The Big Reason

Why do I do this work? It's hard, emotionally and financially, it's stressful, it's 24/7 and 365 days a year. In short you'd have to be crazy, which I obviously am to a certain extent, but here's the thing.

I took a mother sharpei and her 5 puppies from the government kennels (pound) where the alternative was death, not to beat about the bush. The mother was young and had clearly been someone's pet, or at least looked after, as she's a very loving dog.

I took the pups away at 4 weeks and sent them to foster homes in pairs while the mother went to her own foster home (and boy was she lucky with this one!) The fifth pup came back home with me to be paired up with a solitary waif, a pretty terrified orphan with no hair. I mentioned her before and had called her Minty, because I could see she was going to be black and white, and in England we have Everton mints which are that colour.

Waldo the sharpei pup changed Minty's life, just as the medication changed her skin and her coat started to grow back in. The two pups became friends and Waldo taught Minty how to play, and that life wasn't so bad after all.

Then somone wanted to adopt Waldo but I said not without Minty, and after a family discussion they went home together. Minty's hair is still growing back in and patchy but she's winning, and the two of them are having the best life.

The other pups in the litter have also been adopted.