Happy Endings

Apologies to everyone who has ever sent us their Happy Ending story, we love to hear from you. Unfortunately in changing to our ‘new look’ website we lost 40 pages of Happy Ending stories. If your was one of these and you would like to re submit with a photo we would be most happy to upload them again.

Please send to feedback@hullanimalwelfare.co.uk attention june

Here are stories about some of our animals that have found new loving homes after a bad start in life or have lost their previous homes due to unforeseen circumstances.

If you have adopted one of our animals, whether it’s a dog, cat, rabbit, guinea pig, rat, mouse, gerbil or hamster, please do share their happy ending stories with us.

Send a photo with the story of where your animal came from (if known) and about it’s new life and we will add it to the list below.

PS Whilst we love stories about our cats and dogs, come on you small animal keepers, we want to hear from you too!!!!

Send to feedback@hullanimalwelfare.co.uk FAO June

Barney

Dear All

We adopted Gerald, who we renamed Barney, in Oct 2010. He is absolutely adorable and we would like to thank you for all the hard work you do.

I have attached some photo’s of him.

Thanks.

Sylvia

Zak, Amy and Meg

I thought I would drop you a line and let you know how my dogs which I got from HAWT are doing:

Zak turns 14 this year – I have had him 11 years and he still thinks he is about 3 years old! He is a proper character and his favourite hobby now is sleeping upside down on any sofa he can find!

Amy is now 10 and I got her 9 years ago. She looks just like a fox and pretends she is very “posh”. She is getting older, but has turned into a distinguished old lady!

Meg was 13 weeks when I adopted her on 23 December 2007. She will be 5 this year. She is the baby of the family who loves running around and generally zooming everywhere! She did agility for a year when she was 2 and as such, loves jumping and
climbing up things, including trees!

Anna

Poffle

Hello

This is our happy ending story about our new dog from your sanctuary…

Our previous dog (Meg aged 18) had passed away peacefully one evening so we set out to find a companion for our other dog Monty. I found Jan on this website and we decided to visit her at the sanctuary. We fell in love with her ‘lady beard’ and her lovely nature! She also was a fun friend for our lively dog Monty as Meg had become too old to have a run around! We decided to adopt Jan and we changed her name to Poffle!

She has settled in very well with a few minor issues at the start like running away or chasing the horses! We look forward to a long and happy future with Poffle and Monty.

From Fran (aged 11)

Missy

I wanted you to know how happy Missy is in her new home. She and I play ball in the garden and go on long walks together. She is so affectionate and has settled down very quickly so many thanks to you all for taking care of her and I’m just so pleased I found her.

Paula

An Update on Murphy

Since leaving HAWT December 2010 he is approaching his 2nd birthday in April, Murphy was booked at the local groomers called Smart Dogs for a hair cut. Murphy loves his long walks with me and Zuky up to the woods where he can play and run with other dogs. If other dogs don’t want to play with him he will try his very best by giving them a kiss or he will start singing to them.

Zuky is definitely the boss!!! Murphy is very well behaved off the lead, on lead he just plods along.

On our daily walks he just wants to make friends with everybody. Murphy’s cutest trick is….. he tiptoes up to other dog walkers sits, looks, then he gives them his paw as well as looking cute then he sniffs and waits to see if they have any treats!!! He is a bit of a wimp as soon as it’s dark. Murphy refuses to go for his final walk.

He wasn’t gaining weight to start with, as a result he was getting thinner and thinner, I knew something was wrong as he was very lethargic and bony. After speaking to the vet I’ve discovered that he is wheat intolerant so we changed his food to John Wainwright’s we’ve seen a massive improvement in him, he’s gained weight and he’s a lot happier in himself with more energy which means (more exercise for me) !!

Sam

Sox and Macey

He was so much fun with us, loved his walks at Hornsea, in fact week after had emergency operation took to vets for the check over, I decided then if doesn’t have much time with us, we will get that last day out at Hornsea, where once finished our lovely walk along the promenade, we would visit the fish shop, he would eat his favourite meal, battered sausage sat in the back of the car while we had our dinners.

We hoped he would be with for our last anniversary and my birthday, just managed it by 5 days over, he lived just extra month after his operation for cancer, so sadder than expected, our eldest son Richard gone to America for a years university in studies, that morning he had to go was so sad, knowing he may not never see Sox again, when he comes home for the Xmas holiday.

How right we were, one week later we had to contact Richard, time difference in hours hoping he had someone with him, when we had to tell him he had just passed away suddenly, watching him die like this we didn’t want, it would been much nicer for him to fall asleep and dream away of happy times.

No one can predict things, we were happy he was with us when he died, not the day we had to decide when having operation, do we put him to sleep now while under anaesthetic, let vets do all they can so we can bring him home, had 5 mins to act, like doing who wants to be millionaire, where asking that question phone a friend or ask the audience, or do 50/50, we took the latter one, to see him on the night in back of our car looking so bedraggled was picture for sore weepy eyes.

We all sat downstairs with him that night and many nights after till day he had gone, we stopped up on our last night before we buried him in our garden, where loved laying most.

Whenever I am in the garden or hanging out washing he is there with us still, only difference now when drop pegs, no one picking them up chasing off with them, same as he did with the socks if we dropped one, or pinch them off the ironing board, we understood him bark for bark, he understood us word for word.

So whoever threw him and his mum Cindy out along with the other 8 siblings, 9 in all, never realise the joys these dogs gave their new owners.

We had just lost our previous one Prince in October year before, then seeing these little faces, well break anyone hearts, so we went along Sox came to us, climb into my wide sleeved jumper, then went to rest of our family, so that says it really, he choose us, as much as we chose him.

From then on was happy days with him, still is, never stop talking about him, we will never will.

Now we have got another dog, older this time just 5 when got Macey from you, like
Sox, she has made this her home, loves it, loves car rides, Hornsea, and other places we take her, more so today looking forward to this white snow we are promised, last year was awful, but Macey thought was great rolled all in, while my husband was shovelling the snow off the paths onto the grass area, Macey was jumping up and catching it, was hilarious, she was only one having fun, not us, we thought was too cold to shovel the snow never mind roll in it, and eat it, that’s dogs for you, enjoy everything, love it more when in happy environment.

Here’s to happy days with Macey now

Love Chris and Sox and Macey.xxxx

Poppy and Olly

We adopted Poppy (previously named Hope and grey tabby) on 16th July 2010. She changed our lives completely and quickly became a member of our family. She loves to sit up high on the kitchen cupboards or the wardrobes and is very much a home cat.

We decided that Poppy was lonely as we both work full-time. It took us a year to decide that we should get her a friend. We adopted Olly (previously named Doug and black) on 7th January 2012 and brought him home the very same day. As soon as we brought him home all he wanted to do was be friends with Poppy. Poppy had other ideas and hid behind the TV unit for the majority of the next three days. However, it didn’t take long for her to see that he wasn’t a threat and just wanted to be friends. As you can see from the photo, they are happy with each other now and regularly chase each other around the house and garden.

Olly loves Poppy to give him a wash and we often wake in the night to find them cuddling at the end of the bed! Olly is very mischievous and has even stolen bread out of the bread bin! We have realised that a companion was just what Poppy needed and she is much more settled.

We would like to thank you for letting us adopt two cats who are so full of character and who love us as much as we love them.

Danielle and Dave

Archie and Jessie

Hello

We thought we would get in touch and let you know how that in the six months or so that Archie and Jessie have been in our lives they have settled in nicely, it would be fair to say country life is suiting them and us very well.

Archie still disappears down the garden to try and go for a dip in the pond, or maybe its just to avoid Jessie as she chases him around the garden. They really have become good friends.

We had seen Archie on your website and one Saturday morning decided to pop in and see him. As we had recently moved to a home with a huge garden and paddock the place was missing any dogs. Carly had her heart set on a chocolate lab, I had grown up with and had my own German Shepherds and wanted another. It was going to have to be one of each.

Carly clearly fell in love with Archie the moment we all met, its easy to see why. A week later when we came to collect him I noticed a photo of Jessie on your notice board and asked to see her. I have to admit to really falling in love with her the moment I saw her and knew I wanted to bring her home too!

The following three weeks waiting to bring Jessie home seemed like an eternity. Since then I can honestly say they have become part of the family and we would never want to be without them, we are so lucky to have them here.

Lee and Carly

Gracie.

After the heartbreaking loss of my little dog Pippin in February last year, who we had adopted from yourself 7 years early, we decided that we couldn’t live without a furry little friend so ended up back on your doorstep mid March 2011.

At first I felt I just couldn’t bare to adopt another dog as losing Pip hurt so much, but after logging onto this website and seeing all the little faces that needed loving homes I felt I owed it to his memory to give another little life the chance of being loved and cared for.

After checking out the site for a week a new face appeared that just spoke to me. Her name was Gerty and she was a stray that had been turned in by the dog warden so there was no history to go with her. After calling the centre and explaining my situation they where very kind and got all my checks passed within a few hours so we where able to come through the next day to meet her….

Being back there brought back so many feelings it was hard to concentrate but as soon as I saw her face behind the bars I knew she was the one for our family, just as I did when I saw Pip 7 years earlier.

