Celandine Wood Animal Rescue looks after 60 unwanted dogs and 30 cats

A vet set up her own sanctuary for unwanted dogs and cats after being called on to euthanise perfectly healthy pets. Sharon Williams, from Heswall, became a vet to save animals, and was dismayed when she was asked to put down dogs and cats due to owners deciding they no longer wanted them.

She said: “When I graduated as a vet in 2013 a lady brought a dog to me to put to sleep. She had taken it from a rescue and set it loose with her children right away, and it got overexcited and nipped one of them. So we took it home.

“As time went on, lots of dogs came in for euthanasia. I started taking them home and at first I got friends and family to help me look after them, and I’d rehome them to people I knew. As more people found out I was taking dogs in, I got more and more requests. Now because of the sheer number of animals who need spaces every day, it’s impossible to keep up.”

As a result, Sharon set up Celandine Wood Animal Rescue, where volunteers look after 60 unwanted dogs and 30 cats which would have otherwise been put down.

Sharon said: “Dogs, if they’re scared and have behavioural problems, it can take longer to rehabilitate them and find the right home to safely look after them for the rest of their lives. It is hard work. We get lots of dogs who have never been trained and are bouncy and destructive. People have got them as puppies and haven’t thought ahead.

“We have other dogs who are terrified, whose owners have not interacted with them correctly, so instead of being well-socialised they have become terrified of everyone and everything.

“It can take months to years to take a dog from being terrified to being well-adjusted, because it takes a long time to undo the damage that has been done to them. It takes an emotional toll, trying to work out the best for each animal and trying to meet their needs every day.

“Conversely, when you work with them and start seeing changes it can be incredibly rewarding. They would otherwise have been dead, but now they’re being loved properly for maybe the first time in their lives.”

She added: “I always wanted to be a vet. When I was a child we stayed on a farm and I saw 30 litters of kittens and they were drowning them. My parents took them home and looked after them, and ever since then I wanted to be a vet.

“I was quite distressed initially as a new graduate, worrying what I might see each day. There isn’t enough rescue space for every animal that’s to be put to sleep to be taken in. There’s also huge numbers of dogs in pounds that get put to sleep each day. We need volunteers, but we also need financial support because we need to pay the bills each day.”

Celandine’s rent is £3,300 per month, and with staff salaries, food and vet bills, the total running costs are around £10,000 a month. Kennel sponsorship costs £97 a month, and the sponsors get updates on the dogs they are helping. There’s also the option of shared kennel sponsorship for £20 a month.

Sharon said: “We really need a regular steady income to ensure the stability of the rescue and continue to help animals in need. We’ve had an influx of very sick animals recently that have wiped out our finances, such as two cats, Ophelia and Oreo, who have cost us £6,000 in vet bills and two puppies with broken legs.

“As well as the rent and vet bills, we need more funds for more staff to cope with the workload now we’ve grown. We also would love to raise another £6,000 to add some more kennels because we’re always full and it’s heartbreaking to have to turn animals in need away.

“We need to spend thousands on new fencing to make the outdoor area secure and we would love to develop the premises further with the creation of a treatment area and an area for agility training.”

To sponsor a kennel, visit here. To give another amount, one-off or regularly, you can do so here. You can make a contribution via bank transfer to Celandine Wood Animal Rescue using sort code 309950 and account number 28376962.