By Danielle Walsh of Ark on the Edge
Hi all….I work for Ark on the Edge animal rescue in rural Barnard castle, and thought I would send you some recent stories from our rescue, to show how much your donation is appreciated. We rescue any domestic animals in need such as cats, rabbits, horses etc, if they have long term health problems, then they find a forever home here with us. We also rescue wildlife such as owls, foxes, badgers, deer and return these back to their natural home in the wild – sometimes this recovery can take years!!! Some recent success stories for you:
Pod was picked up as a stray wandering the streets of Bishop Auckland with a wound to his hind leg; he was picked up and taken to the vets, where he was scanned for microchip and low and behold – HE WAS CHIPPED! So tracing his owner should have been easy and a happy ending – however, this proved much more difficult: we discovered Pod was 16 years old! And that his owner had emigrated 2 years previously and therefore, we have no idea what happened to Pod in this time – but there had been reports of Pod being picked up as a stay several times. When he came to us we were under no illusion it would be difficult to find Pod a home at his age – but we did not give up and he soon became a firm favourite amongst volunteers!
Five months at the centre and Pod still didn’t have a home – until one day I posted him on a local animal page – within an hour – a family came up and reserved him and he went to his house a couple of days later! He is now named Winston and lives a spoiled life with his own rooms and his own double bed! Another story is of Peggy…..
Peggy again was picked up wandering as a stray and had massive dental problems; she was around 8 years old. We were contacted by local vets and told of Peggy and that her dental treatment would cost close to £400! Because of this – most rescues were unable to take her and Peggy would probably be euthanized.
Well not on our watch! We work very close with the Blue Cross and foster cats on their behalf; and it was decided that Peggy would receive the VITAL dental treatment that she needed and then would come into us for rehoming. She was only with us for 3 weeks and a visitor fell in love with her and adopted her. So this was a little cat that was going to be put to sleep because she needed vital dental treatment – the bill was made, Peggy found comfort and a home!
Finally Zoe..
Zoe is a little 8 month old female; was found taped up in a cardboard box by the side of the road in Frosterley (see map). She was scared, had urinated and was pregnant! Thankfully she was found quickly and brought into our centre – upon a vet examination, it was decided the best course of action was to spay Zoe as soon as possible – as she was very small and would have difficulty giving birth.
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She has come on leaps and bounds since arriving, she loves to sit on your shoulders and follows you everywhere! She required her vaccinations and a good feed but otherwise is fit and well. She is currently looking for a home of her own.
So you see the vital work we do, all depends on the kindness of people like yourselves; our vet bills regularly top £1000 a month – this is vital and cannot be changed. So on behalf of all of us – thank you!
Danielle Walsh
You are amazing its damned hard work rescuing and fund raising (although I know 2 ladies who raise funds for various charities whenever they can and always have so much fun! You know who you are!) It can be rewarding but also heart wrenching but its stories like those above that must make it all worth while for you day after day. Thank God for rescues such as yours 🙂
Zoe the cat found in a cardboard box and featured in this article – has officially be reserved for adoption today – she can go to her new home in a couple of days all being well
Thanks for these stories Danielle, it’s always good to hear from you people in the thick of animal rescue and care.
I think all vet practices should give discounts for Rescue Shelters, I know they have to make a living and pay staff and cover expenses etc, but they must still make a huge profit.
They did in my vet nurse days, the vets I worked for did anyway but money wasn’t the number one priority back then.
I am very impressed with these rescue stories. Real commitment. It is an expensive process rescuing cats. It makes me wonder if vets could charge discounted rates for rescued cats. Perhaps they do sometimes. It seems that vet bills are one of the big worries in rescuing and caring for cats until they are rehomed because stray cats are more likely to be ill.
We do get a small discount from our local vets but even with this discount our bills are easily over £1000 – nothing leaves us without being neutered (if old enough), fully vaccinated, microchipped, deflead and wormed and given a full veterinary examination – so it does mount up – but we never turn any animal away just because it will cost us money
We have a horse with a tracheotomy tube in as she was badly abused and has terminal cancer – her son is also massively allergic to grass pollen hay etc so requires injections from America every month. So as u can see we r grateful for any help
X
Gosh, it is demanding, looking after animals with long term illnesses.
It always surprises me how some people care for animals so gently and expertly yet others do the exact opposite: they abuse them and deliberately hurt them. You wouldn’t think people would be that different.
Danielle was it you with the lovely little girl cousin at the vets birthday celebrations?
Sorry we don’t know all your names yet and who is who apart from Chris and Dylan.
Haha yes that was me with my cousin elisha x
lol I said to Barbara you looked like a Danielle! We knew Elisha’s name because you mentioned it, but not how to spell it.
We loved meeting you both and having a bit of fun with the tombola, hope we meet again sometime, love to that gorgeous little cousin of yours from us both xx
I wish we had got some pics of you and the Ark stall that day too.
Aw thanks – I normally work every weekend so miss the majority of fundraising days so it was nice to pop along and of course we won the scratch cards! Lol
BLESS YOU AND YOUR LOVE FOR ANIMALS.WE NEED MORE RESCUES LIKE YOURS IN AMERICA.
Thanks – when we win the lottery we may open a branch of the ark in the states lol xx
I so admire your hard work and dedication.
I know that we are cat people but, with Michael’s approval ofcourse, I would love to see some of your wildlife rescues every now and then.
Of course I have some good photos of a tawny owl release we did recently. It was here over six months with an injured wing before we felt it was suitable for release. Believe or not it’s the wildlife that can be the most expensive to look after – luckily we have a very dedicated local vet who is retired who specialised in birds of prey so he helps us a lot
Xx
Danielle, don’t forget you can upload a picture to a comment very easily. Just follow the instructions below the comment box. Thanks for the article and contribution.