Kennel expansion to meet demand

A boarding kennels that looks after rescued dogs is looking to expand to help it care for an increasing number of animals being given away or abandoned by their owners.

Mrs Sarah Quick, of Upton Farm Lodge Boarding Kennels, Hockerton Road, Upton, has applied for permission from Newark and Sherwood District Council to build 14 family-sized kennels.

The kennels would house long-stay rescue dogs, groups of dogs together, and larger breeds.

Mrs Quick, who offers the only boarding kennel places for Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire Boxer Rescue, said the number of dogs being helped by the charity had risen by 50% because of the recession.

She said: “People are working longer hours and find they no longer have time to look after dogs, or find they cannot afford to pay for things like vets’ bills.

“We get dogs because of marriage break-ups as well as because of debt.”

Mrs Quick has ten rescued boxers at the kennels and seven dogs with foster families waiting to be rehomed.

The charity’s co-founder and co-ordinator, Mrs Tracy Dawes, said the extra spaces would provide a vital lifeline for some dogs.

She said: “We are turning dogs away now so we have dogs waiting to come in that we haven’t got room for.

“We ask owners to wait and we will take the dog as soon as we can but we think sometimes they just dump them and then tell us they have found them a home because they don’t want to wait.

“It will be a lifeline for some of these dogs who are on death row in the pound. It will literally be the difference between dogs living and dying.

“We recently helped with the rescue of 200 dogs in Kent, which had been used for breeding on a puppy farm. We took 21 of them — more than Battersea Dogs Home — and when they came to us they could barely walk and had never seen grass.

“We needed to keep them somewhere like this to help rehabilitate them so they can be rehomed. They were long-term boarders who needed to be kept in small groups and could have done with the bigger cages.”

Among the animals helped is Dave, who was handed to the rescue centre after being shut away and left to die by his owner.

When he arrived, he was emaciated with burns to his feet and body, infected eyes, and overgrown nails.

Despite being the worst case of neglect Mrs Quick and Mrs Dawes had seen, Dave was successfully rehabilitated and now lives with a new family.

The kennels also take dogs due to be destroyed including George who had just two days before he was due to be put down.

He had tumours on his body but after several operations he was rehabilitated and now lives on a farm and helps his new owner to train police horses.

Another rescue dog, Libby, came to the kennels with only an hour to spare before she was due to be put down.

Libby, who has found a new family, had been used for breeding and was thrown out when she could no longer produce puppies.

The charity is looking for more foster families to help care for boxers before they are rehomed and is also hoping to get a van to help collect dogs from other areas of the country.

Anyone wanting to help should contact Mrs Quick on 01636 816391.

More information about the charity is available online at www.nayboxerrescue.co.uk