Heartwarming Rescue Stories from our Followers

22 . July .2019Adam Copland0 Comments

Elizabeth Littlewood and Martin, with Dee Dee

"My partner Martin wanted a dog. I said no for long enough as I lost my Alsatian 15 year ago and it was so upsetting.
One day, whilst I was at work, Martin decided to go to the RSPCA. On going to the centre he told me he “I’d like to say I spotted her straight away but she was lying down and hiding, so when I first walked along the kennels I missed her. I doubled back, when through the noise of the barking from the other dogs, came this distinct and eerie howl of a husky. All the other dogs fell silent and it was a really magical moment.” Inside one of the kennels was Dee Dee.

So Martin told the centre I was at work and could they hold her until I was able to go the next day. They said yes! Martin phoned me at work and told me that he'd reserved a dog for me to go and have look at the following day. I agreed but also thought that we were never going to have another dog.

The next day I went to the RSPCA to see the dog. On getting there we were told that Dee Dee was out on her walk and shouldn't be long. Moments later a car pulled up and a white dog jumped out of the car. I just knew it was the dog I had come to see! She looked so beautiful - my heart just melted. We spent some time getting to know one another; I brushed her, played ball with her and I knew she was the dog for us.

Dee Dee had initially been found filthy, abandoned and very ill, so because of this we had to have her on a day release for a month. The RSPCA wanted to keep an eye on her so we would pick her up at 10am and take her back by 4pm every day. On the day we did bring her home, we went to a pet store to get her a cage for her to sleep in at night. In the morning we woke to find that she had undone all the sides of the cage and was a brilliant door opener!! So bolts all round here!

She's a one in a million dog"

Elizabeth Littlewood

Since adopting Dee Dee and her becoming a well loved part of their family Dee Dee has entered lots of fun dog shows, been talent spotted by a TV animal casting agent, and modelled for Graffiti Magazine Winter 2011 (p32-33)

Dee Dee has been with her new loving family for a year and a half now. What a wonderful ending and a fabulous new start. Happy days Dee Dee.;0)

Tracey Ison and Scout

“This is Scout's story.....

Picked up as a stray aged between three and four months, Scout the lurcher puppy was taken to a stray dog pound in County Durham in April 2011. He was in a pretty poor state suffering from mange, he also contracted kennel cough whilst in the pound.

Initially, it was thought that Scout was both blind and deaf although not deaf, Scout is almost completely blind.

Things looked pretty bleak for Scout and he came dangerously close to being put to sleep. However, GALA (greyhound and lurcher aid) took pity on this poor chap and decided to rescue him as they felt that he deserved a chance at life.

Scout then joined a motley crew of stray "poundies" and made an epic journey across country to East Midlands Dog Rescue in Leicestershire. GALA had approached Sandy McCluskey at East Midlands Dog Rescue to see if she would take Scout on, Sandy did not hesitate and she took him in. Sandy's challenge was to find Scout his "forever home" and to give him the security that had so far been missing from his life.

This is where we came in. As the proud owners of two beautiful whippets, we were not looking for another dog but we were so touched by Scout's story that we didn't think twice about offering him a home. Life with Scout has been challenging to say the least. A blind puppy keeps you on your toes! Scout settled in quickly and even from day one, amazed us with his sunny personality and his positive approach to life. We have learnt alongside him and our two whippet girls have also taken him under their wing. Scout attended puppy classes and attained a good level of basic training. We took this basic training and developed ways to help Scout to live as normal a life as possible.

Scout can exercise "off lead", if he goes a little too far away from us, one of his "sisters" brings him back. He has been taught to "step" and "jump" on command. He has even learnt to wait at pelican crossings and to listen for the beeps before moving off.

We have made mistakes along the way, walking him over drain covers is a definite no no and he does tend to find the one and only tree in an otherwise empty field and he will run into it! But we have been on such an amazing journey with him and he has taught us so much.

Scout attends many fun dog shows and already holds many "best in show" titles. He loves to meet people. He is a very kind and happy boy who brings a smile to many faces. He helps to support dog rescue, especially the amazing work done by Sandy at East Midlands dog rescue who we will be forever indebted to.

He also helps raise funds for other dogs in need by attending street collections and other charity events.

Watching him grow and develop into a confident and sociable dog has been both heart warming and also very humbling.”

Scout's story will continue.....Tracey Ison

What a truly remarkable story Tracey. It sounds to us like he is a very lucky chap to have found you to be his forever home. We love to hear how his “sisters” help him too – aren't dogs the most amazing animals? Thank you so much Tracey for sharing your story and we will look forward to an update.

David Briney and WA

"We rescued WA just over 3 months ago. She came from a rescue centre in west Wales. She went into the rescue centre due to her owners no longer able to look after her. We had lost our Beagle in April due to kidney failure. He was 10 years old and a rescue dog who came to us when he was 2 years old. We had looked at rescue centres near were we live in Worcestershire but had not found that special dog, then I saw the website for west Wales dog rescue and there was Wrinkle Annie she is a Shar Pei hence the name Wrinkle Annie! I emailed the centre to find out her background and arranged a visit. So we set off on our 3 1/2 hour drive to west Wales.

