Oct 1, 2021 | News
UPDATE…..Leah has found a foster home….
We’re looking to help Leah, a 12-year old greyhound who through no fault of her own is looking for a new home. We really don’t want her to go into kennels. Please see her story below and if you can offer her a home please get in touch; contact Deb on 07974 960684. Let’s find her a loving home to see out her remaining days.
Leah is approx 12 yrs old, and spent 4 years with her previous owner. She’s chipped & spayed and is an ex-racer. She also seems to have been used as a breed bitch. She’s clearly had a hard life .
Her Dad passed away at the start of September and her Mum’s now in a care home. Despite trying their best the family are not able to look after her and have made the heartbreaking decision to find her a new home; they just want her to be happy and loved.
She’s had limited interaction with other dogs but has recently been socialising with 3 German Shepherds and a Mallinois. She wanders round with them, sniffs them & wags her tail… but has no concept of how to play with them or with toys. She will travel in a car but pants heavily when it’s moving. She’s quite nervy, hates loud noises and is not 100% on what stairs are (she has lived in a bungalow). She doesn’t bark but will let you know she wants to go out.
She absolutely loves Potters Malt with cod liver oil, cheese & chicken (and shows this with ‘teeth-chatters’). She’s really happy when she’s had a poo, she’s so pleased with herself. She is house trained but has the odd accident – she’s using puppy pads if she can’t make it outside.
The family have said:
One vet has said she has kidney failure but another tell me it’s very borderline & just to keep her on her Renal food diet (dry) & add a 1/4 boiled chicken breast or a bit of boiled fish to it. She’s odd with food, often doesn’t eat for a day or she’ll have a few mouthfuls then leaves it for a few hours.
She’s on 1 tablet a day for incontinence which works a treat, 1/2 tablet a day for excess protein in her urine (this should be short term I believe) & I have doggy paracetamol for her arthritis / hip displaysia if she needs it, currently on 1/2 tablet a day .
She has the sweetest nature,not a bad bone in her body & just wants to please you. She’s not to bothered about walkies, 1/2hr every couple of days suits her fine. When we visit friends with the German Shepherds she might have a bit of gallop in their huge garden & she’ll run at my side round the garden. Sadly she doesn’t respond to her name so I don’t let her off the lead when we do go out for a walk.
A change in circumstances at the time of life is so difficult for a dog, and moving into kennels after being in a home can really affect their physical and mental health. We really want to find her a loving home so please, if you can help get in touch; contact Deb on 07974 960684..
Sep 30, 2021 | News
Just over 3 years ago, three little colts were rescued from a field in Doncaster. One had already died and these poor little mites were in such a state that we literally picked them up and put them in the trailer. They were in a shocking state..Athos, Porthos and Aramis….
This is Athos now….unbelievable and just brilliant…..
Sep 23, 2021 | News
Sadly Eadie didn’t make it. Thanks to Donaldson’s vets as always for trying their very best.
She was just gone 4 years old. Montore Carmel, only races were in Ireland when she was allegedly rehomed “as a pet” in February.
Clearly she wasn’t because she ended up here.
She also didn’t qualify for the Greyhound Rehoming Scheme, but she did qualify to come to Tia and for that i am grateful that we got to spend 6 weeks with her.
Thanks to everyone for your support because if you didn’t support us there would be no trace of Edie, and the countless others that go through Independent Rescues.
Deb
Sep 20, 2021 | News
This is Edie, she has just gone 4 yrs old. She is the vets as I type fighting for her life. She has had something go badly wrong with her back…she is too young and too beautiful to go yet.
She has only raced in Ireland and has only been in this country since February. She was given away at the track. Useless no doubt.
Come on Edie, you have lots to look forward to….
UPDATE: I have just been researching her history. Apparently she was rehomed as a pet. Lying bastards.
She is stable at Donaldson’s. Let’s hope she makes it through the night.
Deb…
Sep 16, 2021 | News
Just an update.
The farm has now been sold, we are renting it back from the new owner so it gives us time to find somewhere suitable. We have been looking everywhere but as yet haven’t found the right spot.
The shops are suffering from staff shortages so some of them are on reduced days. Please look on the shop pages which we will try to keep updated.
So that is the short version. It has been a nightmare to be honest and it has made me realise that although the shops are our main source of income, they are absolutely of no use if we can’t staff them. We really need other ways to make money so in the next week or so we will be looking to employ a full time fundraiser.
Obviously we are keeping the shops and live in hope that when furlough ends we will be able to staff them up again.
Especial thanks to my friend Linda who has come back to open the Halifax shop three days a week and to Julia one of our best long term volunteers who will be opening the shop Thursday, Friday and Saturdays.
And we had 10 dogs in last week….cos there isn’t a problem with the Greyhound Retirement Scheme is there!!
