Latest Rescues

At the Retreat rescues occur constantly, we often have animals brought to us and we are out regularly collecting or saving animals. It would be impossible to list every rescued/saved animal here so we are going to show a selection as examples of our work. We are hoping to update this page throughout each month.

September 2011

Feagh

Feagh is our two-week-old squirrel baby who came from us after being captured by a cat and delivered to a concerned woman's living-room floor. Unsure what to do with the tiny little creature she 'phoned us and we arranged for Feagh - as we named her - to be collected and brought to The Retreat. Her eyes are not yet open but she has a very strong grasp and can climb already!

   

At this time of year a lot of wildlife is brought into us and we will always try our best to ensure their survival and health. If anyone finds any injured wildlife eg squirrels, baby pigeons, wild birds etc, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Animals from Ireland

Although Britain has its own problem with unwanted animals and places having space to take them, we can offer far more than one of our neighbouring countries, Ireland - where there are few animal charities so the number of animals put to sleep is much greater. The charities that are there work extremely hard to ensure they help all that they can. Quite often they find it easier to home some animals to Britain and find rescue places for them.

We are one of the places they send animals to and our recent batch consisted of a group of 4 kittens, 3 three-month-old kittens, 3 feral cats and a very scared but loving collie dog.

     

The baby kitten pictured is Madeline and will be up for adoption when she is old enough. The charities in Ireland work hard in what they do so if you know of any animal lover who may live in Ireland please ask them to help out however they can.

August 2011

Monty Melba

Monty Melba is approximately two weeks old and was found on a very busy dual-carriageway. His kind rescuer contacted the RSPCA national rescue number, he was told the RSPCA do not come out for livestock. Monty Melba is a baby in need, no different to a puppy, kitten or foal. Leaving this baby by the side of the road would have ultimately resulted in a cruel death. After some calls to other animal charities the rescuer contacted The Retreat.

     

Monty Melba has settled in with other residents at The Retreat very well. One of his best pals as pictured is Raja a border terrier. (See Monty, Raja and Christa the seagull sharing leftover vegan lasagne on our Videos page.)

  

Monty Melba will remain at The Retreat for the rest of his life where he will be loved and cherished and respected like any other animal. Domestic, wild or farmed animals will always find a safe place at The Retreat.

Mum cat and kittens

Mum cat and six kittens could have been another explosion of cats due to not neutering, also at the home were other unneutered cats and kittens. Once these cats have been vaccinated and microchipped they will be looking for new forever homes, all adults will be neutered before rehoming to ensure no more unwanted babies are born.

     

Any babies born to domestic animals are stealing the places of animals in shelters, very few shelters have real no-kill policies so if you breed your animal you are condemning others to death without a doubt.

News from March 2011

           

In March this year our Ashford team rescued Pip a tiny pony -

Tiny Pip was one of thirty seven animals kept in the most disgusting conditions. When rescued he was so malnourished that he could not stand. He was full of blood-sucking lice and his stomach full of worms. Others had already died and others, like Pip, were very close to death.

The owners had disappeared leaving the animals in a group of make shift pens filled with their own filth. No bedding food water or hope. Several of the animals needed immediate vet care, two of which including Pip nearly died. Thankfully, all the animals we saved from this hell hole survived. Amazing what a dedicated team of people T.L.C and food can do.

Other animals saved with Pip included cats, dogs, rabbits, a pig, ferrets, chickens and pigeons.

Pip and the others now live at our animal shelter along with over one-thousand other saved animals birds and fish.

Help us to continue our life saving work. Please support our incredible team of voluntary field officers who really do stop animals suffering.

January 2011

Thankfully the snow and ice that we saw in December did not repeat itself in January - making life easier for all the animals and volunteers at the Retreat. Please see below some of the rescues that took place in January:-

Cats

At the beginning of 2011 the Retreat had a run of old cats arriving. It seems to be that we look after our old humans until they need to go into nursing homes and then we forget their need for companionship. More often than not these poor old cats come to us when the family member has been sent to one of these institutes, where they are not allowed to take their little old dog or cat. This leaves these people heartbroken, killing them slowly. Just one example is Jamie, a beautiful 11 year old cat, who would have loved to stay with his owner but sadly the rules said "no animals allowed"!

Carla (pictured) is another poor old cat (approximately 14 years old) who was living a very happy life until her old mummy was struck with dementia and had to be taken into hospital. Sadly her owner died so Carla came to us. Carla has a few odd traits; can be a little bit moody and does like her own space but overall has settled into the Retreat very well.

Jobe

Jobe is a four and a half month old Jack Russell puppy that was bought on impulse by his family and was given up once he had snapped at the children. Did he really snap or was he simply taking back his toys that had been snatched from him by the child? Far too often puppies are bought for children as just another toy. As we know they are sentient beings who, just like human babies, need rest time.

Matty

Matty is a young seagull who was found on a landfill site with a broken wing. Luckily for him the workers on the site felt as though they should do something so, after a bit of a haphazard struggle to catch him, they brought him along to the Retreat. Matty had to have his wing amputated and happily lived on the kitchen table (or other parts of the house). Once his medication is finished and his wound has healed he will be released into our disabled seagull enclosure to live with new friends.

Beryl

Beryl is an ex battery hen who was found on a local road. She had a few injuries but after a visit to the vets and a period spent in the house she has been restored to health. Beryl has now been released to live with our other chickens. Beryl is one of the lucky ones; she probably fell from a chicken transporter. These battery hens are only between 80 and 95 weeks old when they are discarded (this is when their egg production starts to lessen).

Black Rock Hens

A kind couple from Ramsgate helped rescue 125 Black Rock free range hens (some of whom are pictured). The Retreat gave sanctuary to these beautiful young women who are now looking for homes.

Cockerels

Mickey, Stanley, Arthur, Leo, Dan and Alfie are six cockerels who all came to the Retreat for the same reason, noise, noise, noise!

Hilary

Hilary is a beautiful grey duck who was no longer wanted by her family because they said she made their garden muddy and smelly!!

November and December 2010

Unfortunately, due to the extreme weather conditions that we had in early December, we were unable to update the website with November's rescue stories as we had planned and so please see below some examples of rescues that took place in both November and December:-

Jamie the Turkey

Late November and December saw the arrival of numerous new turkeys coming to live with our turkey family. They came for a variety of reasons but in the main due to supporters buying the odd one from a turkey farm; we even had one kind supporter buying five, who all came to the Retreat. As a result of these arrivals our turkey family has grown quite a bit. One such turkey is a beautiful large stag called Jamie (on the right) who is very entertaining and who has settled in well.

Injured Turkeys

In early December we found three turkeys dumped outside a farm that keeps lots of poultry. The three had serious injuries. Two had very badly peaked eyes, the other had one of the most serious injuries we have ever seen on a living creature. The three are called Vanessa, Heather and Kimberly.

Mr Dalton

Mr Dalton is a very dear little crow who had either been shot, or hit by a car and had a dreadful injury to his wing. He was found hopping up Dalton’s Road and after chase we finally caught him. He is convalescing well and, if not releasable, will be found a permanent aviary where he can live with other crows.

Caesar
Caesar, the overgrown Pomeranian, had three homes in just one day. He is a lovely little boy who suffers from separation anxiety and was a little bit snappy when he first arrived. Now that Caesar has been neutered he is a happy little love; coping well with the changes in his environment and no longer being so dominant.

Ben and James

On Christmas Eve two cats with neurological problems were handed in to the Retreat, having been left for two whole weeks sitting in the snow! Their crime being that they had pee’d in a barn which was full of hay. As a result their owners shut them out of the barn, but did not give them access to any other shelter. Both cats, whom we have named Ben (pictured) and James, have settled in well at the Retreat and are lovely, although slightly unstable and a little bit shaky.

Twelve Cats

Part of the Retreat’s biggest workload comes from animal hoarders and it does not stop at Christmas time!

We were contacted by a woman who had numerous rabbits, rats, cats and dogs. Due to the Retreat being near to bursting point we could only take the 12 cats (see some pictured below) and 6 rats immediately.

The cats were not neutered, vaccinated or microchipped and to get these procedures done will cost the Retreat an average of £125 per cat and so just by taking in these additional 12 cats the Retreat has got to find another £1,500!

Sabrina

Sabrina is a very old cat (approximately 14 years old) who was given in to the Retreat after her owners said they could no longer keep her, due to her becoming dirty.