I was warned by the staff that she was a very vocal dog but even I was taken aback by how this dog can talk. Its like you can have a full on conversation with her and she understand and responds to ever word. It’s across between a cow mooing and a dog howl and has us all in stitches.

Everyone that meets her is taken with her and what a wonderful personality she has. Always happy to be cuddled and played with and enjoys her long walks and most important her tennis ball addiction.

After I got to know her a little better I felt Gerty did not suite such a gentle personality so we renamed her Gracey.

She has settled into all our lives slowly .. She still panics if I take her anywhere new, as its almost as if she thinks I’m just going to dump her, maybe that was what her other owner did But as soon as she’s on her way home she’s back to her old self again. She is terrified of any loud bangs including thunder and fireworks and has been a challenge to get her to settle and trust but as each day passes her trust grows and she’s worth ever second for the love we get back in return.

Photo is of her in the back garden doing one of her favourite things, playing catch with her squeaky bone.

I was worried about getting another dog as I didn’t want to *Replace* Pippin, but Gracey is such a different personality I don’t feel I have done that.

So if anyone out there is in the same place I was a year ago, please take the chance and give another fury friend a chance! I can promise you.. You wont regret it

Nicola

Millie

We adopted Millie in August 2010 when she was 3 months old. She was known then as Zeta.

We struggled choosing a kitten as they where all so lovely but my partner chose Millie because of her unique colouring.

After having a home check that weekend we picked Millie up later that week. When we got her home she was very adventurous but very nervous. Millie soon took to her blanket that we bought for her and she carries it around the house (as you can see in the picture) and even brings it upstairs at bedtime. She is very cuddly and talkative and always gives you a cuddle when you come in from work.

Millie loves to sleep cuddled up in our bed in the night which is lovely (except when she’s not
tired and she talks to you all night whilst your trying to sleep).

Millie can be hard work but we would not change her for the world and love her to pieces.

from Natalie

Jake

You may remember us, the couple who came in and adopted one of your dogs, Jake.

He came into you with his mum and brother and ended up being a long term resident of HAWT. WE ONLY CAME IN FOR A VISIT AND ENDED UP TAKING HIM HOME on Boxing Day (2009)….Awwwwh!!

It’s great to see how well Jake had settled in. He really is a big part of the family now and thoroughly enjoys the great outdoors and accompanies us on some very, very long walks.

Bracken, our seven year old collie enjoys his company and will often play a “heated” tug of war game in our back garden.

He has his own bed and allows us to share it at bed time and wherever the “parents” are you will always find both the dogs.

Overall he has settled in very well. You could say that Jake has landed on all four feet!

++++++

Just a note to update you on Jake’s progress

We have now had Jake for just over 2 years and not a day has gone by without him keeping us entertained. We take him on 3 good walks a day down on the meadows by the river and there is nothing he likes more than chasing after his ball or frisbee. Two years on he shows no signs of losing his playfulness or energy levels . We invested in a ball with a light inside so we could tire him out on winter nights too! He’s a confident little swimmer as well and never gets bored of plunging into the river after sticks. If not sprinting around he can be found lording it up on the sofa or curled up neatly on one of our pillows. He’s a very affectionate dog though and is happy to share.

We moved house recently and Jake soon adapted to his new surroundings – paws up on the lounge window sill watching the world go by.

Keep up the good work, Sam & Fi

Tiggy

My mum and dad adopted Tiggy in 1997 from one of Hull Animal Welfare trust’s foster homes. He was living wild with his Dad and his sister when they were both kittens. Apparently his Mum was run down by a train as they were living wild on Brough railway station.

Nowadays it’s fair to say that Tiggy is well-loved and will be 15 this August!

Holly, and also the rest of the Roberts family!

Harvey

Hello, my name is Harvey and I was re-homed from HAWT four years ago. I came in to the kennels as an 18 month puppy with a long coat and a LOT of energy. I was re-homed after a few weeks but returned within 24 hours as I was “boisterous”!!!!

I had already caught the eye of my new mother, she had just lost her companion, Ben who she had got from HAWT 19 years earlier as a puppy. I was determined not to let her down and to be as good a dog as Ben had been…….he was a hard act to follow. He had been a PAT dog also!!!!

On arrival at my new home I did my best to please her, every time she was out I emptied all the cupboards and drawers gradually just to sort them out. I did not damage anything I just made sure that if I was going to live there I had to I know where everything was. It only took a few weeks to do the whole house.!!! It was quite easy as I can undo doors. I filed all the DVD’s and CD’s and put all the cups in a line, also the tea-bags out of the caddy. The laundry was sorted and post collected, I made sure I was really familiar with everything.

I am quite well known around the village, I think it is my good-looks, I have won prizes for being “Handsome” but it is all down to HAWT who made sure that I was happy and looked after. I do like to go back occasionally to look around the place and to make sure I don’t forget them down at “Sunnydene”.

Now I am very calm and well-behaved, long daily walks and lots of things to do. I reward my Mother with lots of love, tail-wags, paw-shaking and very good behaviour……(Until the cat next door but one appears!).

Love Harvey

Marley

After owning an Irish Setter many years ago I waited for my retirement from full time work so I could have another dog. I knew I wouldn’t be able to cope with another Setter and wanted a dog that didn’t need a great deal of grooming or a large amount of exercise so, when I heard there was a Whippet at HAWT I was excited. I went to meet him on 09.11.09 and brought him home. He was Marley, a 6 month old brindle Whippet. Although he has ongoing health issues, he is adorable and the sweetest, funniest lad I have ever had. He likes everyone he meets, especially if they have a friendly dog with them. He also loves his walks on the riverbank and when we meet his doggie friends he runs in circles up and down the bank while his pals try to catch him but they never do. He has made my retirement. Whoever gave him up has lost out.

Thank you HAWT.

Marie

Patch

Hi, I wanted to send you our story about Patch who we adopted in July 2011 for the Happy Endings on your website…

My name is Patch.

I’m a Collie x German Shepherd. I used to live with another German Shepherd called Max but our owner didn’t walk or exercise us. We came to HAWT when our owner was evicted. Me and Max couldn’t live together again as I’m getting on a bit and Max was too boisterous. I was very fat when I arrived at HAWT and I had to go on a diet, then I had to learn to walk on a lead. I found this very confusing and pulled a lot.

I’d been there for 4 months when some people came to see me, they took me in the yard and threw a toy for me to bring back, I like doing this. I also had to go and see some cats to see if I wanted to bite them but I didn’t care about them. A few days later the people came back, they were very excited which made me very excited. I had to stand on something and they said I’d lost 16kg which they were also really happy about. The new people were really happy to see me and took me to their car, I jumped straight in! We arrived at a house with a big bed for me to sleep on and a big garden for me to play (and poo) in. I’ve lived here ever since with Mark & Leah and a cat called Jam. I don’t need a special collar to go for walks any more and there is a big park which I go to twice a day to chase a ball around, this means I’m not fat now! I still get anxious when I go to unusual places and never go out of sight of Mark & Leah when I’m out but I’m really happy and love to sleep on the sofa.

A few weeks after I left the shelter, we went back for a visit. I won a prize for being handsome in a dog show! But best of all I found out that Max had also found a lovely new home.

From Mark and Leah:

We’re so happy we found Patch and that he settled in with us so well. He’s the perfect dog for us and he just wants to cuddle! I would urge anyone thinking of getting a new addition to their family not to go to breeders but to rescue shelters, it’s not just your chosen pet’s life you save. Thank you HAWT for helping us complete our home.

Leah, Mark, Patch and Jam

George

Greetings from George “the little white” Staffordshire

You may remember that I stayed with you some time ago for a short while.

I was an unwanted puppy of 10 months who was far too boisterous and demanding for my original owners. As a consequence I was sent to a Hessle rescue compound and from there to you nice people who introduced my new Mam and Dad to me in October 2010 whilst I was sulking in my kennel.

Just thought I would provide an update for you on my progress in my new home. Having been a terror and demon for a long while I now have some understanding of right and wrong. This is because of the long spell of training we have all been going through with the really nice behaviourists at Oakwood Training. With their help I am now participating in classes for basic obedience and am able to interact to some small degree with other
dogs.

We enjoy lots of freedom to run and play now as a result of this, my favourite being playing fetch with my balls on the beach. I have also some good friends who don’t mind that we play a little rough and we get to chase each other every day on my walk when we meet up!

Walking is a major pass time for my Mam and Dad which means we get to go in the car most weekends to some tranquil spots for a hike around some nice places with lots of trees and hills.

Well that’s all we have to say at the moment but once more thanks for all your help in finding me the perfect place for me to reach my potential.

Ta Ta from George

with thanks and kind regards Nigel & Angie

Enzo

Dogs have always held a special place in our hearts having both grown up with family pets and when we finally moved to a suitable house we were keen to adopt a dog of our own. Despite offers of puppies being available, we decided to give a dog a second chance of having a loving home.

When we looked at the Hull Animal Welfare website, one dog caught our eye – a beautiful GSD cross who had been picked up running stray by the dog warden. We arranged to visit and meet him and our hearts were immediately won over by this medium sized shy but playful dog. We learned of Enzo’s previous sad life and how, tied up with no stimulation, he had ground all his teeth away chewing stones and his chain. We became determined to give him a good home.

