Dear Supporter,
we cannot believe it, but it's the end of Summer and we are over halfway through 2022! It's amazing how time flies when you're having fun! In all seriousness it's been a busy year, this summer just adding to it as we ramped up our activities with groups and the public. It has been in truth - chaos - and it doesn't ever seem to stop both on the yard and on the phone. |
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We've been flat out with responding to welfare issues, rescue requests and rehoming calls; the majority of which feature young dogs aged 2 and under presenting with behavioural problems.
As of this week we have helped rescue, rehome, retrain and give a home to 71 individual dogs. This number in comparison to some rescues may not be significant but for us this is a number that we haven't reached since 2013 when we had the council and police contracts; and those figures were for a full year and not just 8 months.
Of these 71, 45 were helped via our home from home program. The home from home has proved invaluable this year especially when we cannot keep up with the requests for help; even with our fosterers help and the donations from the public. |
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Through our home from home program we've been able to help 28 cats this summer (June-August) - bringing our total number of cats taken in / helped between June and August to a whopping 101! With our permanent residents and the others who have yet to find homes from before we are constantly at capacity and yet still receiving calls and emails daily to help more. Home from home has meant we've been able to help an extra 159 animals that we didn't have the facilities or the space for this year. We've been able to help connect owners with potential new homes and assist with the transition where we can. Dogs, cats, horses, ponies, donkeys, pigs, goats, cows, rabbits, guinea pigs, ducks, roosters, parrots, and even two lizards! All found new homes thanks to Home From Home. |
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Now we do hope you've had a chance to enjoy some of the amazing weather - even if we did wish for rain some days! We think it comes with being Northern Irish - when it's raining we want sun and when it's sunny we want rain. But we're grateful for what we can get as the dry weather this summer has meant we were able to achieve a lot of things. First thing we got done was some much needed drainage work. If you've passed the sanctuary recently you may have noticed the large mound of earth/stones/weeds has disappeared, and that our front grass paddocks have been merged into one large one. We were given some money a number of years ago to get the work completed to help with the flooding issues come the winter months but we've struggled to get the work done until this year. We won't know how successful the project has been until winter and the rain comes but we've made a start! The horses, ponies and donkeys also got some great turn out this year with the rain coming just in time to keep the grass from dying like previous years. With the particular groups of horses and ponies we have at present, we weren't able to make use of offered grazing as we have before; so having our own grass is essential. Of course with the dry weather comes dust, and one thing we needed to sort in August was the front paddock of our barn which has been untouched (apart from top ups) for over 6 years. The surface was more dust than bed and the equi-grid beneath had risen in areas creating dangerous trip hazards. We were lucky to be left some funds as a legacy and we made part use of these to buy a new surface for the barn paddock. Before we could put it down though, the worst of the old surface needed lifted and we had a brilliant group up via Business in the Community who helped us ready for the paddock to put down the new surface. Hercules, Lucas, Lucy, Lady and Tinny were the first in to check it out. Hercules, we are sure was very grateful as he'd be having increasing difficulty with dust allergies. |
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We had others who weren't so fussed on the heat either and we are sure many of you struggled with your pets during the heatwave. We were lucky to have some great supporters and volunteers who made sure our smaller animals had what they needed in this weather. Francis and friends got together to weed out the front garden and cut back some of the overgrowth, providing more space for the chickens and lots of nice spots for their dust baths! Tim and Elva were very grateful to Sophia for the donation of some lovely cooling toys, while the cats were grateful to Andrew and Carol for the paddling pool and the water fountain. The dogs, cats and chickens who get the run of the back garden also got a paddling pool to play with! |
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So it's been busy, and if you don't follow us on social media you probably won't be completely up to date on all the things that have been happening on the yard. We want to say a special thanks our new admin assistants; this summer we've got 7 brand new volunteers to the team to help with specific areas of admin. Helping with Cat rehoming and with our Website and News Page. We are still on the lookout for help for other areas, including help with publicity and press as well as others to be confirmed so if you think you can help get in touch! |
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One area our new admin assistants are helping with is chronicling a weekly update on our website - collecting a basic update of all that's happened during the week, including rehoming appeals, updates, volunteer posts, etc. Check out some of the most recent updates by clicking on any of them below. |
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Take a look on our website for all the latest news from the yard, who is looking for a home and how you can help! | | |
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Resident Updates #barncheck |
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So what have all the resident's of the sanctuary been up to this summer? Well as previously mentioned we haven't had any out on grazing foster this summer due to current setups and needs, but that doesn't mean they've missed out on Holiday fun! |
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Lucy, Tinny, Lady, Lydia, Susie and Laurel all took part in a few weeks of fun activities with a youth group from Autism NI, helping to teach the girls how to handle, groom, and care for a horse and pony. On the final session of the workshops Lydia, Susie and Laurel (pictured left) all took part in an equine agility course, testing not just their handlers communication and handling but also their forward thinking and planning skills! |
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Angel, Hercules, Lucas, Lucy, Lady and Cyril have been having some issues with their feet - being footsore on the harder ground and we were kindly donated some Cavello hoof boots to try. Well, we couldn't get the fit right on any of them so we reached out to Cavello for advice on sizes and they've very kindly offered to sponsor some pairs for a couple of the horses and to assist with sizing and fit. So the next time you see the ponies out on the yard you may notice some in some snazzy new "trainers" (hoof boots)! |
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Giles and the hens from the front garden have been making use of some of the donated Agility equipment. Next stop Crufts (for chickens obviously!). |
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The Egyptian dogs, Cairo and Sofitel, got a pool to play with to help keep them cool - they weren't fussed. We guess they are used to hotter in Egypt! |