As soon as we met WA we knew she was the one - that special feeling you get that makes you feel warm inside - and as they say the rest is history. WA lives like a queen, she has the run of the house and has filled a huge hole in our hearts after our loss and made our family whole again. I just wish more people would give rescue dogs a second chance of a forever home and love and show these rescue dogs that not all humans are bad." David Briney

Wrinkle Annie you have been rescued by some wonderful people - you lucky girl! Thank you for sharing her story with us David. I bet she's a real character with that name!!

Dawn and Sir Sam Saxby, written by Julia.

Sir Sam was a failed racer and the owner kept him but hated him. So instead of re-homing him they beat him senseless regularly for 8 years. He was however finally rescued by a Greyhound rescue and was safe in a kennel. When he was first rescued they didn't realise that he had a white blaze on his chest as it was so badly bruised. He suffered brain damage from the beatings and walked with a wobbly gait and was petrified of being hurt.

His mum Dawn is a hard working rescuer and she knew of this dog in kennels – he had been there for a year as no one wanted a 9 year old handicapped dog. But Dawn did. She took him home to the surprise of the kennels and from day one lavished him with love and comfort. The painfully thin boy was given a very poor prognosis by the vets and only a few months to live. Everyone who met him fell in love with him, so he got lots of comfortable beds, food, treats, love and dog friends. He even lived with a cat too!

Over time Sam learned affection and to see his tail wag when we visited with liver biscuits and hot dog sausages was pure joy. He was knighted by the dog table friends for his bravery and became the apple of his mum's eye. He had under a year in his loving home before his brain and body failed him and he went to Rainbow Bridge last week. He lost his doggie sister in the Autumn so is now with her. He really did enjoy life in those few short months. Known as Sammy, to those who loved him was one of the lucky ones in the end and was such a special boy.

Susan Brown rescues, Chico, Connor and Angel

Susan Brown and her husband Kelvin, have been volunteering with the East Riding Retired Greyhound Trust for the last 5 years, and are also just recently involved in setting up the new 'sister' charity 'East Riding Greyhound Rescue'. The RGT only funds 6-8 dogs so they decided that they should set up this 'sister' charity solely to help raise funds for the remaining dogs in their care. It was whilst volunteering here that Susan decided she would like to try and take a rescue dog into her home. With asthma and allergies this proved quite difficult, but after a trial run, Chico, a beautiful white and brindle female greyhound, settled in well with Susan and Kelvin. Since adopting Chico they have gone on to adopt Connor and Angel. Lets introduce you to them and read their stories.

Chico – racing name Hagss Heroine – won 4 races - 8 years old

Chico, just 4, was picked up directly from her trainer in such a dreadful state. Parts of her body were hairless, covered in tics and smelly and dirty. She arrived at Susan's house and bombed around like a mad thing. Delving into any food that was on view – even sprouts and potatoes! Susan and her family loved her from the outset though and set about trying to help her, firstly by taking her to fun dog shows to help her socialise, which infact turned out better than they thought. Chico started to win prizes and lots of them! She has even earned the great accolade of being “Pets as Therapy Dog” and loves going to the local residential homes for cuddles and biscuits! She is also now a sponsor dog for the East Riding Greyhound rescue, to help fund the kennel dogs there. Her photo shows her winning the Retired Greyhound Trust's “Greyhound of the year 2010”!! Well done Chico.

Connor – racing name – Conkers – won 19 races – 6 years old

Connor was also 4 when he stopped racing. His original owner gave the trainer just a month to find a home for him. If a home couldn't be found he would be put down. Thankfully the trainer had a heart and found the rescue centre and took him there. Just at this time Susan had decided to take on another dog as a companion for Chico, after their beloved greyhound George had died of a fatal stroke. They never looked back and Connor became the most placid, laid back, mischievous, friendly dog they could ever have wished for. He visits the vets regularly, as he suffers from corns on his front feet – his racing days catching up with him. These corns don't however seem to stop him chasing the odd squirrel!

Angel – unknown age – Saluki/Lurcher cross

This fawn little lady was found wandering the local fields in the wintry month of November 2010 by some local villagers. It was one of the worst winters England had seen for a long time. Day temps were regularly -12 C and night temps were -17 C. Deep snow had blocked the village too. When word got around a few villagers made it their mission to find, catch and help this dog, as they feared she would not survive. After 3 very long weeks of searching they found out where she was sleeping. Rescue attempts failed endlessly as Angel scurried away from anyone who came near. To help they left her food and dry bedding, but as the weather worsened and she grew thinner and thinner they realised that they had to act fast. The locals contacted Dogslost, and they said they could help. In fact the couple came all the way from Barnsley in horrendous snow and ice with a special cage trap. Hours later they caught her and and the East Riding Rescue greyhounds Trust picked her up. She was scared, hungry, cold and exhausted, had a broken tail, tics and scars. No one believed she would survive the night, but she did. Susan did what she knew best and provided yet another loving stable home for Angel (as she is now known). Since being rescued Driffield Agricultural Show have presented her with the prestigious award for bravery. She really is a remarkable dog who was rescued by such dedicated people and is now living a full and happy life. She even has her own facebook page Unbelievably she still likes the snow as you can see!!