We began to visit Enzo regularly while the home check and vetting procedures were carried out by the Trust. Initially, he would not let either of us near him to touch him and remained very wary of us. However, he always wanted to play and have the toy ‘kong’ thrown for him so this helped start the bonding process.

Collection day arrived in we were able to finally adopt Enzo. It took a good 2 weeks for Enzo to fully settle and at first he remained ‘on alert’, never sleeping in our presence. He steadily began to feel comfortable in his new home and gradually accepted us and began to allow us pet him.

Unfortunately, around this time, Enzo appeared to become poorly: he started to have consistent episodes of diarrhoea, excessive urination and thirst. He was unresponsive to treating the illness as an upset stomach and so began a series of investigations at the vets. The tests eventually showed that Enzo had an early stage kidney problem. We were very worried as Enzo’s weight had rapidly dropped to a mere 23 kg and we could begin to see his ribs through his coat. He began a new exclusive diet especially for dogs with kidney disease and we kept our fingers crossed for him. Within two weeks he had put on two kilos! The difference in his stools, behaviour, coat and disposition was amazing! The dietary trial continued and Enzo seemed so much happier.

After a few months, it was time to revisit the vet for re-testing to ascertain whether the change of diet had been medically beneficial. We recently received the results and we are pleased to say that the news was highly positive, showing an improvement on the original tests. The decision was made by the vet to keep Enzo on the special food and the weigh-in showed that Enzo was now 30kg – the target weight set by the vet. This had been a gain of 7kg in the six months he had been with us! He now looks fit, health and has become chunky and muscular in build. He is now maintained on his prescription food and his health is now well and stable.

Enzo has since become very affectionate towards us and it is as though he was always part of our little family! He continues to love his walks and we run with him whenever we feel we will have the energy to keep up with him! When friends visit us they all comment on how well behaved he is and how relaxed he now is around people. We are just pleased that we were able to give Enzo a second chance after his previous troubled life.

Now that Enzo’s special diet is now permanent, we can no longer spoil him with foodie treats. However, we have more than made up for this, as he now has his own box of many types of toys that he loves to play with either with us or on his own! He favourite is still his very own ‘kong’, (the very first toy that we used when we first played with him at the shelter) and he nearly always carries it around the house (and in the garden) in his mouth!

We would like to once again express a big thank you to Sue, Amy and all the staff at Hull Animal Welfare Trust for making our doggie dream come true!

Hayley & Ben January 2011.

Eli

November 2011 a Staffie arrived at the centre as a stray. We called him Eli.

We wanted a very special home for him as he was completely deaf. He was with us a while but then the Pacey family came along and fell in love with him. We have heard from Eli’s new family and they tell us :

Eli Pacey is doing well in his new home and has settled in fine. He has plenty of walks
and is generally spoilt to death. He now has a home for life and we would not be without him. He is an excellent addition to our family and is learning and improving every day.

The Pacey Family

Pixie

Hello everyone at HAWT,

It’s me Pixie (was Trixie). Just thought I’d write to let you know how I’m doing in my new home!

I’ve been here a week now and am very happy and settled. I’ve got a new brother called Murphy, who showed me all of his toys as soon as I got home and who lets me lay next to him on the sofa. I’ve been to visit Granny and Grandad, where I met Jip and Tess. I was a bit scared at first as they are bigger than me but I think we will all get along fine. My cousins Amber and Salty came to visit too and I enjoyed running around the house with them!

My mommy treated me to an afternoon of pampering at the pooch parlor so I think I look very nice and smart now. We go for walks twice a day to the park (I’ve even got a little coat to wear when it rains!) and I’m eating all of my meals.

Thank you for looking after me until my new family came along. I’ll come back to see you all sometime when my mommy is walking the other dogs there.

I’ve added a photo of me and Murphy relaxing below and one of me with my new haircut.

See you all soon.

Love Pixie xx

Jilly

Hi,

We adopted Jilly in September 2011 – I’ve finally got round to uploading some pictures and thought I’d send you one of her trying to get us to tickle her belly! She’s settled in well now and spends most of her time lazing about the the house.

Thanks for everything,

Helen and Andy xx

Secret

Secret was left at the gates of Sunnydene in South Cave January 14th 2001. She had many unsuccessful re-homings, mainly due to her independent spirit. Nevertheless she had her good points and was ‘adopted’ by the centre, lived in the office and everyone cared for and made a fuss of her. That’s how she lived for seven years. Eventually she caught the eye of a couple who lived in Goole. They took her home where she immediately settled down and lives a very lazy life on the sofa.

The first photo is Secret’s last day at the centre, she sitting in her own armchair, not a care in the world, the second photo is Secret’s first outing to Danes Dyke, she had been walking on the beach. She disliked the walk, the sand was too wet, the waves were too high, the air was too cold, she hated her new coat and at the end of the outing jumped out of the car, straight back on to the sofa and settled down for the rest of the evening much preferring this to anything energetic (third photo)

Jay

Hi there, in 1991 we answered an advert for a stray pup, abandoned on Bransholme whom you had named as ‘Prince’. We applied for the chance to bring him home and after an interview, we were told he was ours!

We took our ball of fluff and hair home and we named him Jay, he grew up into a very protective, loving member of the family and when our children came along, he took them in his stride, almost parading in front of the pram, to ward off any possible unsavoury characters.

He came on various holidays with us, and trips to all our relatives, was greatly loved,
and fun to have around,loved chasing a ball, and would often find the largest stick in the woods and try to carry it back to the car, why we never knew, but he seemed to enjoy the challenge! One day on returning to the car, we found we had dropped the car keys on our walk, I looked at him and told him, ‘Its your job now, go fetch!’ I could not believe only 5 minutes later he was wagging his tail over something in the undergrowth, sure enough , he had found our keys!

He was a greatly loved member of the family, my children were so upset when in 2006 we had to say farewell to our 4 legged friend, he was 15 and had various ailments, which were just not fair to put him through.

Thank you so much for trusting us with one of your dogs, I would love to call and get another, and I’m sure one day soon I shall. Enclosed is a pic of Jay when he was 6 or 7, after a hard afternoon’s football chasing! We all love you Jay, and H.A.W.T for the opportunity you gave us, thank you again.

John, Joanna and Lauren

Max

I just like to thank you for fixing us up with the most lovely, playful and friendly cat.

He had some problems the first week he was with us and had to spend some time at the vets due to a tummy bug but he is fit and well now and seems very happy in his new abode.

He gets on really well with Tillie our old cat so he has a friend to share the house with.

Please see the attached picture of Tich and maybe you could put him on your web site in your happy endings section.

By the way, he has had his name changed to Max.

Again, many thanks to all at Hull Animal Welfare.

Fred Barton and family.

Cassie

My name is Cassie (although I think I was called Lassie) and I came to you in August 2011.
My old family didn’t have enough time for me so they did the sensible thing and gave me to you. I wasn’t there long before a new family came to meet me and within 10 seconds flat I’d won them over with my doggy charms.

When I first went to my new home I wasn’t very well behaved. I got over excited by people, dogs, cats, guinea pigs, bikes, birds, balls, paper bags, leaves etc. (You get the idea!) They decided straight away that what I needed was a hobby and took me to Oakwood Dog Training School in Hull. I soon found out that I got lots of bits of sausage for just showing off! It’s great. I’ve learned to walk nicely on a lead, behave better with other dogs and lots of tricks like ‘down’ ‘stay’ ‘in my basket’ etc. I’ve done so well I’ve just passed my Bronze Award and the trainers asked me to take agility classes in the new year! I can’t wait to run up those ladders and through those tunnels, although my Mum’s a bit worried about if she can keep up.

I’ve sent a picture of me in my favourite pose, asking for yet another tummy rub. I really love all the attention, exercise and cuddles I get now so thank you HAWT so much!!

licks and woofs, Cassie x

Shaunie

Shaunie was a unclaimed stray July 2011, then she came to HAWT for re-homing.
Five months later we have received this:

Shaunie-dog enjoying her first Christmas with the Legges!

Spam and Paul

Hi, we adopted two cats from you earlier this year and though you would like to hear how they have settled in and are getting on.

We adopted Spam and Paul in August 2011, I had seen Paul on the Hull Animal Welfare Trust website and just fell in love with him immediately. He looked so scared and sorry for himself we just had to go and see him. Paul had been found in an empty house covered in detergent by council workers. When we went to visit him he was in a pen with Spam who had been abandoned on a rubbish dump with his two brothers.

After the first visit we decided to adopt Paul, he was extremely shy and timid and we wanted to give him a loving home. However whilst visiting Paul it was obvious that Spam was a little character and he was determined that we should take him home too, so when we got home we rang and said we would love to adopt Spam as well.

They came home with us on the 26th August. Spam settled in straight away sleeping on my knee on the first night. Paul took a little longer as he was more nervous, he spent most of the first few days under the dining room table. Now they are our little monsters and are totally entertaining and love being sociable. They both sleep on the bed taking up all the room and are always there to wake you up in a morning.