Many older cats lose their bearings as to where their litter trays are – it is no different to older people becoming disorientated. You can help an older cat by re-training them. Place a collapsible pen (normally 3’ x 3’) in your house and make it very comfortable for the cat with a litter tray, food and water. Put the cat in the pen and keep it contained there for about 2 to 3 weeks and then release it back into the house.

Sabrina has never once had an accident and is an adorable cat who loves the other cats and the dogs.

September and October 2010

Please see below details of some of the rescues that have taken place over the last two months:-

Matty & Bruno

Two little terriers, both boys, were found on a land fill site in Essex; they were very skinny and full of worms and fleas. They are very dear little dogs, Matty being black and Bruno being tan and white. No one seems to know how they got there; they must have made their own way there for a food source or were simply dumped there.

  

Nelly

Nelly the Great Dane has quite a complex character. She loves cats and children but was fighting with the other Great Dane in her home. She therefore came to the Retreat where she is on a working programme so that she can be rehabilitated to live happily with other dogs.

Udo

Udo is a beautiful stray black and white cat who was found in the local village. We could see that he had previously had a serious eye complaint which had been dealt with by, presumably, his owner. Our vet estimated that this treatment must have cost in the region of £1,000 to £1,500. We are investigating and trying to trace Udo’s owner who must have cared enough about this cat to have spent so much on his treatment. Udo is living at the Retreat but will hopefully be reunited with his owner soon.

Amble

Amble is a beautiful 12 year old black and white girl who was given up due to the neighbour’s cat terrorising her. Amble is now living happily at the Retreat.

Rabbits

Three rabbits were taken, by their owner, into a local vets to be put to sleep (a more palatable way of saying killed!). Thankfully the vet nurse saved their precious lives by refusing to take this course of action. These babies came to the Retreat and will be re-homed shortly.

Cockerels

Cockerels seem to take up most of our time with, in just one day, nine arriving from individual persons. Monty, pictured, being one of them.

Geese and Ducks

Four geese and two ducks were being kept at the bottom the garden of a tiny terraced house. Due to the noise that they were making (how surprising that 6 such birds would make a noise!!) they could not stay there and so also came to us.

Christmas Turkey

Our first Christmas Turkey arrived at the Retreat needing a loving and safe home, this she has found with us, safe from the horrors of the season of goodwill!

Wildlife

Not a day goes by without a pigeon (whether it be a woodpigeon or a feral pigeon) or a squirrel arriving at the Retreat with many of them being babies who have been injured by either falling out of a tree or they are malnourished. This year has seen an increase in squirrels, foxes and hedgehogs coming to us.

Summer 2010

Apologies for not having updated this page for some time now. We've been very busy recently sending out the Summer 2010 Newsletter (which you can read on our Newsletters and Leaflet page) and so we haven't had a chance to update the website with any rescue stories.

The last few months has seen slow funding but record numbers of animals coming into the sanctuary, especially cats and small domestics. In August alone there are approximately 65 domestic cats ranging from kittens to adults needing homes, with some feral cats (in small groups) also needing homes. Please see below some examples of what the summer months have seen arrive:-

Lunar and Monty

Two cats arrived from the PDSA, one, Lunar (pictured left), is a small young tortoiseshell who was bought as a kitten from a pet shop and then as she grew up was no longer wanted. The PDSA kindly spayed her before she came to the Retreat and we are now looking for a loving new home for her. The other, Monty (pictured right), is a poor old cat who was shot with an air rifle and had to have right hind leg amputated. He is now doing well with us and is also looking for a new home. A special thanks to the PDSA at Thamesmead for not killing these beautiful animals.

  

Nell

Nell is a 30 year old ex breeding mare. She did not foal in 2010 so the vet was booked to shoot her. Nell had previously had nine foals for her owners but this year when no foal was produced she was just to be shot, as simple as that. Thankfully she was saved and came to the Retreat where she will live, hopefully, for many years to come.

A mother duck and her 12 babies

We must give a big thank you to Bexleyheath School for their kindness in helping 12 baby ducks and their mother. All the babies, who were born in the quadrangle of the school, were reared successfully to three months old. The kind staff and children fed them cooked sweetcorn and peas every day and flooded the patio area so that the ducklings could learn how to swim. The family had to be rescued and brought to the Retreat due to the fact that they could not fly out from where they were living. All the babies are doing very well.

Hens

Eight lovely hens (two black ones and six brown ones) were discarded by their owners as they had finished laying eggs. They now live happily in our chicken field, loved, whether they lay eggs or not being irrelevant.

Cockerels

During August we saw the highest number of cockerels ever to arrive at the Retreat in one week. An amazing 16 cockerels arrived, with the majority of these being single cockerels and just a few pairs. The same old reasons were given for no longer wanting the birds, they were sold by breeders as hens (with a very strict no return policy) then grew up to be boys and became too noisy. Most cockerels who are returned to breeders meet a very ghastly end; having their necks wrung being a common practice.

Giant Rabbits


Two giant rabbits who were no longer wanted recently arrived at the Retreat (one of them is pictured). Once again the same old story of their novelty wearing off, being left imprisoned in their hutch at the end of the garden where they are simply forgotten about. These lovely boys will be neutered, paired up with females and re-homed to people who will care about them for the rest of their lives.

So many rabbits spend their lives in small wooden boxes/prisons looking through wire mesh, never being allowed out. If anyone has seen a rabbit at play in the garden, running and jumping they will know just how cruel this is.

Small domestic animals

The Retreat has seen an increase in small domestic pets such as mice, rats, gerbils and ferrets recently. Two gerbils, which were unwanted pets, were handed into the Retreat (one of which is pictured below left). So many of these tiny rodents live such miserable lives in little tanks or wire prisons. Another little rodent is Nibbles (pictured below right), a tiny little wood mouse who has been hand reared at the Retreat and who is so very tame.

  

April and May 2010

Here are a few of the many rescues that occurred in April and May:-

Polo

Polo is an 18 month old Welsh Section C foal who was bought at a horse fair. When the owner found him unmanageable he gave him away to a local woman, but she also found him unhandleable – quite possibly because he was now becoming sexually active. He is very pretty and quite tame and soon he will be castrated. Already Polo is becoming more and more manageable, but with castration he will become a great, tame animal.

Sheep

A chap contacted us when he could no longer keep his ten pet sheep due to his wife’s progressive illness. The couple loved the sheep and would have hated anything to have happened to them, so the Retreat obliged and offered them a home.

Although this is a large number of animals to take in, we were desperate that they should all stay together. They are four years old and have been together since birth and so it would have been heartbreaking to see them split up. The sheep have settled in with our existing flock and will live happily at the Retreat for the rest of their lives.

Poultry

One of the biggest parts of our job is taking in poultry; it seems to be the trendy new pet. From one family we took in three ducks and two chickens, the next day one duck from a school which is now keeping ducks, the very next day three ducks from Essex and in one month 15 cockerels.

All of these because people buy birds thinking they are female, wanting them to produce eggs and then finding out they are boys. Boy ducks and boy cockerels can live quite happily together if they are housed in the right environment. If more research was done before people purchased these birds on a whim then they would not have so many problems and sanctuaries would not have to pick up the pieces afterwards.

At the Retreat we have large groups of cockerels and large groups of male ducks living together, very very rarely fighting. They can live happily together as long as all their needs are met.

Cats

A man walked down the drive at the Retreat saying that his daughter had moved out and he could no longer keep the cat. No name, nothing he just handed her over. She is a beautiful little brown tortie cat and hopefully will find a loving new home soon.

On another occasion a woman turned up with a black cat saying that it had been in her garden for three days. It was obviously a stray due to its extremely poor condition. The Retreat has taken her in and given time will be looking for a new home for her.

March 2010

As usual the Retreat continues to be busy, with a steady stream of animals arriving in March. Here are some of the stories:-

Shelby

Shelby is a 14 year old grey mare whose owner tragically died. Unfortunately the rest of the family lived overseas and could not take her in. As a result Shelby has come to live at the Retreat - she is a darling horse.

Fire

Fire is an 18 year old 12 hh chestnut mare. Her owner moved abroad and left her living in a field. When the field came to be sold she needed a new home. Fire arrived at the Retreat via another rescue centre. She is a very sweet horse who is now looking for a new home.

