Tuesday 26 June 2012

Happy Tails Tuesday: Ponyo

This week's 'Happy Tails Tuesday' features RSPCA rescue cat Ponyo owned by staff member Deborah Beats...

Ponyo (left) & brother Danzig

We adopted Ponyo in February after fostering her for a few weeks, or should I say, she adopted us. She was found stray with 3 still born kittens; she was only 8 months old and tiny. As soon as she came in to our house and pushed our big ginger boy Danzig aside to eat his food we knew she was a keeper.

Although we have only had her a few months I can't imagine life without her, she walks around the house tweeting and chirping at us all day long. She and Danzig spend hours chasing each other around and keeping each other company, she gives him a good wash at night but he rarely returns the favour! Since adopting Ponyo our little family is complete, she is definitely a Daddy’s girl, following him about the house and meowing at him if there’s something or someone taking her place on his knee.

She has grown a lot since coming to us and has grown long hairs on the bottom on her paws which we affectionately call her foot beards. We love Ponyo so much; it really brightens our day when we walk through the door after a long day at work to be greeted by her chatting away.


Next week Tabitha & Douglas rabbits' stories....

Saturday 23 June 2012

Holiday Season

I don't bat the word 'stressful' around too often, 'under pressure' is my preferred term, but this week has been truly stressful and not just because I've been working long hours to make sure everything is up-to-date before I go on leave for 10 days.

The main reasons for the stress are easily summarised:
1. Stolen adopted dog
2. Badly injured 6 week old pup found stray
3. Worrying drop in cat and dog adoptions

We've officially hit holiday season. I can tell when we have because we see a dramatic drop in cat and dog adoptions and massive increase in stray cat calls. It means two things: cracking animals get left waiting for new homes in kennels/cattery for twice, if not three times, as long as they normally would, and we have to close to admissions. Having said that,we still have 10 cats waiting to come in. The situation is dire.

I think, on balance, the dogs waiting longer for homes troubles me the most. A kennel is such an alien environment for a pet dog to be in, so the worry about their ability to cope sets in after a few weeks. The only dog out of the 5 we have in kennels at the moment who genuinely seems content is Teebo.
Teebo

Teebo maybe a bit brute-like looking dog but he really his a lovely natured lad. He is so easy going and demands so little from you, other than to take his teddy bear out with him on walks. It really is the funniest thing you have ever seen - this wolf-sized dog holding his teddy in his mouth. If Teebo stops to sniff at something his teddy gets dropped, but never forgotten and soon gets picked up again!

We have several teddies that look the same so we can swap them when one becomes really revolting. Teebo's other pleasure in life is mooching in the paddock. So much so that on good weather days he gets to spend hours at a time just pleasing himself, pottering around and lolloping in the shade.Teebo is a really easy dog to please, we just need someone with a big enclosed garden to adopt him and his life would be complete.
 

This little Lurcher pup came to our attention on Thursday. He was found stray the day before with a broken leg and taken to a vet practice where the brother of one of our trustees works, up in Cumbria.This little boy was only 6 weeks old and had been left to roam in significant pain until a kind Samaritan found him.

The vets named him Trevor and set about trying to help him. What ensued was a day of negotiations with various organisations until the agreement was reached that we would fund the surgery he required and take him into our care, rehabilitate and rehome him. We were thrilled to be getting this little lad and being able to give him the chance of a really happy ending, but the following morning, at 8.30am, that elation was cut short.

I received a call from the vets to say they had x-rayed his other leg to take measurements for length and discovered his hip was broken too. The decision was simple, such a little boy could not be put through two lots of major surgery; he had to be put to sleep. Without question it was the right thing to do because such serious fractures, on opposing sides of his body, could result in so many complications and mean him confined to a cage for months on end and create all manner of health and behavioural problems.

It got me thinking about two things: what had happened to him and what about all the other animals we don't, inevitably, get to know about who similarly have to be put to sleep with injuries following rescue. It is because of the latter that I felt the need to share Trevor's story, almost like a tribute to all the other animals that go unheard of: lives, personalities, 'faces' - that have been failed in some way.

In Trevor's case, I am confident about his origin but don't feel I can share it publicly through fear of reprisal. I can say this much; I believe he was intentionally abandoned when it became apparent he was injured and would cost money to fix. For me this is nothing more than cowardly and abhorrent, but speaks volumes about the way in which many animals are viewed as mere 'tools'.

