Tyla & Chelsea – ‘This Is Your Life!’
Many of you may
remember two of our long time fosters Tyla and Chelsea. Tyla was recently rehomed
after almost three
years in care and Chelsea was rehomed after over a y
ear
in care. Below is the ‘This Is Your
Life’ look at their time before, during and after foster care. We wish them the
very best in their new forever homes.
Tyla and her brothers and sisters were
rescued by their carer Judith in February 2004. These poor little 3-4 week old
kittens has been found tied in a plastic shopping bag at a local park. They
were extremely ill and very underweight which resulted in one of the litter
dying two days later.
The four remaining
kittens were all ginger and were all female except one which is not very
common. Their progress was very slow which wasn’t helped by an outbreak of cat
flu which was followed by a very bad case of ringworm! They eventually
recovered from their illness but were growing into very shy and self contained
cats who never really warmed to the noisy home environment.
Lots of people came to see them but no one could ever
break through the shyness although they bonded well with their carer. They were
obviously going to be ‘only’ cats! Many other cats and kittens came and went,
but not this lot! I had just about given up hope when one of them was placed as
‘Pet Of The Week’ This was ‘Thomas’ the only male of the litter. In February
2005 he was rehomed to an older, childless couple who spent lots of time in
their nice quiet home! It was a bit of a slog at first, but to this day they
adore him and firmly believe that he was worth the effort.
The next big break for these guys came when Judith got
another call about Thomas.
After finding out the story of the litter these people
were keen to help. The adopted ‘Timothea’ a few days later and the same story
unfolded. Now Judith was left with Two – Tyla and Tobie.
Judith was concerned about Tyla as she was by far the most
sny and timid of the litter. Tobie was the most friendly and outgoing and even
enjoyed being picked up and hugged for a bit. Tyla’s big change came when she was placed as ‘Pet Of The
Week’ in the ‘Bush Telegraph’ in February 2007. She was spotted by a lady who
had just lost two cats (one to death and the other to her son who had left
home) She lived alone in a nice quiet home in a lovely quiet suburb. She worked
only a few days per week and spent most of her time at home. Perfect!!
Judith spent a very long time on the phone talking to her
about Tyla and she decided she wanted to meet her. Elizabeth came out prepared to take Tyla
home and that’s what happened. Judith and DCH Agreed to a one month trial
period and at this stage we haven’t heard it’s not working out – fingers crossed!
As for Tobie, she is still waiting for that forever home!
Chelsea came into care when only 5months old in May 2005. She and her brother Oscar were
surrendered through to us as the result of an unwanted litter. The parent’s history was a bit
dubious and it was thought that mum was a Malamute and dad was a "mountain breed", but try
as we might none of the suggested mountain breeds (St Bernard, Newfoundland etc) rang a bell
with the family. As Chelsea grew up she did have the markings of a Burmese Mountain Dog so
perhaps that was what dad was.
While Oscar was rehomed quickly, Chelsea was not so lucky. An extremely happy and friendly
dog she got along well with everyone she met, both people and other dogs. She did have a
naughty habit of escaping her carer’s yard to go on walkabouts, but she met so many nice
people out on these adventures that it was hard to stop her trying! This caused her poor carer
no end of headaches but since she was just such a delightful girl he never gave up on her.
Eventually she matured, settled down and stopped trying to escape.
Despite being quite an attractive girl her photo's on the website never seemed to attract any
calls and it wasn't until late last year that her forever family happened upon her listing on the
DCH site and came out to meet her. They had a male husky and were looking for another playful
dog to be his playmate. They met her, the two dogs got along famously and the rest is history.
So, after one year and five months in care Chelsea was adopted and has settled quickly into her
new family who adore her and are quite amazed she was in care so long. "She is a big softie
and loves nothing more than to cuddle up next to her dad and watch some TV."
Buying a Horse?
Buying a horse is a big commitment, and one that shouldn't be entered into unless you intend to devote the necessary time, money, effort, patience, love, sacrifice and lifestyle changes. The horse is not merely a 'lawn mower' and cannot thrive if simply left out in a paddock to it's own devices.
Before buying a horse a person must be:
* competent at walk, trot and canter
* able to understand basic horse behaviour
* competent in basic horse mastership skills such as; paddocking, feeding, worming, shoeing and fitting tack
* competent in the basics of horsemanship and able to handle a horse safely
* prepared to check and ideally ride the horse daily.
It is a big commitment, but the rewards can be even greater. Some people go to incredible lengths in the face of great difficulties to own a horse and in doing so, enrich their lives. DCH Horse Rescue has a variety of horses for sale, from unbroken youngsters to riding horses and companion ponies. If you're looking for a new equine friend, email DCH_horses@yahoo.com.au to register your interest.
Carer Profile
Your Full Name: Anne McNaughton
Your Suburb:
Albion
Park Rail
What Animals Do You Care For?: Dogs
and Cats
How Did You Become Associated with DCH?
Carol Macleod introduced
me
How Long Have You Been A Carer for DCH?:
About 15 months (I
think!!!)
How Many Animals Have You
Rehomed?: Around 20
How Many Foster Failures Do You Have?: None
(Unless you count poor
Pandora who has been here a long
time) I figure they can
do better than to be part of my pack
Most Memorable Foster: Toby who
had Demodectic
Mange and Maisie who
had Parvo and survived
Which Animals Do You Have At The
Moment?: Pandora,
one of the longest
standing DCH fosters, Maggie an ex
street cat and one of
her kittens Jack
What's the best thing about fostering?:
Finding lovely forever
homes for my fosters
Fundraising
Dates!
Fundraising
is vital to DCH’s success - every dollar we earn can help to save a life – if
you can help on any of these dates, please contact Megan or Judy.
25th March - Bunnings Dural - Sunday 27th May - Ku-ring-gai Festival - Sunday
15th April - Bunnings Norwest - Sunday 17th June - Bunnings Norwest - Sunday
28th April - Bunnings Dural - Saturday 30th June - Bunnings Dural – Saturday
19th May - Riverstone Festival - Saturday 28th July - Bunnings Dural – Saturday
26th May - Bunnings Dural - Saturday
Even if you can only help out once
a year or just for a few hours it would really be appreciated!
Attention Foster Carers - Helpful Hints
Are you looking for a way to move your long term fosters
and have access to the internet? Consider listing
your fosters on the following
websites:
www.petlink.com.au www.gumtree.com.au www.petmatch.com.au www.cracker.com.au
All of these websites are free and are very easy to use.
You can upload your photos and use the same description
you have already
provided for the DCH Website. People are still learning about DCH and may not
view
our website first if they are looking for a pet. These websites are
getting well known in Sydney and might be
the first web site a
‘forever home’ may visit. If you need help listing your foster of would like
any further
information, please contact Danielle on danielleonholidays@hotmail.com
or call 0400996643 and she will be
more than happy to help.
Thank
You... and you... and you!!
Everyone at DCH deserves to be recognised for their contribution to animal welfare. However, sometimes
people go out of their way and deserved to be formally recognised (or embarrassed depending on your take) for
the efforts they have made.
ü Thank you to Paula for her
constant driving all over Sydney for our carers and fosters. You
really go out of your way for us and we really appreciate it (we also
appreciate your newsy group emails!)
ü Thank you to all the members of the public who have recently donated funds towards Tommy's special diet. He is doing well and your support of Tommy is very much appreciated.
The next issue of The Paw Print
Newsletter will be published in July 2007. If you have any story ideas, or would
like to make any suggestions or comments, please contact Danielle Stagg on 0400996643
or email
danielleonholidays@hotmail.com
THE PAW PRINT