Sep 5, 2021 | 25/25, News
Velvet Rebel was a top-class racer – no less than 53 wins in a career of 109 races – who came in to Tia in 2010, emaciated with open sores. Despite a truly illustrious career he found his way to Tia through the ignominy of a free ad. What’s of interest here is the subsequent careers of some involved in Velvet Rebel’s story – one ended up with an OBE ‘for services to greyhound racing’, whilst another became the
CEO of the Retired Greyhound Trust before, earlier this year, progressing to be
Director of Operations for Battersea.
Taken from a post by ‘Greyt Exploitations’:
One has to wonder how on earth does an ex greyhound trainer – who once trained a champion dog that was later found dumped in an emaciated and in a severley neglected condition – manage to secure the position of Director of Operations for Battersea Dogs Home?
Peter Laurie was not the last trainer or breeder to exploit Velvet Rebel – the dog was passed on to Charles Lister OBE and then a breeder. Regardless – Peter Laurie still earned money from this dog and still supports a racing/gambling industry that is responsible for the suffering and deaths of thousands of dogs every year.
Sep 1, 2021 | 25/25, News
There is no doubt that the racing industry is in decline, five runner races due to shortage of dogs are becoming the norm. Trainers, unable to stomach the injuries or the bills any longer are hanging up the leads and going fishing. Younger trainers tend to employ accountants and read the runes. A few rising stars have called it a day.
On the 1st September 2020 the Greyhound Retirement Scheme was launched – you can read the GBGB’s leaflet on it by clicking here. On the face of it, it sounded wonderful and to be fair it is a start. In order to race in the UK a bond of £200 must be paid and upon the greyhound’s retirement, that money and a further £200 from the GBGB is passed to approved rescue centres upon proof of their safe arrival, they don’t even have to be registered charities. All greyhounds would now go on and live happily ever after. However there are conditions, lots of them, such as assessment tests at the larger rescue centres where failures are destroyed. Many all breed dog rescues understandably have jumped on the band wagon to claim their £400 bond. It sticks in our throat a bit but that is their business.
The owners and trainers don’t have to follow the scheme though, they can just give them away to anyone they want. Several of those have turned up at Tia in the last few weeks, some in dire condition. Their records state that they have been rehomed as a pet. Sure, amazing how many owners do this and don’t start me on the syndicates.
Tia has long been courted by the GBGB for this scheme and Christ it has been tempting at times. Click here to see the spreadsheet that lists the 114 arrivals at Tia since the scheme’s starting date. Tia’s dogs rarely come straight from the track. We take the dogs that fall through the cracks, the ‘useless’ like Roger and Etta, those raced purely in Ireland like Edie and strays like our latest arrival Edward. Take a look at the list, 114 since 1st September 2020. That is a hell of a lot of money. At least, it would be if it wasn’t for the fact that of these dogs only 33 qualified for the GBGB’s rehoming scheme. The other 81 would not have qualified. Where will those dogs go when there’s no financial incentive to take them?
There’s another snag to the scheme. A velvet gagging order, and with our mouth it is never going to happen. Racing is to be portrayed in a more positive light so no more stories of hat racks like Twirl and Wallace. No more Sheffield 13’s like Mr Mole or stray of the day stories like the brilliant courser Glencoe. If you take the Kings shilling…you are the King’s man. Nope!
Sorry guys, the wedding is off, the dowry was tempting but it wouldn’t work. Tia is sure you will find someone else.
Pictured below: William and Wallace when they first arrived at Tia.
Aug 31, 2021 | News
Simba came to Tia on Thursday the 19th of August, a lovely cream saluki x greyhound. It was obvious that he didn’t look well so the next day he was taken up to Donaldson’s vets.
A couple of days later he took a turn for the worst and it was confirmed that he had parvovirus. A horrible disease that kills most dogs. However over the years we have used a drug which always seems to work. It comes at a massive cost but any animal that ends up at Tia gets whatever they need. So the vets got it, which in itself was difficult, anti virals in a pandemic are not easily come by.
11 days later and he is due to come home. The only thing is we don’t have enough staff to look after him. We are desperately in need of a foster home who has the time to look after him. But it will need to be someone with no other pets at the minute. Preferably in the Huddersfield area, near the vets.
Please ring me 07974960684 Deb
Aug 28, 2021 | News
The nationwide staff shortages are seriously starting to affect us too. We are really struggling to find the right staff.
We need a kennel assistant and a yard assistant here at the farm, 4 days a week, own transport is ESSENTIAL and a part time shop assistant at the Pickering Charity shop.
If you are interested in any of the jobs, please email me, debra.rothery@btinternet.com
Thanks Deb
Aug 28, 2021 | News
Cullen…Ballymac Glen bn 21/06/15 101 races at Belle Vue
Yesterday Friday 27th August it was his turn to leave us. He was just mooching around in the paddock, then he was gone. Most probably a heart attack. Sleep tight big fella….