Very pretty girl who isn't remotely 'Dopey'

Bashful is not shy and absolutely loves a fuss


Happy really loves attention, would make a perfect family pet


We have three of the 'seven dwarves' still looking for homes. The other four got snapped up and are settling well into their new homes. The remaining three are coming up to ten weeks old and the longer they are with us the less likely they are to find homes. This worries me no end.

We have had no interest in them this week, largely, I think, because we have had three new kitties become available. They were snapped up within 24 hours of going up for adoption. I'm not surprised because they have the cutesy factor at 8 weeks of age and really are adorable kitties, but what it means is that our three black/black and whites are getting overlooked. This is especially tragic because they have been hand-reared round the clock since a day or two old. The outstanding care they have received from the foster family has resulted in really loving, really well-socialised and really good natured kittens. Their personalities are distinct and delightful and they bring so much joy. But it should be their forever home reaping all the benefit, not the foster family because their job is done. We really need to find homes for them and I really don't want to come back from leave and find they are still with us.

Somebody said to me this week that people's avoidance of black animals (whether it be cats or rabbits or dogs) is like a form of racism. That statement amused me, but could there be some truth in it? I think we are just like magpies in that we are attracted to the prettier, shinier 'objects' more.....







Mac, Mimi and Milo - snapped up in a day

The greatest source of stress this week came from the news that one of our adopted puppies, now 8-9months old, has been stolen from her home. It's not something I wish to dwell on, the sense of loss for us all is so great. I hold little hope of finding her, although there are many people doing all they can to help. I'd like to thank everyone for all they are doing and I just hope that whoever has her is taking good care of her.

A holiday couldn't come at a better time, but could someone please turn the taps off in the sky!!!

Tuesday 19 June 2012

Happy Tails Tuesday: Benny

This week's 'Happy Tails Tuesday' features RSPCA rescue dog Benny owned by Sarah-Jane Davis....

                                                

Benny was rescued last Spring after being badly neglected, weighing only 9kg (he now weighs over 19kg). I first saw him in a video on the RSPCA Manchester & Salford Branch Facebook page, during a hydrotherapy session and I saw a somewhat scrawny, rag-bag of a dog who, despite everything he must have been through, seemed to have a very special kind of spirit. It only took a gentle persuasion campaign before my husband would agree to come and meet him. He then came to stay with us in September under a fostering agreement and we just knew he was going to stay forever. We adopted him before the end of October and have never looked back. He and I started running together that month, just short distances to begin with, but now he can happily run with me for well over 20 miles and he clearly thrives being out and about in the countryside (especially when he can combine a good run with an impromptu swim in the nearest river or lake!).

Benny loved being part of a family, right from the off, but he found being left when we went out, even for very short periods, very stressful. It was hard work to help him overcome his separation distress, but we think we can thank our other dog, Flash the Greyhound, for teaching Benny the fine art of being laid back, (also known as 'How to Chill on the Sofa'). Sadly, Flash passed away last month, and initially Benny did find being home alone without her, difficult, but he seems to have become accustomed to it now (and certainly enjoys having more of the sofa to himself).

We are so glad that we have Benny as part of our family - he's a character and a half; he is affectionately known as the Little Bear, not just because he's brown and fuzzy, but also because he largely communicates through a whole vocabulary of grunts and snuffles, something I've never experienced before, but it is so very endearing!

Many thanks,

Sarah and Giles

Next week Ponyo the cat's story......

Saturday 16 June 2012

A Day in the Life of the Branch

I thought it was high-time I shared what a typical day entails for us at RSPCA Manchester and Salford Branch. I hope you enjoy spending 'the day' walking in our shoes.....

8.30am
I set off with my foster bunny Claude knowing that this maybe the last I see of him. He is very poorly and about to undergo further tests to determine his future. I've fallen for the big fella big style and will adopt him if he can be helped. Another giant bunny named Summer is being dropped off at the vets by Catherine for a third lot of tests; she is very ill too. So, it's D-Day for two much loved rabbits today and I'm not looking forward to it one bit.
Claude's owners are currently being investigated for neglect with a view to prosecution
On the way to the vets I stop off at the RSPCA Greater Manchester Animal Hospital in Salford to collect a mum and kittens that have been removed from their owner.

Willow and her kittens have come from a multicat household where the owner had run out of money and food. Six animals were removed in total.

