Fluffy Friday #45

This Fluffy Friday is dedicated to all the animals who have sadly been dumped now that Christmas is well and truly over and the reality of owning a living breathing pet has sunk in.


A lot of the animals disregarded are dogs. Some cross breed puppies that were bred specifically to sell around Christmas time for prices as much as £500 have been dumped after not being sold.  The recession is being blamed for this, but I blame people for not preparing themselves properly to get a pet in the first place and for treating animals like disposable toys.  


A few days ago I was horrified to see someone on Facebook friend asking if anyone wanted to adopt his two puppies.  At the end of last year I witnessed another person on Facebook trying to get rid of her elderly and unwell cat which was very sad and seemed very callous.

Ashley, a Staffie Cross. 

Shih Tzu Crossbreeds Jim and Jane with their puppies Jade, Jess and Jack.
Found dumped in a cardboard box.

Seven Staffies seeking new homes.

Sam, a 12 week old Springer Spaniel who is recovering from a painful case of mange.

To enquire about any of the above dogs please contact North Clwyd Animal Rescue on 01745 560546. 

This is Bunny, aged 1 year from The Blue Cross.

There are hundreds of dogs, cats and rabbits needing homes at the rescue centres listed below.  Please check them out!

Oldies Club
RSPCA
RSPCA Special Appeals
Dogs Trust
Cats Protection
The Mayhew Animal Home
Scruples
The Blue Cross
Retired Greyhound Trust
Farplace Animal Rescue
Fat Fluffs Rabbit Rescue

There are also countless more animals being given away to strangers, sold or even swapped(!) on websites  like Gumtree and Facebook.  Please do consider opening your home to a rescue pet and giving them a new lease of life.


If you do see or know of any friends trying to off load pets using sites like Facebook and Gumtree please do say something.  Be polite but firm and let them know that letting their pet go to a stranger without a home check is basically sentencing them to a potentially unhappy, unhealthy and even life threatening future.

Thank you.

Countdown to Christmas #2

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I am the proud owner of a donkey and a seal, although the seal doesn't live in the bath and the donkey isn't grazing in the garden but technically I have adopted them.  My adoption of Oscar the donkey was a birthday present from my Mum as part of the Adopta Donkey scheme at Elisabeth Svendsen’s Trust for Children and Donkeys; Kitto the seal was a Christmas gift from my Mum and the Gweek Seal Sanctuary. 

As part of adopting Oscar I receive a regular newsletter about how Oscar is getting on, as well as a certificate, birthday and Christmas cards and the option of popping along to the Sanctuary to visit him if I arrange an appointment.  My sister adopted Donk Dean from the same Sanctuary as Oscar so for my birthday one year we all went to visit them and it was lovely.

My Nan adores whales and dolphins so one year I adopted a dolphin called Whiskey for her, she received a video of Whiskey as well as a certificate and newsletter.  She was thrilled to bits with it and I think she was seriously considering making room in her bath for him!

It really is a fantastic idea to sponsor or adopt an animal for an animal lover this Christmas (maybe even treat yourself!), as well as spreading joy to the receiver - the gift of sponsorship or adoption can make a huge difference to the life of the animal.

Many organisations run sponsorship or adoption schemes which all offer something different depending on your preference.  For more information I recommend the following links:

World Wildlife Foundation (WWF)

Born Free

Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS)

Elisabeth Svendsen Trust

London Zoo

Dudley Zoo (or your local zoo)

Dogs Trust

Cats Protection League

RSPCA

Always make sure you buy your adoption or sponsorship directly from the animal organisation concerned to ensure your money is going to the right place.

I would love to hear from any of you that do decide to adopt or sponsor an animal this Christmas.

Seasons Greetings!

List - 5 Small Ways to Make A Difference

There are many ways available to make a small difference without putting too much effort in, obviously the more effort the better but I know life sometimes gets in the way. Here are five small ways to make a difference to the lives of animals and the environment:

1. If you are selling on eBay then allow at least 10% of your profit to be donated to charity, I did this recently and made a very small amount for The Dogs Trust and Cats Protection League. Even though it was a small amount it would have helped a little.

2. Pick up litter. Litter can be dangerous for small animals who can hurt themselves and get trapped inside. For example the plastic stringy can holders from multi-packs of cans. These are possibly the most damaging type of litter. I have seen pictures of birds and ducks with them trapped round their necks. If you do see one lying about please pick it up, break it into pieces and put it in the dustbin.

3. Sign up for Action Alerts, if you visit websites such as IFAW, PETA etc you are able to sign up for Action Alerts, they will e-mail you with any causes needing action. The actions are simply taking a few minutes to sign a petition or enter your details on a readily prepared letter. They do send messages asking for donations but as I can never afford to donate I stick to doing the other things to help.

4. Spread the word. Forward the Action Alerts to your friends, share it on Facebook, tell people you know why they shouldn't buy seafood imported from Canada. You'll be surprised what a difference this can make. There is a chance that your friends will tell their friends and so on.

5. Treat your loved ones and make a difference at the same time. Perhaps one of your children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews would like to adopt a dolphin for their birthday this year, or perhaps the person who has everything would like to sponsor a dog from The Dogs Trust for a year? A few years ago I adopted a donkey from The Donkey Sanctuary called Oscar and received cards and newsletters on how he was doing, I even got to visit him once.