The last few weeks at the rescue have been rather remarkable, to say the least!
I mentioned a few weeks back that the rescue had taken in two ten week old staffy puppies that had been found in a park. They had been doused in chemicals that resulted in one being blinded and the other semi-blinded. Their skin had also been badly burnt resulting in them needing ongoing medical care and a series of very expensive operations.
So, the local paper was contacted re running an appeal to raise funds for the veterinary care and they, very kindly, covered the story, which then spread across other media, eventually ending up on local television.
From that point on, life at the rescue became kind of crazy!
First the phones in all the different departments began ringing off the hook. Some people rang to donate money, some rang to donate their unwanted pets. Ah yes….publicity … a double edged sword!
Often the public don’t realise that we don’t have someone solely available to answer phones in the different departments and when we take endless calls, it really puts our work load back. I was really annoyed by one woman who simply wouldn’t get off the phone. She was calling to complain about the picture of the injured pups being placed on the front page of her local paper. She said it sickened her. I explained that it was an editorial decision and she needed to take it up with the paper…..but….oh no, she just wasn’t having it!!!!! Ranted for half an hour she did. I almost lost the will to live!
The front door bell was ringing non-stop too. A worker answered one ring to find a chap standing there. Without a word he handed over £500 of crisp twenties and walked away. He didn’t even give his name, but bless his little cotton socks forever!
An hour later the front bell rang again. This time a man got out of a taxi and handed over a micro pig saying his flat was now too small for it. I hate this ridiculous trend of keeping farm animals as house pets. This is the second one we’ve had in the last few months.
Then came some amazing news. Someone had left £20.000 to the rescue in their will. Wow, what a difference that will make!!!
And, on the same day someone sneaked in with a cat in a cardboard box which wasn’t sealed and sneaked out again. The cat jumped out and instantly vanished ….and is still at large somewhere in the area despite food and traps being laid out.
And…..someone donated four unwanted ANGRY geese! They will eventually join the other farm animals once they have settled in. My…they sure know how to hiss and flap you away with their huge wings, no wonder they make such great guard dogs.
Several rabbits and guinea pigs were also dumped outside and we had a huge influx of injured wildlife from people who didn’t know the rescue existed. One woman screamed at the staff when she discovered we didn’t have a resident vet who would treat her cat for free.
Currently the vet comes two days a week, otherwise injured animals have to be taken individually. It would be fantastic to have a permanent vet though……but they don’t come cheap!
The donations continued to pour in….and now the pup’s medical treatment is secured!
And to cap it all, the local paper has raised £15.000 through it’s readers… and a very silly woman took three one day old ducklings off their mother and brought them to us. What WAS she and the mother duck thinking?????? It’s really late in the year to be breeding but the ducklings still stand a much better chance with their mother.
So, there you have it! What a weird and wonderful couple of weeks. Phew!!!
Well it’s a great pleasure to find so many comments on old posts from you Shimon…..I do hope all was well last night! Top of the morning to you! I’ve just got home from another face painting event….and drinks afterwards to celebrate the fact it’s over for another year…..you get to meet so many DARK people!xxx
This is a great experience, going searching for blog posts of yours that I’ve missed… I won’t tell you what the last night was like… but it is a great way to start the morning.
Hi there, just been reading blog posts, and saw your website, hahaha
How’s you?
xx
Hello Miza…..I’m fine, we’ll have to catch up …SOON!!!xxxxx
Thanks Kegs. It is wonderful that the rescue exists…so many animals get a second chance.
Hahahahahaha….yes! A bank robber….of course he is!xxxxx
Lovely post Dina. I love the picture of the cute rabbit. Well done on all the animals and birds you are looking after. Heaven knows what would happen to them without the rescue centre to look after them.
And what a surprise to have a guy donate so much money at the door !
He must be a real animal lover (or a bank robber LOL !).
take care xxx
I can’t believe the rescue raised so much money for the puppies – It’s so good to see that, even though there’s cruel people who hurt animals, there is still humanity and kindness in the world! xxx
It’s so fantastic isn’t it, yes there is humanity everywhere that restores faith in people, like Debb as well!xxxxx
Wow, that’s BRILLIANT news Debbie, what a lovely thing to do, and what a fantastic outcome for the lucky dog!!! Bless you!
An adult dog only needs to eat once a day, dogs under 12 months need two or three meals daily. If your dog is still recovering, two or three small meals might be best until she is back to her former strength.Big dogs tend to eat twice a day as they need so much more food and it stops them bolting if they have two meals rather than one, which is also better for their digestive system.