 
On to Chorlton to drop off Claude at an Exotic Vet Specialist we exclusively use for all our small furries. I then I have to swing by the office to collect supplies for Willow and co and then on to foster mum Julie's house, which is just down the road.
We have 2 boys and a girl and in the background is Willow's tail! They quickly settled in and are absolutely thriving.
10.00am
I'm back off up to the RSPCA Greater Manchester Animal Hospital to collect 6 kittens that have been neutered and stayed in overnight to take part in a post-op pain management trial. The RSPCA vets neuter kittens and puppies from approx 8-9weeks old. It sounds incredibly young but the recovery rate is so quick because there is so little to remove. It has been successfully done like this for a number of years and is something our branch fully supports.
 
Whilst I'm at the vets I meet Inspector Jennings. She has a stray cat with her whose eye is hanging out of it's socket. The eye is very much 'dead' but despite this revolting injury she is a super friendly and affectionate little black and white girl. I commit there and then to taking her in when she's ready to be rehomed.

3 of the 6 kittens waiting to be collected
I set off with the six kittens to their foster home in Walkden. One of the kittens was too small to be done and stayed at home so we are keen to reunite him with his friends. They have all been named after the Seven Dwarves and will go up for adoption now they have been neutered, vaccinated and microchipped.

The Seven Dwarves settle in instantly and head for food. Soon after they commence kitten wrestling with each other. It's like they've never been away.
I'm off to the cash and carry now to stock up on cat litter for our foster carers. We officially have a record number of cats and kittens in our care and have had to close to admissions (although we have a number of cats lined up for next week to admit). The bill is £118, which whilst not great, it could be a lot worse, and has been! My small car groans with the weight of it all but just by luck I run into Catherine, as I return to the RSPCA Greater Manchester Animal Hospital for the third time to collect another kitten called Lion. I offload lots of the litter into our 'animal van' and get to see Macey pup.

Macey, now renamed Inca, is recovering from having her eye removed. Inca's eye was irreparably damaged after an attack from original owner's dog. Inca is one lucky lady and has been adopted by her foster mum Jill.
3 kittens arrive at the RSPCA vets from Leeds for us. They have been found in the callers kitchen. They are staying in for neutering if they are old enough and we will collect tomorrow. At this point in time we have nowhere for them to go but this super cute photo easily wins over our foster mum Mel who has 2 already.

It sounds crazy to keep bouncing back and forward to the RSPCA vets but all the foster homes are in different directions. So rather than put the animals through unnecessary distress of travelling around for hours we'd rather do it this way.

It's love in an instant as I meet little Lion. He is a 5 month old all black kitten that was found hiding behind some bins. He had nasty chemical burns to his side and has been recovering for 8 days at the RSPCA vets. Unfortunately our third member of the team, Debs, is off sick and in a terrible way and can't take him in to foster until she is better. So, little Lion is coming to stay in the office. It's been a long while since we had an 'office cat' so it will be great to have a furry around the place.

Lion's burns still looking nasty of 8 days of treatment, but he's healing well.
12.30
Finally I arrive at the office and it's lunchtime but there's no time for food. Catherine and I have been out on the road all morning and there's 15 calls on the answer machine to get through. I'm due back out on the road again in an hour and a half to take 3 cats to the vets, but Catherine lands at the office and opts to swap jobs with me. I get office duty and to catch up on all our outstanding admission paper work and health record updates.
Getting plenty of 'help' from Lion.

Lion quickly reveals that he has been taken away from his siblings at far too young an age. He has no idea about claw inhibition and it soon becomes apparent that this loving little boy is going to need a very special owner indeed. He means no harm but his claws are out all the time. He definitely needs a playmate too. Lion will  take a long while to rehome, which is such a shame.

The call I dread comes in. It's the results of Summer and Claude. After an agonising conversation with the vet the conclusion reached is to put Summer to sleep and to retest Claude in 3 weeks time. I can't bear sharing the news with everyone, so I don't. And whilst it's better news for Claude it is bitter-sweet because we still don't know what's really going on with him and I fear it will still end in heartache down the line.

Two calls come in for us to admit two dogs. One is Paddy and the other is Jay-Jay. We only admit animals that our field staff rescue. The story of Paddy is really quite upsetting and the inspector repeatedly warns me about his body condition. I don't hesitate to accept both dogs but little did I know what we were letting ourselves in for.

