Rodney has a home!

I'm back!

This time with a happy little story. You probably all know Rodney by now. He was admitted to the centre way back in September 2008 following a bad road accident and was subsequently put up for adoption when his carers decided they didn't want him back!

Well guess what? He has found a loving home with a family from Delhi who have a holiday home here in Goa. Although they do not live there permanently they have a caretaker who looks after the place and who will also look after Rodney when the family are in Delhi.

Volunteer Helen was there when the new family came to pick up Rodney and she made sure that he was taken good care of on the journey. Rodney didn't much like the trip apparently because he was sick in Helen's lap on the way! She laughed about it when she came back though. She said Rodney soon decided he liked his new home and all things point towards him settling in nicely.

I'm really happy for Rodney because I remember him being a really friendly, bouncy dog just desperate for someone to love him. I'm sure he would have ended up as one of our gang here at the centre if he hadn't found a home but I'm pleased he did. I'm going to keep my paws crossed that he has a long and happy life filled with lots of fun, love and juicy bones!

Love from me.

Moses the bull

Hello again!

Most of you already know that many different kinds of animals are treated at Animal Tracks by the vets and staff. Most commonly it is dogs and then cats that are brought in but after them the third most common animals to be admitted are cattle. These could be anything from domestic cows and bulls to wild buffalo.

Picking up cattle for treatment can be a tricky business. First of all these animals are often huge and can be rather fierce if not used to human contact. When a report is received about a sick or injured animal like this the first task is to assess whether it can be treated on site. If not, how easily can the animal be caught and transported? A vet will always accompany the driver to the scene to assess the situation. Another obstacle can be to determine whether the animal has an owner. This is important because if the drivers take it to the centre without the owner's permission International Animal Rescue could get into trouble. It may also be that an owner is willing to assist with the treatment by tethering the animal and keeping it for the duration of the treatment or by making a financial contribution towards the treatment.

This cute little bull is called Moses. He was picked up from Calangute with a nasty wound on his side. The wound had become maggot infested and could have caused severe infection if not treated. Luckily Moses is a good-natured bull and catching and transporting him was not a problem. He is also not too big so loading him into the ambulance was relatively straightforward. The wound has been treated and is looking much better. Moses is enjoying his time in the cattle pen with his new friends. He spends most of his time eating and chilling out in the shade but when someone pays him a visit he'll always find the time and energy to come up to the fence and say hello. He's also ok with all us dogs. We like rummaging around in the cattle pen and I think Moses quite enjoys our company. He's even managed to strike up a friendship with centre dog Nicky who normally goes out of his way to annoy the cattle at the centre just so he can have a bit of fun. Moses will be going back to his home shortly and hopefully he'll manage to stay healthy and happy.

Bye for now!

A prickly subject

Dear friends

Tell me, what is your definition of a bad day? Being caught in bad weather? Having car trouble? For me it's when I can't get my coat shiny enough or when my twitch is a little worse than normal.

My point is that we are all very good at getting ourselves down over small things. Take a look at this poor fella - now he's having a really bad day! He came head to head with a porcupine near the jetty in the village of Chapora and boy did he pay for it. When the encounter became a little too 'up close and personal' the porcupine released its quills and some of them went right through the dog's flesh... ouch! Mission complete the porcupine scuttled off and luckily our driver got to the dog in time as his injuries could have caused serious infection - possibly death - if left untreated.

Now the vets have removed the quills and the dog is recovering well in the kennels. He has also been sterilised so hopefully his urge to test his strength against anything that comes within a yard of him will wane. I hope so for his sake, imagine what he may come up against next time. Could be something far more dangerous than a porcupine!

Bye for now!