Can we give this family a happy new year?

PLEASE SEE URGENT UPDATE AT THE END

When I saw the photos I couldn't stop thinking about these poor dogs.  We do receive lots of appeals from people struggling to come home from overseas  and these are always expensive cases and it's impossible to hep everyone as we only have limited funds. But if you agree that this is a case we should help, please use the Just Giving emergency page for Comet. If anyone else can offer practical help or solutions Wendy's mobile number is included.

Here's the story.

I am writing to you because I am in the unenviable position of needing to plead for assistance in saving our 4 beloved pet dogs. I am not looking for a handout, just help in our time of need which we will gladly undertake to repay.

 We are a family of animal lovers who in January 2004 moved to Majorca with our two Border Collies, in the hope that the climate would help my husband regain some mobility and health. He is physically disabled, uses a wheelchair for much of the day and has a number of associated illnesses which a kinder climate would ease. Our two border collies were his life, and he enjoyed watching them in shows and at crufts.

 Sadly in 2005 we had to give sleep to one of them, as he had a grand Mal epileptic seizure, which our vet gently explained he would never recover from. This was devastating for our family including the remaining Border Collie, which was his brother. They had never been separated from birth. A few months later, by pure chance, we visited an outdoor market. It was the height of summer and as you can imagine extremely hot and sunny. There we found, in a small, dirty, cramped cage, a tiny puppy. She had no water and was in full sunlight, and obviously distressed. We argued with the seller, that she should have water and be taken into the shade, but he shrugged his shoulders and walked away. We decided there and then to rescue this puppy and bought her for 70 euros.

 We took her straight to our vet, who told us she may not survive, but he would try his best.
 Somehow he worked miracles, and the following day she was alert and not distressed when we went to visit her. He told us how best to care for her, gave us food supplements for her and explained he thought she was barely six weeks old. He said he would do all he could to stop this man selling animals on the market, but he feared it would be no use.

 Over the next two years, we aquired two more puppies through various circumstances, which we could not bear to see distressed or destroyed for want of love. All of our dogs are happy, healthy, good natured animals, which we love equally and are miserable being parted from.

 Through circumstances beyond our control, we found it necessary to return to live in the UK. During our preparation, we took our dogs to the local vet, which was a new vet as we had moved to a different area 8 months previously. She gave them all their rabies inoculations, explained the procedure for the tape worm and tic treatment that we would need to time correctly and entered the details on the paperwork. It was then she found that because the three dogs we had acquired there, had been microchipped after the previous rabies inoculation, we would need to wait 6 months after the blood test to bring them into the UK. She also said that even though the border collie had be vaccinated he would also have to wait because he was two days late. Defra subsequently confirmed this, so we had no choice than to put them in a kennel to wait out their time.

 A friend recommended a kennel in Holland, which agreed to take them. They have been well cared for we know, but at this time, the owners are threatening to put them in a shelter, sell them or have them destroyed, as we have not been able to keep up the payments.

 The employment my daughters and I had been offered on arrival into the UK never materialised, due to the company changing its staffing policy. This obviously has put a great financial and emotional strain on us, and the thought of us losing our beloved dogs is unbearable.

 Please is there any way you can help us? As I previously stated, we will gladly repay anything you can loan us to help us, we are not asking for a handout, just help at this time.

 Thank you from our hearts for anything you can do.

 Yours faithfully,
 Wendy Sullivan (Mrs.)

Update:

I have attached a photo of Comet, she is the tiny puppy we rescued from a Spanish outdoor market. as you can see, now a happy healthy dog, full of mischief and a constant source of fun and laughter.

The other photo is of our Border Collie Pop, 10 years old, very laid back but never the less "the boss". Meg is next in line in the photo..just a year old on 28th September, learning fast how to "round up", usually our feet and of course how to make you feel so guilty with big brown eyes. Then there is Jess in the front, very timid, frightened of feathers, but full of love especially for our eldest daughter. They kind of adopted each other on first sight.

During our stay in Spain, we became an unofficial haven for lost animals. Each and every one was reunited with their respective owners. Many we helped secure their premises, we never asked for payment or received any funding. We were just happy to be of some help.

We had people tell us to put our dogs in a shelter and leave them in Spain. This wasn't a consideration for us, our dogs are part of our family, not just pets. Some shelters in Spain keep the animals taken there for only 7 days, then if they are not claimed or rehomed they are destroyed. Like most places, those that do not destroy a healthy animal, are overcrowded and short of funds.

It was heart wrenching to leave them in the kennels because of red tape. We hate having to ask for help, but we have no other option, as on 9th January, if we cannot pay 2,505 euros, the kennel owners are going to sell them or put them in a shelter. This is all there is left to pay from a 7,000 euro bill. With more time we would have been able to arrange for the money, but time is not in our favour. We had hoped to all be together for Christmas, as their entry into the UK was permissible on 22nd December. This obviously was not possible, and now we face losing them forever.

If people are kind enough to help us out, we are willing to repay their kindness just as soon as we can.


We only have a mobile telephone at the moment. 07748 645 685

URGENT UPDATE:

Wendy has just phoned me in tears. The kennels in Holland have said that they will definitely dispose of the dogs on Saturday if they do not get paid. Lots of people are trying to help - a Border Collie rescue chap in Belgium has offered to collect the dogs and keep them free of charge until Wendy can collect them but the kennels will not release them to him.
Does anyone have any Dutch connections that could negotiate with the kennels to ensure the dogs are not put to sleep or rehomed?
The Sullivans are not looking for a handout - just a temporary loan until they are able to repay.
Anyone got any ideas?
I must say it was a heart-breaking call, there must be something that can be done to stop these dogs being parted from their loving owners.

Just got this email update:

We have approached a Border Collie breeder in Belgium, who has offered to rehouse our dogs until we can collect them for free. He has spoken to the kennel, who he says were extremely rude and abrupt, and refused to negotiate with him at all, and they promptly hung up after stating that if they had not received the money by Saturday they would dispose of our dogs.

We have approached other animal welfare organisations for assistance, to which we are still awaiting replies. The Border Collie Club of Great Britain is attempting to cut red tape and try and help us, but as yet we have no idea as to the amount we may receive.

If anyone feels they can help us with a direct loan, we will give written undertaking that every penny will be repaid.

My husbands DLA benefit was stopped on re-entry to the UK, for some unknown reason, which is still being sorted out. This would have paid the bill.