Paddy arrives the next day. When he was first investigated by the inspector he weighed just 8kgs, half his body weight. Paddy is a wonderfully friendly 6-8 year old collie cross.

Jay-Jay arrives Friday. The photo is deceptive but he is the size of a pig and weighs 60kgs. He is a mass of uncontrollable muscle that has never been walked. The shock of his size leaves us reeling.
Time in the office is up. I have to collect Claude and there are still many outstanding jobs. The weekend ahead is looking like another 'catch-up' one for me. After collecting Claude I go to meet our foster mum Emma who has prepared all the photos from our lighthouse abseil challenge. Emma also does our cattery photos; they are so illustrative and beautiful.

30 people undertook a sponsored abseil for us. Emma took commemorative photos on the day.
Little did I know that Emma and her partner Chris had a little surprise for me. I was absolutely stunned when she opened the boot of her car. It really made my day! We had run out of cat food last week and so many people have rallied around to help us. I feel honoured to be surrounded by such wonderful people.

A car boot full of cat food from Emma and Chris.
6pm
I arrive home just before 6pm. I'm supposed to be in Offerton at 6.30pm and I'm starving and my house full of 9 rabbits are jumping around too! After a pit stop to sort everyone out I set off again because the day is not quite over yet. I'm going to visit potential adopter Emma and her bunny Oscar. They have our girl Twiggy at home with a view to bonding her with Oscar. I'm going round to help with the first introduction, as it can be quite nerve wracking. The bunnies have been living side-by-side for 3 weeks and all the signs are great.

(Twiggy's original owner has recently been successfully prosecuted for neglecting her. She left Twiggy and her companion to die. Her companion did die but Twiggy was rescued just in time. I will never forget the day the Inspector rang me at the point of rescue.)
 
As you can see the first session went well!

Unfortunately the intros broke down a few days later after Twiggy escaped from her pen and attacked Oscar. We are going to try and salvage it but it just illustrates how difficult it can be to get a compatible match with bunnies.

I leave Offerton at 7.30pm and have one last stop of the day. On my way home I'm dropping off litter to our foster mum Anne. She has two lots of mum and kittens in her care. We've never placed two with anyone before but Anne knows the crisis we are in and offered to take another family in. I've known Anne for over a decade and she is so fantastic and an absolute rock. I call her for kitten advice whenever we need it and she always comes up trumps.

Scared Pepsi
Anne's second mum and kits have come from a desperate situation. Another multi-cat household with a substance dependent owner. Mum cat Pepsi is a bag of nerves and keeps moving her kittens to hide them; she clearly feels very vulnerable. Pepsi and co couldn't be in better hands but they are a complete contrast to Anne's other feline family, Maysie and co, who are just amazingly confident, friendly and affectionate.

8.15pm
I arrive home. I haven't had time today to check office emails and I'm too tired to do it now. Thankfully I have Hannah who checks the emails in her lunch break at work and only leaves messages that she can't answer. I'm truly shattered. Time for food, fusses with the bunnies and bed to get up tomorrow and start it all over again.

Tuesday 12 June 2012

Happy Tails Tuesday: Daisy & Tucker

This week's 'Happy Tails Tuesday' features RSPCA rescue rabbits Daisy & Tucker owned by Lisa Holland....


This is Daisy (Lop) and Tucker (Little Brown bun). Daisy has now been with us for 4 years. She was rescued from a case where the owner had approximately 200 animals in the house. When we first got her with her original mate Maisy, she was a really frisky and shy bunny. We love Daisy to bits, I love that she is more confident now, but still gets a real grump on at times! She is much easier to handle thank goodness and loves nothing more than relaxing in the sun or in her bedroom :)

She is a very spoilt bunny! She has lost two partners now much to our and her upset! Both beautiful rescue bunnies are from the RSPCA. Luckily she has recently been bonded successfully with Tucker from the Manchester & Salford Branch. Tucker is from a very large neglect case and had been in the branch's care for over a year.

The photo on the grass is of them on their second bonding time together. They now live happily. Tucker has finally worked out how to climb stairs (it's taken 3 months!) and they both love their hay and tunnels / hiding places in particular. I love having recuse rabbits, mainly just to watch them frolicking, playing and binkying together and knowing that they have had a second chance of happiness.

Lisa x

Next week Benny the dog's story......

Sunday 10 June 2012

Manchester Day Parade


Today we have proudly taken part in the Manchester Day parade along 89 other community groups, amounting to a total of 2,500 participants.