Paul has come on leaps and bounds and is now as nosey and playful as Spam, they are a double act and are often up to no good. The house if now full of their toys but their favourite thing is to chase a red dot from a laser pen around the living room often leaving a trail of destruction behind them.

Although they are not brothers they get on really well and are always playing and chasing each other. They are always there waiting for us when we get home and we couldn’t imagine not having them as they are such great company. We are sure the great volunteers at the shelter would not believe the difference that a loving home as brought to Paul having been such a timid boy before he had now really come out of his shell. Spam is a little monster and rules over the house from his perch on the back of the sofa and loves flying round the bed in a morning.

Many Thanks

Libby, Gregg, Spam and Paul

Bindi and Narla

Bindi and Narla, previous dogs of Hull Animal Welfare, wishing everyone who works so hard and looked after them and all the other animals a very Merry Christmas and hope everyone has a fantastic New Year!

Jeepers and Orangecat

Hi just a quick mail to let you know that Jeepers and Orangecat (formerly known as Socks) are both really getting on well and settling into life at our home. In fact they are taking over the sofa to cuddle and clean each other. Thank you to all your staff who helped make the adoption work, we are very happy parents. Have a great new year.

From David and Irene xxxxx

Captain

We gave a lot of thought to getting a dog and I remember the day nearly 8 years ago when we drove to yourselves in the hope of finding a canine friend. Of course we were enchanted by the puppies and I did want a small dog but then my husband saw Captain, a huge big black dog looking at us, and well that was it, a friendship was born!

We took this huge lumbering beast home with us and to say he fitted in with our children would be an understatement. He was perfect. For the next 8 years he gave us love and joy, with his crazy ways and his love of eating everything he could possibly find!

Sadly he became very ill suddenly and although the vet battled to save him, it was not to be. However we rejoice in the memories he has left us with and we thank you all for letting us take Captain home with us. As my eldest son said “Captain, you were an awesome dog and we shall miss you forever”.

The Mills Family

Munchkins

I’ve had Munchkin for a few months – got her in August 2011.

Well – I can’t imagine life without her she is a beautiful and lovely natured girl. Seemed quite nervous for about 5 minutes then settled in like she had never been away!

She loves playing and has a steadily increasing selection of toys which she adores. Munchkin thinks she is a kitten and will play happily by herself as well as with me.

She is a great company and so lovely to come home to.

Thanks to all staff – she is perfect.

Jackie

Cassie

Hello Everyone !

I don’t know if you will remember me…….my name is Cassie …I had a bit of a rough time and was very sad and miserable. My new owners adopted me on New Years Eve. I just wanted to show you how I’m doing now….

This is me on January 1st 2012….my first day in my new home…and looking miserable and frightened !

This is me 2 months later. feeling somewhat better and settling in

End of April 2012 and take a look at me now

Murphy

I adopted my dog Murphy from you in February 2000. He was not the prettiest or most handsome of dogs, but maybe that’s why I fell for him as soon as I saw him, and he quickly became not only a member of the family but also my best friend.

He had been re-homed previously, and brought back to South Cave and I understand I was his third owner, even at his tender age of 18 months.

He was extremely well behaved, intelligent, loving and seemed to understand exactly how I was feeling and was loved by everyone that knew him and was a familiar site when on his walks through Thorngumbald, being compared to a cuddly teddy bear pre haircut, and a meerkat after his beauty treatments (he honestly thought he was a pedigree instead of a scruffy mongrel I am sure).

Sadly, following a short illness, he had to be put to sleep on the 7th May, 2011 and I admit that it was the saddest day of my life although I knew that it was the best thing for him, as he would not have to suffer any longer.

I am writing this email just to thank you for allowing me to adopt Murphy and for the privilege of being his “mum” as he gave me the most wonderful 11 years – Murphy and I went through a lot together and he was always there at the end of the day to give me a cuddle and to cheer me up when I was feeling down and I hope vice versa.

I miss him terribly, but do not regret one minute of my time with him and hope he is somewhere now with his cuddly toys and
supply of sausage rolls.

I am not sure I could ever adopt another dog, as don’t feel I could possibly love another animal as much but as people keep telling me time will tell.

Anyway, thank you again

Kind regards, Nicola

Silvester

Silvester is lucky to be alive. He was discovered in long grass by Harry and Joseph whilst they were playing football.

Silvester was in a shocking state, malnourished, no more than a skeleton, no teeth, a matted knotted coat, he must have suffered many many months of neglect!

The vet was upset and said it was probably the worst case they had ever seen.

On arriving at our centre in South Cave he was quickly spotted by one of our Trustees who immediately took him home to begin his road to recovery.

He has put on more than a quarter of his body weight, his matted coat, which had to be shaved off at the vets, is starting to grow back and because of his much improved condition is beginning to look younger than we first thought him to be.

He has perked up no end, he’s turned out to be a funny little chap with lots of character. He loves to chase the cats round the room but when they jump up on chairs he still chases round – he doesn’t understand jumping up!

Tipsey

Tipsey was left in a phone box with her kittens. The kittens were quickly adopted just leaving mum on her own.

That is until she was spotted sitting quietly in our cattery by Louise and her partner. As soon as they saw her they fell in love with her huge eyes.

A week later after having passed their home check the couple took Tipsey to their home in a village in East Yorkshire. Louise says Tipsey is very affectionate and when they arrive home from work she runs for a cuddle, winding through their legs and when she’s picked up gives them an affectionate head butt.

She loves to be nuzzled and will go out of her way to reach you. She is very delicate and loves to eat her food with her paws rather than stick her head in the bowl. She has a favourite pink mouse that she sleeps with tucked under her paw.

Molly

Angela tells us of her parents’ dog named Molly:

She was adopted by my parents, Pete and Val in July 2008. They came to look for a new dog following the loss of Belle, their Springer Spaniel a few weeks earlier. Belle had been adopted from HAWT about ten years previously.

Molly was previously known as Jet but had been called “Jolly Molly” at HAWT. Mum and dad were looking for a smaller dog but Molly appealed to them as she apparently liked water (mum and dad are canoeists!). Within minutes of arriving at her new home she jumped into the fish pond – it’s now been fenced off.

She loves runs on the field and in East Park and has been known to swim in the park lake! Molly is a very affectionate dog too. If she has spent the day with my sister she will run in and jump onto my dad’s knee!

She is very good friends with Tigger (my sisters dog who was also adopted from HAWT about three years ago). Although Tigger is about half the size of Molly she can pull her across the floor on the other end of a dog-pull toy!!!

Molly is a very much admired dog by people she meets on her walks and she is very gentle too. She is young and still has lots to learn but loves her new home!

With regards,
Angela

Bobby and Penny

Mike and Kath get in touch to let us know how their adopted dogs are getting on :

This is Bobby and Penny, who were adopted separately from the H.A.W.T in July and August, 2008.

Bobby, who was given the name Elliot whilst at the kennels, was found tied up outside shops in
the centre of Beverley. Passers by thought his owner was shopping nearby, until the shops closed and he was found to be all alone.

Penny arrived at the kennels several weeks later with two other dogs from the same family. Her parents’ were involved in a marriage split and were no longer able to look after them.

When Bobby and Penny met, it was love at first sight. They immediately became ‘best friends,’ and although they both felt a little strange in their new surroundings, it wasn’t long before they were chasing each other in the garden and play fighting in the living room.

Then, in September, they both went to the Lake District for a long weekend break. Here you see
them sitting at Rydal Lake, near Ambleside, taking a well earned rest! A little later on they reached Ullswater. It had been a long and tiring walk but they enjoyed every minute of it. I’m sure that there will be many more adventures in the years to come

Gordon

In the cattery at Sunnydene we admit many many unwanted litters of kittens. Here’s a story of just one such kitten.

We adopted Gordon in July 2008 after my partner Matt fell in love with him. Gordon was five months old and in a pen with his two brothers and sister who had all been abandoned. Gordon instantly stood out because of his charming looks and cheeky personality.

Gordon settled in straight away and formed an instant bond with his new brother Max who is only a year older than him. Max had sadly just lost his brother Paddy so we was very pleased with how well he bonded with Gordon.

Gordon soon became part of the family and makes sure that he gains constant attention. Gordon likes to think of himself as a dog, playing fetch with his toys, eating endless amounts of food, cuddling up with us on the sofa to watch films and even helping to arrange our post when the post man has been. Gordon is a pure breath of fresh air and although it is fair to say that he is more than a handful we wouldn’t have him any other way. He constantly puts a smile on our face and brings us so much happiness.

Thanks,

Amy and Matt

Picture is of Gordon coming home from the vets

Milton and Boot

Hi,

Just thought we would send you some photos of Lewis and Rui, Lewis is now called ‘Milton’ and has all his fur and has done for a long time (Milton has a food allergy which causes his coat to come off in patches) Rui is called ‘Boot’ and is into everything unlike Milton!!

They are both great cats and have a great life, we are all moving at the end of the month and we will send you details accordingly.

