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If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

The doghouse

Valhalla - can you help?

21 replies

daisydotandgertie · 07/10/2011 19:42

My parents in law have found a young border collie desperately tangled up in brambles halfway up a mountain in north wales. She's very, very thin and wearing a collar but with no visible ID.

They've cut her out of the brambles and taken her home and will have her scanned for a chip - just in case - tomorrow morning.

The found dog will be perfectly fine with them for a few days but they need contact details of a good no kill rescue so she can eventually find a good forever home.

They're in the Conwy area - is there anyone in your network they could get in touch with?

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Vallhala · 07/10/2011 20:27

Try Many Tears in South Wales, Wiccaweys (who are THE Collie experts IMHO but always stuffed to the gills - but see what they say), Valgreys (also BC specific) or Heathlands in Royston, Herts, which is all-breed but has a bent for BC's and is a very responsible and decent rescue.

And give your parents in law a huge hug from me for being so kind. :)

Vallhala · 07/10/2011 20:27

PS If there's no joy with any of them please come back to me and I'll see what I can do. :)

NotMostPeople · 07/10/2011 20:30

Sob ... If my puppy wasn't so young.

Vallhala · 07/10/2011 20:54

Sob... if I weren't so old... ! :o

WitchesBrewIsMyFriend · 07/10/2011 21:04

stop fishing for compliments you old bag. ooh my halloween name is making me all feisty!

You arent old at all val

Good on the inlaws for rescuing the dog, poor thing.

Vallhala · 07/10/2011 21:08

I am! :o

daisydotandgertie · 07/10/2011 21:40

Well not only have they rescued the lovely dog - they've already found a place for it in a local, really well known good rescue.

It's the rescue they got their collie from some years ago who are keen to take her in and are coming to collect her tomorrow.

Good on them - apparently the dog won't leave my FIL's side. He's the one that found her and cut her free. She's very sweet apparently and has wolfed two tiny meals since they found her. They're anxious not to overload her system - she very obviously hasn't eaten much for quite some time.

She'll be tucked up in a cosy bed in their house tonight and then onto her new life in a caring, no-kill rescue until she finds her forever.

Thank you Val for your advice and offer of help. It's much appreciated. In a funny way I'm glad they didn't have to trouble the hard pressed rescues in the end though. They have so much to do and this place is just lovely.

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Vallhala · 07/10/2011 22:47

Fantastic news and good on your lovely PILs. :)

KatharineClifton · 10/10/2011 04:06

Is the rescue place Freshfields? I'm looking for a dog in North Wales, not a collie though, and can only find Freshfields and RSPCA. Neither of which have an older calm trained dog - which is what I want.

Scuttlebutter · 10/10/2011 16:01

I can recommend Freshfields. Even if they don't have a dog for you at the moment, keep checking with them as new dogs arrive all the time. They get a lot of farm BCs, as they are in the middle of sheep country, but also get lots of others along with a whole assortment of other creatures.

KatharineClifton · 10/10/2011 16:07

Thanks Scuttlebutter. I have found a dog on a site much further down Wales, but if that comes to nowt I will register with Freshfields.

I have nothing against collies btw, but would prefer a thicker dog iykwim.

SecretSquirrel193 · 10/10/2011 16:17

Get them to look on Doglost .. That imo should be the second point of call after a vet to check for a microchip, not booking into the nearest rescue..

No wonder dogs are lost when the system is arse over tit :(

DogsBeastFiend · 10/10/2011 16:24

ScuttleButter, I have concerns about Freshfields.

At the beginning of this year I was seeking a rescue place for a pound Staffie. My appeal must've landed in the inbox of Freshfields for I received a response from them offering me the phone numbers of two sets of individuals who were seeking dogs. One of these was an elderly lady who wanted a SBT.

The expectation was that I should offer an unassessed pound dog to these people which as you know is something which rescue should never do and I will never do. Take one in myself, sure, but never would I permit anyone else to do it. Naturally I declined to take Freshfields' suggestion further and secured a place for the dog in a no kill rescue where he could be assessed and where potential owners would be checked out before he was adopted into a home.

Looking at the Freshfields website today in view of this I note that they don't claim to homecheck, merely saying that "Great care taken to ensure the suitability of each home before an animal is adopted." Again, if I'm right in thinking that they don't homecheck, that's potentially dangerous to dog and/or owners and an entirely unacceptable way to run a rescue IMHO.

To Freshfields' credit they appear to have an admirable no kill policy which seems to mean what it should mean, but tbh if I am correct about those other issues I wouldn't touch them.

If I'm wrong I will, of course, apologise unreservedly and wholeheartedly.

Katherine - I know just what you mean! A collie would be just tooo much for me now! :o (I recommend dopy German Shepherds and dozy Lab crosses!).

DogsBeastFiend · 10/10/2011 16:34

SecretSquirrel, I'd normally agree with you but a BC in poor condition, found halfway up a mountain in North Wales will 99% likely be a dumped/escaped puppy farmed or similar dog. :(

It's important to remember too that rescue places are hard to secure - even for the likes of network rescuers like me, much less for the general public, so it's essential to get that ball rolling ASAP. If it later turns out that the place is not needed, that's a bonus, but rather have one available than not.

KatharineClifton · 10/10/2011 16:55

I'd love a German Shepherd, but I think it would be too big for my sister who will have my dog when/ if we do holidays. Can you get medium size GS's?

KatharineClifton · 10/10/2011 16:56

Btw, in case anyone else wonders about rescue places in N Wales, there is also Merlin and NCAR.

DogsBeastFiend · 10/10/2011 17:07

Weeeeelllll.... bitches are generally smaller than dogs. I know some lovely Lab sized GSD bitches.

You could do a lot worse! :o

SecretSquirrel193 · 10/10/2011 17:22

Dog - I would say one with a collar MIGHT just be a lost hiking companion. No collar and I'd be thinking more along your lines..

KatharineClifton · 10/10/2011 18:46

Ha DBF! I fell in love with GSDs when I worked in a kennels many many moons ago. Of all the different breeds there, I took to them the best. It was sad though as there were two there long term as they had hip problems and the well monied owners decided to kennel them rather than live with them

DogsBeastFiend · 10/10/2011 18:58

Squirrel, fair point. Ignore me, I'm having a bad day! :)

Katherine, people never fail to amaze me when it comes to unkindness to animals. :(

daisydotandgertie · 12/10/2011 16:34

Squirrel - checking doglost was one of the first things we did and had there been even a vague match she would not have gone to the rescue.

There was no match and she needed a lot of tlc so she has gone to a really lovely rescue.

This is not about a system. This is about 2 elderly people who found a weak, trapped dog and did the very best they could for her.

She's safe, warm and fed. And she won't be pts.

What else could they have done?

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