The cheering crowd were fantastic and we received lots of clapping as we made our way round the course and it was truly an uplifting experience.

So, here is us in action from start to finish....
Getting dressed up.
The big wobbly heads proved difficult to balance.

Suddenly realising what they've all let themselves in for - 3 hours of wearing hot costumes in sunny weather!

Ready to get going. Nerves were felt amongst some of us.


The nerves really hit us as we entered the parade route and saw the swell of the cheering crowd.


People clapped as we came into their view and we could hear them saying, "Look, it's the RSPCA!" This made our day.



Very nearly at the end, and after 2 hours of dancing the 'animals' are desperate to get undressed!
 

The End.

Thank you to Walk The Plank (especially Helen and Paula), Manchester City Council, the wonderful crowd, but above all to our oustanding staff and volunteers who took part in a day to remember and truly did us proud. I am so very proud.

Cat Crisis

Morris was in RTC and his owner never came forward. Morris is now looking for a new home.

I know we spend a lot of time talking about cats on our social media sites and today will be no exception. I don't think you need to be a cat lover to sympathise with the plight of domestic cats in this country; there are truly thousands of cats in this country that have been abandoned and left to stray and fend for themselves. The problem is immense and one I think is not fully understood.

More often the cats are abandoned because the owner has felt they have faced no alternative, usually because they've been unable to find a rescue organisation that can take their cat in. Now I'm not justifying anyones actions here, animal abandonment is a criminal offence, but if you really have exhausted every avenue and you are being evicted, for example, what else can people do? I get asked this question quite frequently by callers and I simply don't have the answer. I truly don't know.
Gideon arrived this week with his brother from Rotherham. They were abandoned in a box on a remote lane. The boys are looking for a home together.

What invariably happens is that we end up in a cycle of desperately trying to cope with the sheer numbers that need us, hoping like hell we find homes for them, only so that we can take some more in. It feels like fire-fighting at this time of year the pressure on all the rescue organisations is tremendous.

At the moment the crisis is at its worse so far this year; all available cat spaces are in use. Our cat admission boards have never looked so full, in fact we've run out of space, on both! I have staff and friends and volunteers squirrelling cats here there and everywhere. There are 8 more to come in next week - 4 adults and 4 kittens - and I know they'll be many more aside from them but we just can't squeeze anyone else in. I'm dreading a call to take in a cat that needs fostering, and I'm clutching at the hope that we will have calls to adopt cats. But we are in the height of kitten season so the interest in adult cats drops dramatically, as we've been experiencing the last 3 weeks.
Trudy was abandoned whilst heavily pregnant. She's waiting to find a new home.

I think what bothers me most about the 'cat crisis' is the blatant betrayal of the cats' love and faith in humans. We currently have a cattery full of really lovely furries, the odd one is timid, but all enjoy human company and prove to be such tonics to adopters when they go to their new homes.

Take Florence, she's gone to live with another cat adopted from us called Hendrix. Her mum has been telling us all about her high-jinx this week, which include stealing make-up brushes and pens left lying around. I had another adopter telling me this week that their cat plays fetch with scrunched up paper! And look at this picture of Dan - is that a happy cat, or what?


The pressure is immense; all the animal rescues are barely coping and we are no different. We have once again run out of cat food in our store cupboard. We, just like any other shelter, live from hand-to-mouth. So I ask anyone who is considering acquiring a cat to ask themselves if they can make a 20 year commitment? I ask anyone who loves animals if they could donate some food to their local rescue. Both these actions make a difference between sinking and swimming for the likes of us.

And please, please adopt, don't buy a kitten! Buying a kitten (from a shop/casual breeder) perpetuates the problem, adopting from a rescue centre helps to alleviate the problem. Animals should not ever be treated like a commodity, animals are sentient beings that deserve to be treated with respect and recognised as individuals. There is that big thing of people needing to be more responsible about pet ownership, but we do understand that peoples' lives change and relinquishing a pet for some is terribly unfortunate and distressing and I do not wish to be seen to be belittling this, but please, please think before you take on that cute bundle of fur.

One of seven kittens available for adoption from tomorrow.

Tuesday 5 June 2012

Jubilant

As the Diamond Jubilee bank holiday weekend comes to a close I find myself reflecting on what has been a tumultuous month. The extended bank holiday weekend could not have come at a better time for us, to enable us to take two and recharge and get lots of puppy home visits done so they can be in their forever homes quick smart!

