Ravens
Story
Raven came to us on the 5th of March 2003. When I met her first I wasn’t
really taken with her but EGAR suggested we come back the following day and
take her for a walk which I did and it was so nice to walk a dog and the dog
not walk you for a change.
She was quiet on the lead and she would look
up at you with a look in her eye as if to say just checking to see if you
were still there, and I got the feeling she did not want to be out on her
own she liked company and would walk at your pace. I fell in love with her
and her sense of communication, that is when I said to myself yip we will
get on with each other, and I think she agreed. Although she does have her
days when she looks a bit depressed and in deep thought, and that is when
she likes to be rubbed and brushed gently, she is not to keen on rough play
which I adore her for.
We have a pet name for her, which is baby she’s our little baby, GENTLE!
LOVING! In addition, CUTE! And needs lots of love.
(She would like to be fed like one too) Raven doesn’t really care what
it is once it’s food and if she had her way she would have 4 hourly feeds
day and night but we have weaned her down to 2 main feeds a day, 1 large and
1 small in the evening, that doesn’t count the bits she drools for, yes
she DROOLS big time especially for toast and bacon. She basically drools over
anything we eat, its quiet funny to watch her sitting beside you waiting for
a treat but a treat doest come until we think she has sat there long enough
to deserve it. She could sit in the same spot without moving for ages waiting
patiently and then all of a sudden she starts drooling down both sides of her
mouth its like a river then we give in and treat her, boy does she know how
to behave and beg with out moving a muscle, then it’s out to the kitchen
to wash up and she is right beside you, stuck like glue waiting for her next
treat.
Raven has only barked twice sense we have her and that’s lately I thought
she might have problems with her vocals, not that she needs vocals she communicates
with facial expressions you could have a lengthy conversation with her!!! If
I have to go out for a while and I just cant bring her with me I have to get
home as quickly as possible because I hate leaving her on her own for any length
of time.
She likes to travel - in the car she curls up
on the back seat and sleeps, she only moves when she hears a bag open, ummmmm
goodies she thinks and she is at attention like a shot, you see I have a partner
who likes his munchies when we go for a long or short drive and boy has raven
homed in on his signal, she is very fond of him and if she wasn’t a dog
I’d be very jealous. Raven has settled in since the first
night she came here.
She is here with us now for 2 weeks and it feels
like she was always here with us. I hope she feels the same and has forgotten
all her past trials, tribulations and losses in her short life. She is due her
neutering operation tomorrow, thank heavens it’s only a two hour stay
in, so I took this photo of her because I’m not sure how she will feel
for a while after it.
She is a bit of a poser for the camera and I hope
this photo captures the true raven, at least the raven I see ever time I look
at her ADORABLE!
Oppppssssss I forgot to mention she SNORES !! (And she burps). Nevertheless,
we love her anyway and would not be without her.
Gwydions
Tale
After the loss of my GSD bitch after a long illness, I found the house so
empty I started to look around for another GSD. Gwydion’s picture just
caught my eye on the Irish animals website and the fact that his details stated
that children of any age would be no problem was a definite plus.
I emailed for more details, but they had someone
else interested in him – I didn’t give up though and mailed again
a couple of weeks later, as his picture was still in the homes needed section.
The homecheck had failed so I had my chance.
Another obstacle presented itself, he was on first testing cat aggressive,
I thought that was it but I suspect they had other ideas and tried him again
with a pit bull cat.
Well he was not so brave then and it was decided over many emails to give it
a try. I was so happy that they was going to let me have him, as I could tell
from the emails that he was a special doggie. Well it was quite a wait for him
to come over - I am in England – but it was well worth it.
He is the most cuddly/kissy shepherd I have ever
had (he is my 5th) and has fitted into being a family pet like he was born to
it. He refused to sleep in the plastic dog bed and decided that the floor cushions
in the lounge would be a suitable bed for a dog of his stature, so they are
now his. He has been here 4 weeks now and is happy to kiss my rabbits through
the cage bars and is getting there with Arnie the cat, they get more used to
each other every day. He absolutely adores the children and they love him to
bits. Quite a different life to when he was found as a starving stray. Thank
You EGAR so much for letting him come to us, it was love at first sight all
round.
