rescuingBruno

Rescuing Bruno

Lynn Frankham

Although primarly dealing with German Shepherd Dogs sometimes we are in a position to help other breeds in need

Bruno on his way to Rottweiller welfare Association

Last week I happened to bump into my next-door neighbour, who was trailing behind him a young emaciated Rottwieller on a seat belt for a collar and lead. This poor dog obviously had a chronic eye infection as his eyes were all gunky and there was a problem with his hind quarters as he had difficulty in going up the stairs and was in some considerable discomfort. As a dog lover I found this really disturbing and felt compelled to ask what was going on. I was told that he had rescued this dog from some unsavoury characters but was unsure what he should do now. Sadly this neighbour has mental health issues and an alcohol problem, so really wasn’t in a position to be able to offer or indeed afford to give this poor lad the help he clearly needed.

Both my partner Dan and myself desperately wanted to give this dog a chance at a good life, so we offered to help our neighbour so we gave him a dog collar, some dog food for the dog and started phoning rescue centres for help. We were up against it when we got a knock on the door on Thursday morning to say our neighbour was going into hospital for a prolonged stay and needed to find a home for the dog that day. We tried calling the local National Animal Welfare Trust (NAWT) but were told they were all full and had a waiting list but they very kindly gave us some telephone numbers for Rottwieller rescues.

One of the numbers we were given was for Rottweiler Welfare Association (RWA), http://www.rottweilerwelfare.co.uk/ Dan called them and spoke to an amazing lady called Annie who without any hesitation told us to bring him to them. We hadn’t given much thought as to where this rescue was so once we got directions to their kennels near Cheadle, (as you probably know we are based in Watford, Hertfordshire) we knew we were in for a long drive.

We set off on Thursday afternoon at 2.30pm, got Bruno into the car and set off. We were unsure if he’d ever been in a car before and we certainly didn’t know how he travelled so it was a pleasant surprise when he got into the car and he quietly sat there. As the journey started he seemed a little unsettled, a lot of panting and it was clear he wanted to be in the front with us so we felt it would make sense if I got in the back with him which I did. I spent the entire 3 hour journey with Bruno either sat next to me or on my lap! We finally arrived at RWA and what a greeting we got, the staff all rushed out and gave us a hug for bringing him to them and from that moment on we knew we’d got the perfect place for Bruno. We were shown round the kennels whilst Bruno was taken for a quick walk around their field to stretch his legs, it was lovely to meet their other Rotties and see where Bruno would be starting his new life. I felt quite emotional to see him sniff at a female Rottie that was housed next door to him, all waggy tailed and a little lick for her.

We gave an initial donation of £140 and Val Pardy has kindly said she will donate £100 from the fundraing account to help with Bruno's initial care, kenneling fees and veterinary costs. Dan is also going to donate a days worth of Tattooing to help with Brunos care.

I intend on keeping in touch with RWA to find out how Bruno is getting on, they have kindly offered to send us updated photos of him as well. I can’t thank Annie and her band of volunteers enough for their kindness and the amazing job they do for Rottweilers and other breeds in need.

If you feel you would like to make a donation please contact Annie Telephone: 07752412462 rottwelfare25@tiscali.co.uk

reprinted with kind permission from
Lynn Frankham
Watford German Shepherd Help and Information
www.gsdhelp.info