It really has been an incredibly busy month; our animal intake has been the greatest in over two years, we have 72 furries in our care (when we only really have capacity for around 50) and we have rehomed 32 animals - another incredible achievement, and our vet bill is nearly double what it should be/can afford. It all adds up to a relentless month of activity making sure our animals get the best care possible and we help as many as we can squeeze in.

There have been a higher than usual number of animals in poor health, which has contributed to our vet bill of nearly £5,000. I nearly buckled when I got the bill but then took stock of who we'd helped and how. Charlie, Ziggy, Jerry, Walter and Summer have all required additional, and extensive, veterinary intervention to diagnose, treat and/or determine their future. It has really been an upsetting time and one that has led so far to the loss of Walter. We have the fate of Summer and Charlie looming, which means we face the coming week with worry. We also have a newbie in, whose owners are being investigated with a view to prosecution. He too is in a poor state and will also clock up the pennies but he has a home with me, if he proves well enough to continue. But heartache definitely lingers on the horizon once more.

It seems more and more that animals rescued from pitiful circumstances require so much additional care and attention. It sounds really quite obvious when you consider that all our animals are rescued by the RSPCA but with stretched budgets, and minimal staffing, it's really hard to manage intake over expenditure.



Few people realise that there are just two animal care staff and me to oversee the care, treatment and rehoming of all 72 animals in our care. We do not have admin staff or office workers, it really is just us. So, whilst we've been chasing our tails prioritising the animals' well-being the complaints have been stacking up about us not answering telephone calls directly. I must stress that we always return answer machine messages (assuming people are in, we can hear their telephone number) but we understand that people much prefer to talk to a human. Unfortunately time just hasn't afforded us the chance to be as available to the public as we'd like because the increase workload has kept us out of the office and out with the animals. I totally accept responsibility for all of this but I would much rather says yes to the admission of a litter of puppies in need than prioritise time in the office.

The increase in activity has also increased complaints about our rehoming policies when we've refused people to adopt from us. Common reasons for refusal are that existing pets in the home are not neutered or vaccinated, in the case of cats they live too close to busy roads, in the case of rabbits the available accommodation set up does not meet the behavioural needs of the species, in the case of kittens it is because we will only rehome in pairs unless their is an existing cat in the home.

Many people think this latter policy is bonkers but it is based on many years experience from a team of people who have dedicated their lives to caring for rescue cats. The conclusion some time ago was that kittens greatly benefit from the opportunity to interact with their own kind, as it helps them to develop essential communication skills as well as bite and claw inhibition. In the last two years we have seen more animal charities adopt this policy but it is still 'out there', on a limb, but we are proud to be mavericks!

During my recent research on the benefits of 'puppy parties' I came across the phenomenon of 'kitty kindergarten'. Whilst as crazy as it sounds (and yes, it originates from across the pond) the concept is based very much on the premise that kittens benefit from socialising with one another. The conclusion from the research was very much that both puppies and kittens need to interact with animals of their own kind of a similar age, so we will continue to extol the virtues of puppy parties and rehoming kittens in pairs.

In the next week we will have the seven dwarves' going up for adoption. They were two separate litters that arrived in our care the same week and were take on by one of our fantastic foster families to hand rear. To look at them now you would have no idea they were not raised by their mum's and they are a testament to the love, care and skill of their surrogate family. I'm due for my weekly fix soon but for me, just popping round once a week, it has been an absolute joy to watch them develop. So, for the foster family I can only imagine it must feel like they've climbed Mount Everest, twice, but come out of it with a whole heap of furry fun! Parting with this diverse group of characters will no doubt be hard, but what an amazing achievement to have saved and raised 7 new born kittens in one go. Amazing foster carers indeed.

It seems only fitting that the blog should end on a Jubilee themed note. I wish I could claim to having penned this poem, because it is so apt and funny.....

Please pick me,
On this jubilee,
I promise I won't wee,
On your settee,
For I am trained and fully grown,
So I use my litter throne.

We have plenty of animals looking for their forever thrones so please take a look at our website: www.rspca-manchesterandsalford.org.uk


The pictures are of Inca the puppy who had to have her eye removed after a savage attack from another dog. Inca is incredibly happy in her foster home and being very well looked after by her new 'dog dad'.