Much Love to you all

Sarah, Milton and Boot xxxxx

Suzi and Fly

Hello Everyone

We’ve now had Fly for 5 months and he has settled in with us very well indeed and is losing a lot of his insecurities. He is getting on famously with Suzi and we have just spent a full week camping in our van in Norfolk with them. They managed to stay in their own beds until daylight and Fly found that he could actually slink through a 5 inch gap at the top of the seat to get into our bed. Poor Suzi hadn’t the brains to do the same. We walked for miles every day and they were welcomed and fussed over wherever we went, they just love attention. The first picture I’ve attached was taken on our last day and both Fly and Suzi were absolutely exhausted, as they were out with us all day, every day so didn’t get their usual nap time during the day. The second picture was taken earlier in the week with them sitting outside the camper watching the world go by. If we had rain whilst we were on the campsite, Suzi liked nothing better than sitting in the driver’s seat, looking very important, people watching.

As well as camping, both Fly and Suzi come running with me frequently. I daren’t manage both dogs as once for my own safety but take them individually and there has to be a distinct pecking order. Fly goes first because as soon as he sees the harness and belt he goes crazy, barking, howling and jumping up to my shoulders. I then swap with Suzi, who is more patient and manages to wait for us calmly to return for her. I tried to take Suzi first once but Fly created so much that he always goes first now.

That’s it for now.

Regards
Ellen & Chris
Suzi and Fly

Tasha

Hi all at Animal Welfare,

I just wanted to give you an update on Tasha as she has been with me for a month now. Tasha has settled in like any good German Shepherd does…….by making herself very comfortable. She enjoys 3 good walks a day and loves to have a run too, in between her exercising she chooses which chair or sofa is hers for the day and i come secondary in that decision, that is until I get up and Tasha decides she now wants the one I was in.

In other words we are a very happy pair and everyone who has met Tasha has fell in love with her friendly nature and she loves the attention. We would both like to thank Animal Welfare (South Cave) for their love and care of Tasha and send our very best to all the staff.

Thank you again

Shaun + Tasha

Millie

Hello, just wanted to send an update on Millie (formerly Dusky).

Millie, full name Mildred, has been living with us for two months now and has fully taken over the house.

At first she was very quiet and nervous but has definitely come out of her shell. She loves going outside and hunting in the garden, unfortunately she is very unlikely to ever catch a bird as she likes to miaow whilst stalking them! She is never gone for long though and likes to announce her return just to make sure we know she’s back! She is currently
snuggled up in her basket on the windowsill where she can be comfy and survey the room like a queen surveying her kingdom!

Her favourite toy is a squeaky mouse which she bats around the rooms and then chases after. She loves hiding paper bags and cardboard boxes, then tearing them apart. She is very nosey and wants to be in everything, whether it be the fridge, cupboards, the shower or under the bed! She is very affectionate and loves to be stroked, purring away, but it is all on her terms and she has to get to know you first.

She has won everyone over with her crazy behaviour and constantly makes us laugh with the ridiculous things she does.

Thank you for our new addition to the family, she is one very spoilt cat!

Love Louisa, Millie and family xxx

Henry

Hi we adopted Henry from you April 2010 after he was found in a cardboard box in a ten foot behind some flats. He was just 6 weeks old!

He entered a fun competition and won the best in show and best appealing eyes. His prize was a portrait of himself and a picture of it is enclosed. I’ve seen the photo in the Hull Daily Mail of Harley, she’s the double of Henry, we will bring him to the centre one weekend, he’s doing well and very spoilt, got his own couch and sleeps with me in the 4 poster bed bless him, thank you for re-homing him with me xxxx

Sara

Sandy

Sandy's the hairy one

Hi to all at HAWT,

Just thought we would send you and you an update on our fluffy little princess Sandy.

We saw Sandy on your website one day February 2012 and called the centre to say we would like to come and see her. We got to the centre as it opened the following day and immediately fell in love with this nervous, timid, little ball of fluff.

Having being an only dog all of his 9 year life our other dog Spencer wasn’t so keen on having another dog in our lives but after careful consideration and 4 months of searching we decided to try and persuade him otherwise and introduced him to Sandy. Needless to say he wasn’t the slightest bit interested in her.

We signed the papers and took her home within an hour of meeting her via a nice walk around south cave where she did not leave our side. She fell straight into our family and it felt like she had always been with us.

When we got Sandy home it became obvious that she had some bad teeth so we had a trip to the vets and she had to have 9 very badly infected teeth taken from her very sore mouth. The infection was so bad it had made her little face swell up and the vet said it was one of the worst mouth infections he had seen With lots of TLC Sandy became less nervous and seemed to be going backwards in age.

Sandy also has limited eyesight which became noticeable within a few days of us getting her home. However, it doesn’t stop her having fun and running about on the river bank like a young pup. She follows Spencer about everywhere and she is the only dog that i have ever seen boss him about, and she really does get her own way with him!!!

Sandy really has made our family complete and we cannot thank you enough for looking after her for the couple of days she was with you and more so letting us bring her home.

Lots of Love from Alex, Kay, Spencer and Sandy xxxx

P.S My advice to anybody looking to rehome a dog is don’t overlook the older ones, ours certainly is a little gem.

Shelly and Duffy

Dear all at HAW,

I would like to thank you for trusting my family and I, to take two of your dogs. We adopted Shelly back in 1998 aged approx 18mths/2yrs old and Duffy in 2006 aged 8yrs. Both dogs have been wonderful and I could trust them 100%. We run a very small boarding business from our home and our dogs have welcomed every dog that has comes to stay with us. I would just like to say, if anyone is a bit wary of adopting a rescue, that they don’t know the background of, don’t judge, they can be truly wonderful, its the way YOU bring them up that matters. We have had some fantastic holidays with our beloved dogs and this is a picture of Duffy (sat up) and Shelly (laid down) on top of Exmoor, enjoying every minuet. Sadly we lost Duffy in May 2012 aged 14.5 yrs after having several strokes and Shelly in Aug 2012 aged nearly 17yrs! They will be forever in our hearts.

Thank you H.A.W

Angie

Sandy, Amber and Kelly

Kelly

Sandy

On the 3/7/12 we lost our old dog Sandy after 17 years, she was one of the best mates anyone could wish to have in their family she left Amber a Cairn Terrier behind with us. Sandy was from the HAWT

We visited HAWT and came to see Kelly an 8 year old Cairn Terrier, what a fantastic and loving little dog she is, in the many ways Sandy used to be like, she has made Amber a close friend and has filled a big no massive hole left by Sandy, we walk both of them many times a day and

Amber

to see them its just like they have known each other for ever. They run, play and get up to the things dogs do together

Kelly is much loved by us all, and she has fully got over her operation to remove a cancer. I never understand why people abandon animals like Kelly.

Thank you again to HAWT

Rob & family

Up Date on Kelly

Just thought I would update you on Kelly, well what can I say, she’s barmy, she wakes me up at “silly o’clock” 2-3-4 o’clock most mornings just to tell me she’s still there or for some reason only known to Kelly, she has her own seat in the house where she wants, she has settled down to life in our family very well. She plays just like a sister with Amber our other Cairne terrier. As said before she filled a big hole left in our family when we lost Sandy after 17 years – can’t understand why she ended up at HAWT?????

Many thanks once again, I’ll bring her back to see you one day. Rob

Monty

Hi, It’s Monty Webb here again. I thought it was time for another update on how I was getting on with my family in Beverley. I’ve been living here with Peter, Christine and Alex for nearly two and a half years now and am very happy that they chose to take me home to live with them.

I’m doing very well for an old dog (I’ll be 13 this winter) but I have developed arthritis in my hips for which I have some delicious medicine and unfortunately I’ve also got some signs of degeneration in my spinal column but this doesn’t hurt it just seems to mean that from time to time when I’m tired I find myself sitting down unexpectedly (I got lots of sympathy
when this happens so it’s not all bad from my point of view!).

I hope you like this new picture of me which was taken on Beverley Westwood on my second anniversary here.

Christine writes – Monty remains a sweet gentle old man who loves nothing better than a short walk followed by a good feed and a snuggle up on his sheepskin rug. He enjoyed going away to a cottage in North Yorkshire at Christmas (especially the underfloor heating!) and made it up the long steep steps to the Kilburn White Horse on Boxing Day. He’s definitely beginning to feel his age but there’s certainly life in the old dog yet! We hope his legs will continue to hold him up for a few more happy years.

Peter, Christine, Alex and Monty

Alice

This is Alice, we got her from you July 2011, she was a breeding dog, kept in a cage and mistreated. It has taken a year but we have been able to take her away on holiday this year to Cornwall. This is her at Lands End !!

She is the most beautiful dog ever. I hope the lady who named her remembers her ? we are hoping to come to the Open Day on 2nd September

Liz

Note: Liz we cannot contact you by e mail, your postbox is full

Cookie

We thought you might like to hear about Cookie. She has been with us for nearly 3 years now, and was originally called ‘Scruff’. She is a delightful girl; quiet and undemanding, but lovely company and always ready to fetch a ball or go for a walk.

Well, a couple of months ago at the Lincolnshire Show we entered her for the regional Scruffts Family Crossbreed dog show in the Prettiest Bitch category, and she won!! This means that she qualifies to compete in the finals at Earls Court in London in November. We will keep you posted.

Lesley & Martin

Thomas

Dear HAWT

We adopted Thomas, a 5 year old Jack Russell cross on 2nd January 2012 and thought you’d like to know he’s getting on.

