arrange extra staff in for that day. Some of the oldies may need anaesthetic for treatment for which we call out the vet to work with Andre. I generally keep out the way being not so keen on anything to do with dentists though he is so gentle I may even ask him if he could check me out and give my teeth a quick polish!
Heard from Juniors (lurcher pup which looked like a mini William)new owners today, he is now called Alfie and he is settling in well and has made friends with Jake the resident tabby cat. Its always good to hear news of our animals , it can really make our day.
Well it is pouring with rain now and I am going to help Mei get the horses in, they are looking fed up and are clearly anxious to get into their warm stables and have their evening meal. It has been a horrible wet day, the fields are becoming very muddy, the stream at the foot of the property is overflowing into the lower fields making them boglike and like the animals I am totally fed up with the weather. There are so many newborn lambs about and daffodils starting to spring up and now we are having another cold spell, what a nightmare. No wonder we Brits have a reputation for always talking about the weather, we have so little sun it becomes a big occasion when it eventually appears.
For some reason I am unable to upload photos today so will try to put them on tomorrows blog instead. Computers eh!

John gets put out with the rubbish and The farmer changes hhis mind.

We waited all day yesterday for the remainder of the collies to arrive having found places for all of them.He failed to turn up and I have spoken to his relatives who are furious with him and will still be trying all they can to get the dogs away from him. It is disappointing to say the least but what else can be done, its a case of waiting for the right time but I hope it will be soon for the sake of the remaining collies. In the meantime Ross and Robin have been today to be neutered and Robins wound has now been stitched as the infection had cleared up remarkably.The four are pictured today, the girls Rosa(in front) and Reba are still very scared though venturing in the run more often today (see photo) All have now been wormed and they were infested with them, no wonder the dogs were so hungry and thin. Under their thick coats they are grossly underweight.
I had neglected to say in the previous blog that we had been called out by the police to an accident involving a collie. This was the female which was badly injured on Sunday and nothing to do with these 19 collies.Sorry I think I was so hassled by the problem facing me with the farm dogs, I forgot to clarify how we came by this little dog. Anyhow she has had an operation today , her leg will have to be amputated as it is too shattered to repair but the major concern is the stomach op. I am ringing every day but she is making slow progress. I can only hope that she will recover completely.many dogs can live happily with three legs but she needs to survive this big op first.Still nobody has come forward toclaim her(and pay the bill!)
We have admitted a 12 years old cat from Llandudno, Phoebe is a beautiful longhaired cat whose owner was forced to part with her due to a childs allergy.She really is a stunning cat , her age is against her but with a bit of luck her appearance and friendliness may make her stand out from the "crowd".
Another crisis yesterday, little Celt developed a bad case of colic and we had to call out the vet.Mei and I walked him round and round to stop him lying down and twisting his gut and it was a real fight to keep him upright. Eventually the vet came (it seemed like hours but he was here within thirty minutes of our call) gave him an injection to relax his muscles and another one for the pain and then it was a case of waiting for him to pass something.Poor little man looked in so much pain,it was heartbreaking and we both felt we could lose him. Mei stayed with him until the early hours of the morning when he finally passed something and she felt he was on the road to recovery. I know she feels a special bond with him as she stayed here so many nights when he was being bottlefed(picture here) I did the early evening shift of a bottle every two hours and Mei would take over for the late one. Anyhow after giving us such a fright he is back tohis normal mischievous self today.
Jan, the manageress of our Llandudno shop has rung to say they are really desperate again for saleable items for the shop especially good quality clothes and small pieces of furniture so if anybody out there can help - either take to the shop on LLoyd street or bring to the shelter and I will deliver to the shop. We are still not receiving regular deliveries there, there are many other charity shops in the area so this may be the reason although we have the only animal charity shop this end of the town. We need to make this shop pay its way, Jan has already made much improvement in the takings and if we have the good to sell we are on our way!
Finishing on a note of levity(for a change) Rosie took this photo of John in the rubbish skip. Appropriate place for a man who ran his car off our track in the snow even though he was warned by us all that it was impasseable. He just had to do "the man thing" and prove a point. Pity he failed! Seriously though John is not only a good handyman but puts up with us all making fun of him though he does get his own back believe me and he will do his best to do just that tomorrow after seeing this photo!