Pickles

Pickles is a very old Shetland pony (25 years plus) who needed to be relocated after his companion died and so his owners offered him free to a good home - on the internet of all places! A very kind Retreat supporter went to collect Pickles and brought him back to us, where he will spend the rest of his life with our group of Shetland pony residents.

Buffalo - a very large sheep!

A family who moved into their new home found Buffalo living in their field. Unfortunately they could not keep him so he was brought to the Retreat, however the very kind family have pledged to support him.

Barney

Barney, a little wire coated Jack Russell cross terrier, is a great dog who was found living rough on a piece of woodland. Barney is very sweet and loves children, dogs, cats and, as you can see from the photo, taking life easy. Barney is very homeable so hopefully we will find him a new family soon.

Cats

During March over 40 cats arrived at the Retreat, which included a group of 16 and another group of 11 feral cats and many pairs of domestic cats, given up for many different reasons. Once the feral cats are neutered, vaccinated and micro chipped they will be released into our feral cat garden. The domestic cats will also be sterilised, micro chipped and vaccinated and found suitable homes in time.

The lengths people will go to!

The story of two of these domestic cats is particularly worth telling! Two women arrived at the Retreat saying that two cats had been dumped on their doorstep, in cardboard boxes, early that morning. Now these cats were not small and we thought it was a bit odd that they had not been able to fight their way out of a cardboard box! Then, when we asked the women if we could keep the proper cat boxes that they had been brought to us in, they said no because the boxes were theirs.

Unfortunately we've become experts in smelling a fishy tale and so questioned the women some more. We asked if they had any details about the cats, explaining that without any information the cats would have to undergo a, possibly unnecessary, operation to see if they had been neutered, and that this was a more risky process. The women still maintained that they had no details about the cats and thanked us profusely for taking them.

The cats turned out to be micro chipped and contact telephone numbers were obtained. When we called the owners they said that the cats had been missing since September. They said that they would come the following day to collect them. Minutes later they sent a text saying that they had changed their minds and didn't want them back as it would be too upsetting if the cats went missing again! When we checked the telephone number it turned out that the owners were these same two women! As if it were not bad enough abandoning their cats and lying to us - what is even worse is that they were prepared to let their cats go through an unnecessary operation just to save face!!

Geese

Two pairs of geese, who were born last year, arrived within the same week. Goslings are beautiful little creatures, but soon grow up to be messy, noisy and sometimes aggressive due to their territorial nature.

Cockerels and Hens

During March, for various different reasons, 16 cockerels came to the Retreat. In the main it was due to them being sold to people, while still babies, as hens and then turning out to be noisy boys!

We also saw the arrival of 12 hens, when their owner died and no relative could take care of them. The new owners of the house could not keep them either, so the hens had to be re-homed to us.

Pigeons

35 pigeons needed to be relocated from another animal shelter, so we agreed to take them in. These pigeons are unreleasable, so now live in our new aviary along with many others.

February 2010

Here are a few of the rescues that took place in February

Smint

Smint, the piglet, must be only 8 weeks old. We were contacted by a supporter of the Retreat to say that two piglets had been seen wandering in a nearby field. One of them was caught quite quickly by another rescue group and taken to a different sanctuary, however Smint proved more elusive. Later on that week Retreat volunteers finally managed to catch him and they brought him back to the Retreat where he will now live happily.

The Ashford 10

We were contacted by a farm and asked to help relocate 10 unneutered feral cats. The farm was about to be demolished to make way for new houses to be built and so the cats need to be moved as soon as possible. We set off and within 4 hours had caught all 10 cats. These cats have now been neutered and are living at the Retreat. We are looking for a similar home to be found for them such as a small holding, stable yard or farm.

Willow

Willow is a 2 year old female cat whose owner gave her up. The owner repeatedly said that the best thing for this cat was death, that she should be put to sleep and that all they needed was to have her killed. We explained that only vets can make that kind of decision and we are not vets. It turned out that Willow was suffering from a bladder infection which cleared up almost immediately once treatment had started. Willow is a dear little cat who was probably very unhappy because she was in so much discomfort - it’s little wonder she had an incontinence problem! Now that her problem has been sorted she is looking for a loving new home.

Numerous Cockerels

16 cockerels arrived in one day alone from different people, for all sorts of reasons. In the main because their neighbours had complained of the noise; or that they had been kept entirely in chicken arcs where they fought with one another. Cockerels, kept in the right situation, will live happily together and not fight (check out our cockerel page.)

50 Ex-Battery Hens

A woman bought 50 ex battery hens to start a cottage industry of selling free range eggs from her garden. When she found she could no longer cope she contacted the Retreat and asked if we could take all the hens in, which we did. All the girls are beautiful, albeit a bit bare, and they are happy and eating well.

Lola

Lola, the giant house rabbit, was no longer wanted because one of her owner’s flat mates was scared of her! Lola is such a lovely, lovely girl and we had great fun with her while she lived with us. She loved nothing more than stretching out on the sofa or bed, chasing the dogs or cats and eating the curtains. Lola has found a new home with Cath and Peter who have already taken in a number of other Retreat animals.

Kerry and Maggie

Kerry and Maggie are two female ferrets, found stray and brought to us by a caring person. They have been placed in one of our ferret runs and they will be sterilised, microchipped and hopefully, in time, found new homes.

A Mummy and her Babies

A mummy rat and 12 tiny pink babies were handed into the Animal Lovers Charity Shop by some people who explained that the rats had bred out of control, and as a result they could no longer keep them. They were quite happy to keep the boy, but they realised that they had to remove the female and babies to prevent more pregnancies.

A White Blackbird

A white blackbird was recently handed into the Retreat. The bird was injured either by a cat or a car and, as a result of these injuries, is unable to be released back into the wild. She will live in one of our avaries with our other birds.

November 2009 to January 2010

As we write this summary of the rescues that have taken place since the beginning of November, we have just experienced the worst weather the country has seen for many years. Its impact on wildlife, farmed animals, tethered horses and strays has been devastating and so the Retreat has been pushed to its limits to help these poor souls. The last 2½ months has seen a massive increase in the intake of cats, both feral and domestic and small domestic animals. Here are some examples:-

21 Cats from Ireland

21 cats arrived one morning from Ireland. These farm cats were either going to be shot or poisoned by the farmer, so a very kind, caring woman drove them all the way to the Retreat – a journey which took 24 hours by road and ferry! All the cats have now been sterilised, microchipped and vaccinated and they will soon be looking for similar new homes at farms, where they will not purely be required to catch mice, but where they will be fed and looked after properly.

Guinea Pigs

16 Guinea Pigs arrived at the Retreat because their owner fell seriously ill and could no longer keep them. They now live grouped together as one family in a purpose built enclosure, which meets all their needs. This little family will soon be looking for a home where they can all stay together.

3 Japanese Akita's

When a family’s house burnt down they were left homeless with their animals. Their 3 Japanese Akita’s, Rowan, Randall and Ranger, their seven cats and also their ducks and chickens all had to be found new homes. Rowan (pictured), Randall and Ranger came to live at the Retreat. They are fantastic animals and now they are vaccinated, neutered and microchipped are looking for new homes, either individually or together.

Ducks

2, ten month old, male ducks were recently bought to the Retreat. They were purchased as babies last spring, but no longer wanted by their owners because they were ruining the garden! They have been released onto our pond where they can live with other ducks – happily and naturally.

Pygmy Goats

We were recently contacted by a woman who, following the breakdown of her marriage, could no longer afford to keep her 47 horses and 3 pygmy goats! New homes needed to found for all of them and the three pygmy goats have come to live at the Retreat; where they’ve already made friends with some sheep!

Baby Squirrel

A brain damaged baby squirrel was found in the middle of the road, spinning. She’d either fallen from a tree or had been hit by a car. She has been brought to the Retreat, and due to her disability will not be able to be released. An aviary, with a natural environment, has been created for her to live in for the rest of her life with other grey squirrels.

Jaffa Jake

Jaffa Jake, a 26 year old pony, was rescued by a kind woman. Ann Louise heard the calls for help from the pony, who was left in a field at a riding stable. When the pony became unhandleable and was no longer suitable for children to ride (and as a result was unable to earn his keep) he was being sent to market. Ann Louise very kindly negotiated a price and bought him and gifted him into the Retreat to live happily, no longer as a slave! Special thanks for Horse Lorry Pauline for collecting him.

