Eilidh

Eilidh was trodden on by her dam as a foal in 1993 and thus became unfit for the show ring as was intended .For this reason I was able to obtain her to hopefully help with the moving of fodder and hay once she was old enough . To help with this mammoth task it was decided to allow her to have a foal of her own

Eilidh and Sonny

 On a sunny day in May 2000 Eilidh’s son was born – Sonny.

On May 3rd 2008 my beautiful Eilidh lost her fight for life and died . We do not know what it was that she had to make her lose so much weight but eventually we had to let her go as she was too weak to rise once down .

I had her for 15 years and though all the animals are loved she had a special place in my heart as I had always wanted a Clydesdale mare . I still miss her.

 

 

Miss Piggy

Miss Piggy was a gorgeous Pot Bellied Pig with a character all of her own!   She loved attention and really enjoyed a good petting session!

Latterly she would only eat soft foods so the volunteers constantly had pots of vegetables cooking for her when it got near their turn to feed her.   Her snores could be heard from quite a distance away and we often wondered if she kept the chickens awake!

Mr Rochester

This feral cat came when we had our previous premises . We had thought we would be there for ever or I would not have taken on feral cats He and Heathcliffe lived the requisite three weeks in a cattery on site to allow them to acclimatise to their new surroundings . On opening the pen I expected Mr Rochester to disappear as he had never allowed ANYONE to touch or even speak to him without threatening to scratch or bite.  He stayed.

He became a very friendly cat and would sit on knees on occasion. He followed us around when doing the rounds as if checking all was well. He unfortunately developed a wasting disease at the age of eight and after a struggle we  had to let him go . He was a wee sweety and missed by quite a few.

Socrates

Socrates or Sox as he was known was born in 1988!  His owner died leaving him and his two much younger companions homeless . The two younger cats were taken to Cats Protection League where they were rehomed but Sox at his great age would be difficult to home – so he came to us .

He was  another of the  house cats we have . He was a very affectionate and loving cat and was always  VERY fit for his age . He did  NOT look his age ; he ate well and was even found chasing Ceoloch through the house on occasion [mind you she is a tease to the others  being much younger! ]

Sox went to have his teeth sorted as eating became a bit difficult in July 2011 and unfortunately due to his great age his old heart couldn’t cope with the anaesthetic and he sadly died .

Heidi

Our Pygmy goat Heidi died in early 2011 She came from Perthshire as an unwanted pet in 2003. Heidi could be difficult to catch in the early years but became more confident over time. She had never had young nor been milked – probably difficult with a pygmy as they are so small. She was a fiesty character head butting Sonny our Clydesdale Gelding even though she could only reach his knees !! She is sadly missed.

Marmaduke

This was another unhomeable ginger tom cat and only came a couple of weeks before we were given notice to quit our previous centre . He became happy for me to touch him but was still very timid . As age took hold he began showing signs of mental health problems and became a little wandered but was still active in the house and feeding well.
As his mental health problems became more difficult and he was becoming more distressed and was also upsetting Heathcliffe I decided on Friday 14th October 2011 to have him put down . He was a beautiful 17 year old cat with stunning orange eyes and I will miss him.

Biscuit

Biscuit our third greyhound was apparently born on January 1st 2008. When she was three months old it was discovered she had sight problems and she was removed from her siblings and put in a kennel on her own . She remained there for a year when she was handed over to Dogs Trust on her way to us. Poor wee soul her problems were much worse than we thought and on examination it was discovered her eyes though unseeing were themselves healthy and the problems were deeper seated in the optic nerve. Also she had mental problems and it was decided she had many traits indicative of Autism in humans.

She was a wonderful challange and my learning continued the whole time we had her . She appeared to enjoy life in her own way but was not an easy dog to work with. She was a stunning girl but her problems came to a head when she refused to eat any more and began to lose weight again . She once more went to the vet and was put on a drip which she pulled out . She began to eat a little so we tried again but was to no avail and on Friday 14th October 2011 I took her to the vet to be put down . A lot of me went into Biscuit over the previous two and a half years when I spent upto five hours a day walking and encourageing her to eat and drink and interact with me a little . She enjoyed a massage on her shoulders and neck and allowed me to cuddle her for short periods but always on her terms. She has left a huge hole in my heart and my life.

 

 

 

Orion

One of our rescued Horsfield tortoises Orion showed signs of incorrect feeding when he arrived a year past June . His shell showed ’ pyramiding ’ a sure indication of too high protein in his diet. He managed on correct feeding for over a year but became ill and stopped eating in the spring of 2011 . Despite  the  wonderful care of the exotic vets at Edinburgh Royal Dick Vet school and after months of stomach feeding and medication to try and heal his damaged liver he died after suffering  a hemorrhage .  He was a very friendly tortoise enjoying his head rubbed up till his death. I just wish these poor creatures were correctly fed from the word go and this wouldnt happen

Patches

My beautiful skewbald donkey came to us five years ago heavily pregnant with Pumpkin Pie . She was a lovely donkey with a gentle temperament and enjoyed cuddles and meeting people . For some reason this autumn she decided to eat privet hedge and unfortunately for her she didn’t just get a sore tummy. She became very poorly and had to be put to sleep to prevent further suffering.

She died in November 2011 with Pumpkin Pie near her and the body was left for a short time so that Pumpkin would know that her mum wasn’t coming back.   Very upsetting to lose  her and she will be greatly missed.

Dixie

Beautiful Dixie sister to Elvis unfortunately lost her life in November due to a painful stomach complaint . She was a lovely cat and had lived with my daughter since she and Elvis were pulled out from behind the  kicking boards as hissing and spitting bundles of fluff nine years ago . Her mother Spot and father Harlequin were feral cats but both became moggies with patience and TLC. Spot will be sadly missed .