Galway SPCA

12/11/2024

*Cosy Nights*

With the temperatures taking a plummet over the last few days it was time to start pulling out the fleecy jackets for our kennel dogs ,especially our hounds who with their thin skin and little body fat (you hear that Phuket🤣) .

Staff and Volunteers on evening kennels tonight have already taken bets on who will still be wearing one in the morning 🙄🤔😭🤣❤️

Comment below each photo with yours

*YES (still on)
*NO(somewhere in kennel and in pieces)

❤️🤣❤️🤣❤️

12/11/2024

He may not look the Happiest of creatures at that moment.........

But 30seconds after this picture was taken, this young male was released back to his colony where he will have food and shelter for the rest of his life....

With every TNR we feel a since of satisfaction..... but with him.... it was just that little bit more special....
As he marked the finishing of a colony and that is a satisfying feeling like no other!

We know in the big scheme 1 colony doesn't seem much.... but when you are batteling a tidlewave of requests and pleading for help....

Being able to say, this one is Finished ✅️
for just one minute..... makes starting the next one that bit easier....

11/11/2024

*URGENT FOSTER HOME NEEDED*

We have just 3 of our 12 lurcher babies left in our care (Pike,Opah and Guppy) and this Friday will see Pike and Opah say goodbye to us as they will start their journey to their forever homes in the UK thanks to our friends at Erin Hounds Sighthound Rescue .

That leaves Guppy.....alone😭.

The good news is that Guppy has a home too but cant go to her home until the following weekend(23rd)

So we are looking for a very short term foster home from now until Friday 22nd Nov (a week ) so that Guppy isnt left sitting alone in our kennels once her sisters leave.

It will need to be a local-ish foster home in Galway /Surrounding areas as Guppy will need to be available for her travel health checks at our vets in Nenagh a couple of days before her travel date on Friday the 22nd.

Please ,if you can help visit our website at www.gspca.ie for our online foster forms.

Guppy is a 4.5 mth old lurcher girl who can live with other dogs,dog savvy cats and respectful children .Someone at home most of the day and a secure gardem required.

Thank You

10/11/2024

*Busker*

Back in June we took a little ragged terrier from Offaly Pound after he found himself homeless.

After a groom Busker looked like a different boy and was soon enjoying life at our sanctuary ,proving himself to be a cheeky ,loveable little character.

A few weeks later Busker was lucky enough to bag himself a foster home with Catherine.

Over the next couple of months Catherine and Busker set about getting to know one another and whilst it wasnt all plain sailing at times ,Catherine stuck with it .

We always knew through our conversations with Catherine that Busker was ONLY ever a foster and so we went about looking for a forever home for Busker.

Some lovely applications but we just didnt feel they were what Busker needed but then we recieved one who we felt could be a match.

So we contacted Catherine with the news and surprisingly we were met with silence from Catherines end .

And then we recieved a message from Catherine ..

"I cant give Busker up ,id like to adopt him myself".

And we couldnt have been happier 🥰

Last Wednesday Catherine and Busker returned to Heathlawn ,this time to sign on the official dotted line that saw Busker go from foster dog to forever dog ...

We wish Catherine and Busker all the very best and many years of companionship together ...❤️

10/11/2024

Opal

Opal is back looking for a forever home due to an unfortunate change in her adopters cercomstances....

Opal a very lively and energetic, needs a lot of stimulation to keep her inquisitive mind happy....

Opal loves nothing more than to be the center of attention..... and is super affectionate with her humans.....

It was discovered at quite a young age that Opal had congenital issues with her back knees which could mean that she may develop arthritis or othe issues as she ages...
But with when you see her run, Jump amd play there really isn't any signs of this slowing her down....

Opal is still young enough to be introduced to another cat or be part of a multi cat household...

But despite being raised from 3 weeks old woth dogs she has never been a fan of them.... so a dog free home would be best....

Opal hasn't had much interaction with young children, and would likely just avoid them where possible... that's not to say we would rule out young families.... it would just need to be the right fit....

Opal is still with her previous adopters at the moment and we would love to be able to place her directly into a new home without having to bring her back to stay in the cattery..

Applications are available on our website www.gspca.ie

Please share 🐈 😻 🐈‍⬛️

10/11/2024

Our 6 stunning Portumna Panther kittens are now ready and waiting to find their Purrfect forever families.....

These 6 were saved by a kind and caring local family after they were cruely discarded in Portumna forrest......

They have now completed their vet work and are eager to explore and discover what it means to be part of a loving home....