Little Emerald Gem

Little Emerald Gem, a tiny male mallard who has an eye missing and a broken leg was successfully rescued. He is now happily living on the pond with our other ducks at the Retreat. Due to the water and the regular source of food he will not need to fly away.

Baby Mice

Recently, when opening a delivery of animal feed, a group of small mice jumped out, leaving 3 newborn babies (under a week old) behind. Martin, our Thursday volunteer, took them home and has successfully reared them, with the help of his mother Christine. Martin and Christine took it in turns to hand feed them every 3 – 4 hours during the night.

August to October 2009

We're sorry that we haven't updated this rescue page for a while - we've been busy working on our new newsletter which will be coming out soon. Please see below an overview of the rescue work that has taken place over the last three months.

On average we have received an intake of 30 new animals a week, with predominantly an increase in the number of dogs, cats, cockerels (as many as ten a week), pigeons and wildlife. In one day alone we received 60 pigeons from one owner, another day saw the arrival of 10 dogs that were due for destruction - we even took in two terrapins!

We have also seen an increase in the number of small domestic animals such as rats, mice, ferrets, guinea pigs and rabbits.

Some of our kind supporters have been buying Christmas turkeys that would have been fattened up and killed. Thankfully they have been saved from certain death by these supporters. One brown turkey, who we have named Caramac, was found wandering, of all places, on a council estate in North London!

We have also seen an increase in the numbers of ducks and geese arriving. The reason being that people buy them in the spring, while they are still babies, and then over the summer they grow and start to ruin their owners gardens, resulting in them no longer being wanted.

Our satellite kennel site in Ashford is now bursting at the seams and good homes are always needed for dogs and cats of all ages and backgrounds, red hens and small domestic pets. If you feel you could offer a loving home to one of these beautiful creatures, for the rest of its natural life, then please contact us.

July 2009

We have now reached a busy time of year - the summer holidays. Lots of people choose this time of year to give up their dogs because they are going on holiday and don’t want to pay expensive boarding fees. Also we have a lack of available new homes for the same reason. People are going on holiday and don’t want to take on a dog until they get back. Over recent weeks we have seen a massive increase in the number of dog intakes. Maybe this has something to do with the economic climate or just the time of year. For this reason the majority of our chosen rescue stories this month are dog stories.

Duncan and Humphrey

Duncan a small black and tan cocker spaniel was gifted into the Retreat from another dogs home due to his temperament. Duncan would run and randomly bite people who came into his area. Within two weeks of undertaking his training programme Duncan no longer bites and lives happily with the other resident dogs at the Retreat and within a short while will be available for rehoming.

Humphrey a larger spaniel cross, also on a training programme, is doing very well after being brought to the Retreat because of his snappiness. Not once has he snapped since being here.

Donny

Donny is a dear little whippet cross who was handed into the Retreat by a traveller. Donny had a heavy worm burden, mange and a bad flea infestation. Donny is one of the sweetest dogs ever and as soon as he has been neutered, vaccinated and his burden of parasites has been brought under control he will be put up for rehoming.

Elf

Elf, a large extremely thin great dane, was brought to the Retreat after being gifted in to a local dogs home. Elf was not doing well in kennels where his stomach was extremely upset. He needs to have a minimum of 5 small meals a day to build him up and make him look like the other great danes that live at the Retreat.

Mr Mark and Bob

Mr Mark and Bob were two cockerels found in the corridor of a school. The children alerted the school caretaker who collected the birds and, after negotiating with the school, found the Retreat to take them in.

It is the same story time and time again, too many cockerels and not enough homes. Who wants cockerels – nobody, this is why the Retreat never refuses to take in a cockerel.

May and June 2009

Abandoned Dogs

Recently two dogs were left tied to the Retreat’s gates, by presumably the owner. A small black and white female Jack Russell terrier and an older terrier cross. The older dog was, when found and taken into the Retreat, absolutely petrified. Both dogs are wonderful little creatures and thankfully we were able find new loving homes for them.

Although tying them to the gates was a better alternative than just turning them out on to the street, it would have been good to have some history, such as names, ages and whether they have been neutered etc. Just a short note would have been the sensible thing to have done.

Elliott


Elliott, a nine month old Mastiff cross was taken in by the Retreat, after a woman contacted us to say that she was finding it hard to feed her children as well as her 2 dogs! When the Retreat volunteers arrived to collect Elliott they were horrified because Elliott weighed just 17 kilos when he should have been almost twice that at 30 kilos. Within 48 hours of being at the Retreat he regained his appetite and started eating well. Although he has been slow to gain weight his belly is now stable and he is a much happier dog. Again, we are pleased to say that Elliott has been found a loving home.

Lola

Lola, a Neapolitan Bullmastiff, 6½ years old was no longer wanted by her owners (basically any offers would have seen the back of this dog!). The Retreat offered the woman space for the dog if she could supply a galvanised dog run for the Lola to live in, as Lola had previously chewed her way out of any wooden structure in which she had been housed. We were let down by the woman who turned up with 3 battered chain link fence panels to house her “beloved” dog for the rest of her life! Once again the Retreat has been left to pick up the pieces and arrange secure accommodation for Lola to live in.

Eeyneigh the Mule

A six year old unwanted male pet mule was given to some travellers and then sadly ended up being passed from person to person. Having been passed from pillar to post Eeyneigh was finally brought to the Retreat where he immediately found 2 girlfriends and is happy with his herd. We called him Eeyneigh as he doesn’t seem to know whether to eeyore or neigh!

Aylesbury Ducks

Two pairs of Aylesbury ducks (pictured with friends on our pond) who were no longer wanted as pets (due to them attracting flies in the garden and their smell) have arrived at the Retreat. These beautiful ducks have joined our other ducks and are happy now, swimming on our pond.

Four baby cockerels

If you are a regular reader of our rescue stories you will know that we have a constant stream of cockerels arriving at the Retreat, all with the same old story,’ sold as female chicks by unscrupulous breeders, but turned out to be “noisy” cockerels’! This month alone we have had eight cockerels arriving, but four of these were chicks. This was unusual because people normally want “rid” of their cockerels once they are a bit older and start making their beautiful noise early in the morning. In this case the owners didn’t even get that far, they wanted egg laying hens and so were simply not interested in keeping the cockerels – these poor babies were just regarded as disposable!

Baby Magpie

An animal lover called to say that a baby magpie with a terrible injury to its wing was trapped in her garden, unable to fly. The Retreat went and collected her and attended to her injury. Sadly the wing was not repairable, so sanctuary at the Retreat will be offered to her for the rest of her life. Death by lethal injection was not an option for this baby.

April 2009

April has been a very busy month with not only the usual numbers of animals arriving at the Retreat and those leaving having been found a new home, but we have had a number of improvements made (see Latest News page). A few examples of rescue work in April are below:- (we would point out that whilst a lot of our work is around South East London and Kent we do take in animals from further afield, as the examples below show. This is simply because we believe that all animals deserve a chance of happiness irrespective of where they come from).

Cats

13 feral cats had to be trapped at a stable yard in Bexley. The owner of the stables initally only wanted to take advantage of our free neutering service but they then said that they would not take them back once they had been neutered. It turned out that 9 of the females were heavily pregnant.

15 ferals arrived from Ireland with 13 females heavily pregnant!

Dogs

5 dogs arrived from Romania having been rescued by Romania Animal Aid, thankfully we have already managed to home three of them and the other 2 are living at the Retreat looking for homes. Please click on Romania Animal Aid to read about the rescue work carried out by this group.

One of the dogs, Binky, is pictured relaxing in the garden.

4 death row dogs (3 Rottweilers and 1 Staffie) arrived at the Retreat with no names and no history. At least these babies lives were saved unlike the thousands and thousands of dogs who are put to sleep unloved and unknown every year.

Lambs

6 lambs from a local farmer who said they were surplus to requirements even though his children had reared them like they were members of the family. If we had not taken these lambs they would have gone to market that week. They were only babies.

Pictured is Heather, one of the lambs.

Horses

Lulu, Mindy, Darcy and Anabel were rescued from a riding school that had closed down. These beautiful, faithful equines who are aged between 18 and 24 years old were destined for the market.

February and March 2009

Maisie

A small staffie cross puppy was found at a funeral by some Retreat supporters who were attending the funeral and they quickly rescued her. Maisie looked as though she had been stray for a while, due to being very hungry and full of fleas. Maisie is a lovely girl and although she is a misunderstood breed, she is good with children, cats and all other small animals. Maisie has been sterilised and is now looking for a new home.


