By Nick Morrison
The dog is mans oldest domesticated animal the figure of 130,000 years has been attributed to this relationship .
Although the initial association with wolves probably goes back far longer. Cats horses and donkeys also spring to mind , as well as the conventional farming livestock . There are many recorded instances of positive relationship interactions with other animals as well but gorillas and owls as I found out recently were new to me .
Dogs do however sometimes suffer because of this relationship from unthinking or sometimes cruel humans . This is where the dog sanctuary comes into play.
There are two main reasons for a dog to wind up in a sanctuary . The first is from the municipal dog pound where a dog has been picked up as a stray or abandoned . The second is Owner hand in . There are many reasons behind this but basically it is a change of circumstances for the owner . This could be bereavement moving accommodation where the new accommodation wont take animals, marriage breakup – the list goes on .
An unfortunate frequent case is the family that have taken on a cuddly pup with no thought to what they going to do once said cuddly pup grows up into a large active animal requiring frequent exercise .
All dogs coming to the sanctuary require assessment and some form of rehabilitation . Rehabilitation can take a few weeks , months or in some cases years . There is the occasional case where a dog can never leave the sanctuary.
Loving Homes Dog Rescue
The Loving Homes Dog Rescue is a registered Scottish Charity and is well-equipped to deal with these animals.
It has two paddocks equipped with high fences where the dogs can be exercised and a 3 acre field left wild where dogs can sniff rabbits and the like .
Coffee Morning
The sanctuary has recently been hit with an unprecedented string of vets bills mounting to over £7000 . This takes a bit of finding , to that end they are holding a coffee morning this coming Saturday in the Saint Magnus Centre starting at 10.00 AM.
