Mischa's pups & some other stuff.

Gracie headed off to pastures new today, and fingers crossed Riley will be off to his new family on Monday. So that is all of Mischa's little babies in their new homes. :)
Mick & Julia were troopers again today, they have been fabulous over the past couple of days - thank you guys. Sharon & Liz enjoyed getting soaked bathing the babies.
This will be my last blog post for a while. My depression is acting up too much, so I can't see any good for the bad. I think I need to see a doctor again. By opening up on the blog, I have upset people as they don't think I appreciate them. That isn't true and I am sorry for that. So no more personal input from now. Strictly rescue business only on the website. Thanks to all for reading in the past.

Scarey times!!

The total vets bills for this week alone is over £1,000!! For 3 dogs! Izzy the RSPCA dog who came in in season, immediately after her season developed an open pymetra and had to have an emergency op on Wednesday. Judy Magic Ears managed to damamge the end of her tail and had to have an emergency partial amputation on Wednesday. A new arrival who appeared to be in some pain with his rear end and was grumpy when you touched him there went in for tests and x-rays. He has Hip Displasia. That plus a few packs of routine flea treatment and the bill comes to over £1,000! Add on top of that a foster dogs vet bill that came in for almost £400 last night and that takes this weeks vets total to just under £1,500! I admit I broke down and cried on the way home and again last night. I didn't sleep much. I really don't know how we will carry on soon. Homings are down because people are messing about and then despite all the info running off to puppy farms still - and guess who they will be phoning in ohhh, about 5 months time if not before...., people being too picky...want the impossible...I don't know, I just don't know. You know, the dogs are here - they need homes. Who cares if they don't all look like movie stars - they are beautiful on the inside and that is where is counts. They need homes of their own and people to love them like we do. Give them a chance - you might just be very surprised.

Thank you to the Wiccaweys FamilyI

I want to say a huge thank you to the wonderful Wiccaweys family and supporters for their kind emails and pms after my blog posting on Monday. You are all very special people and I love you all. One very special friend of Wiccaweys wanted to post something in response on the blog, but couldn't quite work out how, so I have promised that I would post what Derek wanted to say here. Over to Derek: Hi sarah, I want to write a supportive response to your blog about your being attacked by those bigots and their view of Wicca - but I'm not sure how to do it. What I want to say is that, as you know, I am a Catholic Priest. I have particularly studied and taught on spirituality and I do know a lot about Wicca. Although, of course, I don't follow Wicca myself, I respect your right to follow that religion and it did not in any way put me off supporting you and Paul and the fantastic Wiccaweys family. I have come across many animal/dog rescue places in the last three years, but Wiccaweys is unique. There's nowhere else like it. The others, sure, are efficient, kind and dedicated and they do a great job, but there is something extra in Wiccs. That something is simply the Wiccs magic - it is the incredible passion that you and Paul have for the dogs. Your love for each of the dogs is so deep and real that you are willing to allow yourself to be vulnerable and hurt and this inspires us volunteers/supporters to try to do the same. And, although I am not a follower of Wicca myself I can see that what you do with the dogs and how you love them is linked with your beliefs. What's more your love for the dogs has spread and influenced us -the supporters, especially the forum members - it's the Wiccs magic that has made us so sensitive and caring for each other. I have often said to my priest colleagues that I find more real love and caring in the Wiccaweys group than I have ever found in many Christian parishes. If you are what Wicca is about, then I think it's pretty good. Love, Derek

What gives them the right? Ignorance and Intolerance!