The Retreat recently saw three dogs arrive in one day - a large Akita cross German Shepherd; a very large Rottweiler that we have named Baloo (pictured) - both of whom had outgrown their families and a small terrier, left tied to a fence - emaciated.

Mimi

A small piglet found stray on a motorway was collected by a kind member of the public and brought into the Retreat. Mimi is about 10 weeks old.

Do Do

A 14 hand bay mare who was extremely underweight. She was left on a travellers site when they moved off. She was collected by a few members of the Retreat team and taken to our special care unit where she is having extensive care for wounds and having build up diets.

Cockerels

We have recently taken in a large number of cockerels, 15 from one home alone! People getting rid of their cockerels always explain that they are pure breeds and that is why they have let their hens reproduce, however they only want to keep the females and just aren't interested in keeping the males. Luckily for these cockerels they found a place at a sanctuary; unlike so many that end up either being killed by their owners wringing their necks, or being sent to an unscrupulous dealer who will kill them in the end after breeding them again.

January 2009

Here are a few of the rescues that took place in January:-

Brian

Brian is a 15 hand horse abandoned by his owners at the livery yard due to rising bills. The livery yard contacted the Retreat and asked if we could take him in.

Lilly

Some travellers turned up with a van full of scrap metal and in the back of the van, along with the metal, was a red, brindle and white bitch lurcher - unwanted. The travellers said she was approximately 7 months old and that she had been a little bit under the weather the day before! In actual fact she was in extremely poor condition and possibly pregnant so the Retreat took her in. We have named her Lilly.

Most dogs living on travellers sites have no real value due to the over breeding and never ending supply of dogs. Lilly was not only covered in fleas and lice she also had a serious worm burden and was very underweight. This would not have stopped the travellers from possibly breeding her.

Cadbury

Cadbury is a poodle cross found wandering stray. He was in a disgusting condition and weighed only half his normal body weight. He is such a lovely boy who has settled well into life at the Retreat. Once neutered, vaccinated and microchipped he will be looking for a safe and loving home for life – although the law states that stray dogs should be kept for 28 days before re-homing.

January saw a high rise in stray dogs coming to the Retreat, most of which are pedigree. Could this be a case of people deciding their “beloved” dog is an unnecessary expense?!

Neptune

Neptune was a thirteen year old ginger male cat handed in by his owners who said they could not afford to have him put down!

Neptune returned home having been missing for a month with his eye missing and an infection in the socket. His owners left him in that condition for two whole days. They had not contacted any of the free veterinary hospitals such as the RSPCA and PDSA and finally they brought him to the Retreat. Due to the extensive injury to his head Neptune was taken to the vets and we hoped that something could be done for him. After 2 days of being at the vets he collapsed and unfortunately had to be put to sleep. Maybe if Neptune had been treated earlier he would still be alive.

The so called nation of animal lovers strikes again!!

Bruce

A poor, very old, badly kept, black and white feral cat was found. Bruce is a wild cat, but due to his advanced years now needs to be kept inside, so for the time being Bruce is being kept in the house.

Terence - a stray ferret

Terence was found wandering by a riverbank. Unfortunately ferrets are rarely microchipped and so this little stray chap was brought to the Retreat. We placed posters around the area in the hope that his owner would claim him, but sadly no one came forward. Sherry, one of our regular volunteers, kindly offered him a home with her two other ferrets.

Cockerels

January saw eight new cockerels arrive at the Retreat (one group of four, one group of two and two single birds). The reasons for them being given up were the same reasons as normal – they’re noisy, they fight and there are too many due to over breeding!

Pigeons

Animal Line, who are in the process of relocating to new premises, asked us if we could take in 30 more pigeons that had lived on the main house at their old premises. They arrived and have now been added to our resident flock and after a period of time will be released to live happily here.

December 2008

December is a mixed month when the centre is closed in terms of re-homing animals (we don't re-home in December so as to prevent animals being given as Christmas presents), but many animals continue to arrive. The high intake of animals is due to the fact that people do not want to pay boarding fees and so they “dump” their animals before the Christmas holidays start.

For the sake of the animals, the Retreat bales out humans again!

A couple deciding to downsize have asked the Retreat to take in 15 chickens, 8 ducks, 3 goats, 2 cats and 1 pony. The couple's appalling excuse for not wanting their animals any longer was that they had not realised that the property they were moving to, had less land than the property they were moving from!

Perhaps this is something they should have thought about first, if they had cared about their animals!

Cara and Pippin

Two pregnant black and white ponies were handed over to the Retreat when the owner couldn’t cope. We are very grateful to Marc and Leigh for providing us with stables and great grazing for the special cases. Within days of their offer to help, the Retreat now has four horses with them in Ashford.

Maisy and Ruby

Two, three year old, Irish Red Setters were starved and ill-treated by their owner and had the most appalling skin problems. Thankfully for Maisy and Ruby a neighbour was determined to see them rescued from this awful existence and kept up pressure on the owner to give them up. Finally the owner agreed to do so and Maisy and Ruby were brought to the Retreat. Maisy had to be rushed to the vets to have a life saving operation.

Thankfully both girls have made a good recovery; they are eating well and will soon be looking for a new home together.

How could this woman have done this to such kind and special ladies?

Coast

Coast is a Great Dane who is approximately 18 months old. Having been passed from pillar to post seven times in his short life, Coast has now found a safe and loving home at the Retreat. Coast and Truman (the other Great Dane living at the Retreat) truly love each other.

Tabby Cat - Kit Wit Woo

A small tabby female cat was found in someone’s garden having kittens. Sadly all her kittens died and she would sit on the doorstep in the snow miaowing. She was brought to the Retreat and we have called her Kit Wit Woo. Soon she will be sterilised and then we will be looking for a new home for her.

October and November 2008

We're sorry that we didn't get a chance to add any rescues at the end of October. Please see below a selection of the rescues that took place in both October and November:-

Lady Godiva


Lady Godiva is a very small pet pig that was no longer wanted by her family. The owners were going to have this little darling shot because they were basically fed up with their “not so trendy” pet. Lady Godiva arrived at the Retreat (exactly a year to the day since the owners had got her) with two members of the family who decided that they wanted to swap her for some ducks! Our policy is that anyone giving up an animal is totally unsuitable to look after another, so therefore the deal was quashed. Lady Godiva arrived with not so much as even half a bag of pig nuts, a piece of fruit or half a bale of straw. There was no note from the family advising us of their beloved pet’s favourite things in life or her little pleasures. No tears from the family; after all they had been prepared to have her killed in cold blood – such nice decent people!

Barney and Rubble

Not so lucky were two other pigs that the Retreat had been looking forward to giving a new life to. Sadly before plans could be finalised regarding moving them to the Retreat their kind owners decided to murder them because they thought that their quality of life was not good enough. Killed in cold blood by “decent” people.

Huggy

Huggy is a 4 year old little brown and white Shetland pony, whose owner could no longer keep him due to losing her job. Huggy has come to join our permanent smaller residents and will live in the herd for the rest of his life.

Ducks

Thanks must go to June, and her friend Teresa, for rescuing ten Aylesbury ducks that were destined for the dinner plate. When they arrived at the Retreat (one boy and nine girls) they did not know what a pond was. They walked to the water’s edge and carried on walking, without floating. They have now joined our group of ducks and are happy preening themselves, swimming and spending the day by the pond (whatever the weather!).

Lilly

Lilly is a little stray ferret, found in South East London and handed in to a local PDSA vets. They found it hard to find a rescue that would take Lilly as she was possibly an ex-hunter and not very friendly. The Retreat has taken her in and she has been sterilized and micro-chipped and now lives with our group of ferrets.

Dawson

Dawson, a white deaf Boxer, was a long term resident at a national dogs home after he had randomly bitten people. He was due to be put to sleep. The staff at the kennels hoped they could find a sanctuary where he could live out the rest of his life and thankfully they found out about the Retreat. Dawson now lives happily with our other dogs.

Bow

Bow is a Bull Terrier cross who came to the Retreat because he had snapped at the children in the family. Bow was destined for the vets, to be put to sleep, when the Retreat found out about him and offered him a home.

