Our lovely boys

Rocky

Hi everybody, my name is Rocky and I am what the staff call a crossbreed! I started off my time with the RSPCA at the Leicester Centre. They were very nice to me there but I just couldn't seem to get a home so they decided to move me to the Derby Centre. I like all the people here - especially the dog walkers! But I'm still struggling to find a home. I like people a lot and would love to live with a family. I get on well with most dogs - my only downfall is that I'm not a big fan of cats I'm afraid!

My favourite things are going for walks with my best friend Chloe (she's looking for a home too!) and playing with the staff in the yard. I promise that I'll be a great companion if you take me home with you. As much as I love the people who look after me, I really am fed up of being in a kennel now and would really like to go to a new home. What do you think? Am I the dog for you?

Maxwell

Hello everybody, my name is Maxwell. I'm a bit old to be stuck in a kennel really - I'm about 10 years old (I sometimes forget a little bit in my old age!) and I would really like to be in a home with lots of treats, warm comfy beds and love. It's okay here - I get fed, my skin is looking lots better now it's been treated, my fur is growing back and I get to have cuddles in the dog yard with lots of people. But it's not the same as having a home of my own.

I know most people might just consider the younger models around me, but please think about giving me a nice home too. I've been around too long now to be bothered by things like other dogs and cats so I should fit in well in most homes! Why don't you come and meet me and see what you think?

Ace

I'm Ace and really, I match up to my name don't I? My last owner tied me up and left me so I don't really want to have to go through that again. It was quite stressful, even though the Inspector who found me was very nice to me and gave me lots of love. 

I have to be honest - I don't really like other animals. I was never taught to get along with them you see, so they just irritate me. I wouldn't like to live with any dogs or cats - but if you're looking for an only dog I'm the one for you! I'm not all that old so I have been told that I'm still a bit bouncy. Perhaps really young children wouldn't be right for me because I like them a lot but I wouldn't want to push them over when I got excited. If you've got children who are a bit older though and can take me on walks and play ball with me in the garden that would be great! 

I really am a 'people' dog. I'll greet anybody with a kiss because I really do think people are amazing. I know the last owner I put my trust in left me, but I don't think all people are like that. And I'll keep loving everybody until somebody loves me back.

Chinook

Have you had a husky before? Yes? Then why don't you come and look at me! I'm now available for adoption and just looking for the right person to take me home. The truth is, I am quite a large dog and I'm heard that us huskies can take quite a bit of training so we're best to go with somebody who has experience of all that really. 

I may be 6 but you'd never know! I love to play and my coat looks fab (if I do say so myself...). What do you reckon?

Scrappy

Hi! I'm Scrappy! The staff named me that as I've got lots and lots of energy. I need somebody who can take me on lots of walks and give me training to keep me occupied. I haven't had very much training at all in the past so I'd really like to have some in my new home please! I'm getting training at the Centre and i'm understanding more and more every day. I'm a very friendly dog though and the staff said they were surprised at how well I walked on my lead. I was very good and waited at roads when I was told to.

I like nothing more than a back rub and if you've had experience of owning strong dogs in the past I could be perfect for you :)

Can you give any of our lovely boys a home? Please pop down and meet them :)

Kittens, Kittens, Everywhere!

Hi Guys,

Firstly - I'm sorry it's been so long since one of my furry friends has posted on here! We've all been so busy playing and trying to get ourselves homes that it just slipped our minds.

Anyway, my name is Joseph and I'm 11 weeks old.

I was brought into the Centre with my best friend Jodie after we were found dumped in a hedge :( Unfortunately, the staff have told me that it's not uncommon for that to happen. We don't know what we did wrong, or why it happened to us, but at least we're being well looked after now. 

Apparently we're in a part of the year called 'Kitten Season' where lots of kittens like me are born. This year even more kittens than usual are being born because people aren't getting their cats neutered. Because of this lots of cats are having babies, like me, and there aren't enough homes for us all. That means that lots of us end up getting left behind. Now, I don't know too much about this neutering business (apparently I'm too young at the moment) but if it stops kittens like me being unwanted and getting abandoned then I think it's a great idea!

