Fears had been expressed about the welfare of some of the greyhounds whose owners might not wish to continue to care for them.

All the animal welfare charities agreed to combine forces to ensure that temporary shelter could be found for any animal who needed it, and after the last race, there were people at the stadium ready with mobile kennels to take any unwanted animals to a safe place.

Many animals were saved.

Sadly though, two greyhounds were turfed out by their owner to fend for themselves in the very cold night air, and the busy streets of Swansea.

Many volunteers from various animal charities have spent hours today, searchimg streets and fields looking for these two poor greyhounds. We know that they have both already been hit by cars and are injured. This could lead them to try to shelter somewhere… as dogs do….and the first frost of the winter is forecast here for tonight…. but they need veterinary attention as soon as possible!

Our best hope is that some kind people have taken them in to care for them….
If you know of their whereabouts, PLEASE contact

http://www.greyhoundrescuewales.co.uk/og2009/og2009.htm

and they will ensure that the dogs get the medical help that they urgently need

Please share this and help us to try to find these poor innocent animals.

Despite the fact that the Government in Westminster has seen fit to allow English badgers to continue to live in their natural settings (or should I say sets?) , the Welsh Assembly has decided that the culling of badgers in Wales is to go ahead.

The cull will happen in Pembrokeshire unless enough people can persuade the members of the Sennedd to change their minds.

The RSPCA is calling for a massive response to their request to sign the petition at:

www.backoffbadgers.org

Please sign it and ask your friends to sign it too.

It can be tempting to give your dogs and cats extra treats too in the festive season……….but it is a bad idea.

Watch this amusing yet very pertinent video:

http://www.giveanimalsavoice.org.uk/

Oops…. that video no longer appears….sorry!

Merry Christmas!

The South Wales Evening Post today reported a ‘shock’ increase in animal cruelty in the last year.

The BBC ran a similar story this morning.

However, whilst the figures are distressing and the number of badly treated animals is disgracefully high, the fact is that the 2007 Animal Welfare Act is doing exactly what it was meant to do.

As a direct result of last year’s legislation, which came into force on 26th March 2007 in Wales, RSPCA Inspectors are now able to intervene at an earlier stage to give advice to animal owners rather than, as used to be the case, having to wait until real cruelty had occurred and could be proved…….. they can now do what their title indicates, PREVENT cruelty, rather than simply come in when it is too late and merely prosecute.

Early intervention means that owners are given a chance to change their behaviour. If they do, the animals get a better life, but failure to comply with advice will result in prosecution at an earlier stage than was previously possible.

The people in the picture above are members of the staff at Llys Nini, but we have personally transported both Roxy the Rotti and Clancy the King Charles Spaniel, to and from the vets’ surgery for treatment. Both are now looking for new loving homes

It is rewarding to see how well animals progress from the pitiful condition that they are often in when they arrive at Llys Nini, to the happy and fit animals they become thanks to the applied TLC at the re-homing centre.

Perhaps then, the increased numbers of successful prosecutions for cruelty is not a shock, but is rather an opening up of what we knew was there all along….. and proof that action is at last being taken to stop the terrible mis-treatment of helpless animals.

Our own lovely dog was a rescue dog from Llys Nini, and a better companion would be hard to imagine, but we often wonder what her life would have been were it not for the intervention of the RSPCA…..

If you are looking for a pet, why not try the re-homing centre first, and give a new lease of life to a dog, cat, rabbit, ferret, bird, etc., etc.?

Or if you would like to volunteer to do something positive to help, why not go to your local centre and offer your services?

On a day when all the rest of news is sad or bad, it is great to hear some good news for once.

This Newfoundland is being trained to rescue people from the sea in Swansea.

The picture came from the Daily Mail and you can read more about this Super-Dog here

There are several reasons for this.

Firstly, we tried to make the break once before, when we sailed away in 1999. We sent everyone on our huge list a card with instructions to keep it and put it up each year with the others, and to think of us, but not to send us cards. However, once we returned from our six year Odyssey, we somehow got sucked back in.

Last year we sent ‘Welsh Air Ambulance’ charity cards to everyone on the list and I included this web address, so that hopefully, any people who wonder where their cards are will come here to find out!.

This year, all the money which would have been used to purchase cards, and all the money which would have been spent on postage, will now be sent directly to the charity.

We have also decided not to give prezzies to the grown ups… only to grandchildren…. and they are having Premium Bonds rather than plastic trash. The children are old enough now to realise that not only will they have the chance to increase their holdings if they re-invest any winnings, but that eventually they will have some money saved up for when they are older and will be able to buy something substantial when they become independent.

As for the adults, the reasoning here is that most grown ups can do a better job of buying things they want/need, so it makes sense to avoid the mad rush and stress of shopping for things we hope they will like, but which, if they had really wanted them, they would have bought for themselves already.

All that… plus… we are getting old and have decided not to ‘do’ stress anymore!

Obviously, we shall not be expecting any gifts either, so think of the saving on prezzies, wrapping paper, gift tags and boxes… and think of all the trees that will not be wasted, and think of all that recycling space that will be free for others to fill.

Reading this through, I appear to be taking on the mantle of a certain Mr Scrooge.…. but nothing could be further from the truth. I just get cross about the amount of hype and ‘must have’ that accompanies the winter festival.

All this though, leads me on to my New Years Resolution, which is to make more effort to phone and/or Email friends and keep in better touch….. (since the invention of Email, there really is no excuse)

And still on the subject of Christmas, we have been to the children’s school Christmas concerts, which were excellent. But we were amazed to find not even one reference to the reason for the celebrations… not a crib nor a shepherd in sight… no Baby Jesus….no Joseph … no Virgin Mary…..no Magi…. no bright star….. Just Disney characters and Santas and woodland animals …..Whose birthday is it anyway?