Update on the weekends events

Uodate on all thats happened this weekend past:
The four collies are brighter in themselves but very very scared.The two girls are just huddled in a corner trying to make themselves as small as possible but the boys are coming into the run and up to the door but a quick move makes them race back to the safety of the sleeping area. All are taking titbits not quite out of my hand but about a foot away though none will make eye contact. Robin is to go back to the vet to have his wound stitched, providing the infection has gone down and will be neutered at the same time to prevent further stress in weeks to come.Ross too will be neutered so they can recuperate together.
Thunder the Siberian Husky has a very bad break in her front leg so is still in the vet and will be a few months convalescing soI am going to put out an appeal for a foster home for her. We are all still in shock about her accident and I have just read in a magazine article that this breed has very poor recall and most owners keep them on extending leads when exercising. I seem to be learning quite a few lessons lately.There is always something new to learn even after so long doing this work.Nobody knows everything and I am certainly no exception to that.
The road accident collie from yesterday is still in a bad way and not yet well enough for another major operation. She is on a drip at the moment and apart from her intestines having spilled out she also has a shattered back leg.Poor little dog, there is no microchip in her and no ID on her collar so at the moment we have no owner for her.
Two more cats have been reserved, Jay and Jet black brothers will be leaving us tomorrow,we are doing very well with adult cats right now , this is the time to get the long term and older cats into homes before the kitten season starts and we are inundated with babies.
more news tomorrow.

A shocking discovery.

I can scarcely believe it but having just found a home for Jet the 12 years collie and the last one of the 17 collies whose farmer owner had died, we have been asked to help with another similar case regarding 19 collies whose local farmer owner has had a stroke. Yesterday a man turned up with two and when I saw the state of the dogs I agreed to take another two immediately.The dogs are all living in sheds in a nearby village though the owner lives elsewhere He has given us just one week to try and find somewhere for the remainder or they will all be destroyed.He is related by marriage to the owner and he has been trying to persuade him to part with the dogs for some time to no avail and I am just thankful he has now succeeded. These are all litter brothers and sisters. The four we have named Ross,Robin,Reba and Rosa are extremely nervous(See Reba clinging to the wire of her cage as we tried to coax her out) and are underweight and unkempt (nothing new there then) but Robin seemed unduly aggressive when we attempted to move him from the pen in the back of the farm vehicle. Minutes later we realised why - he had obviously had a loose choke chain round his neck and it was now wrapped tightly under his front leg. With some difficulty we managed to take a look and to our horror could see that not only was it embedded into his skin but the skin was red raw and was growing through the chain links. Absolutely horrific ! Barbara has taken him to the vet where he will have the chain removed under anaesthetic. Poor dog to have suffered in this way.he must have been in a great deal of pain and discomfort . Will he and the others ever trust people again? I have hopes that due to their age (around eighteen months)they will prove to be less traumatised than dear Nell and therefore prove to be suitable to place up for adoption in the near future. My worry now is to find places for the remainder and get them out of those sheds they are living in as quickly as possible. I have contacted a few border collie rescues and am waiting to hear back from them.
Sunday:
Robin is back with us having had his operation to remove the embedded chain, Ken the vet says it is the worst he has seen. We have antibiotics to give him and on wednesday he has to go back for another anaesthetic, this time to stitch the wound. Poor dog,I have just fed him and his siblings and they were starving and wolfed down their food like there was no tomorrow. When I first saw them I did not realise how thin they actually were because their thick coats hid their bony bodies. They managed to eat their food whilst I was watching though kept an eye on me at all times. They are like wild animals at the moment so need lots of kind words and a gentle approach until they feel more secure.
I have already received a response for the collies,a lady in Berkshire who does Border collie rescue has offered to take them all if nobody else comes forward so now I know that all will be safe. The transport we will have to arrange next.
To finish a "perfect" day yesterday we had a disaster occur - Barbara was at the vet with Robin and Mei was giving the dogs their last walk of the day when Thunder the Siberian Husky just raced off the property(something she has never done before) and was hit by a car speeding down the country lane. The driver failed to stop and Thunder tried to get back home with her front leg dangling uselessly. A kind neighbour offered to take her to the Vet for us (my car is off the road)and she is still there waiting to have an operation to fix her damaged leg. Mei and I are still in shock. Thunder was due to go to a home todaY as well,.It never rains but it pours as the old saying goes. neighbours in the village who witnessed the accident said the driver was going at least 70 miles an hour. He was recognised and I will be reporting him to the police.
We need something good to happen to cheer us all up. A nice lottery win would do the trick!
Ps:
Just heard and (almost) as good as a lottery win, Jackie the missing cat has been found and is safe and well. So the day ends with this good news.