It wasn't nice at all, being abandoned, and I'm just thankful that somebody found us and told an Inspector. I'm sharing a cat pod with Jodie and another kitten called Georgia. She told me that she was dumped in a box with her mum, who was pregnant again, and her brother Hector. Like me, she was shy when she arrived because of what she had been through. Luckily the nice people who found her called the Inspectors and they came to rescue them. I'm very grateful because otherwise who knows what would have happened to my friend Georgia??

What I'm trying to say is, from what I've heard neutering is very very important...please neuter your cats if they aren't already neutered. It really is for the best and then there might be enough homes for all the cats out there! And if you are thinking of adding a cat or kitten to your family, why don't you come down to the rescue Centre? Everybody here really needs a home!

Also...if it wouldn't be too much trouble...I'm looking for a home of my own. Can you help me? I'd be very grateful if you'd consider rehoming me with Jodie as well. We've been through so much together and we'd really like to grow old together now :)

Lots of love,

Joseph xxxx

Hi guys Eric here,

Gosh I wish I had wrists big enough for one of these i would deffinately get myself one!!!

If you would like to support us and purchase one of our fantastic blue Derby and district bands come on down quick they are literaly "flying" out the door.

 

Eric - Available for adoption.

RSPCA RABBIT RESCUE

As a rabbit is popped in its carrier, her new owners are happily chatting about their new furry friend, the other bunnies look on happy for her but sad it wasn't them, they wonder who will take her space......

Looking around at all my friends and wobbling my nose at them and watching them wobble on back at me i realised how lucky we all were, We are safe, comfy, have lots of space to run and toys to play with, companions and  carrots-well our lives are almost complete........almost........ I myself had been picked up as a stray, I lost my way and couldn't possibly find my way home. It seemed a good idea at the time, the outside world was calling me, Just on the other side of the gate was a whole new life and a world waiting for me to explore it. I didn't realise the world was a big scary place, full of dogs and cars and oooo cats! I had never been so happy to see someone in all of my life, and when i saw a washing basket heading my way with my name practically written on it I didn't put up much of a fight (well you have to at least try and look like you don't want to be caught don't you?). when I was taken to the RSPCA animal shelter my new friend seemed sad to be parting with me but explained to the staff at the desk he couldn't possibly keep me as he didn't have enough time to care for a rabbit. I was taken to a large hutch with plenty of bedding and sweet hay to eat. I soon settled in and speaking to my floppy eared neighbours, I realised all of us were in the same boat, sure some of us had been abandoned by our owners some had been unwanted pets for children who had got bored of them and others their owners had developed an allergy against them but one thing we all had in common, although we were safe and warm, We all looking for a new home.

Over the next few days the shelter got fuller and fuller and each space got filled with a new face and a new story, some days one of us would leave to a new home but the space would soon be refilled. but there is one day i will never forget. The day of the rabbit army!

It was cold and a little drizzly, I was minding my own business having a good old munch of my hay ball when i heard a scurry of feet. I pressed myself closer to the bars to see what all the fuss was.

And then I saw it.Bunny after bunny after bunny came round the corner carried in boxes, all of them lining up like a rabbit army! I had never seen so many of our kind in one place! big ones, small ones, fluffies, smoothies, lops, up ears, dwarfs, giants every type you could possibly imagine.

I didn't want to be rude but i simply couldn't help myself,
"Where are you from?" i asked the nearest bunny a tiny white angora. His eyes peeked out at me from under his floppy hair, he had a twitchy nervous look about him but I wondered if it was just all his hairs wobbling together that was creating this affect? He eyed me suspiciously at first as if sizing me up then seeming somewhat satisfied that I was of no threat replayed in a fast, anxious voice.

"Me and my friends here came in all together from a home where there were 45 animals, imagine that 45!" I couldn't imagine that it seemed beyond belief. I was having trouble believing in these bunnies in front of me let alone more!

"gosh" i replied "and why are you here?"

The bunny mulled this over for a moment and then in a thoughtful voice replied
"I guess there was just to many of us?, we all need lots of love and time and I suppose with so many, that just wasn't possible, we had plenty of food but in the end it was just too much, our claws were getting long and we had to fight for affection. Me being small I got pushed out quite a bit."

That's so sad, I thought back to my own owner and the amount of time she used to take cleaning me and letting me run round the garden. and I felt a pang of guilt. I had run away looking for a new and exiting life without thinking or giving to time to imagine there were other bunnies with a much harder lives than my own.

"So are you pleased to be here?" I questioned.