Otter

Otter, a 9 month old Weimaraner, had been in kennels since he was 6 months old. Sadly no one had shown any interest in offering him a home, even though he is a perfect dog, with no vices. He was set to be put to sleep so he arrived at the Retreat, where we will endeavour to find a loving home for him.

Cats

A steady flow of cats still arrive at the Retreat; almost one a day on a daily basis. Occasionally groups of feral cats arrive in numbers of anything from 5 to 15. These cats are sterilized, vaccinated and micro-chipped and placed into our release pen until they are ready to be released into our cat garden.

Also a large number of domestic cats arrive like King Kong, a very large tabby boy, who was an unhappy domestic cat and was people aggressive. He now lives at the Retreat, in the house with many other domestic cats, where he is left to his own devices and is extremely happy.

September 2008

Here are a few of the rescues that took place in September:-

Pepper

Pepper, a beautiful ten month old female Labrador cross, was brought to the Retreat by her owner due to her excessive, unprovoked, aggression. Pepper immediately learned that there is no place for silly aggression when living in a pack. Within days Pepper was a reformed canine knowing that life can be good with boundaries in place.

Ben

Ben is one of four horses to have arrived at the Retreat in the past month. This lovely nine year old bay gelding came to the Retreat after he had been stamped “Loss of Use” by an insurance company, as he was no longer rideable. A horse is stamped “Loss of Use” when an insurance claim has been made for the value of the horse following injury or ill health. The horse is branded with an “encircled L” symbol to prevent the owner selling the horse on after the claim in an attempt to make a profit. This is similar to a car being written off following a motor insurance claim.

Ben’s previous owner has gone to university and could not afford to pay for the upkeep of a horse that could not be ridden. Ben will now spend the rest of his happy long life as an unrideable horse grazing in our herd.

We currently have a number of horses that we are looking for good homes for. If you feel that you could offer a good home to one of our horses please contact us.

P.J. Guiseppe

Many people, who decide that they would like to keep a few chickens in the garden, get caught out when buying young birds. The prospective buyers are only interested in purchasing hens (for the eggs that they will provide) and the sellers are just looking to shift their stock and will swear blind that they are all girls!

P.J. Giuseppe was one such bird, a cockerel bought as a hen. When the neighbours complained about his beautiful early morning song, the men from Environmental Protection called and said that poor little Giuseppe would have to go. It was only then that the owner discovered finding P.J. a home would be harder than getting blood out of a stone! Luckily for Giuseppe the owner contacted Pigeon June (P.J.), a dear friend of all animals, who saved the day by meeting the Retreat’s volunteers in central London, where she handed over our dear little P.J. Giuseppe.

Seagulls

The Retreat’s commitment to help animals also extends to other places that help animals.

Carla at Animaline has spent years helping animals and offering them sanctuary at her home in Sussex. Carla is one of those people who has put her money where her mouth is and has done a grand job, along with her team, Liz, Toby and James.

For various reasons Carla has had to relocate and downsize and so needed help in re-homing the animals living at Animaline. We offered a safe home for life to her 30+ seagulls, that have all sorts of disabilities, in our new electric fence enclosure.

August 2008

August saw a massive intake of feral cats including a large group (numbering 13 so far) from Brixton market and also a large number from Dagenham. We have also had three horses in our equine vets, which has put huge financial pressure on us - being a small rescue, run on a shoestring.

Here are some of August's rescue stories:-

Rain and Millie

Rain (19 years old) and Millie (approximately 5 years old) are two horses who arrived at the Retreat recently.

Poor Rain was imported from Ireland to a dealer’s yard and then he was accidently sent back to Ireland with ponies destined for slaughter! Once in Ireland the mistake was discovered and he was brought back to England and sold privately as a riding horse. However, he was not cut out to be a riding horse (as he went mad) and so he was given away free of charge and ended up in a pub garden.

Millie was brought as a companion for Rain when Rain’s other companion (a horse on loan to the pub) was taken away in disgust by its previous owners due to the conditions that they were both kept in.

Rain and Millie received several visits from the RSPCA whilst at the pub, which is why they were quickly and quietly signed over to the Retreat.

Both horses arrived at the Retreat in an appalling condition. Rain spent the first 3 weeks at the vets every other day and then was admitted, where a team of vets worked to save his life. Millie, a Shetland, needed immediate attention to have her feet clipped back because they had started to twist over and she also had crippling laminitis due to her weight.

This is yet another example of the big “I am’s” knowing best!

Buster

Buster is a Plumber Terrier who was once a much loved family pet. He was brought to the Retreat because he started snapping and going for the children.

The solution to dogs snapping is not re-homing but training; which can take place with the assistance of training aids such as bark collars, muzzles and training crates. Often dogs arrive at the Retreat without having been neutered, microchipped, vaccinated or treated for worms or fleas – all things that a responsible dog owner would and should do.

Buster was one such dog, but since his arrival at the Retreat he has now been neutered, microchipped and vaccinated etc. Buster is now being assessed and we are confident that within three months we will be in a position to put him up for re-homing - in a home with no children.

Reggie

Reggie, a difficult to read Rottweiler, came to the Retreat after it was decided by the rescue group that had him that he may not be homeable.

Bull breeds in particular are almost impossible to re-home. The Retreat offers free neutering to all breeds to stop thousands of young dogs being killed because there are simply not enough good homes every year. Dog breeders do not take responsibility for the puppies that are returned and end up in rescue centres. Most specialised breed rescue centres will take in dogs only for them to be euthanized.

Reggie is on a special programme of training. He is being introduced to the other dogs slowly and steadily. Within one week of arriving Reggie was group housed. Reggie is one of those dogs who will more than likely not be re-homed and so will spend the rest of his days living with his mates at the Retreat. Special thanks to Jackie for ensuring that Reggie did not die.

Doyle

A chap replacing some of our fencing asked if we could take in an old cat that his girlfriend had rescued from a vets. Doyle was due to be killed that day because no place could be found within a rescue home.

Doyle is over 15 years old and is just happy to have a quiet place to sleep and eat. Doyle will be looking for a quiet indoor home.

Nobby Nuts - the blind squirrel

A blind squirrel finding it harder and harder to survive in a local park was kindly rescued by a couple of special women and brought to us. Life is hard enough for a grey squirrel, but for one who is blind it must be almost impossible. Not only do parks have annual culls of grey squirrels on the grounds that they destroy trees and plants, but also dogs kill squirrels. Nobby Nuts has been found a place within a sanctuary that keeps disabled wildlife for life; operating a non destruction policy.

If you take wildlife to a rescue centre you should always ask what their policy is regarding putting disabled animals to sleep. There are centres all around the country that have non destruction policies – look out for them.

July 2008

Summer holidays are always a particularly busy time at the Retreat with less animals leaving to go to new homes due to everyone going on holiday. This year has been no exception with the massive chicken rescue (see story below); several problem dogs arriving at the Retreat; a large number of cats and many farm animals.

Many of our larger animals including sheep and cattle are in the process of being moved to their summer grazing in Eynsford. This thankfully frees up space for more animals that start to arrive during the summer months.

2008 has been a particularly busy year so far. All the building work that is going on in preparation for the 2012 Olympics, here in London, means that more and more feral cats need to be relocated. Also, due to the new Animal Welfare Laws that came into action earlier in the year, more people are parting with their animals. In addition there have been cereal price increases which mean that people who keep chickens, farm animals and horses have seen massive increases in feed bills (up almost 50%) so therefore some people have started to give up their animals.

Here are some of July's rescue stories:-

Mass Chicken rescue

This rescue of hens, from a farm in Sussex, was organised by Brighton Animal Action and took place over a period of 6 days in July. The hens had reached an age (approximately 72 weeks old) where their eggs were no longer wanted by retailers because they were not considered to be "perfect". The result of this is that the birds, who would otherwise live for many more years, laying "imperfect" eggs, would have simply been sent for slaughter. This particular farm however gave permission for some of their hens to be rescued and re-homed at sanctuaries across the country.

The rescue resulted in over 9,500 birds being saved.

The Retreat has taken over 200 of these hens and has already managed to re-home many of them.

Cats

In one week alone we have taken in 26 cats. Nine of these cats were brought to the Retreat all the way from Ireland; where 87% of stray cats are killed. Cat groups in Ireland are so over-burdened that they have to use rescue centres within the UK to help them with their “no-kill” policies.

