Did you make any New Year’s resolutions?
If you’ve had several days of overindulgence during the festive season then one resolution may be a commitment to getting fitter and joining a gym.
The ManxSPCA can offer you a free alternative – why not become a regular volunteer dog walker?
We have plenty of eager canines just waiting to be taken out for some exercise either in the grounds of Ard Jerkyll or further afield.
We have a committed group of volunteer dog walkers who come and take the dogs out no matter what the weather (such as Stephanie Kelly, pictured with Sid the Staffie), but we always need more, particularly now that we are developing more comprehensive enrichment and training programmes for the dogs. Volunteers are given appropriate support and encouraged to help with these training programmes, so that their time with the dogs can be as beneficial as possible.
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer dog walker, or you would like information about the other volunteering roles within the ManxSPCA, please e-mail Juana Warburton on juana@manxspca.com. Our charity shop on Buck’s Road needs more help. It has car parking and a lovely, sociable team of ladies and gentlemen but now has some ‘gaps’ in its rota due to a couple of volunteers moving to the UK.
We all want 2016 to be a happy and healthy one, and the health benefits of owning a companion animal are scientifically proven. For example a recent study by a Scottish university found that dog owners over the age of 65 had, on average, the activity levels of those 10 years younger and displayed lower levels of anxiety or depression. Cats and rabbits have also been proven to enhance the lives of their owners, particularly those who might otherwise have limited interaction with their community.
We are still looking for a foster home for Cassie, the 11-year-old border collie who has hip dysplasia, but who is active and otherwise healthy now that her hair has grown back – she was practically bald when she came to us having lived in a flea-infested house. She doesn’t get on too well with other dogs, and is unsure about cats, but she is great with children and is one of the friendliest dogs you could ever meet.
Moving on to the cattery, we had a good spell at the end of December with 10 cats going to new homes before we ‘suspended’ rehoming for Christmas. We still have a number of cats and kittens and, as ever, certain cats who just don’t seem to appeal to the potential adopters who visit.
One such cat is called Thomas – he’s a large, distinguished-looking tabby Manx cat and is about 10 years old. He doesn’t like the cattery pens and so doesn’t come out to meet people, but when he’s approached quietly he starts to purr loudly and show his affectionate side. All the staff want to take him home!
And this week’s plea from the small animals unit is ‘please take a hamster home’! We now have nine of the little creatures, all dwarf hamsters, that have come to us as unwanted pets.
We wouldn’t want a new owner to make the same mistake and for them to be unwanted again, and so it’s important that we emphasise that hamsters naturally sleep during the day and come out at night and so they don’t necessarily prove to be the ‘fun’ pets that some children expect.
Their cages need to be cleaned at least twice a week, and they should be handled regularly so that they enjoy human company and interact with their owners. We can give you all the advice you need to make an informed decision. Please contact the small animals unit on 851672 or pop along to Ard Jerkyll to have a chat with the staff.
On behalf of the staff at the ManxSPCA, we would like to wish you all a happy and healthy 2016 - we hope to see as many of you as possible at Ard Jerkyll during the year. Our tearooms are open seven days a week from 10am to 4pm, and animal viewing is from 1pm to 4pm every day except for Thursdays.