Thomas loves his new life, he’s made lots of friends (human and canine!) and now has lots of new family members to love him. He enjoys visiting his Grandma and Grandad in Sussex and going for long walks on the Sussex Downs, and gets lots of cuddles from his Grandma in Yorkshire when he goes to see her. He has a great time paddling in the sea and walking along the beach when we take him to Withernsea, Hornsea and Filey.

He is a lovely well-behaved boy when he’s out walking, even if other dogs bark at him and try and escape their owners leads, Thomas isn’t fazed at all, which earns him lots of new admirers, everyone wants to come and stroke him.

We went to the Diamond Jubilee Street Party in Roos and he received lots of tummy tickles from some of the children – he was more popular than us! We adore Thomas, he always makes us smile and he’s helping us to keep fit too. We’ve attached some photos so that you can see he’s a happy boy.

Thank you HAWT!

Love from Steve & Jakki

Colin

Hi, just wanted to let you know it’s been a very sad day for us as we had to put our dog Colin (Maccy at the centre) to sleep, he was poorly two years ago with a small stroke, and pancreatitis, but he made a good recovery with a healthy diet.

Unfortunately the attack he has just had was not such a good outcome.

We have loved every single second of him over the past seven or so years and everyone he ever went to pester on the beach or in the park always loved him. So just wanted to say thank you really for letting us look after him he meant more to us than I could ever put in writing.

Yours sincerely
Alan and Catherine

Miya

Hello,

Roughly 6 years ago I took on a Siberian Husky, now named Miya was Ice with you (you did tell me it was a Alaskan Malamute) from yourselves I thought I would just touch base and tell you that from day one she has been my greatest companion.

Now living in York and soon to be Tingley on 15 acres she has matured into a fantastic dog. I laugh at the idiot that surrendered her and just praise my lucky stars that you chose me to be her daddy!

Again thank you and keep up the brilliant work.

Steve Adams

Fred

Hello everyone, my name is Fred. I am a cross German Shepherd approximately 3 or 4 years old.

I was rescued by Hull Animal Welfare in March 2011 after my owners decided to move house and leave me home alone. The neighbours realised and fed me through the letter box for 3 days before I was rescued.

Two different families tried to re home me but didn’t keep me long before returning me. However, on the 26^th December 2011 I was re homed by my lovely new family and I have been here for almost 8 months now. So you could say it was the best Christmas present ever!!

I would love to return to the rescue centre to say hello to everyone who looked after me and to join in with the annual dog shows but I am very frightened of other dogs and the only way I know how to deal with it is to growl bark and snap at them. So my new mummy takes me to training at Oakwood Canine Services to socialise with other dogs. It is helping but it will take a long time ’til I feel safe around other dogs.

Another good thing is that my mummy has told me that I am staying here with my family forever so that makes feel very very happy. I love having lots of cuddles and I like being brushed. Although I have my own bed I often creep into mummy’s when she’s asleep! She tries to tell me off when she wakes but we end up having a big cuddle. I also have a big brother Adam. He’s almost 12 and he likes to play ball and chase me in the garden.

So thank you for taking the time to read my happy story and please give a rescue dog a home. It may take a lot of patience and time but it will be very worth it in the end.

Lots of licks Fred xxx

Rock

Four years ago my wife and I adopted a beautiful German Shepherd called Rock from your kennels. He became a fantastic friend and addition to us. Sadly he died of cancer last Saturday. He had undergone chemo for six months. I took him to the vet Saturday morning hoping things would be ok but they were not. I held him tight as he slowly slipped away. I am 72 and was a serving soldier for many years. I have seen some of the worst man does to man without too many tears. But Saturday I cried like a baby as I lost our friend Rock. I still get tear in my eyes but it has only been a few days I suppose that is to be expected.

I am just letting you know he had a great life with us. He went everywhere we went. My wife and I promised we would never put him back in a kennels. Even when we went on holiday he came with us.

Not right now but myself and my wife have discussed having another dog. Rock leaving us has left a void we probably will need to fill. If this becomes the case we will be looking to downsize to a much smaller dog. Reason – my wife had a throw put on our sofa so Rock could get up and have his head on my wife’s lap and I got shoved to the end so we thought a much smaller dog would be the answer to that…..Mind you I wish I was being shoved to end right now.

We live in Scunthorpe and two lovely ladies delivered Rock. If either of them is still with you they will surely remember

That’s it………sorry if I bored you…..but we received a wonderful dog from your kennels…..

Allan

Alfie

We wouldn’t part with Alfie. As a family we now talk about nothing but what Alfie is up to, or been up to. He’s tired out at the moment and asleep in his basket.

Jenny

Enzo and Skipper

Skipper

Enzo

Skip an Australian Cattle dog was returned to us 2012 after being with his owners 5 years when they moved to rented accommodation whilst Ned a Border Collie came to us June 2012 from a dog pound when he was due to be put to sleep as no-one had claimed this stray.

They were both re homed and by chance next door to one another.

Brian, Skippers new owner says he is as happy as Larry and loves to go walking with Ned now re-named Enzo.

Vanessa, Enzo’s owner says he is just beginning to settle down at night, is putting on weight and has turned into a lovely dog

Kempton

Hi all ,

Just to update you all, it has been a while now but we adopted Kempton from your loving care well over 2 years ago. He still is a fantastic dog with a very loving nature, however bonkers at times. He just loves to have a mad hour every day running around the living room, he sings to greet people but always sulks if he knows we are going out and cant take him with us (which is not often) as he makes us feel guilty. Here are some updated photos of Kempton in the fields and enjoying an afternoon snooze on “My bed” with his best friend Molly our cat (who was also a stray).

Keep up the good work you are so kind and thank you for Kempton

Jackie, Kempton and family xxxx

Rebel

Hi everyone,

We got rebel back in 2010 from you and thought we would give you an update

As you can see he is doing great (poser!), he loves his teddies, walks and laying on the sofa chilling out! (oh and a spot of steak from the bbq!) We all moved house at the end of last year and he loves his new surroundings, lots of places to go for nice walks.

Love Alana, Paul and Rebs

Kizzy

Hi, we picked up KIZZIE, formally TIFFANY in January 2012. We just want to say what pleasure she has given us since her arrival in our home. She soon settled in and she loves going on long walks, she is very playful but gentle and we can not imagine what we did without her.

Our previous dog, a Cavalier King Charles, we had for nearly 14 years, sadly put to sleep on Christmas Eve 2011. We never thought we would have another dog but our daughter saw Tiffany on your website and as we had some food to donate to the centre she suggested we have a look at her when we went.

It was the best thing we have done. Thank you all at HAW. Pete, Melton.

Richard and Hugo

We were very moved by the sad story of the large mistreated family of gerbils that you had rescued at your centre. I have kept gerbils since I was about five years old and over the years have provided a home for many ‘rescue’ gerbils. We could not ignore this story and made a special trip down to visit you.

We fell in love with our two gerbils instantly and managed to buy a huge second hand gerbil tank/cage. We were able to bring them home that same day and had great fun filling the tank with straw, sawdust, bedding, cardboard tubes and boxes. We have been transfixed ever since watching their antics. Much more amusing and fun than any TV programme! They have had the children hooting with laughter popping up out of tunnels they have dug.

They are so sweet and seem to be quite tame and easy to handle. Josie has named them Richard and Hugh after her uncles!

We are so thrilled that they have become part of our family and we are so looking forward to caring for them and giving them a loving home.

Thank you.

Nina and Sophie (7) Josie (6) Martha (4) and Inigo (2)

Alfie

Hi there all

We adopted Rooney (Jack Russell) from you a few weeks back, we changed his name to Alfie which he responded to straight away (must be the ‘ie’ sound). He settled in with us very quickly and we love him to bits, hes a really lovely dog. We thought you would like to see these photos of Alfie. Chris has M.S and uses a disability scooter, we hoped we would be able to get a dog that would cope with the scooter so we could all go out for walks together and Alfie LOVES the scooter, and took to it straight away, (we do make him walk as well!) Alfie is very scared of other dogs and always goes to the scooter for protection. This must be giving him confidence because today he actually allowed another to dog to sniff him and he sniffed back! (so with time we think he will become less scared)

Hope you enjoy the pictures

With best wishes to you all

Anne and Chris

Ellie and Bailey

Hello

We’ve adopted two cats over the last 15yrs, our first was a little black and white girl called Poppy or Zorro (we re-named her Ellie). When we came to see her we were told that she had been very poorly and nearly died, but thanks to the love and care of your staff she made a full recovery and has now lived a very happy life with us.

Our second cat a little black boy called Bailey came to live with us a couple of years after we got Ellie. From day one he has been a bundle of energy and fun and although Ellie wasn’t thrilled with her new house guest she has still managed to accept him in to the family (as long as he keeps his distance lol). Bailey although being about 12yrs old now still acts like a little kitten and does get on Ellie’s nerves a bit as she is such a quiet little thing. He’s taught himself a few tricks over time such as opening the doors by the handles and i know he will keep us entertained for a long while yet! So thank you for taking great care of him whilst with you i know they both would say thank you if they could. So thank you from us all!