Because feral cats are unhomeable there are very few shelters that will take them and of these, there are fewer still that are “non-kill”. The Retreat is one such shelter, which is why the cats had to make the long journey from Ireland to Kent. These poor creatures were farm cats and would have surely been left to breed uncontrollably, resulting in in-breeding and disease; or they would have been exterminated by pest control companies or local farmers, had they not been rescued. This is exactly the type of work that meets our criteria; for these animals have absolutely no guardians.

On arrival the cats were completely MOT’d and microchipped, vaccinated and neutered where necessary. They have now been put into one of our release pens and after a period of time, normally after 4 to 6 weeks, they will be released to join a feral cat colony at one of our sites.

To find out more about some of the fantastic rescue work that is undertaken in Ireland please click on this link The North West Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Gina

Gina is a Husky/German Shepherd cross, also from Ireland, and she was found sitting outside a bakers. The baker and his family had simply abandoned her when they decided to close the business and move away overseas. Gina sat and waited for her ex-owners to return, but they did not. Gina was therefore taken in by a kind rescuer where she was given the care that she needed. However, there was no potential home and so we, at the Retreat, were asked if we could take her and we did.

Gina is a beautiful dog, now looking for a home.

Carew

Carew, a nine week old, very sick, lurcher puppy was given up by travellers when the Retreat was doing its outreach work at a site in Maidstone. The travellers were glad to see the back of this poor puppy because people had been complaining about its poor health.

We took Carew to the vets, where he was found to have a virus and supportive care was applied. Now this small puppy, who is doing well on four meals a day, is approximately 12 weeks old and coming up for his second vaccination. He will soon be looking for a knowledgeable loving lurcher home. Carew is an exceptionally well behaved lurcher and is good with children, cats and other dogs, also livestock and chickens.

Pigeons

Never a week goes by without huge numbers of pigeons arriving at the Retreat. July was no exception, with many pigeons still arriving from Trafalgar Square. We never refuse pigeons as they are deemed pests. No one at the Retreat Animal Rescue believes that one animal is a pet while another is a pest. We find the word vermin offensive.

One pigeon in particular was rescued by Pigeon June. This little pigeon (we named him Boy Boy) arrived at the centre with a horrific injury - he had no feet. He is now very happy and lives with the other pigeons in the non-release pigeon aviary.

Shetland Sheep

Three unwanted Shetland sheep were sent to the Retreat when their owners could no longer keep them. They were rather late to join our other sheep at the new field in Eynsford but sometime in the future they will join the flock and become new members of the family.

April to June 2008

If you are a regular visitor to our website you will know that, due to various commitments, we have been unable to update this page recently. It is now back to business as usual and we will be updating this page every month. We thought we would take this opportunity to give you an overview of the rescue work that has taken place over the last three months.

As summer approaches the number of animals that need rescuing soars because baby animals are getting to the stage where they are no longer "cute". Also people are starting to plan their summer holidays and do not want to pay costly kennelling and cattery fees. The Retreat has provided a safe haven over the last few months to 10 horses, 3 cows, 6 sheep, 4 goats, over 100 hens, 12 cockerels, 100 pigeons, 4 ferrets, over 20 dogs, 40 cats and numerous small wild animals.

Obviously space at the Retreat is not without its limits and we could not take in the steady stream of rescued animals if we were not able, at the same time, to re-home some. Thankfully re-homing has gone well with 1 sheep, 4 goats, approximately 50 ex-battery hens, 8 dogs, 10 guinea pigs and 1 rabbit going to good homes over the last couple of months.

Finally, one rescue we would like to report is:-

Megan

Megan, the stray sheep, was found at Welling railway station! How or why she came to be there we will probably never know. Megan is approximately 3 years old and she is currently in our new hospital paddock, where she will stay until she has become acclimatised to her new surroundings. When Megan is ready she will join our sheep family.

March 2008

Beloved and Precious

Due to their owner having a serious illness two old horses, Beloved (a bay) and Precious (a small black pony), have come to live at the Retreat.

Bradley

Travellers contacted the Retreat late one Sunday night when, during the high winds, a stable was blown down leaving a tiny, freezing, cold, sick foal. The travellers asked the Retreat to take him. The rescue team attended and brought the poor baby back to the Retreat. Bradley passed 9" tapeworms but we are now pleased to say that he is recovering well at the Retreat.

Dev

Dev was an abandoned foal found wandering through the streets of Rochester. He is approximately 7 months old and when we rescued him he was full of worms, lice and extremely underweight. He initially had to undergo some intensive care, but is now doing well at the Retreat.

Adam

This poor newborn foal was found dead; dumped in the streets of Swanley Village. His body was collected by the Retreat, we named him Adam and then sent him to the pet crematorium to be disposed of with respect.

Orphaned Triplet Lambs

During the recent bad weather three poor orphaned lambs were found standing beside their dead mother. We have named them Abigail, Casey and Pepper. They are now living safely at the Retreat.

Tiffin and Taloula

Two unwanted spaniel cross puppies came to live at the Retreat. We are pleased to say that Tiffin has already been re-homed and we are now looking for the right new home for the lovely little girl, Taloula.

Victor

Victor is a very old ginger cat who was rescued from an uncaring family. He is now living happily with the old cat residents at the Retreat.

25 Cockerels

We have recently taken in 25 cockerels from one woman who failed to control her hens breeding. Removing the eggs would have been the simple solution or re-homing all the cockerels so that the breeding could not continue. Click here for information on integrating cockerels.

Percy

Percy is a tame pheasant who has come to live at the Retreat. Percy had to be relocated for his own safety and is currently living in a release pen until he has settled. Our special thanks go to Barry and Elaine for caring about him.

Ex-Trafalgar Square Pigeons

Bylaws have been changed which mean that feeders are not allowed to feed the pigeons in Trafalgar Square. This has resulted in hundreds of birds being left to starve. A large number of these poor pigeons have been rescued and have come to live at the Retreat.

Wildlife

Wildlife is often rescued by the Retreat including, recently, a small partridge that was found concussed by the side of a road and handed into the Retreat.

February 2008

Tiger Lilly

Tiger Lilly is a minature Shetland Pony who was found stray in someone's garden. She needed immediate veterinary attention due to her injured leg and it was there that we discovered that she is heavily pregnant and due her foal.

Shadow

Shadow is a 15 year old Connemara mare who was no longer wanted due to the fact that she cannot be ridden anymore. She now lives happily at the Retreat with our herd.

Eric and Ernie

Special thanks must go to Lesley, a vet nurse, who rescued 2 six week old male labrador puppies from a car park on Dartford Heath. Both the puppies were very sick, but have received veterinary care and are now recovering well at the Retreat. We will soon be looking for new homes for them.

Dexter

Dexter is a beautiful German Shepherd cross who was no longer wanted due to his owner moving to a smaller house. He is a great big bundle of fun, good with cats, dogs and children and he is now looking for a new home.

Archie

Archie is a Staffordshire Bull Terrier who was no longer wanted due to his boisterous nature.

Austin and Bert

Austin is a year old Bassett Hound who was found to be aggressive. We are pleased to say that Archie is now living happily with his new friends at the Retreat.

Bert is two year old Bassett Hound who had some early health problems. He is now on the road to recovery at the Retreat.

Tommy

Tommy is a Border Collie who, after being involved in a road traffic accident, was taken to Foxgrove vets. It was here that they discovered that he had a broken leg. When his broken leg had been repaired his owner turned up and said that she didn't want him because he was aggressive. He was re-homed by the vets, but after one night he was returned for being food possessive. He now lives happily at the Retreat, where he seems to be fine.

January 2008

Enid and Goldfinger

Enid is an 11 year old ex-breeding cow, who along with her calf Goldfinger, was kindly rescued by June. Year after year Enid has had her calves stolen from her, but now Goldfinger and the calf still inside her, who we are eagerly waiting to be born, will be able to live with her forever at the Retreat - Happy Ending!

Four Piglets

A woman phoned one Friday asking us to take four piglets. We said that we would take them in three weeks time due to the flooding of the stables. The following Sunday evening she pulled up on the drive and left the box without a note! We have named the piglets Charlotte, Emily, Anne and Branwell after the Brontë siblings.

Boston

Boston is a beautiful 5½ month old chocolate Labrador. He was recently purchased from a pet shop and taken to his new home which was a 5th floor flat in East London. After just one week his new owner no longer wanted him because he was not toilet trained. He is now safely at the Retreat where he will be found a good home.

