As the days get shorter and the weather gets colder, we yet again find ourselves frantically trying to raise funds to keep our animals healthy and warm over the winter period. This is a struggle every year as the poor weather leads to an increase in the number of animals surrendered to the rescue. So not only does it cost us more to keep our animals warm with extra bedding and heating, but this also means more mouths to feed, more vet bills and more work for our dedicated volunteers.

This year, however, we face an even bigger challenge than normal. With the COVID-19 pandemic causing chaos worldwide, our fundraisers have been cancelled. Unfortunately, with lockdown 2, we cant even offer our Socially-distanced Private Tour Experiences which were providing us with much-needed funds. Despite the restrictions put upon us, we have been working hard to care for not just our rescue residents, but our sanctuary residents too. These are animals which, due to ongoing health and/or behaviour reasons, cannot be adopted out to new homes. You may have met some of our sanctuary residents or followed their stories online, but here are some of the animals we are currently caring for:

- Frodo, at 14 years old, is our oldest resident. Sadly, Frodo was kept in terrible conditions before he came to us and was never let out of his tiny box of a cage. He consequently struggles with being in large open spaces and panics when taken from his hutch. Frodo is now completely blind and deaf and has been with us for three years. He also suffers from chronic weight loss and this is always one of our biggest worries over the winter months.

- Ashi came to us very recently at just 12 weeks old with a very badly broken leg. Following an emergency amputation, Ashi is recovering well, but still requires extra care.

- Yuka is just 9 weeks old and has terrible malocclusion (overlapping of her front teeth) making it almost impossible for her to eat properly. Her incisors will most likely need removing soon, but, in the meantime, we are assisting her with her daily feeding to ensure she continues to grow properly.

- Mika is 2 years old and came to us with a suddenly paralysed back leg and was chewing his toes off! Upon further investigation via CT scans, it was found that Mika had a tiny, metal-like piece of material on his spine. He is currently being kept comfortable using a special medication but may need further investigation and treatment in the future.

- Keith is an older boy at 7 years old and suffers from dental disease which is sadly very severe meaning poor Keith struggles to eat properly. Not only this, but recent investigation found an issue with one of the vertebrae on Keiths spine which is causing him a lot of pain. This is now managed with a special medication.

As well as the bunnies mentioned above, we have Floki, Mittens, Miffy and Misty suffering from severe dental issues, Tripod suffering from a missing leg and Daisy the guinea pig requiring further investigation into a mammary lump.

As you can imagine, this means we are frequent visitors at the vet. Despite them being absolutely fantastic and helping us in every way they can, this costs us a huge amount of money. As well as this, we have, on average, 12 rabbits to neuter and vaccinate each month. As our followers will know, this is something we are incredibly strict on every rabbit will be neutered and vaccinated when old enough.

As a self-funded rescue organisation, we rely on our own fundraising efforts and donations from the public. You may see us walking dogs around Whitchurch or visiting your neighbours cat in this current, particularly-difficult time, these services are helping to fund our sanctuary residents too.

We understand that everyone is struggling at the moment. No one is having an easy time and there is still so much uncertainty. But, we beg you to take a moment to think about those animals suffering too. You may not be able to donate financially, but please share our posts on Facebook, tell your friends and spread the word. Help us in our fight to save the animals and be a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves.

Here are some ways in which you can help us to help the animals:

- Donate to our fundraisers even just £1 makes a difference!

- Keep an eye out for our Christmas cards and other Christmas-related fundraising!

- Make the most of our pet services use us for dog walking, pet sitting, boarding, grooming, nail clipping and as a pet taxi to and from the vet if you are unable to leave the house.

- Watch our Facebook Live feeds and follow our news on our Facebook page.

- Share our posts and spread the word tell your friends about us!

- Buy your pet products from us. Did you know, we sell hay, woodshavings, treats and wood-pellet litter?!

- Volunteer your time to help us this can even be done from home!

- Sponsor one of our sanctuary residents (more information coming soon).

- Organise your own fundraising event. Fancy a sponsored run or even a skydive?

Thank you to everyone who has supported us so far. Whether you have visited us for a socially-distanced tour, donated to our fundraisers, used our pet services, watched our Facebook Live feeds or shared our Facebook posts, we really appreciate it! Without you, Furlock Holmes wouldnt be here and, without you, a lot of animals would be suffering! Thank you also to our AMAZING volunteers who have worked long hours to keep everything going despite the pandemic!