Sadly we lost Ellie this year but knowing that we manage to give her a loving and happy life was the best gift we could have given any animal but to be honest Ellie has given us the best gift of all. Being able to grow up with a best friend who has shown us nothing but love for 15 years as well as comforting us in our troubled times has been a privilege. We owe
these special times to you and your love and care for her when she needed it the most

Thank you!

The work that you do is wonderful and to hear that you are still helping animals the way you helped Bailey and Ellie is amazing! I wish nothing but the best to you and the animals i your care. I would advise anyone to adopt a pet from you as it is a gift that your new friend will never forget or stop thanking you for. Giving these animals a new home gives them a
new happier life so please if you can adopt.

Once again thank you so much for the love and care you showed Ellie and Bailey!

Love Steph, Sarah and Tom and of course Bailey and Ellie

Travis

I was covered in glue and had to be shaved

I visited the centre a couple of months back and showed some pictures of my handsome boy Travis to one of the guys and he asked me to send a picture of him now, I have attached a before and after picture for you. At the centre he was called Hector, as far as I know he was with you for around 4 months. He had been found in Hedon matted and had apparently been covered in glue, which resulted in him having to be shaved (see before and after photos).

Look at me now, such a handsome boy!

We took him home and to say he is now a handsome boy is an understatement. He is a carpet wrecker, but I don’t mind . He gets on very well with our other cat Tango and the neighbours love him as well. He has settled in lovely and is a proper little character (not so little now as you will see from the photo)

What can I say he rules the roost and looks after our other cat who is a bit of a wimp that was bullied by all the other cats near us (not anymore!!!!) He loves his food and home comforts, and we love him to bits.

Best wishes,

from Lucy & Rob Woolley

Ben

Dear Hawt

We thought you’d like to know that the crazy, funny, affectionate dog we adopted from you back in November 2011 is doing just fine. Big bonkers Ben has a lovely life at our home in South Cave, and our bungalow on the cliff edge at Skipsea.

He’s a superb swimmer – the only difficulty is persuading him out of the water! – he would swim all day given the chance. He was eight years old when we got him from you, his previous owners having apparently died. We worried that he was grieving for them at first and we would have loved to know who they were and what sort of life he had had. He tells us nothing of course!

But as you’ll see from the photo I’m sending Ben is very happy with his new home, and we adore him.

with best wishes Deborah

Fifi and Crystal

To all at Sunnydene,

Fifi and Crystal are two spoilt and happy little Chihuahuas now we love them so much and are a huge part of our family going everywhere with us. Crystal managed to lose those excess 5kgs with lots of walks on the Westwood! Thanks for everything.

Alice & Sam

Lincoln

Hi all,

We just wanted to let you know how Lincoln has settled onto his new home with us. He came to live with us in October 2012 and has settled in brilliantly, he loves his daily walks and cuddling up with us on the sofa at night. He makes the neighbours laugh by sitting on the living room windowsill and watching the world go by.

He’s a very happy boy and we are very happy that he is part of our lives

Ellie and James

Rua

We spotted Ivy, a rather thin, timid-looking, sandy GSD/Collie cross with a tucked-under tail on the HAWT website in July 2012 soon after we’d lost our old GSD, and came to the centre to see her. She and two other dogs had been rescued from being destroyed simply because ‘no one wanted them.’

Her photo really hadn’t done her justice because what we found was a stunningly beautiful, fox-red dog with soft, silky fur, a waggy, bushy tail and ears which waggled up and down. We were smitten.

Renamed Rua, she settled so quickly into being a part of the family that it feels as if she’s always been with us. She hadn’t been cat-tested but after careful introductions she is now the best of friends with our two rescue cats.

Her favourite activity during the day is playing anything involving running, fetching and catching. In the evening she settles on her beanbag with her bone, before rolling onto her back and snoozing with her feet in the air. At night she goes happily off to her crate by the Rayburn, putting herself to bed if she thinks we’ve stayed up too late. I’ve included a picture of her enjoying the sea air on holiday on the Isle of Skye.

Bubbles

Dear Animal Rescue

I wanted to send you a recent picture taken of Bubbles.

Bubbles was with you towards the end of November 2012 as her owner had passed away. I remember seeing the picture of Bubbles on your website and thought she looked so timid. Your description at the time read that Bubbles was very unsure of herself and stayed in her bed most of the time.

I brought Bubbles home on the 24th November and from the minute she set foot in my house she seemed at ease. There was no problems whatsoever with this lovely loving dog. I myself had lost my dog in September after 14 years and never thought I would love another dog again as much as I did Belle but how wrong I was.

As you can see from the picture she has settled in with us really really well. She is a very happy little dog who is loved so very very much. These pictures were taken of her on Saturday as she was enjoying a chew and getting ready to go for a walk.

Yours sincerely

Alison

Toby and Daisy

We got our two adorable cats 3 years ago called Toby and Daisy. They are very playful and lovable. Toby is 5 and Daisy is 5 and they are brother and sister but are nothing alike!

Daisy is our more cuddly cat and comes and sits on our laps all of the time but she often looks like a squirrel when she comes in because of her fur and her tail goes all fluffy and curls up.

Toby is the one who is always out and about but he also loves to curl up on our beds with his mucky paws! Even if you don’t want an alarm you will be woken up as Toby will jump onto the bed and head but you and tap you with his paws until you get up and out of bed!

We are so happy to have been able to take care of these two adorable cats.

Jackie, Shane, Lauren and Bradley

Ruby, Missy, Aston and Cadbury

We adopted our four beautiful rabbits last year and it was our best decision yet! They are called Ruby, Missy, Aston and Cadbury.

They live in what we like to call their own little mansion as they have a little summer house to sleep in and a huge run on the outside.

Ruby is the only one that loves to be stroked and loved and loves to take the brush from our hands whilst we are cleaning up.

Missy jumps around like a crazy bunny and tries to eat all of the food before the other rabbits come out.

Aston is the only boy rabbit and has beautiful blue eyes.He is a very active bunny and loves his dry food.

Cadbury is the smallest and quietest rabbit and doesn’t really like being stroked.

Jackie, Shane, Lauren, Bradley

Fox

Fox

When I visited Hull Animal Welfare I wasn’t sure what type of dog I wanted, I just wanted to give a dog a good home.

Outside were some pens and I noticed Fox, I went towards the pen and straight away, there was a connection. It was like we were ‘choosing’ each other.

We decided to walk around the rest of the rescue centre, but as we walked away, I could not get Fox out of my mind. And that was it, i knew Fox was meant to be with us. Fox was not his original name, but I just felt, that not only did Fox, look a little like a Fox, but i was also a huge fan of the X-Files, Fox Mulder to be exact and that was it, Fox it was.

Taking Fox home, was just a fantastic day. I remember it so clearly. fox was so happy to be coming away with us.

At first, Fox needed a lot of work. He had not been trained properly and had obviously been allowed to get away with things, that he shouldn’t have been doing! At first, Fox wasn’t very good with other dogs, we had to watch him carefully, but we took Fox to a dog behaviour trainer and fox became a changed dog. We also learn’t so much as dog owners. Fox became a different dog, happy within himself and confident and happy with us. And eventually, Fox was ok to be around other dogs, becoming good friends with a little dog called Quincy, also from a rescue centre. You can see Fox’s best friend, on the photograph.

Fox and Quincey

We did everything together. Fox would go fishing with my partner, go for long walks to the beach, the countryside and go away with us on weekends away. Anywhere we could take Fox with us, he would come. We even found hotels, that would take dogs, so that Fox could be apart of everything that we did.

Fox loved, to play with a football and everywhere we went, we would have to take a ball with us. He would even try to join in with the football matches on the park! Many a time we would be chasing Fox to get the ball back. He loved it and so did we. Fox always made us laugh, watching him playing football. He became well known on the park and in the area. Fox even became well known near where my parents lived, because he was always outside playing and he was such a beautiful looking dog, always having people stop us, wanting to say hello to him.

Sadly all too soon, old age seemed to be there. Fox turned 15years, yet he still would have his bursts of energy and like to play football.I had to help him up the stairs most times and we would have to sit down at benches for a while. when out on our walks. And Fox would love to sit in the front garden and watch people passing by. I always felt safe and happy, when Fox was with me.

On the day that Fox passed away, he had been playing as usual in the morning with his ball, had his tea as usual, but then, Fox wanted to go outside and as he walked up the drive, Fox just suddenly collapsed, he was having trouble breathing. I rushed him to the vets and we did everything we could to save him. But the vet said that Fox had a tumor in his tummy, that had burst and that Fox was unlikely to survive an operation because of his age and that the tumor would grow back and he had mass bleeding in his tummy.

We had to make the right choice for Fox and therefore made the heartbreaking decision, for the vet to put Fox to sleep. It was one of the most difficult and heartbreaking moments, I have ever been through.

I miss Fox more than words can say. He was my Best Friend and i will never ever forget him. But, i also have to think, that if it had not been for Hull Animal Welfare, the care he received there, we may never have had that joy, that Fox brought to our lives. Thank-You to everyone and to Fox, my Amazing Border Collie friend

Clare

Jack

Thought you might like to know that Jack has settled in really well in our home and is very much now part of the family. He’s desperate to get outside but we’ll hang on a few more weeks.