The Plot Thickens and Kitty refuses to pose for her photo

Well the following day the pony was claimed! Strangely enough the owners lived NEXT DOOR to the finders! Clearly someone has been lying. It seems their pony had been in next doors field before so they knew perfectly well who owned him.I am very annoyed, I could have been in trouble for castrating the pony(I did advise owners to do so and they seemed agreeable)I suspect that the people who rang the shelter were fed up of finding a stray stallion in their field along with their mares(and who can blame them) but they should have told me the truth. Anyhow he has gone now and in fairness the owners did seem decent people, they had all his paperwork in order, passport etc.
It teaches me a lesson not to always believe stories given me about stray/abandoned pets. Having said that I AM always sceptical as readers of the blog will already know but somehow with horses and ponies it doesnt seem quite the same. Lesson Learned! Although I have run animal shelters for over thirty years this is the first horse rescue I have managed and there are a whole set of different rules and regulations surrounding equines and different problems appertaining to them.Some things, however most definitely are the same, such as people stretching the truth to suit themselves.
Another amazing thing, the owner of Sidney the staffordshire bull terrier has turned up after A MONTH.He has come back today with paperwork to prove he is the owner and says he has "been away" for a while and had left a friend caring for the dog. He does seem ok , genuinely fond of the dog who is called Buba and thankfully he has paid the neutering fee we incurred . Sidney / Buba made a great fuss of him when he saw him and I must say that it will be a relief to have Sid off the property,he is not good with other animals and it is a big worry having such a dog here with so many cats and sheep about.
Two long term cats have finally been chosen and left us for a better life.Some months ago I did a special appeal for Kitty a black and white cat who was very unhappy after her owner died.Kitty never really settled here which was a great worry so I could not be happier for her now.They also chose Sunny who had been here 18 months and I have heard via email that both are settling well . Kitty has taken over the house as the Grand Matriarch and judging by the attached photos sent to me , she is back where she belongs. That gives me a real boost. The only problem was that her new owner asked Kitty to pose fora photo to send me but she refused(see here) Even when taking the photo of Sunny(now Trev) she hid behind the cat sctaching post! Clearly she wants nothing more to do with me after I was so cruel to put her in a pen in the cattery. Iwill be castigated forever by Kitty!
People often ask me if I am sad when longterm animals go to new homes but I love it, Thats what we are here for - to find these homeless pets real homes where in the winter they can curl up by a warm fire and have the individual love and attention they all deserve. Of course all the staff develop special bonds with certain animals but I would say that the feelings we all have are more of anxiety than sadness, anxiety that all will be well, that the animal will settle and that it will prove to be a permanent home . It is more upsetting when they get returned, sometimes just one too many upheavals in the life of a pet can ruin its temperament and confidence. Its like people who have many relationship break ups or bereavements , sometimes there is just one too many to deal with and people can shut down emotionally. I speak as one who knows! Maybe that is why I empathise with animals so much.
The last of the mice have been rescued now and Barbara is travelling to South wales tomorrow to deliver them to various shelters who have come forward to offer assistance. Please let this be the last time Stan gets in touch.We have all had enough. Poor Barbara is seeing mice in her dreams(or rather nightmares) Altogether we have rescued 1,500 mice from him!
Well its pouring with rain now so I am going to make a dash to the house to have my lunch and hope I dont get soaked for the second time today.The first being when I walked Molly and friends this morning and had to change clothes on return. Oh the joys of dog walking in the rain.Even they failed to enjoy it as much as usual.Must go, food awaits!

A sick badger and an abandoned pony

Having finished for the day yesterday I was about to makesomething to eat when a call came from a neighbour who had found a badger collapsed in his barn.
He was worried that one of his horses may have kicked him as the badger was so lethargic -so much so that he allowed himself to be lifted into a dog crate. I went immediately to collect him but his breathing looked bad to me and as I half expected poorMr Brock had died by the time I reached the Vet surgery. Ken the vet on duty had a good look at him and thought he may have had a kick in the head but he was not in very good condition either so may have had something underlying wrong with him, poor creature, only a youngster too.
Today we have admitted an abandoned shetland pony stallion which had been placed in a field belonging to a local horse breeder,he was not well pleased as the field was full of mares! Barbara and Mei went to collect him and when they got there the men at the farm were having real difficulty catching him. Clearly he has never been handled and is completely wild.At first I thought maybe someone had found him wandering on the road(like the last pony we took in from the police) and put him in the field for safety but this pony had been placed in a field completely off the road at the bottom of a long drive! He would never have walked on a rope , the only way we managed to get him in a stable today was to take the youngsters in so he would follow them. Once esconced in his new home he appeared placid and docile so is used to a stable and being around other ponies. The photo shows him arriving in the horse trailer, he has all four feet squarely placed so he is determined he is not going to move one way or another!Rosies perseverance eventually got him to move but the poor little man was terrified of us all. I have called the Vet to arrange castration as soon as possible, a stallion is the last thing we want here.
Now we need to think of a suitable name for him, any ideas welcome.