The making of Custard

Hello!

Lately I have been focusing a lot of my attention on some different and unusual animals, which have been spending time at the centre: birds, buffaloes, piglets etc. Today I figure it’s time to turn our attention back to dogs. I want you to meet Custard.

Custard was made a centre dog way back in December 2006 following nearly three months in the kennels as a patient. He was brought to Animal Tracks by some friendly people who had seen him get hit by a vehicle (in true Goa fashion the driver of the vehicle simply carried on driving!) Luckily Custard hadn’t sustained any serious injuries and he was quickly physically fit again. During his treatment however it became evident that he was severely mentally traumatised. It was unknown whether the trauma was caused by the accident or some early experience in his life. He was only young - approximately eight months old – so it is possible he used to belong to somebody who didn't treat him well.

All staff at Animal Tracks embarked on the project of befriending Custard and making him trust humans again. It was not easy however and gradually more and more people started to doubt that he would ever get over his mental trauma. The vets were concerned about releasing him because of his nervous condition and Custard became the subject of severe debate. What could be done for him?

After weeks and weeks of hard work Custard finally found a friend in one member of staff who forced him again and again to endure her company. It was painful at first and a very gradual process but the day came when Custard finally decided that he trusted her. He has since been released at the centre but he remains a very nervous and guarded dog. He doesn’t mix with the rest of us and keeps himself to himself a little off the centre property. He occasionally accepts treats from the hands of volunteers but will not go anywhere near anyone except the one person who did not give up on him. They remain close friends and still catch up from time to time.

I always thought Custard was a handsome fella and have tried on several occasions to wag my tail in his direction but so far all my advances have gone unnoticed. Maybe one day Custard will discover me and we can go down to the pond and watch the sunset together...

Lots of love

Introducing my buffalo buddies

Hi there!

Today I want to tell you about some really cool buddies of mine. I bet you think all I do is hang around Animal Tracks all day - and mostly you'd be right to assume that! It is not the whole truth though. I also spend quite a bit of time roaming around Assagao either with someone from the centre gang or on my own.

We like to wander off in the cool hours of the evening for a change of scenery. Some of the other centre dogs go off to chase cars or stray cattle or to get up to some other kind of mischief. I like to go down to the pond and visit this gang of buffaloes that like to go for an evening swim there. For a long time the little natural pond was dry because we were approaching the end of the dry season but now that we've had a couple of storms and heavy showers it has filled up again so they're all really pleased. They don't seem to mind that I join them in soaking up the sunset... only I don't do it from inside the water. I'm happy staying on the shore!

At the centre lots of cattle are treated for all sorts of ailments: horn cancer, maggot wounds, burns, fractures etc etc. Most cows, bulls and buffaloes have owners but usually the owner doesn't mind International Animal Rescue taking care of the animals if they need to be treated. There are those however who refuse to let their animal be treated at the centre. Maybe they're afraid they won't get it back. Or perhaps their religious beliefs prevent them from agreeing to let IAR take custody of their cattle. In Hindu religion cows are sacred and while it's great that this means you can't kill them, it sometimes means that they are denied treatment by the owner for fear that it will cause them to die. It's really sad because this means that animals are left to suffer. Luckily this bunch is fit and healthy so for now I can continue to indulge in a bit of sunset meditation with them down by the pond.

Love from me!

Watching the birdies at Animal Tracks

Hello hello!

Well, we're going bird crazy at Animal Tracks these days. Not that birds aren't a regular occurrence - we often get sick and injured birds coming in and the team also rescues birds that are held in captivity illegally.

In India it is illegal to keep any native wild animal captive without a proper licence. This licence is almost impossible to obtain and in any case a number of criteria to meet the needs of the animals must be fulfilled before such a licence is issued. According to the law the licence must be revoked immediately if the animal is found to be neglected in any way. Sadly the law is not enforced properly and many people keep native birds, monkeys and reptiles as pets. In Goa International Animal Rescue responds to reports of such animals and, with the help of the local Forest Department, the animals are confiscated and rehabilitated.

The parrot currently being cared for at the centre was found tethered in the back yard of a family home in a local village in north Goa. It had sustained a nasty wound on the leg from being tied up but with the care of our vets we hope that he'll be up and running (sorry, flying!) in no time.

The kite was found in a poor state and unable to fly. It was admitted to the centre and examined but so far the vets have been unable to determine what the problem is. There are no fractures or paralysis and the kite appears in good health apart from it’s inability to take off. Investigations continue and we are all keeping our fingers and paws crossed for this fella.

"What happens with the birds that can't be rehabilitated back into the wild?" I hear you ask. Luckily there are a couple of private places in the area that have built aviaries for such birds. These places have permission from the authorities to house them and checks are carried out regularly to ensure that the birds are kept in suitable conditions.

Must dash. There are monkeys on the roof of the kennels and no way am I gonna let the other guys have all the fun chasing them off!

Bye for now!

The Vagator menace

Dear all,

It's not often that I mingle with the cats around here. It's partly because most of them aren't particularly friendly towards dogs but also because it simply isn’t cool for a dog to be friends with a cat. It’s sort of frowned upon a bit in our gang.

Anyway, I happened to be lazing around nearby when this ginger tom arrived at Animal Tracks. He has been named "The Vagator Menace" because of the way he's been terrorising the village. He actually found his way into the house of two of the volunteers and attacked their old cat Clive. Apparently the poor thing hasn't been himself since. "The Vagator Menace" wasn’t that easy to catch though. It took several attempts with a trap cage filled with everything from mackerel to cat biscuits before he finally succumbed to the temptation of the goodies and went in.

