Rise and Shine!

I have always been an early riser, so the fact that I am usually awake around 6am is no surprise, it means I can have an hours peace, and reflect on the day ahead. This time of year it is harder to rise and shine, due to the cold, darkness, and pure exhaustion. The tip of my nose tells me to stay in bed as it is rather nippy most mornings, however, I drag my arse to the kitchen.

There are very few times when my house, and life is peaceful, which is why I enjoy the hour in the morning. It is quite sad that the only time I can find "me" time is in the cold and dark, but hey I'm grateful for anything. At this time of year I can feel my exhaustion levels rising, and my love for rescue diminishing.

As I sip the dark, warm morning coffee I ponder about my life, and think how did I end up here. Rescue has totally absorbed my life, and there are times when I want a simple, clean, normal life, like other people have.

Recharging my batteries is essential, however, at this time of year it is impossible. Too many dogs, not enough daylight, too much to do every day, and certainly no time for me.

This will pass as it always does, and for now I will enjoy my hour of peace, before an animal realizes that I am awake, and the phone jumps to life. Lets see what today will bring, and pray it is easy enough to handle.

Cherry Picking

I got in to a debate this week about cherry picking dogs, which I do not do, yet there was some people stating that ALL rescues do. Do they really? and I am the only one that doesn't? She claimed that I also select "easy" dogs to rehome. This actually had me laughing, as I cannot remember the last time i had a queue of people wanting one eyed, old, deaf, big black dogs. 

I understand why some rescues do cherry pick dogs, but it doesn't make it the right way to rescue, of course the cute, fluffy, younger, attractive dogs have homes waiting, but what about all the others? This is where people like me come in, I take basically whats left, and am I successful at rehoming them... yes.... do hey take longer to rehome, usually, but I think this is far more rewarding. 

Anyone can rehome an attractive dog, and if you have cherry picked, then most likely you have  a home lined up. Of course this still means that a dog has been saved, and that it is now happy and loved (hopefully) However, please don't tar us all with the same brush, some of us actually put in some effort, time and money into rescue. 

Don't get me wrong there are dogs that I have saved that I have thought WTF, and that have cost me a fortune, however, they deserve to be saved too, why leave them behind. So, for the woman that accused me of cherry picking, please look at my page, and take a moment to think about your statement. 

French Bulldog Frenzy

I know I have blogged about French Bulldogs before, but I do not get it, sorry guys, but why do they cause such a frenzy. The speed people comment on the photos of new ones amazes me, and they do it without any information regarding the dog. I picked up a new FBD yesterday posted it on the page, and one photo. No information, no details, yet by the time I had driven home, there had been 32 comments, and 17 messages.

Now I get people like the breed, well actually I don't get why as they sound like pigs, and a huge proportion of them are arseholes. However, each to their own, yet why such a frenzy to get your hands on one. I get so many stupid posts, and messages that I do wonder the type of people that want these dogs.

I got so many " I will take this dog" comments yesterday that in the end I ignored everyone, who applies for ANY dog with the line "I will take this dog" With no information, age, sex, behavior, are they that popular that people simply don't care as long as they have a FBD. I think the craziness that surrounds this breed will always go over my head.

So, for now I will ignore all the idiots, filter all the possibilities, and spend the day replying with " he is not up for adoption yet, but when he is all of the information will be on his album"

Don't Dismiss the Oldies!

Oldies are great, and they deserve a chance like any other dog, you would be surprised that many dogs come into the category of senior, after only 7 years. Pounds and rescues are full of senior dogs, all needing a home, all waiting patiently. Now I understand why some people are cautious about adopting an oldie, but please consider one, and do not dismiss a dog simply due to its age.

Seth is an old Cocker that we have at the moment, he was dropped off by his loving owners to the pound, Seth is 10 and a typical demanding, loving Cocker. I had many messages about Seth, and lots of interest until people discovered he was 10.

Some people were honest and came out and said, I don't want an old dog, others made pathetic excuses. Either way I don't understand, sorry, you fell in love with Seth, does it matter about his age.

I understand that they may die sooner, lets not pretend otherwise, however, could you not offer him a great place for his last few years?

