In June this year we were asked to help with rehoming some Dogs from a Northern Irish puppy farm. We’ve since taken in and found wonderful new homes for 8 unsold and over bred adults and puppies from this particular farm but their road to happiness was far from easy.
The first batch of four consisted of 2 Puggle puppy brothers (Basil & Benny), a mother Schnauzer (Greta) and a mother Beagle (Florie). The second included a mother Poodle (Lily), a father Cocker Spaniel (Bertie) and 2 Bichon Frise puppy sisters (Blythe & Bonnie). They were all generally well looked after on the outside but it was clear from the start that we had a lot of work ahead of us to get these wee ones ready for rehoming. They had little socialisation with people, no lead training and the puppies had become worryingly emotionally dependant on each other. All in all it was a sad sight to see!
With hard work and soft hearts some came round to their new lives very quickly like Lily, Bonnie and Blythe. These little cuties were rehomed in a very short time. Others like Florie and Bertie just needed a little extra time and trust to boost their confidence before they headed off. But Greta, Basil and Benny had almost completely shut down to the world around them. They were fearful of leads, people, day to day noises and handling and they each took weeks of one on one work. Slowly but surely they came around, started to play and walk on leads and we could even see some tails wagging. Finally they set off to enjoy the happy new lives that they all deserved. Their stories may not have started happy but it has been a true fairy tale ending to wave goodbye to these wee ones. We’re sure that you’ll all be with us in wishing them the best of luck for the future with their lucky new families and sure in the knowledge that should they encounter any difficulties in their new home they have the Sanctuary as their safety net to ensure they never find themselves in difficult circumstances in the future.
The journey for these 8 pups and the many others we encounter is only possible due to the support we receive from our many supporters, thank you!