We are pleased to report that Boston has now been found a good and loving home.

Baby Monty

Monty is a Rottweiler cross German Shepherd who was no longer wanted due to an eviction. He is a beautiful dog who loves everybody cats, dogs and children.

Percy

Percy is a 16 year old stray cat found in a garden, unwanted, unloved and un-neutered. He is now neutered, wanted and loved!

Cockerels

There are a growing number of cockerels, with new ones arriving almost every week due to over- breeding and being unwanted.

Tortoiseshell Rabbit

A poor 4 month old rabbit was found on someone's doorstep and brought to the Retreat. Once neutered, it has now safely and happily been teamed up with another rabbit and homed.

3-Legged Rabbit

A woman pulled up in a car at the Retreat and said that she didn't want the creature in the back, which turned out to be a 3-legged rabbit. It has now been sterilized and thankfully homed with other rabbits.

December 2007

Princess Lucky Heather

We have an addition to our bovine family who is, at present, at our site near Eynsford. Princess Lucky Heather came to us from The Hop Farm in Paddock Wood where she was due to be slaughtered for never calfing! She is very tame and friendly and will hopefully meet the rest of the herd shortly.

Megan and Rosie

These two old collies (mother and daughter) were due to be killed as their owner was going into a nursing home. Thankfully a friend of the owner remembered Sue and Ron from the Retreat Café in Grassington and contacted them for help. Sue and Ron in turn contacted us and the dogs found safety with the Retreat. Megan and Rosie are now looking for a new home so if you feel you could provide a loving, safe home for their remaining years please contact us.

Izzie

A small mare arrived suffering from a condition called Sarcoids that requires prompt treatment to prevent the lesions getting worse. The previous owner and rescue centre did not get Izzie's treated due to the costly procedure involved and as a result the lesions deteriorated badly. Izzie is now safely at the Retreat where she will get all the care she needs, including an operation to have the Sarcoids removed. The photo on the left shows one of the lesions (she has them on her leg and neck).
  
Connie

Retreat volunteers were contacted on Christmas day about a litter of puppies being given away in a pub in Thamesmead! Unfortunately when they arrived there was just one puppy left. She is a Rottie cross shepherd who has been named Connie. She is now safe at the Retreat.

New Dachshund arrival

This poor girl had been bred by her owners with a very big stud dog. Unbelievably, when she went into labour, they attempted to get one of her puppies out of her with knitting needles and this resulted in her being paralysed. Little Vi (as we have named her) is doing well with physio and hydro-pool.

Lemon and Cello

Two sheep were found wandering in a local graveyard. Volunteers from Willow Wildlife were called to rescue them and they then brought both sheep safely to the Retreat.

Shirley

Retreat volunteers were called to a sheep that had been attacked by dogs. Unfortunately, due to her injuries, Shirley had to have her front leg amputated, however she is doing really well at the Retreat on her three legs. Thanks go to Foxgrove vets in Beckenham who treated Shirley.

Chinchillas

Two little Chinchillas came to the Retreat when their owner was evicted to smaller accommodation. With their previous owner the two souls had lead lonely lives in separate cages but they now live happily together.

November 2007

The past few weeks have seen the usual arrival of rescued animals including 17 feral cats from a site in East London which is being redeveloped for the olympics. We have also seen the arrival of around 20 pigeons rescued from Trafalgar square that will be the first of many to live in our new aviary (see Latest News page). A few other examples of animals now at the Retreat are below:-

Chickens

A large number of brown hens, formally battery hens, were allowed to come to the Retreat to live out the remainder of their lives in safety.

Pumpkin

A local person heard a noise in her garden late at night, it turned out to be a piglet which she managed to corner and catch. she then called the RSPCA. The RSPCA were unable to help but they gave her the Retreats number. The lady called us and the beautiful piglet, which was about 6 weeks old, arrived soon after.

Goats

2 large white goats could no longer be kept by their owner as they kept escaping into the neighbours garden. To ensure their safety they were brought to us.

October 2007

In the last month we have seen over 50 animals/ birds arrive at the Retreat. Thankfully we have managed to re-home most of them and the rest will live with us permanently or until a good home is found. Four of the cases are below:-

Sherry

A farmer arrived with a very sick piglet, just 8 weeks old, her brothers and sisters had already been sent off to market for fattening and then slaughter. Sherry was the runt and had been living in the farmers kitchen with his dogs, living on dog biscuits. We immediately changed her diet and isolated her to give her time to rest and recuperate. Sherry is doing well and is hopefully on her way to a full recovery.

Tommy

When rescued Tommy the Lamb was just 6 weeks old. One of his rear legs was almost hanging off so he had to go for immediate surgery. The vet managed to save his life but had to amputate his leg.

Tilly

Tilly, a 7 year old Mastiff cross German Shepherd, came to the Retreat as he wasn't wanted any longer by either of his owners following their divorce. Tilly had not been sterilised, vaccinated or microchipped so was going to be a costly dog, additionally at his age it would have been difficult to find him a place anywhere else, so he came to us.

Mr Dartford the Pidgeon

Two Retreat volunteers came across this Bird in Dartford town centre whilst having a sneaky lunch break. He was amongst a group of pidgeons and was clearly ill. He was picked up and brought back to the Retreat where he is recovering well.

Madeline

The farmer was offering her to anyone who would take her. By the time we heard about her she had jumped the fence and was living in a field 'wild as the wind'. Poor Madeline had such bad Mastitis that her whole udder was hanging off. Between us we jumped her, piled her into the van and brought her home. Madeline required special help to see her through this extremely painful time, all due to over breeding year after year. It wasn't long before she had fully recovered, now without her entire udder.

This story has a beautiful ending because for years Madeline has had her babies stolen from her without anyone giving a damn. During her recovery we had up to eight lambs arrive at the Retreat which Madeline, without udder, adopted and loved. We know that these only replaced some of her stolen babies but eight babies who love her like their own mother can't be bad for starters.

Two of the above mentioned lambs, Cheeky and Tommy, were found stray wandering up a main road, no fields of sheep around, no gardens, nothing!

Nicky

A little spotty pony, about six years old. Late one night three of our volunteers were called out to a pony that had been abandoned; the volunteers managed to bring Nicky back to the Retreat. Despite his bad temperament and behaviour (which is probably why he had been abandoned) he his a lovely boy that just needs some time and patience before being re-homed.

Albert

A Cocker Spaniel is not a great fan of children, so he came to us. He and Docker the Cocker (who has been with us for a while) are now great mates.

Cooper

A pretty white and ginger male stray cat was taken to the vets by a cat group. When blood tested it was found he was FIV positive (cat AIDS), so unless a rescue that takes FIV cats could be found he would be killed. The Retreat took him in.

Cooper is a great boy, a little shy but coming around to be one of the family. AIDS or no AIDS we love them all. No picking, no choosing, JUST RESCUE.

Benji

We were contacted by somone who was concerned about a rabbit that lived with a family in South East London. This caring person knew the owners of the animal and it was when he had been doing some work at their house that he saw the rabbit. The little boy was all by himself in an outside hutch with apparently no attention being given to him; nor did it appear that he was being fed either correctly or regularly. (The family were not interested in him (he had been bought for the children but they soon got bored with their new "toy") and didn't really want him.

Two Retreat volunteers immediately made arrangements with the concerned individual, and the family, and went to the home that evening. The hutch had hardly any bedding in it at all and the poor creatures claws were VERY long. The rabbit was brought away, along with the hutch, and went to a fosterer from where a new home would hopefully be found.

The rabbit was clearly stressed by what was happening and it wasn't certain that he would make it through the night. Thankfully he did and was obviously happy in his new surroundings (with plenty of bedding and food) as he was soon running around the fosterers garden and playing with his new toy. He has been checked by the vet (including being neutered) and appears to be ok, he has also had his claws cut.

Since this rescue the two volunteers have decided to give him a home themselves along with a new friend for him in the near future (another rescued rabbit).

Hare baby

While on a dog walk with 15 plus dogs (which is normally enough to keep your mind busy) Billy came across a tiny hairless creature, just moments from death from the elements. At first he thought he thought it was a baby rabbit. He was popped into a fleece pocket to generate some warmth and hopefully to show signs of a little more life. When arriving home Billy called the wildlife rescue team who collected the tiny creature and said that he was a Leveret (a baby hare).

The rescue team did a great job in rearing him and then he was released.