We would like to thank you all again for Jack and we were impressed by the level of care you show all your animals. We wish you luck and continuing success in your work.

Regards,

Martin and Jen, Hull.

Marmite

My partner and I adopted Marmite (then named Cassie) in 2011, when she was 6 months old and with all her brothers and sisters.

Luckily for us, the decision was made easy by one cheeky little kitten climbing up the side of the wall when we went in to choose!

We can both honestly say she is one of the most beautiful animals ever, very affectionate and purrs all the time! She’s very funny too in which she plays fetch with her toys (yes like a dog) and chases her tail.

She loves to cuddle up with us in bed, but also rather unusually likes to sleep on top of the television, must be the warm air!

Thank you so much for what you do, we are truly grateful for our little Marmite!

Violet and Joe

Tessa

Hi there,

Just thought you would like to know the progress of our lovely little girl now called Tessa (she was Lucy at the centre). After a very challenging year, we adopted her 9th Jan 2012, she has turned a corner! She joined our other dog we adopted from you some years ago, Ben who was one of the most adored dog of all times. After two months we lost him suddenly to illness and Tessa had to learn again to be an only dog after she lost her loving companion.

We had a difficult time with her being so frightened of everyone without Ben, not of us but with strangers and other dogs.

She has now become very loving and much more trusting of others and Roger has been taking her to training sessions where she has just achieved a Kennel Club Bronze award for obedience and is now working towards Silver!

We love her so much and she is brilliant with babies and children and most other dogs such as our son’s rescued Akita from Leeds Animal Trust at 4 months old in 2011.

She has surprised us all including the staff at training who can see such a big change in her. After her bad start in life and being rescued by yourselves from a pound in Lancashire she is now the most adored family dog and we thank you so much for her.

I hope you receive the photo with this email and hope you will remember her.

Roger and Viki

Paddy

My name is Rachael and I adopted a dog named Shady

A quick update for you then…

I renamed him Paddy and he was pretty skinny when I took him home, as you’ll know, but he settled in really quickly, enjoyed every morsel of his food (as he still does now) and quickly reached a good weight. He didn’t know how to walk on a lead, play ball or give his paw, or anything really but he got there in the end with some help from his older sister (see pictures) Stella the Jack Russell.

I couldn’t have hoped for a lovelier natured dog, especially considering his past (which I don’t think was particularly rosy), he is so loving and giving – he’s a little ray of sunshine!

Stella loves him to bits – they are inseparable, as you will see from the photos.

Many thanks and kind regards.

Rachael

Danny

Dear all,

We just wanted to thank you for Danny. We adopted Danny from the HAWT four weeks ago (Feb 2013). We first saw him on the website and he looked perfect for us- and he has proved to be just that. We have had dogs for over 30 years, but have never had a rescue dog before so we were unsure what to expect, as was poor little Danny who had left his family for whatever reason and was wondering what was in store for him. Well once we got Danny back home he soon settled into his cosy new bed and very quickly found his way round his new home and garden.

He is an absolute delight to have in the house, he is so affectionate and loves nothing better than to snuggle up next to us; sometimes under the duvet!! He loves everyone, especially Megan and Abi our two grandchildren.

Danny loves his walks in the woods and like most terriers he has a great time rooting around to see what he can find. His favourite walk is on the beach where he can chase the seagulls and jump through the rock pools. He likes chasing the ball on the beach and is now learnt that if he brings it back he gets a treat- he’s a very quick learner our Danny Boy!
Danny has only been with us for one month but already he has brought us so much pleasure and we thought you would like to see some photos of Danny on his adventures.

Very best wishes to everyone at the kennels,

Eileen and Mike

Bubbles

Dear Animal Welfare

I just thought i would send you this recent photo we have taken of Bubbles in her new home.

I have had her since November 24th and I have to say that from day one she settled in nicely also as in the saying ‘a picture paints a thousand words’ from one very little happy dog.

I remember when i first saw a picture of Bubbles on your website and the comment was that she was very unsure of herself and that she stayed in her bed most of the time. It is nice to see that the spirit is back in this little dog. She is such a treasure and loved very very much.

Yours sincerely

Alison (one very happy owner)

Albert

Last year was not a happy year for us. We lost Ben at 10 in February and Max 14 in July, both of whom had come to us from HAWT. In September we went along to the open day as we always try to do, to support the great work HAWT do. After wandering around the stalls, winning stuffed toys and buying bits and bobs, we decided to have a look around the dogs. We had no intention of getting another dog, we still had two at home and didn’t want to upset the apple cart after the stress of losing 2 loved dogs. We came upon the puppies! As we stood watching, one of them started doing lots of tricks that Ben used to do, so much so that I started to cry behind my sunglasses. It got us thinking. Our 6 year old St Bernard had had a heart murmur for over a year and was always getting some ailment or other and with the luck we had had we started to wonder how much longer we would have him with us. We could not have just one dog, it would be unfair to either of two we had left as they had both grown up with multiple dogs around them. As it turned out, it was Botham (8), who we had to worry about. The week after the open day we found a large lump on Bothams chest, it appeared out of nowhere. He had had mast cell tumours removed previously, so we thought that would be the case again, alas, no. It was too big. The only thing we could do was give him steroids and antihistamines. Now it was probably Botham we would lose next. The following Saturday I went to HAWT to look at the puppies again, there were only two left, and not the one we had pinpointed. I didn’t know what to do. On my way home I thought if I take Samson and Botham to the puppies, if they reacted badly we had a definite ‘no’ to getting a new pup. Both of our dogs just ignored the puppies, Lyn told us that was the best reaction. Still undecided, my husband and I went on Sunday to see the pups again, Albert (previously Gordon) attached himself to Chris, the decision was made! We took him home that day on a weeks trial, as I was unsure of how Samson would take to him. He fitted perfectly, it was as if he had lived with us all his life, he was house trained very quickly and he and Samson soon became best friends, little and large. He is a very funny and loving little character who can’t help but make us smile, which helped us even more when we lost Botham in December. You can never replace a dog but there is always room in your heart for another little terror. We both believe that if we didn’t have Albert, Samson would have given up by now, after losing all of his ‘brothers’ and having emergency surgery to remove his spleen in February 2013. Thank you Albert for helping to heal our hearts and making Samson have to keep up with you. Kerry and Chris.

Jaffa

Jaffa or Edison as you knew him came to live with us May 2009 from your shelter.

He wasn’t happy in your shelter, and looked quite miserable. But we could see the potential of him

He is living a lovely village life here near Leconfield and has a good friend in Mia, one of our other cats. He has fields on 3 sides,and likes to roam about a bit (not too far)

See attached picture of Jaffa & Mia the Siamese

He loves living here, and although he doesn’t say much, he is a big smiler, and excellent company

Maggie & Phil

Ted

Dear all

Thought I would let you know how Ted is doing and what a wonderful dog he is. Ted (or Teddy as he was known to you) came to live with us in March 2012 and felt part of our family straight away. As he was a stray you didn’t know anything about him, his age etc… and you estimated he was around 5 months old. He is always pretty lively and loves nothing more than long walks, playing football, chasing anything he sees and generally having a good time. We are fortunate enough to be able to take him to work with us and so he meets a variety of people during the day and now knows all the delivery drivers
and reps that come in. Most of the day is spent snoozing under my desk, chewing on a bone, chasing a variety of toys around the office or trying to get treats out of boxes or his treat ball. He also loves tea breaks and lunch times at work as he likes using his doggy charm to sneak treats, bits of sandwich meat etc…from the guys in the workshop.

We took him to Bishop Burton Town and Country Day in May 2012 and was very proud when he won the most handsome dog prize. In true Ted style he got very excited, leapt up at the judge to give her a kiss and then tried to eat the rosette!

He is a fairly large dog now but is very gentle and friendly and loves nothing better than a cuddle on the sofa and is great at stretching out and edging the humans off so he can have it all to himself!

Many thanks again for our fantastic dog, he had a sad start to life but has certainly landed on his feet now and we wouldn’t change him for the world.

Sally, Phil and Dominic

Oscar

Hi. Here is our happy ending for Oscar the parsons Jack Russell X Spaniel. We adopted Oscar during January 2013.

We are delighted to say that Oscar settled immediately from the minute he entered the house and has been a wonderful dog to have within our family from day one. Since joining us he proved himself to be clean, obedient and friendly. Oscar has a wonderful sense of humour (as you can tell from his smile and also his Winston Churchill impression) and is gradually pulling less on his lead. He is lucky to be able to roam free in the woods and fields around Elloughton on his daily walks and has made many friends, some of whom are also rescue dogs from South Cave. Oscar is now very well know to the dog walking fraternity. His home personality is caring and he constantly shows love and affection to everyone around him. We can not possibly imagine being able to adopt a more perfect dog and we have been extremely lucky.

Thank you for all of the brilliant work you do for so many animals. With best wishes for the future.

The Brown family and Oscar.

I'm extra special

Rory Ruth and Pals

We're Rory and Ruth and we live at the centre but we're hoping for a new home soon and we've plenty of pals waiting as well !!

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