Bogey
is a rescue just like the others but what makes him different is the fact
that we decided to keep him. We nearly lost him twice, he had Parvo and the
vet gave him no chance of survival. But his eyes were bright and shiny and
we decided to give it a try. He was so weak that he couldn’t move and
we gave him liquids and antibiotics via syringes every two hours. It took
us two weeks and slowly he came around.
Half a year later he was mauled by a GSD in
a public park and had horrendous wounds. Again, he survived and grew up with
our house “pack”: Jerry and Hoby (Terrier X), Merlin (Greyhound),
Tara (Border Collie) and Toughy (Lurcher). Bogs, as we call him, became a
pack member and plays crazy games with Tara. He has been a pioneer for bull
breeds all over the country.
Bogs is known
around here and visitors are greeted with a mad jump and a friendly lick.
He’s a cross between a tennis ball and a JoJo, we usually say when ask
about his breed.
He
accompanies us to schools where we talk about Animal Welfare and the importance
of neutering dogs and cats. He has always been a great hit with the kids and
usually has a belly full of treats when we leave the school. Kids wave at
him in the car rather than at us!
We have entered Bogey in the RTE Guide Competition
for Pet of the Year. Last week came the phone call: Bogs has won a runner
up price. A hamper full of doggy things!! We think this a big step in the
right direction: bull breeds are not the monsters that the media likes to
portray. They are just as helpful and loving than any other dog/breed. Let’s
hope that this helps other bull breeds in the eye of the public.
Go on, you good thing!
Meet
Amy
Her story is one of unbelievable suffering and unbelievable luck. She had
spent her first 4 months at three different places; she was handed around
from person to person. She finally ended up with a young man who couldn’t
or wouldn’t look after her. He made up his mind to have her put down
at the local vets.
That’s where I ran into him. I was on my way to pick up one of the dogs
after neutering. I just got out of my car when a little pup came running across
the street and nearly got knocked by a car. I was appalled at the young mans
indifference and walked over to scold him. He just looked at me and said:
‘Do you want her?’ I picked up the dog, handed her to him and
I told him to wait for me.
Two minutes later
he strolled into the vets’ office, the dog in his arm was still and
blood dripped from her mouth. ‘She just got run over by a car”
he said. Just that, no more. Fortunately, the dog had ‘only’ a
broken leg and bruises.
The young man had disappeared when I came back out of the vets’ office.
She came home with me that evening and became yet another rescue dog.
Within
weeks she recovered from her ordeal and turned into an inquisitive pup full
of life. Friends of mine, who had already adopted a huge Labrador x St. Bernard
from us, came to visit one day and fell in love with her.
At 5 months of
age she finally got lucky. Now she lives with three other dogs, ten cats and
a couple of pigs on a remote farm. Renamed Ginny, she is the star of the family
and is much adored. She gained enough confidence to guard the house.
Baine's
Story
Baine
was born here. A Newfoundland x Golden Retriever, she was homed as a pup to
a young man who loved her dearly. She went wherever he did and it seemed to
have been a match made in heaven.
Two years went by, Baine grew up to become a huge fluffy dog. Then tragedy
struck, and Baine’s young owner died of a stroke. It was devastating
for everyone involved and Baine was handed back to us.
She was grieving and we tried our best to make it as easy as possible for
her.
We knew her chances for re-homing were slim because of her size.
One day I happen to mention Baine story to a friend of mine who lives in England.
She had a rescued Springer Spaniel and we corresponded quite frequent.
Two weeks later, she came over to Ireland to meet Baine. She stayed for a
weekend and guess what? I drove a very happy lady and her new dog to the ferry
port. Baine now lives with her new humans and her canine friend Dicker, the
Springer Spaniel. The sun is shining again for her.
Disabled
man in fire rescued by dog
A
disabled man from Shoeburyness, who was pulled out of his burning house by
his pet dog, says he owes his life to her.
Keith Chandler, 29, who is paralysed from the shoulders down, was trapped
inside his home in Churchfields after his kitchen caught fire.