I’ll be in loads of trouble with my fellow centre dogs if they find out I've said this, but the truth is that cats are extremely clever and not easy to trick into doing anything.

"The Vagator Menace" will be castrated next week and when he's recovered he'll be released back in the village. Hopefully he'll settle down a bit but if not, who knows, we might see him at Animal Tracks again.

The heat goes on here in Goa and it is nearly impossible to stand it any longer. We are all praying that the rain may set in soon so the temperature will drop but until then we'll just have to do the best we can to stay cool. I'm in my usual spot in the staff toilet. The sun doesn't get in here at any time so the tiles are always nice and cool and most people have the heart not to kick me out even when they pay a visit.

I’ll catch up with you all again soon.

Woof woof!

5 little piggies who won’t go to market!

Hello again!

I have told you before that there is much more to Animal Tracks than cats, dogs and cattle. You've read about rabbits, birds, and other exotic animals and today I’m going to tell you the sad story of eight little orphan piglets. They were brought to Animal Tracks from the village of Aldona by a kind soul who could not simply leave them to their fate after their mother died.

Being less than two weeks old, the piglets need feeding every three hours so the team is busy making sure they get adequate nutrition. The vets put together their diet and the kennel staff ensure that the food is given to them around the clock. A cosy little nest has been made for them in one of the puppy cages. I’m not meant to go in there but I just had to sneak in one afternoon to have a look at these funny looking little things. They are so sweet but sadly, owing to infection and the stress of being separated from their mother only five piglets remain. Being so young their immune systems are not fully developed, so it is easy for them to fall prey to disease and, as in humans, stress weakens their immune system as well.

The remaining five piglets are doing great now and they have already grown a lot. The plan is to let them grow bigger and stronger and then find a suitable home for them with a farming family. We have to be careful though because, although there are a lot of takers for this little bunch, not all are looking to give them a loving home. In Goa there are many Catholic families who eat pork – unlike the Hindus – and many such families breed pigs to sell for slaughter. A pig can earn a family around Rs 2000/- (approximately £27), which is a lot of money here. Needless to say, none of us at the centre would want to send these cuties off to such a fate. I'm doing my best to spot the bad guys and take a careful sniff around anyone who enquires about the piglets.

I'll be in touch later to let you know what happens. In the meantime keep checking out my blog and the International Animal Rescue website for lots of interesting stories about the charity’s exciting projects.

Big hugs from me!

Little calf survives surgery for two broken legs

Hi there,

Although the centre is as busy as ever collecting and treating animals, there is something different about the place these days: there aren't so many people coming to see the place and play with us. The tourist season is over and naturally that means fewer volunteers come to help out which changes the atmosphere a bit. It's not buzzing in the same way. Having said that, the long- termers remain faithful and despite the heat they still find the energy to come and give a hand walking the dogs. So I still get my treats and cuddles and I'm not complaining.

A few weeks ago a very young male calf was rescued from the road side in the northern village of Tivim. He had been hit by a car and was in a bad state. Both of his back legs were broken and when he was brought to Animal Tracks there were doubts as to whether he would survive. Nevertheless the vets decided to give him a chance and immediately operated on him. Dr Nikhil, our specialist in orthopaedic surgery, went to work and completed the difficult task of mending the calf's legs with pins. It was a tricky job to do because the calf needed to be under general anaesthetic for a long time and that in itself put his life at risk. Luckily he pulled through and entered the next phase of recovering from the surgery and regaining his health and strength.

Now we are all keeping our paws crossed for the little Tivim calf. His progress is slow and the prognosis is uncertain. As much as we would all like to see him recover, there is doubt as to whether he'll ever be able to be released again. I wish we could have centre cows as we have centre dogs. Sadly it's not very practical because cattle take up a lot of space and need a lot more care than we dogs do. Besides, centre dog Nicky would chase them all off in no time since chasing cattle is his favourite pastime!

Lots of woofs from me.

Chris and Helen do a ‘Dogwalkathon’

Dear friends

Gosh, it's been way too long since I've been in touch with you all. No excuse is good enough but I guess it has just been too hot even for me to come out of the shady spot I've picked to lie in. Temperatures have exceeded 40 degrees C and, combined with the humidity level... Well there are just two things a dog can do - sleep and eat.

Anyway, I'm back now and I would like to tell you about two remarkable friends who came to the centre to volunteer earlier this year. Their names are Chris and Helen and they left their old lives in England behind to travel around Asia and volunteer for different charities.

Apart from spending lots of time at the centre looking after the animals, they also spent countless hours driving around Goa promoting our charity and drumming up support. Just before they left they did their famous Dog Walking Marathon. They pledged to walk each and every dog in the main kennels and the overflow kennels in one day. This amounts to around 100 dogs! They set up a donation website and managed to raise nearly £2000 for our centre! What an amazing initiative and effort.

I showed my support by following them as they were walking the dogs in the morning but as the sun crept higher and higher in the sky I had to give up. It was way too hot. How Chris and Helen did a whole day of walking without passing out in the heat is beyond me!

Chris and Helen have promised to come back and help at the centre in the not too distant future and I hope they have some more inspiring activities hidden up their sleeves. It's always good fun when there’s something out of the ordinary happening at Animal Tracks!

Love from me