The Perfect Storm has been building across all areas of the charity.

We have been unable to create kennel space for the ever-rising number of unclaimed strays from Merthyr Tydfil, Torfaen and Blaenau Gwent. Without Hope Rescue these poor dogs have nowhere to go, and the alternative is unthinkable. Which is why we have had to temporarily board them at private boarding kennels until we have space at the rescue centre. This is costing us £20 a night per dog and so far this month we have already spent several thousand pounds, a cost we have no budget for and can ill afford right now on top of all our other costs. Many of these strays are not genuine strays, but dogs deliberately abandoned by their owners. 

Here are just some of their arrival stories, they deserve so much better and we can’t abandon them for a second time.

Hobbit arrived after spending seven days in the local pound. Sadly he was left unclaimed and had no microchip but, as he was in need of urgent medical care, we strongly believe he was abandoned as a ‘fake stray’. The medical issues for this lovely Patterdale Terrier included issues with his knees in both hind legs and being lame in the right hind leg. As we commit to taking in dogs regardless of their medical needs, we arranged for the veterinary care and covered all of the costs. We were Hobbit’s last hope.

Poor 11-month-old Patterdale cross, Flo, ended up in the local pound with a suspected broken leg. The council helped to keep her comfortable with pain relief at the local vets whilst an owner was desperately sought. Sadly, the chip details were long out of date and it appears that Flo had been passed around multiple times without her microchip ever being updated. Hope Rescue arranged for the medical care and met the costs of more than £2,500. Once again, we were her last hope. The vet team are incredibly happy with her progress so we are sure it won’t be long before she is back to full health.

Shaun arrived in a sorry state, he was found with live fleas, causing hair loss and sores. He had a body score of 2/9 meaning he was extremely underweight. On closer inspection he has dental disease which will likely need extractions. His testicles are abnormally shaped which could mean there is a sinister reason underlying so he will be having an abdomen scan and possible chest xrays before moving ahead with castration. Shaun is a very friendly boy with both people and other dogs. He enjoys a fuss and a good head scratch!

Pauline is a young girl that has clearly had a traumatic start, on top of this she has already been bred from. Most likely due to her heavily muscled conformation her front legs appear to be bowing so she is having xrays at the same time of being spayed to look for any underlying issues. However, as she is underweight she needs to gain weight before this is possible. Pauline loves to be out and about in our paddocks especially when there is a toy on offer!

Peanut Butter is just the absolute sweetest girl, despite requiring multiple treatments for her eyes and ears she is still happy to greet us each day. She is very dog social and gets along well with others. Due to her horrendous ear infection she is currently on steroids to open her ear canals ready to be sedated to have them flushed and a swab taken to see the underlying bacteria causing the infection so we know how best to treat it. She will also need a dental in the future. Worst of all despite Peanut Butter’s poor condition she has previously been bred from.

Jasmine is a gorgeous girl who was initially very nervous on arrival. She has old scarring from the tip of her nose right down to her paws. Now she has begun to gain in confidence with us she is already showing her playful personality. She gets along well with other calmer dogs.

What a character Rocky is! He is only a youngster at 10 months old and it really shows by what a happy and playful boy he is with both people and dogs. He has some skin irritation on his legs which he is having a medicated bath for.

Astro looks to be a real mixture of breeds and again only a young boy. As you can see he is very underweight but there is certainly nothing wrong with his appetite! Astro has sores between his paws which require regular cleaning (if you can keep him still for long enough!). He is happy to meet other dogs and loves a good sniff around the woodlands.

Could you donate £20 to for pay for a lifesaving kennel space and help us weather the storm? You can donate using the amounts and other below or donate over the phone 01443 226659, by cheque to Hope Rescue Cynllan Lodge, Old Llanharry Road, Llanharan, CF72 9NH.