Pet food appeal – please help the strays

A typically thin stray dog.   Why are there so many in this emaciated condition?  This one is Misty and she is a lovely young lurcher girl.   We are making progress fattening her up but it is taking a while.   Misty doesn’t like to keep a coat on either and is quite the Houdini at getting out of whatever sort of jacket, fleece or jumper we try to put on her!

After a nightmare week with frozen pipes and snow drifts waist deep we are slowly getting back to some sort of normality.  The drive is clear and we’ve gritted so we can get out – and back – now.   The strays still keep coming and we are running short of dog food.   We have taken several more permanent residents in recently, dogs whose owners have passed away or been hospitalised.   We need lots of pouches and cans for the ‘golden oldies.

Our pile of blankets is going down rapidly and if you have any to spare they would be very much appreciated here.  Also curtains, sheets and towels.   We do like duvets, at least the dogs like them!   The problem is that when they are soiled they are difficult to dispose of and getting rid of waste of every kind is one of the biggest and most expensive problems for us.

Grondel (a golden oldie permanent resident) doesn’t seem to mind the snow whilst the sun is out.   She dashed back inside a few minutes later though.

Amazingly, we still have some tiny kittens.  They were born two weeks ago and are snuggling up to their mum and doing well.    We also have several eight week olds who are nearly ready for their first vaccinations – if we can make it to the vets.   Everything takes so much longer in the snow.  If anyone is wanting to adopt one of our beautiful kits, please get in touch.   Hopefully, the shop and visitor centre will be open again this weekend.

We are carrying water to all the horses and goats as the pipes have frozen.  This arctic weather has certainly caught us out.   When we eventually slid and slipped to the fodder merchants, we found there were long queues.   Storage of big quantities of pony food is a problem – rodent proof bins would be good and a new feed shed.    And while we’re dreaming, what about a big dutch barn and then we could order hay and straw in bulk – it would be cheaper that way too.   Krystal leaves us to think about all these problems, she is a gentle soul who likes to be out for a short while only, she feels the cold.   A little walk is good for her though and stops her joints getting stiff.   We also need a big tub of cod liver oil for all the ponies, it makes a big difference in the winter months.[donate]