I don’t know what foods you have available over there, but Nature’s diet and chappie are best for a dog that isn’t in very good condition as both are easily digested and have all the vitamins to build a dog up. They tend to be cereal/rice/fish based. Fish oil in sardines/small fish are really good for a dog’s coat and give a lovely shine and get rid of any dry or crusty skin.
What have you called her? It would be lovely to see a pic of her, maybe you could write a post, I’d love to hear the whole story.
Good luck Debb! You’re an angel.xxxxx
Thanks so much for your tips.
I found her 2 months ago when she was a puppy. She’s one of 5 puppies from some stray dogs that I feed everyday in my house area. They all eat from the trash and all her siblings didn’t make it to live longer. Stray dogs here have a very tough life as they are being hunted to be cooked 🙁
She was hit by a motorcycle and nobody cares about that. Thanks God nothing’s broken. The doctor said she was very week for not enough food and water also had very bad skin condition and fleas for living in the street. The doctor has warned me to be ready because she seemed too weak to make it alive. But fortunately she did make it 🙂
She’s now getting much better and bigger but still having fleas problem. As a stray dog, she doesn’t like the dog food, she’s prefers rice with chicken. I’m not sure though if it’s good for her body.
Yeah, I think I might blog about her one day. She’s my angel 🙂
Ahhhhhhh, what a terribly sad story. I’m so glad she has you and that you look out for these poor creatures.
Rice and chicken is good for dogs and good for puppies as it’s easy to digest, if you can get her to eat oily fish it will help her skin and coat.
We have lots of flea products that kill fleas on dogs, I don’t know what products are sold in Bali, maybe the animal doctor could prescribe you some, maybe a wormer too as pups always have worms and need to be de-wormed every six months.
I hope you and your little angel flourish Debb, she has done so well hanging on. Good luck with it.xxxxxxx
Yes, I feel really sorry about the stray dogs and cats here. Sometimes it frustates me that I can not do a lot to save them all 🙁
By the way is it OK to give her fish oil supplements ? I bought a flea collar for her as the doctor suggested. It reduces the fleas but not all though. I’ll ask another products tomorrow when I bring her for rabies vaccine.
Thanks so much, I really appreciate all your tips for me 🙂
I know exactly how frustrating it can be to see animals suffering, it’s the same here. Every little thing you do does make a difference though, look at your little dog, safe because of you.
Fish oil is really good for her skin and coat. We have a product here called Advantage, you put a drop on the back of the dogs neck and every flea that bites the dog instantly dies, they probably have something similar. It’s supposed to be applied every month but I only use it twice a year.
Feel free to ask anytime Debb, it’s a wonderful thing you are doing.xxxxxxx
Such a great news to hear! Bless their kind souls 🙂
By the way, can I ask you a question ? I’m trying to find out about how many times dog eat per day. Recently I adopted one of the stray dogs here. She’s a hit and run victim. I brought her to animal hospital and after a week I brought her home. I fell in love with her so I adopted her but I’ve never had a dog before. So I don’t really know about what’s the best food for her. Could you please give me some tips?
I am sure you never know what any day will bring working in that environment, and you definitely experience both ends of the spectrum, and everything in between! So thankful that there are people such as yourself who make life better for those creatures that are so needy.
Ahh thanks Glo. Yes there doesn’t ever seem to be a normal day but the last few weeks have been really crazy. It is calming down now.
It is incredible how human behaviour can vary so much, as you say from one extreme to another.xxxxx
Flippin’ heck, from good to bad and bad to good etc…..what a time! Suzy x
Flippin ‘eck indeedy!xxxxx
ps…. gorgeous pictures!!
Why thank you.xxxxx
.. and I NEEEED to kiss that micropigs snout xxxx
Hahahahaha….he is lovely. Really cheeky, his litlle tail swings furiously when he eats, he behaves like a little dog. He’s going to be re-homed as soon as he’s neutered, he will be living on a farm with the other micro pig we had.xxxxx
Crikey you really have had it all going on! I am so glad you got the donations for the rescue…. how brilliant! The poor Staffie pups…. you must see somethings and hear stories that tear you to pieces and make you wonder what humans are capable of… thank goodness for all the lovely things that counterbalance that…
I can just imagine the half hour phonecall ……. practically curled up on the floor and gently banging yer head on the floor I bet…..xxxx
It is incredible how much money was raised isn’t it, and the kindness of people is overwhelming at times. As you say it does counterbalance the bad things that happen.
Oh my…that bloomin woman….you’re right, I was curled up and groaning, every time I tried to get off the phone she’d say…”and ANOTHER thing…” ARGHHHHHHH xxxxx
Goodness me. It is certainly all happening for better and for worse. I am pleased the puppies are able to have their operations. What a lot of birds.