An older dog gives you a fully trained, experienced, loyal companion. Yet Seth has been dismissed over and over due to his age, I find this so sad. So whilst the people start searching for a younger dog, he sits in a cold kennel, waiting for someone to appreciate him for who he is. Age is purely a number, he has no medical issues, can hear, see, and walk which for me is a miracle. Yet no one wants Seth..... How sad.

Wrong Reasons To Adopt

Many people want to adopt a rescue dog, which is great, however, when you are doing it for the wrong reasons, then it can end in disaster. I receive so many messages that start with " I have fallen in love with ....... I just know they are perfect for us"  How, how do you know that from a photo, and a short description.

You have to consider so many things when searching for the right dog, and appreciate that many rescue dogs come with issues. It is a bit like looking for a used car, and choosing the one that has been in an accident, yep you can repair it, but it can be expensive, and will always have issues. You need to think clearly, and choose a dog not because you feel sorry for it, or because you can fix it.



The key reasons why it can go wrong are:

Optimism- Many people only want to see the good points, they gloss over the bad, even when it is written for them in black and white. They see the poor little dog, behind bars, with a sad story that needs a home. You need to see past the story, and look at every fact, and if that dog is not for you, there is bound to be another.

Lack of Knowledge- We work with dogs day in day out, I can see a warning sign, or trigger way before other people. I also know how long problems can take to sort out both medically, and mentally. Again many people think they can morph into the best dog trainer overnight, because they have watched 10 minutes of Ceaser Milan. There is no shame in admitting that you know nothing, this helps us to place the right dog in your home.

Desire to Rescue- Many people have a "need" to rescue, they feel like it is the latest trend, and they have to be part of it, not actually thinking this is a long commitment. Often the dog and its needs are forgotten, as the selfies, and the long slushy posts take over. Come on people go find another trend, as adopting is clearly not for you.

So, please if you come across my page, and want to adopt great, but do it for the right reasons, and make sure you fully understand where the dogs came from, and what they will need in the future.

Is ONE Euro Really That Hard?

Every month on the first of the month, I do a euro appeal, it is where I beg the 5500 followers we have to give me a euro/pound. Sadly, only a small proportion of those 5500 people even bother, which poses the question, why are you following my page?

Now that may make me sound harsh, and bitter, but it is true, if you took the time to click like, and follow what we do, it surely must mean that you like or support what we do. Therefore, surely one pound/euro a month is not to much to ask. Such a small amount, would make so much difference to us.

Now I know not to take it to personally, as I am not the only charity begging every month, and one woman and her charity that I follow has over one million followers, and she has the same struggle. So, I would like to know is it because people don't want to help? think others will, so why bother? don't have 1 euro? think the animals aren't worth it? If this is the case then why follow the page?

Too many questions this morning, as I sit drinking coffee, wondering where today will take me, how I am going to pay the vet this month, and where the next lot of food will come from. if by any chance I have guilted you into paying 1 euro please, pop over to FB grab the payment details and pop a pound in the account...... it really does make a difference to us!

One Brave Vet and a Bottle of Sedative

Horses need their teeth checked, and often floated, and all our horses have their teeth routinely checked by the vet. This is something that takes time, effort, and in magics case sedative. My vet is excellent, he is not afraid of any of the horses, however, he is also not stupid. Magic loves his teeth, and he loves showing everyone that comes to the property the damage he can inflict with them.

So, first things first, you have to get close enough to Magic to actually inject him with the sedative. Thankfully magic loves food, therefore, he can be distracted easily, and voile, one horse injected with enough to bring down an elephant, but my animals can never just do anything easily.

Magic decides, he wants to fight the sedative, and wobbles, and lunges, but thankfully we are faster.
Head gear on, and the vet can begin, although Magic is very sleepy, we both know that at any moment he can react, head butt us and seek revenge.

Even sedated, the vet is far braver than me, as I would not stick my hands in Magic's mouth. Thankfully his teeth did not need rasping, and we could wake the nutter up. As he came round, he did have a look of death that he would seek revenge on us both at any given time in the future.