Nezuko, Kanao, Gojo, Magumi, Maki and Tanjero are looking ideally to go home in pairs... or with another cat in the home for company....

As young kittens they are not not suitable to be left for long hours on their own and will need lots of mental stimulation and exercise as they enter their teenage phase in a couple of months...

Kittens are amazing companions and could live with respectful children, but supervision while playing is always recommend....

With careful introduction they could live with cat friendly dogs....

All our social kittens must live in the home as part of the family, they do not do well sleeping or living outside or in sheds or garages.

Applications are available on our website www.gspca.ie

08/11/2024

Steven and Suzan after a long afternoon snooze..... dreaming of their forever home..... hopefully it won't be much longer before dreams become a reality......

Applications are available on our website www.gspca.ie...

Remember keep an eye in your spam as initial response will be via email

07/11/2024

Another TNR project underway in Claregalway this weeks...

Massive thanks to our volunteers who take the time and put up the miles helping trapping and transporting the cats too and from the vets..

And of course massive Thank you to the vets for allowing us the flexibility and understanding that not all trapping goes as planned 😅

07/11/2024

A great offer from Craughwell Veterinary !

This is an independent offer that Craughwell Vets have organised and are running themselves so please contact them directly.

All details are in the shared post.

Well done Liam and Co 👏

For the month of December we will offer reduced cost neutering for feral and farm cats. A neutered cat is more likely to stay around, stay healthier and still do a great job keeping rodents away!
The local charities Galway Cat Rescue and Galway SPCA are inundated with cats, so by making this a more cost effective option we hope to help reduce the wild cat population and take a little stress off those who are trying to help.
Contact the clinic on 0894068707 to find out more and book in.

06/11/2024

05/11/2024

*H**e Update*

H**e spent nearly 2 years in our kennels due to her severe nervousness around people she didnt know and at times even those on our kennel team she did ,her fear of noises (wind,doors banging ) and her stress of just not being able to cope with the world.

She had a few applications during that time but they were either just not the right enviroment for her or once we explained the extent of her "issues" the applicants thought it was just too much to take on (and thats ok too).

So a couple of months ago we asked two very "special humans" who have fostered for us so many times over the years and who specialise in "special dogs" if they could foster H**e .Just to see if H**e could cope with (and enjoy ) home living .

Jayne and Paul agreed and H**e joined their household of dogs ,cats and chickens.

It wasnt an easy journey in those first weeks and even now there are days that H**e has her introverted moments but with patience,dedication,love and an understanding of allowing H**e to process much of it herself,H**e is now showing us all why its so important ,so valuable and so,so ,so rewarding to give these "special dogs " a chance...

It brings us so much joy to recieve and watch videos like this one of a carefree,happy H**e who seems to know just how lucky she was to cross paths with "special people" who committed to giving her a chance to feel at home .

Thank You Jayne and Paul for all you have done,do and continue to do so with those dogs who need a chance the most .

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

05/11/2024

We are overwhelmed and so so greatful for all the support for our sweetie Mia ❤️

Thank you to everyone who donated through the Gofundme and other ways too.

Thanks to your generousity we have reached our target and then some!

We will keep ye updated on her progress along the way

04/11/2024

*MOBY*

Young collie boy Moby is now fully recovered from his horrific injury when rescued a couple of months ago and is still hoping for his forever home.

Approx 16/18mths,Moby is currentky in foster with another dog and doing really well .

He is quiet and calm in the home,fully housetrained,walks great on his lead and travels well in the car.

He would ideally love a home with another kind dog but could also live happily as an only dog if he had human company.

Moby is an intelligent boy and will bond strongly with his human like only a collie can.

We feel a home without children is best suited to Moby at this stage of his learning journey and a single person or couple would be just perfect.

Moby just needs a home to give him his chance to be a "forever dog" ..a home who enjoy the company, friendship, affection and loyalty a collie like Moby can bring and who will allow him to use his collie genetics enjoying outdoor adventures, long walks with some evening comforts in front of the fire.

Please visit our website for our online adoption forms.
https://gspca.ie/pages/pet/moby

Thank You .

04/11/2024

Princess Amelia Mignonette Thermopolis Renaldi, Princess of Genovia... Or affectionatly know to us as Mia 💓

Mia came in with raw paws and a belly full of parasites... and an ear infection....
She had been laying in a green for hours crying and just about ready to give up......