Bah! Humbug!!!

Oh Yes…. And Merry Christmas everyone!

Stop Press News! Santa will be in the RSPCA CHARITY SHOP in Gorseinon this week.

Llys Nini Animal Centre in Penllergaer is delighted that Father Christmas has agreed to make a special appearance at its shop in Gorseinon’s High Street on Tuesday evening, 4th December.

He will be there from 6.30, both before and after the lantern procession.

A spokesman for Llys Nini Animal Centre said last night ” Father Christmas is always a huge supporter of Animal Welfare. This is not suprising considering he keeps a number of animals, including reindeer, himself.

He appreciates that animals need proper care and attention and he NEVER encourages people to give pets as presents.

In support of Llys Nini’s work in caring for so many sick and injured, abused and abandoned animals, he has agreed to spend some time in our shop in Gorseinon on Tuesday.

He also asks, if anyone can spare a tin of pet food, some blankets, bedding or even a small donation to drop it into him at the shop.

Everyone at Llys Nini is very greatful for his help in providing food and care for our animals over Christmas.”

The RSPCA and Santa both ask for people to spread the word.

Obviously, in this line of voluntary work, we come across neglected, abused, sad animals all too often.

But this cat is SO beautiful, and in such excellent physical condition that she has clearly come from a good and loving home. All she wants is to be cuddled!

Everyone at Llys Nini Animal Centre and at the vet’s surgery fell in love with her. She is really lovely. ( And that from a lifelong dog lover!)

Sadly, she does not have a collar with her owner’s telephone no, nor has she been micro-chipped, as referred to in my earlier posts so she will have to be put in a cattery for a week to hope that her owners will come to find her. She was warm and comfortable (and well fed) when we left her this evening.

If anyone reading this page comes from the Mountain Ash area and knows of a grieving owner of a missing grey and white cat, please alert them to the fact that there is a possibility that it might be their cat that has been rescued.

Please Email (copy & paste):-

info@llysnini-rspca.org.uk

As anyone reading this will obviously have access to the internet, this is the easiest way to reunite this little poppet with her owners, but otherwise, try telephoning

01792 229435 and keep trying as the line is very busy.

Llys Nini is at Penllegaer, just off Junction 47 of the M4 and is open every day except Wednesdays from 11am until 3.45pm

I know that if this were MY cat, I would be out searching the streets for her!

Sadly, I did not have my camera with me today, but…. PLEASE, if you know the owners, tell them to contact Llys Nini asap.

Apparently, hundreds of people are at risk of killing their pet cats by mistake.

It is possible to buy anti-flea products over the counter at supermarkets,  and also online,  at lower prices than those prescribed by veterinary surgeons.

To save money, people are buying these flea products and not always reading the labels carefully enough.

Medication for dogs is far too strong to be used on cats. It affects the nervous system of the cats and results in the cats suffering fits.

This is often fatal. A visit to the vet becomes urgently necessary to try to save any affected animal…. resulting in heftier vet bill than would have occurred in the first place had the proper prescription been obtained specifically for that animal.

By chance, last evening, we shared a taxi with a group of friends who happen to be vets. They confirmed that the problem is widespread. They frequently have to care for cats who have been mistakenly given ‘dog’ medication, and the treatment is not always successful and pets do die.

Better to be safe than to be sorry.

Funnily enough there is often a “Pets’ Problem Corner” in our local paper.

No matter what the question is, the answer is invariably:

‘Seek the advice of your Vet’.

This surely makes sense? By the time somebody has noticed that a pet has a problem…… gets around to writing a letter….. posting it…… waits for it to be delivered…… and…some days later…… reads a reply…… ??

Well really!

Taking on a pet is a lifelong promise to give it a good home, love, warmth, understanding, food and shelter, and medical care and treatment just as soon as there is a need for it.

There is, of course the need for regular medication against infestation by fleas and other pests, but the vet really IS the expert.

If you cannot afford to treat a pet properly, then don’t commit to having one.

After all there are always plenty of opportunities at your local re-homing centre, to volunteer to help with the animals stranded there through no fault of their own, until you are in a position to afford to offer to adopt the animal of your choice. You can cuddle cats; walk dogs; play with ferrets, or rabbits, or guinea pigs, or degus; or talk to birds. You might help with web sites, or answer the phones, or drive the ambulances (like we do), or clean out the pens. There again, you could help with the many fund-raising activities that are so essential.

Last year when we were camping near Perpignan , sheltering from a strong and long Tramontana wind, we had our own personal flying display from this fantastic machine.
It was was early in the season and there were very few people around.

We became aware of a noise even louder that the constant strong wind, then suddenly it roared overhead, and we at once recognised it as the gigantic Airbus 380, whose wings had been manufactured at Broughton in North Wales.

We tried to follow its progress as it was flying very low. It returned to the airport just to the west of us, appeared to land and then shot upwards again… and kept doing so for ages.

The region is famed for its strong and gusty Tramontanas, indeed a tree was blown down on the camp site that very day, (though fortunately it smashed onto an unoccupied pitch). This caused us to check out what kind of tree it was, and to ensure that there were none which were of a similar type upwind of us.

The plane was based at Toulouse, but had been waiting for just this weather to be able to fly down to Perpignan for these essential wind trials for real.

We felt excited and privileged to have been in the right place at the right time to witness these important trials.

So now she is off on her professional career.

Her first passenger carrying flight will be a charity ‘do’ later this month, before the money making trips start in earnest.

Godspeed.