What was a lovely weekend was throughly ruined yesterday by one bigot. A lovely older lady came to adopt as she had lost her old friend recently and was offering a super home to another girl. She didn't drive so her nephew and his wife drove her over. They met the lovely Lollie and meetings went fabulously. The lady fell in love with Lollie and Lollie loved the lady. We went into the office to sort out the paperwork. The nephew and his wife were looking round as the lady was reading through and filling in the adoption forms. As happens quite a lot, the nephew asked where the name Wiccaweys came from. I explained, it was 'Wicca' and 'ways' except spelt with an 'e' instead of an 'a' - so 'Wiccaweys'. "Oh. So what does Wicca mean?" I gave my easiest response for people who might not know what Wicca is, and explained it is a pagan belief/religion, earth magic, witchcraft, herb lore, the old religion - that sort of thing. Both the Nephew and his wife pulled a face. I thought fair enough. You asked the question, I gave you an answer. I carried on helping the lovely auntie with her paperwork. Then I saw the Nephew lean towards the wife and whisper to her, and her nod in response. Unfortunately for him, I have very good hearing, and can also lip read a bit! "I beg your pardon, what did you just say?" "Nothing" "Yes you did, please repeat it" "I said it was a good job we were taking Lollie home as we can rescue and save her from the Witches clutches!" I am afraid I got very angry. "I do hope you are joking" giving him a chance to apologise and a way out. He shook his head, "No, we are Christians". Oh of course, that makes it alright then. How stupid of me!!! I got very angry indeed and told him exactly how offensive I found his comments, and "how DARE he come into MY home and offend me and my beliefs in that manner. What he had just done was no different from walking into the home of anyone from any walk of life or religious belief system and insulting them. Would he do the same to a Catholic or a Muslim?" I was so upset, angry and shocked that I had to walk away. I was physically shaking. I called Paul, explained what had happened and asked him to deal with them as I was so cross. I wanted them out immediately - disgusting people. Paul went and spoke to them and I knew he was cross too. Even with Paul, he used his 'We are Christians, we put up with persecution everyday' arguement for his actions! Paul said that had nothing to do with it and just because whether something may or may not have happen to him, it gave him no right to do the same to others. We wouldn't walk into their house and be rude about their personal beliefs. Eleanor (who incidently had come dog walking following her Sunday visit to church) was standing comforting the evil Witch (me) when the Nephew came out of the office. He walked over and made an attempt to apologise. I was not interested in him or his apology as I knew he didn't mean a word of it. He went and sat in his car. I just wanted them and their bigotted beliefs away from Wiccaweys. I did not want our work soured by their own ignorance. When I walked back into the office, the wife and the lovely Auntie were there talking to Paul. The poor Auntie was very upset as she was desperate for a friend, and her nephew had ruined it. I spoke to them again. I explained exactly how offensive her nephew had been. My beliefs had nothing to do with them adopting a dog. If they'd come over and discussed different ways of training, doing things with dogs etc, that is 'work' and to do with 'rescue'. What her nephew and wife had done was a personal attack against an individuals beliefs. I pointed out that one of the big things that Wiccaweys stands for is that everyone is treated as an individual, whether they are human or canine. No-one is judged and everyone is assessed as the individual they are. We are a big family and we have much loved and respected friends and supporters from all walks of life. We have Priests, Vicars, Reverends, Preachers and all the rest of the beautiful folks from all different beliefs, religions, work and ethnic backgrounds who make up the Wiccaweys family. All are welcome and no-one is turned away unless they are not for the dogs. They do not have a problem with who we are, or who I am - they care about what we do and the dogs we love. Because we are the people we are, and after a lot of soul searching, we allowed the Auntie to adopt Lollie. She is a very lovely lady and Lollie will have a wonderful home with her. Why should both her and Lollie miss out on many happy years together because of the ignorance of her nephew. Upset I admit this has really upset me. It has been on my mind constantly since yesterday. Do people really have that view of me? Does what we do, and what people see we do with the dogs fade to nothing because of someones zealous religious view point and them having no understanding of another persons? Isn't this the sort of rubbish in the bigger world that causes major conflicts? I never thought I would see it come into rescue. Our world is a very sad place for far too many reasons, and many people are too small or blinkered to see. I am thankful for OUR family, the Wiccaweys family.