As the other ailments healed and she continued to grow into the most adorably affectionate little sweetie...
Try as we might.... the ear infection just would not heal.....

Over the next few weeks she made daily trips to the vets and met many many admirers in the waiting room.....
All resulting in home offers and adoration....

But without knowing the cause of her ear infections we had to put a pin in any thoughts of forever homes.....

Last week while being spayed the vets took the opportunity to have a deeper look into Mias ear and found the cause...

Polyps....

Nasty growths inside her ear that are causing her pain..and infection......
Several attempts were made to remove them, but unfortunately they are embedded too deep and will require her to see a specialist to have them removed....

All surgery comes with risks and Mias is no different... but the reward for her will be a life free of pain and finally being able to find her Forever home......

The surgery will cost about €1000 and we are asking for your help...
We understand everyone is feeling the pinch right now but even a euro or two or the price of a coffee would make all the difference......

and for those that really can't afford it...
If they could share her post and spread the word, that support would mean so much...and all would help in reaching that Goal for Mia....

We have set up a gofund me for Mia https://gofund.me/7cd8992f

and other options to donate are available on our website

https://gspca.ie/pages/donate-to-the-gspca

Please help us help Mia ❤️

03/11/2024

Pawel and Patrycja are patiently waiting for their turn to find a forever family....

Both came in suffering from horrendous flu ans Patrycja lost her eye as a result.....

While both kittens are fully recovered, Pawel does occasionally get a weepy eye due to busy and somewhat stressful changes in the cattery (like his other two sisters being adopted..)

If you can offer a home to this amazingly sweet pair
Applications are available on our website www.gspca.ie

03/11/2024

They say there's a first time for everything and this morning our 3 remaining lurcher pups (Guppy,Opah and Pike) got a taste of their first ever kongs..

Not quite sure what they were to start with but they soon realised how to get the goodies out 🥰

02/11/2024

❤️Happy Update❤️

*Etsy now Maggie*

You may remember the 3 dogs we rescued off the mountains and forestry of Lough Atorick back in July .

Etsy was one of those dogs and was the one we had to leave behind at our first attempt to rescue them(we had secured Temu the lurcher and Shein the little hairy white terrier on the first night).

But patience paid off and the next day Etsy was also caught.

Like her 2 friends she was very untrusting and nervous but a month later was adopted by Katie(our kennel managers daughter) and her partner Jack and had to make the journey to The UK.

Its been 2.5 months now since Etsy,now Maggie started her new chapter and yet again patience,commitment and love by her humans has paid off for Etsy/Maggie.

Maggie now rides the train into central London twice a week with her mum Katie to accompany her to her office and now loves looking out the window 🤣

Untusting/nervous dogs just need time and whilst they may never loose all of the baggage inflicted on them in their previous lifes prior to being rescued,they can and do make the most loving and loyal of pets ...🥰

All they need are the right humans willing to give them a chance❤️

02/11/2024

*PIPPINS*

You may remember little Pippins who was surviving on his own for months in an extremely rural/forestry area.

He was virtually feral,terrified of people and never stayed around long enough to be caught .He was also terribly matted .

Thanks to kind people who continued to leave food out he stayed in the area (hidden away most of the time) and then thanks to the local dog warden Seamus for setting a trap ,he was finally caught and taken to The County Pound.

We had promised to help this little boy but at the time of his capture we were literally bursting at the seams but thanks to our County Pound ,they kept him safe until we could make a space(that took weeks!)

When Pippins arrived he was still very scared and unsure but our dedicated kennel team did what they do best and started to gain his trust ...helped along by another little resident Bamba the Chihuahua (another very untrusting dog).

It was lovely to see Pippins start to trust,play and enjoy his cuddles but he was still very nervous of strangers which we knew might make it a little harder to find him his perfect home.

Then along came Gywneth and her family who had previously adopted one of dogs a few years ago(not the easiest of boys either despite being a pup at the time) ,so we knew commitment and patience were definitely something Gywneth and family had.

It started out a couple of months ago as a foster ,just so we could all be sure Pippins would be at his happiest .It has taken time but today Gywneth with her daughter Aishling came back for a visit with Pippins and to formally ADOPT the little boy who has stolen all their hearts❤️

There are so many wonderful people out there who choose to adopt a rescue dog and then there are those "extra special " people who choose to adopt a dog with certain behavioural issues ,giving that dog the chance it has never had before.

And its not just us who are truly grateful to Gywneth and her family for being extra special but Pippins too.

It took team work to Change Pippins life forever ❤️