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Crosskennan took a look at the animals around them and couldn't believe the sheer numbers who had passed through their gates that year.
We keep a count of all animals, for general records but also so we can monitor numbers for the year. We have seen large numbers before, true, but when we have had such large numbers in the past we had the financial support of PSNI or Council contracts.
This year we have seen a total (as of the 20th of December) of 40 individual dogs recieving help from the sanctuary; via rescue, rehoming and vet care. For comparison we helped 28 dogs in 2019.
Of these 40 dogs there were ones whose owners couldn't care for them any longer due to illness, there were ones who had lost homes, or jobs, or both. There were dogs who exhibited behavioural or health problems that made their current home unsuitable.
Dogs like...
Broxi... whose owner got in touch when they could no longer keep him and needed to find him a new home. Due to Broxi's behavioural problems we brought him into the sanctuary for further assessment and training. He had a few offers of homes but sadly they fell through. Then came an application that sounded perfect and we were so pleased to find out the home truly was perfect for our Broxi. He had become such a big member of the Crosskennan Family in the time of his stay but even his most diehard fans were so happy for him to be off on his new adventures.
His new owner Emily sent us this lovely story to share with you all.
In August I had to have my much loved, border collie Darcy put to sleep; he had tumours in his liver and spleen. I looked on your facebook page and saw Broxi, I applied for him and a visit was arranged it was love at first sight to help me take the first tiny step to mending my broken heart.
A short time later he arrived at his forever home and my wee family was complete again. He enjoys nothing more than taking his 4 walks a day no matter what the weather and off course being constantly by my side He is slowly becoming friends with his two older feline sisters Molly whose 15 and Lily whose 13. Thank you for letting me have Max and I promise he will have a wonderful life.
And Tia... who had been with us since the year before without any signs of a home coming forward that would suit her needs. We had just about given up when we got another application in and hestiantly we made contact; stung from previous applications that hadn't worked out. We suppose it's why we keep reading the applications and keep searching because this home wasn't too good to be true, it was perfect for Tia.
Her new owner Gillian had a simple sentence to describe her;
The Gorgeous Tia; the girl that stole our hearts and helped a little boy heal.
And the lovely Dolly...
Dolly (previously Princess) failed to find a home through no fault of her own, when she finally did go out on a trail period sadly it didn't work out. Weeks passed and it seemed this lovely girl was out of luck when Nancy got in touch. It was love at first sight, she herself saying she didn't really want a jack russell before she met her and then, well one walk and she was hooked.
We are so pleased to say Dolly and her new owner Nancy are enjoying lots of walks and Nancy tells us Dolly has lovely manners!
And who could forget Milo?
He stole everyone's hearts, he was a livewire pup ready to take on the world and he exhausted us after five seconds in his company.
He had so many applications that we had to tell people to stop applying because we couldn't get through all the applications we had. We know, who could blame people when they saw his little face.
He met a couple of homes but it was one home that truly struck as the home for him; a home with kids and endless energy. His new owner Mary said that they were very lucky to have him and we honestly think the feeling is mutual.
That is only four of the 40 that have been helped this year... we suppose we can include our Willow who arrived in at the start of the year as a pup with a large number of issues; the main one being agression.
Willow had been taken to the pound originally and when she growled and snapped they had said their only reccomendation would be to have her put to sleep. It really doesn't bare thinking about now as she has become such a member of the family; assisiting Benji with his anxiety and causing chaos about the yard.
Her anxiety and aggression improve everyday and she is learning her manners, albeit slowly. this time last year her future wasn't so bright and we are grateful we took her in when we did and gave her a chance. She is one of our permanent residents due to her behavioural issues and anxieties and honestly she adores the yard and the life in the countryside, especially beside her best friend Benji who had had a similar issue of biting and anxiety when he was a pup.
She is such a happy little dog with her friends and family and we hope with a little more time she will be ready to get out and meet people more, showing off all she has learnt and helping to spread awareness that behavioural problems and agression can be corrected with enough time, love and paitence.