"Oh yes im hoping for a lovely home with a friend and someone who has got time to look after me and my long coat", (deep breath) "I feel safe here, im looking forward to the future now"

That day passed with a number of brushings and bathings, claw clipping and teeth checking, The new bunnies seemed happy in their accommodation and seemed to cause quite a stur with the staff at the shelter who cared for us, with each new rabbit being met with combination of cooing and ahhhhing. This was followed by The filming I knew about the Tv, that box thing in the corner of the room with the moving pictures on it , I had offen watched it threw the window, but I never thought I would be on it! The stars of the show were the new bunnies, I listened to the man talking about the rabbits and thinking how true everything he said was. We do need lots of care and offen are forgotten at the bottom of gardens, I thought of all the hard work and time the rspca was putting in not only to rescue rabbits like my new friends but to care and look after us till we could be adopted. I was thankful for the kind people who opened their homes to foster rabbits like myself and  hoped that with the news report it would encourage people to come and see us and think about adopting.

That night when all the excitement was over and I was settling down in my hay I heard a

"pppsttt! pppst!". It was the angora newly named Bobby dazzler,

"whats next?" he whispered in his quick but now not so anxious voice.

"next?" i asked.

"yes what do we do now?"

"now" Isaid gazing up at the stars, "we make a wish and wait for our dreams to come true".

In a group of cages in Derby there sits 16 bunnies wishing on the stars that their dreams will come true and a new owner will come in and adopt them, that they will start a new life in a new home with someone who will love and care for them for the rest of their days.

Success Stories of 2012

As we are now reaching the end of 2012, I wanted to look forward to the New Year by ending with some of our success stories from this year. Unfortunately, we sometimes do have animals brought in to us that we cannot save. Thankfully, these are the minority and, as the stories below show, the majority of the time we are left with heart-warming success stories. It makes everything we do worth-while.

Dusty



Handsome Dusty at the Centre

Dusty was brought into us by a refuse collector who thankfully heard his cries from inside a dustbin. Just in the nick of time as well, as a few seconds later poor Dusty would have been crushed. Luckily he was uninjured and seemed to be none the worse for wear. Shortly after he was rescued, a wonderful lady rang the Centre, wanting to adopt two cats. She came down to us and met Dusty and Storm. It was love at first sight and she took them home to live with her, her family and her other rescue cats, where they have quickly settled in. Dusty’s new owner called her a couple of days after she took him home, thanking us for him as he had become ‘her little shadow’. What a happy ending for this chap!

Hachi



Tiny Hachi being bottle-fed



Hachi and his five brothers and sisters were brought into us when they were only a few days old. They needed round the clock care and so they were taken in by one of our brilliant foster families. They hand-raised them, feeding them at all hours (many sleepless nights!) and doing everything their mother would normally do for them. Against the odds, four of the six puppies survived and when they were nine weeks old they came back to the Centre to find new homes. They were quickly snapped up and have now happily settled in with their new families! Below is a picture of Hachi all grown up in his new home.



Big Boy Hachi in his new home!

Poppy


Poppy was in a horrendous condition



Poppy was one of our high-profile stories from this year. She was found abandoned at night, by the side of a country road. Thankfully, a lovely lady spotted Poppy’s eyes shining in her headlights and, at risk to herself, stopped to investigate. It was Poppy’s lucky day as if she had been left in the ditch much longer she would certainly have died. She was severely emaciated, her fur was patchy and she had sores on her joints. Her rescuer called National RSPCA, who arranged for her to stay at the Vets we use overnight. The next morning our volunteer driver, Dean, brought Poppy in to us from the Vets. Straight away Dean bonded with Poppy. It’s not hard to see why, despite all she had been through Poppy was still so trusting and just wanted love. Once she began on the road to recovery, Dean took her home on foster, to live with him and his other dog, Soda. With regular meals, love and exercise, Poppy slowly began to recover and now she is a different dog! Looking at her, you would never guess the trauma she has had in her past. Dean and Soda couldn’t bear to be parted from Poppy after all they had been through with her, and he has now adopted her.



All recovered, she looks like a new dog!