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The Cabin cats got a ball pit to play with - Annie wasn't fussed but Sidney was very impressed! We had to limit how many balls they could have at one time as she enjoyed throwing them all over the floor! |
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It's been all go at the sanctuary this summer, while we've been at capacity at nearly every moment there are those who needed us urgently and snuck in. For many pets who have homes already we will aim to rehome home from home, or help with training, advice or support. This leaves us more space to be able to support those who need us most; those without a home, or care or those who need more TLC than a home can provide. |
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Missy came to us in June this year at around 7 months old. She had been living in a hedge in a garden and had been since being rescued in a bad state as a 3-4 months old pup. The original rescuers got her to gain weight and looking healthy but they couldn't reach her mentally and training was going backwards. They approached various rescues, trainers and behaviourists who all refused to work with her due to aggression and a history of biting. That's where we came in. | | |
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Cat Flu - An Epidemic? On the last week of August we were asked by another rescue for help. We'd already taken in a mother and kittens a few weeks previously who were all very sick. They have had an epidemic of cat flu and were finding it impossible to provide the care needed. Sadly, some had already passed away or were put to sleep due to complications of the cat flu; many younger than 10 weeks old. | | |
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Happy in a Home! #loverehoming |
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We are glad to say with so many animals coming in we are also getting some out to new homes - including some who have been in our care for over a year! |
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Gwynedd (now called Izzy) is settling into her new home as a therapy pony. Gwynedd as many of you may remember was rescued in July 2021, severely overweight in the middle of a laminitic attack and with badly overgrown hooves. She had been abandoned in a field for over a year - her companions all removed one by one until she was left on her own. She's been looking for a home for just over a year now and in August she found her home. She wasn't the pony they applied for but we asked them to consider her and on meeting they fell in love. She's got a mini me at her new home in the form of Magic the pony and some piggy neighbours over the fence! |
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Jack the kitten was rescued in July after he and his siblings were dumped in a cardboard box at the side of the road. Thankfully, a member of the public found them and brought them to us. All were quite traumatised and very unsure of human contact. Jack was spotted on our Facebook page and a lady emailed offering a home - we got the application and immediately knew it would be perfect for him. A little more handling, avet check and a home check and Jack was off to his new home where he settled in like he'd always been a part of the family! Jack's siblings will be looking for homes of their own very soon! |
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Edie the French Bulldog came into us at the end of June. She had a severe skin condition that needed daily care to get healed up. She moved into foster care where she could get the TLC she needed and naturally her fosterer fell in love with her. Unfortunately the other dog in the home wasn't so fussed. So when Edie was ready we reached out to find her home of her own. We were inundated with applications to adopt - as we expected - but one stood out as the perfect home. Introductions, home check all passed and she was soon off on her new adventures with her new family! |
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There are so many stories to share with 8 horses and ponies, 9 dogs, 5 rabbits, 2 pigs, 12 goats, 3 Roosters, and 61 cats and kittens finding homes this summer! Perhaps next quarter one of the rehoming stories could be yours! |
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Looking for a Home #ineedahome |
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We have so many wonderful animals looking for homes; dogs, cats, horses, ponies, donkeys and roosters! Not all are on-site at Crosskennan which is why we do request everyone puts in an application form before requesting an appointment to visit because it may be that the animal that best suits you is in a foster home or still in their original home in the case of Home from Home. |
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| | Check out all our Cats currently searching for that purr-fect forever home! | | |
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| | Can you give a dog a home? Check them out here and give them the chance they deserve? | | |
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| | Could you offer a home (companion / ridden) to a rescue horse, pony or donkey? | | |
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We've had a number of events on over the summer but we haven't stopped planning and we have some events still to come and ones still to be advertised for the Autumn and Winter period so do keep an eye out on our website and social media! Want to get involved with fundraising or organise an event then get in touch!
Email office@crosskennanlane.org.uk |
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Sponsored Autumn Dog Walk 1st of October - 12pm sharp at the Sanctuary. Dogs welcome - and fun dog show to take place after walk. Please register on our website so we can keep you updated! | | |
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Silver Anniversary - Charity Gala Dinner/Dance All proceeds going to help the animals. A night of putting the fun into fundraising and kicking of those welly boots as we celebrate 25 years of charitable status! | | |
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Missed an Event? You may have missed our events over the summer - including some Guided tours and a few mindfulness relaxation evenings. One of our volunteers attended and wrote up a brief account of a couple of these events - read about them below. There is an opportunity to let us know if you would like to attend future events like these or have us run something similar so please do let us know! We will only run them again if we have interest to do so! |
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| | Guided Sanctuary Tour - complete with equine guides and cat cuddles! | | |
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| | Rescues Restore - An evening of relaxation and mindfulness | | |
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While we are slow at getting new volunteers started on the main yard we are actively searching for volunteers to assist with admin, fundraising, events, maintenance, publicity, press, and even photography! |
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Get your hands dirty! We need volunteers for; |
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Sign up and we will add you to the volunteer group that suits you and when we need help you'll get a notification. If you are free and able to help then raise your hand. No set hours or commitment - help when and where you can! |
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Volunteer from your sofa! We are currently advertising for; |
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Donate and Support #oursupportersarethebest |
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You can also help support the sanctuary any time you shop by signing up with Easy Fundraising! | | |
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Make sure you never miss an update! |
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