Julia Sergeant with Sir Bruce, Bella and Tiger

This week Julia Sergeant contacted us about her rescue story involving her rescue Lurcher Sir Bruce Hayes, her rescue Saluki Greyhound Bella and Tiger her glorious rescue Deer hound Lurcher. Julia obviously has a huge amount of care and compassion for rescue dogs and her unique story tells us how people can be brought together through difficult and upsetting times.

Sir Bruce was rescued by Julia after he was found wandering the Yorkshire moors alone. He had huge scars on his throat, a sign that he had been used as a bait dog. Since finding his “forever home” he has blossomed into a large lumbering loving dog, who in his own words (!) is a “bear with little brain”. How can a dog write I can hear you ask yourself. Well, it's technology!! Sir Bruce can now be found on Facebook where a huge community of 543 friends (to date) are following his every wag of the tail. This community share experiences, photos, fun, advice and rescue support, and also get together for walks. It is here that they share information about fund raising for rescue appeals. If you would like to be Sir Bruce's friend then please search for SirBruce Hayes on Facebook.

Bella and Tiger came into Julia's life from Evesham Lurcher Greyhound Rescue. They had both been found together and in a dreadful state, showing signs of been beaten and burnt with cigarettes. Julia initially took Bella home to start her new life, and then she realised that Tiger should not be separated from her. When they were reunited, Tiger was so shocked that all he could do was wee on the floor. Julia and her family lavished love and attention on the dogs and they developed into beautiful healthy dogs. Bella never lost her fear though and still today cries at the slightest thing. Tiger passed away 2 years ago at the ripe old age of 16 and Bella still misses him terribly. Just before Christmas Bella was extremely poorly and needed an operation. Sir Bruce and seven of his Facebook friends were on standby to give Bella blood during her surgery. Other Facebook friends, from all over the world sent Bella good wishes and support for Julia. Some gave homemade Liver cake, homemade biscuits and other food suggestions, just to see if she might be tempted. Bella or "princess" as she is fondly known by her fiancee Jack Alford, also received flowers from the man himself! You can also search for Jack Alford on Facebook, he too has a huge following!! Anyway nothing seemed to work, until Julia remembered that Bella has liked Cobbydog Supreme before she was so sick, so they tried her with some. Miraculously she started eating, (not a huge amount at first) , just enough to give her energy and vitality and she slowly started getting better. The relief of seeing her eat again must have been overwhelming, and the team here at Cobbydog were delighted to hear that we could have made a difference.

Today we received such an incredible story from a lady called Julia Hope. She lives in East Sussex and follows East Sussex Dog Rescue on Facebook. East Sussex Dog rescue is a wonderful place, where a Dog Warden local to the area, advertises unclaimed dogs who have been handed in to the local police station.

Lou Lou was handed in to Hastings police station just before Christmas and was unclaimed. Probably about 3 – 4 years old, Lou lou had been neglected and had been used as a breeding dog, and when Julia saw her on the the dog rescue facebook page looking for someone to adopt/foster her, she knew she had to help. Since the New Year Lou Lou has spent many happy weeks with her new family that includes Julia's family, Eva the Rotti and 5 cats!!

Eva had already been fed for about 6 months on Cobbydog Supreme Chunks, and when Lou Lou arrived Julia fed her the same. She has done so well in just three weeks. Wow!

As you can see she has thrived and in Julia's words “Cobbydog Supreme Chunks is a really good quality dog food, rich in all the essential nutrients.”

We would really like to keep a track on Lou lou and follow her story. How about we do an update on Lou Lou in Spring? Yes!!!

Kay Adeola and Belinda

Belinda,was found by Kay, as a tiny pup in a field whilst on holiday in Spain. She was hairless, covered in blood, and had mange. She was such a sorry sight that they couldn't leave her there. They did all they could to bring her back home to England. While they were there they found out she was a Dutch Shepherd, who are very lovely and clever dogs – it seemed inconceivable that she could have been left for dead, and that anyone would want to hurt such an innocent puppy.

Belinda really is amazing and has the biggest ears possible! Kay suffers from severe aplastic anaemia so cannot get out much. Belinda , however, encourages Kay to do more when they walk. Kay says “She knows when I'm struggling. She will stop what she is doing, walk back to me and stop, push her back under my hand and it's as if she's telling me to hold on to her and rest” Belinda stays with Kay all the time and is very protective and loyal

“I have never known a dog like her. She knows how to bring her dog bowl to me and how to get her lead and the newspaper. She has even learned how to carry small shopping bags from the car to the house” . It seems that Belinda really is Kay's guardian angel.