Sasha


The gorgeous Sasha enjoying a fuss



Sasha is a beautiful Collie X Akita, who for some reason everybody passed by. She was loved by all the staff and volunteers, but members of the public never seemed to stop at her kennel. She had a reserve which unfortunately was taken off, and it seemed as though it would never be her turn to leave! Being part Collie, Sasha is very clever – she picked up commands with ease and quickly adapted to clicker training. Combined with her beautiful face, and her easy temperament, she would make a perfect dog. Finally, a family of three came to look around the Centre on the off-chance there would be a suitable dog here. The teenage daughter spotted Sasha and absolutely fell in love. They never looked back and Sasha is now well settled with her loving, new family who said they couldn’t believe their luck.

Rapunzel & Cinderella

Rapunzel & Cinderella were part of the ‘Disney Kitten’ litter! They came into the Centre when they were 8 weeks old and suffering from cat flu. They recovered and were placed up for adoption and their brother found his new home quickly. However Rapunzel, Cinderella and their sister Mulan were not so lucky. The fact that they were slightly larger than some of the other kittens we had in, combined with them being plain black, meant they were with us for quite some time. Although they were slightly more timid than some of the kittens and cats we had in, after a few minutes of bringing them round they were like different cats, and were very affectionate. At the start of December, Rapunzel & Cinderella were spotted by a couple who had come to look around the Centre. They were soon happily settling in to their new home. Rapunzel has now been renamed ‘Pumpkin’ and Cinderella is affectionately known as ‘Cinders’. Their new owners have given us an update: “Pumpkin is the most curious of the two, whilst Cinders was a little timid to start with. They have settled in now and have found their voices at dinner time! They like to run up our curtains and watch our indoor fish tank. They have a cosy basket and like to snuggle up together and clean each other. Both now have matching blingy collars! They are lovely personable cats who just needed a warm, loving home. Thank you for letting us have them.”

Happily snoozing in their new home

Sunrise



Posing at the Centre




Sunrise the rabbit unfortunately had a long stay with us, despite the fact that she had a stunning coat and was a friendly girl. Eventually, months after she came into us, she was rehomed earlier this year. Now she can get the love, attention and space and that she desperately needed.




Squirrel


Beautiful Squirrel is still waiting for a home



Squirrel is a little different from the other success stories, as she is still waiting for a home. However, we still count her as a success due to her dramatic rescue! The RSPCA had a phone call from a worried member of the public who spotted Squirrel and her three kittens high up in a tree – it seemed like she thought that would be a good place to give birth! One of our Inspectors was sent out and she called in the Fire Brigade to help with the rescue. Luckily all four were brought safely back to the ground and they were sent off to a foster home. When the kittens (aptly named Conker, Ash & Willow) were old enough, the little family was brought back to the Centre to be rehomed. The three kittens were quickly snapped up, now it’s just Squirrel searching for a home where she will be safe and loved for the rest of her days.

Goodbye, Patch

This blog post is all about Patch the Spaniel, who was a beloved dog at the Centre. For those of you who weren't following us a few years ago, he came into us in August 2009 with a flea allergy. He was in a bad way and in desperate need of some TLC.

Unfortunately, Patch was 14 when he came in to us, so the chance of him being rehomed was reduced. He lived behind Reception for a year and bonded with the staff, particularly with Malcolm. Everywhere Malcolm went, Patch wanted to go too.

In 2010 Mark & Lisa came into the Centre to view the dogs and spotted Patch. It was love and they decided to take him home to live with them and their existing dog.

For two years Patch was given the love and attention he deserved with a wonderful family. He bonded with the other dogs in his new family and had a new lease of life. Sadly, early this year Patch passed away. We are so happy that he had those lovely last years and he will always be fondly remembered by the staff.

OZZIE

silly rolly polly dog

Smile

Hello, My name is Ozzy and I am a 6 year old male Staffy. I came into the shelter as my owner could no owner care for me. I Love people and once you meet me I will soon have you in stitches as I am so comical. I love to have my belly tickled and will roll around until you do so. I am so soft and soppy some of the staff think I may be a teddy bear in disguise. My only down side (and this i'm not proud of) is that when I was a pup I was not introduced to dogs properly and now I do not know how to react around them. At a distance I can cope but up close I panic, meaning at the moment I have to be walked on a muzzle. However dont let this put you off, I dont mind at all, and if you talk to the staff they will let you know what to do to help me manage this. I really am a wonderful dog and very very loyal. If you can come and see me I would be very grateful. I'm looking forward to meeting you.

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