His four
children managed to escape through the front door. Mr
Chandler said on Thursday that the three-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier,
called Sandy, helped him crawl to the patio door.
'House
was an inferno'
"I
owe my life to Sandy. The fire started in the kitchen and the house was an
inferno before I realised what was happening," he said.
"The
room filled with thick black smoke. I shouted for help. The kids were crying.
"I
managed to roll off the bed and started to wriggle towards the door. I wasn't
getting very far.
"Then
Sandy ran in from outside and pulled me through the patio doors into the garden.
Another minute and I would have been a goner."
Firefighters
from the Essex County Fire and Rescue Service were called to the incident
on 6 March.
[BBC NEWS UK
edition, March, 2003]
These are just
a few success stories. Not every story has a happy end and there are still
dogs waiting to be adopted. Every dog has its day and we are convinced that
there are enough good homes out there.
©
2003 EGAR. All rights reserved.
Christy
He has been our worry baby, not because he was difficult but because he
has been here the longest, together with Polly who is still here. Finally,
he has found his new family with Leean and Graham. This was the third time
somebody has displayed interested in him, the first two home checks sadly
failed (may we remind you again that we are very strict with our checks,
before and after homing, all in the interest of the dog).
Anyway, the third home check was positive
and Christy met Leean and Graham at our Sanctuary for the first time. There
were big smiles on both sides and Christy had the biggest. Another starfish
on his way to a better life.
Tyler,
his
story is a strange one. He was only 8 weeks old when he was found wandering
in February 2001. He was caught and brought to Sharpeshill Animal Sanctuary
which is run by the Wicklow SPCA.
Only a day later he was homed from there.
14 months later, in April 2002, his owners brought him back to Sharpeshill,
saying they couldn’t look after him anymore as they were emigrating.
He has been at Sharpeshill ever since. Because he was a long-term inmate
and some of the staff were reluctant to handle him due to his breed, it
was decided to put him down. A volunteer worker, who told us about Tyler’s
plight, contacted us and we decided to take him on.
The six months at EGAR gave Tyler a new chance. Re-conditioning and TLC
have changed him into the pet. It was lovely to see him drive off with Cynthia,
who came all the way over from Scotland to collect him, on the way to a
brilliant home.
We
have to meet a dog yet which isn't trainable. This is the happy ending to
a long story and we wish Cynthia and Tyler the very best. May they be happy
together for a long time to come !
I
wasn't looking for another dog when I came across Tramp
aka Paddy, but I think somehow
fate brings the right dog and home together at times. I'm sure this is one
of those occasions.
I already had
three dogs living with me, George, a standard schnauzer, Merlin, a lurcher
and Annie, an irish terrier who was on a long term foster.
I came across
Tramp quite by chance.
Sarah asked me if I could do a home check for one of her dogs. As I'd never
done any work for Sarah before, I did my research and found her site, and
that's where I saw Tramp, and at a similar time his details appeared on
the Dog Rescue Pages. Something about that gorgeous face made me enquire
about him, and it went from there, and a month ago I went to pick him up.
It was six weeks between first seeing his
picture to actually meeting him and bringing him home, a very slow six weeks
for me, but necessary as he was taken from the pound with a huge wound to
his inner thigh which required an operation and a great deal of nursing.
His recovery is a testimony to Sarah's dedication. As soon as I met Tramp,
then Paddy, I knew I wasn't wrong. He is such a little character, but so
amenable.
Back at home, he gets on well with all of
the dogs. He is not one to start a fight, although will happily hold his
ground if someone insists! He is very quick on the update, although he has
a definate naughty streak! His favourite naughtinesses are playing houdini,
and escaping our garden to take himself for a walk, getting mucky outside
then rolling on the sofa, scattering cushions in all directions as he does
so, and barking in the kids faces when he wants to play!
We have now filled all the gaps (small already,
but obviously big enough if you are determined) in the gate through which
he escapes, and he is learning that it upsets kids if you bark at them like
that, but I guess the sofa may just have to put up with it!
This fantastic dog has very quickly become
a loved member of the gang here, and it feels as if he has always been here.
Thank you Sarah, for rescuing him, caring for him and letting me bring him
home.
Angela