We have hundreds of birds, as fast as they are released they come in threefold.
It’s BRILLIANT news re the puppies and they are recovering well. Hopefully when they are better they can be re-homed as a pair.xxxxx
What an amazing time. I hope that the donations continue to flood in. Keep up the good work ~x~
Thanks Marion, it’s certainly been an odd couple of weeks, it’s calming down a little now.xxxxx
I both admire what you do and sympathise with what you have to put up with from some people.
The generosity of some I’m sure makes up for the meanness of others, and I don’t just mean with donations. xx
Thanks Flighty. Oh yes, the generosity of many certainly makes up for the meaness of others and I know exactly what you mean.xxxxx
My my my. You’ve had quite a time with the injuring of those poor dogs. I was so touched by the taciturn fellow with the crisp notes. Your tales of people’s reaction are nothing short of amazing — stolen ducklings?! Goodness!
Ah yes, what a star that guy is, that is such a lot of maoney to hand over and so many other people too, it really restores faith in people. There are all sorts out there though….it’s so unpredictable!xxxxx
There’s never a dull moment is there – you must certainly be doing a grand job if people are handing over wads of money. Well done.
Lol, there is always something going on, but the last few weeks have been full on. Thanks Elaine.xxxxx
How do you and your band of helpers do it all!
Human behaviour shows up as horrible, varied, as unpredictable, as that of some of the animals. On reflection, human behaviour shows up worse at times. Then again, you have amazing turnarounds………..
The rescue relies on volunteers and fortunately most departments have plenty. Also, people donate old bedding, towels, newspaper, animal feed, shreded paper etc on a regular basis as the shelter has been running for over 25 years and is very well known and well supported locally…..
Yes, there are such a wide variety of human responses, I think most people are decent and help out all sorts of charities when and if they can. I like to hope that the sadistic types are in the minority, sadly the outcomes of their behavior result in so much suffering.xxxxx
a busy few weeks indeed…some people are so kind with the donations and those who rant etc just plain daft! Have you thought contacting someone like the BBC or Documentary channels, would make good viewing ‘day in the life of ……..’ xx where was Rolf Harris when you needed him!!!!!!
Lol….yes we need Rolf!!!
It’s amazing how people differ isn’t it, some as you say are so very kind and helpful and as long as those folk are around the charity will live on. xxxxx
Please Miss, can I give you our squirrel – it keeps digging up our spring bulbs!!!
Hahahahahahaha….NO!!!!! I have one as naughty! It ate every pea and bean seed I planted and devours my bulbs too, AND, it eats the bird seed! Would you like mine to keep yours company?????xxxxx
Joy and gentle peace to all those lovable dear ones and their healing. Thank you for being there to provide love and care and hooray for wonderful donors!
Ahhhh, thanks Catherine. Everyone was overwhelmed at the generosity of the wonderful, amazing people who helped. The man at the door reduced the worker to tears, he expected nothing and gave so much. People like that keep the place afloat.xxxxx
While reading this wonderful post I could not help but ponder the pending ‘icy’ weather….hapless animals needing instant rescue….Oh Dear!
Shame one has toi deal with some really bizarre ‘human’ (that other animal) behaviour…..:roll: Hugs! xx
Oh I dread the cold snaps Ell, the weather is changing every few days at the moment, I think that’s why the duck had a brood of ducklings. We had a really warm snap that was almost like spring, it does confuse wildlife!
Some people are downright strange and the thing is we HAVE to be polite to everyone however rude they are as we don’t want the shelter to ever get bad publicity.xxxxx
Hahaha, that was great stuff. I really enjoyed reading it, however I know it must have been so hard for you and the staff working in such a situation. At least good amount of money for the rescue and PUBLICITY. we’re gonna see you on TV so soon 😉 LOL..Take care :)xxx
Thanks Vahid. Never a dull moment eh? Lol….I’m camera shy….I always sneak off when TV crews come around.
It is FANTASTIC how much money was raised and also good publicity as the more people who know where we are, the more animals get brought in and rescued. Very few places take wildlife around here. You look after your goodself now!xxxxxxx
Wow, what an amazing week and what amazing things to happen! It certainly takes all sorts … sometimes you wonder whether people have brains or indeed any kindness at all. Very glad you got the money you needed!
Thanks Gilly, it’s BRILLIANT that so much money was raised, you wouldn’t believe how far that will stretch. The puppies are getting better every day and it’s great that the vet managed to save one of the pups eyes. You never know who is at the door or on the end of the phone at the best of times but the last few weeks have been so much stranger than ususal. xxxxx