Summer News from Kim’s Home

So what’s been happening since the last BLOG that I wrote in April?  Well quite a lot.

I don’t like starting with sad news but it was the most important event that happened in Kim’s Home – Freya left us.  She was 15 years and 2 months old.  She’d been with me since she was three months old – an unbelievably abused puppy who grew into a wonderful big brown dog who brought happiness to everyone who knew and loved her – both dogs and people.  I miss her so much.

Moving on……

 The day after Freya died, I took on a cruelty case for Lurcher SOS.  Hope, a Saluki cross, was in an awful state of neglect: emaciated with horrible pressure sores and other deep wounds.  In a way, caring for her distracted me from the grief over Freya.  And on the first evening she was here, she sank peacefully and thankfully on to Freya’s lovely bed and slept and slept.  I’m sure Freya would have approved.

Hope has since got well and healed up.  And the best news – she has gone to live with the lovely people who adopted Bella.  So she is close by and I shall be able to see her regularly once we’ve broken the bond with me.  She looks so happy in her new home – ungrateful minx!

The other foster we had in was Charlie the big black lurcher lad.  He put on weight, gained in confidence and learned some manners.  He was a total star at the Fonmon show.  I was so proud of him – such a long day and so many people and dogs and he was perfectly behaved.  He’s also been to training classes and will soon get his Good Citizen award.  Oh, and I’ve decided that he can stay.  Not the age dog that I really want, but when did I ever get to choose my dogs, eh?  He was certainly abused and he thinks he’s home.  And I couldn’t tell him otherwise.  Anyway no-one offered him a home.  So it was an easy decision.

I’m pleased to say that I’ve been sticking more to my mission for the last few months and have found homes for lots of oldies who were languishing un-wanted in the pound.

In the last Blog, I mentioned 2 Collies who were in the pound.  One was so ill that she had to be put to sleep, but a wonderful home was found for Snoop thanks to the Facebook followers of Kim’s Home.  Snoop lived only a few months but he had so much loving and comfort in those months.  His new owners are devastated at his loss.  Thank you, Laney and Paul.

Then along came Morris.  I brought him here because he was not doing well in the pound.  Morris is a Shih Tsu who had almost everything imaginable wrong with him: severe arthritis, luxating patella, retained testicle, grade 4 heart murmur, dry eye…  One day when I was walking in the park with him, a lovely lady made a fuss of him and he really seemed to like her.  I explained his circumstances and she offered to foster him.  With a grant from Friends of the Dogs, Wales, Morris had quite a lot of equipment to take with him – a stroller, a harness, 2 beds, lots of medication and lots of food.  So, while Kim’s Home is still responsible for all his costs, he gets all his loving from Ann and her elderly Yorkie, Poppy.  Perfect! 

Next was Alfie, an elderly Terrier who had been in the pound for a year while the council chased a prosecution for neglect and abuse.   When he was allowed out, he was adopted by another FB follower, Carrie, who has given him the most wonderful home with her dogs. Alfie particularly loves her tortoise.  There’s no accounting for taste, is there? Thank you, Carrie.

And then came Pixie.  She is a rather morose, elderly Staffie x Terrier who is totally deaf and partially blind.  She is not the prettiest dog in the world but she’s lovely.  She moved into Kim’s Home and is doing well.  She loves her food and gets very excited at meal times.  And twice so far she’s worked herself up to a joyful run on the field.  But she doesn’t expend her energy too often.  She loves cuddles.  Because her eyesight is so poor, she often steps on other dogs but they all seem to understand that she can’t help it and they accept the space intrusion calmly and cheerfully.

Kobi came next. He is a fourteen year old Rough Collie – again a stray.  His owner rang to check that he was in the pound but never came to collect him. In answer to my appeal Lynn stepped forward and invited Kobi to live with her and her other dogs in sunny Cornwall.  And that’s where he is.  An Anonymous Angel paid for him to have serious work done on his teeth and now Kobi is pain free and enjoying life at last.  Thank you, Lynn.

Twix is a middle-aged chocolate Labrador who was found straying.  She had an enormous tumour on her abdomen.  The dog pound paid to have it removed and analysed.  Sadly the tumour was malignant and so Twix probably doesn’t have long to live.  But, in response to my appeal,  Alison offered her a lovely home in Herts with her dogs.  And that’s where Twix is now.  She doesn’t know that she’s ill.  She enjoying her life to the full as only a Lab can.

The next dog that I met at the pound was dear little Sindy, a terrified Staffie girl, with strange scars on her body and a large mammary tumour.  She was judged to be about 13 years old.  Found as a stray – as they all are.  Again I put out an appeal and Kate offered her a home with her family and her equally elderly male Staffie, Reg.  Kate is a vet nurse – which is perfect because Sindy is going to need surgery soon to sort out her lumps.  Sindy, now called Dotty, has settled well and she and Reg are great pals.  Thank you, Kate.

Now that I’d diversified from sighthounds into Terriers, Shih-Tsus, Collies, Labradors and Staffies, there was no stopping me.  And the next dog to need help was Gary, a fourteen year old German Shepherd.  He, too, was a stray.  He was in excellent condition and looked as if he had been well cared-for at some point in his life.  I wish I knew the stories behind the abandonment of these lovely, lovely dogs.  Again an angel came forward via UK-GSR.  Suzanne found a wonderful permanent foster home with Alison and Steve and that’s where he is now and having a great time with his foster sisters and brothers.

That’s not where it ends of course.  These poor dogs keep landing in the pound that I liaise with.  There are 2 elderly Staffies there at the moment – Molly, a black girl and Rob, a fawn boy.  Any offers, please? 

Just a note:  when I put out an appeal for homes or long-term foster homes for these dogs, I always stipulate that it should be a quiet home with no young children and no cats.  This is because I cannot accurately assess dogs who are in a dog pound.   Elderly dogs are usually no trouble, but you never know.  That is why I either offer rescue back-up myself or secure back-up from a breed rescue.  All home offers are home-checked and/or vet references taken up.  Not all home offers are suitable, sadly.  And I have to be sure that the dog and the adopter are going to get on and make a success of the arrangement.

As you can imagine, I am so, so grateful to these wonderful people who have taken on these old dogs, many of whom have medical problems.  It almost restores my faith in people.

Likewise I’m grateful to the kind people who send donations to Kim’s Home.  I could not operate without you.  Apart from having 17 dogs here most of the time, I am financially responsible for some of the pound dogs too.  And having so many dogs isn’t cheap.  I pay £320 a month just on insurance before I start feeding them, accessorising them, driving them out to their running places, paying for their supplements, medication and vet bills etc etc.  If you feel you can help financially, please look at how you can do that here: http://www.kimshome.org.uk/sponsor-donate/

Many, many thanks from all at Kim’s Home

PS – I haven’t updated my signature pictures yet – can’t quite bear to take Freya off.  So here are the Kim’s Home dogs, with Freya still in our hearts, and Charlie and Pixie waiting to join the gallery.