Update:

Thank you to everybody who has donated so far and also enquired about the puppies. We are happy to report that all now have homes lined up but, as they are not quite ready to leave us, they are still currently receiving much needed care and attention from our staff.

As always happens at our centre, no sooner have we rehomed animals in our care, along come more animals that need us. This time, we have even more four legged sausages heading our way for Christmas! On a recent health check at our vets it was confirmed that Ingrid, one of the female Dachshunds rescued from the RSPCA operation, is pregnant. It is expected that Ingrid will give birth over the Christmas period and it is also very likely that she will require a caesarean to deliver her litter of pups. A caesarean costs the in the region of £800. Once Ingrid has delivered her puppies there will be the inevitable care and health checks required of the new mum and puppies, which will be another cost to the Centre. However we are happy in the knowledge that the puppies and adults are now in a caring and loving environment at the Centre.

The litter of puppies will be available for adoption once they are fully independent of their mother. Please keep an eye on our website and social media for information on Ingrid and her puppies.

In more Dachshund news, four of the female adults rescued in the same operation are now available for adoption. See our website and social media for photos of the gorgeous Steffi, Fudge, Sophia and Hannah.

All applications need to come through animals@ rspcaderby.org.uk

52 little paws, 13 waggy tails, 26 sparkling eyes and a whole lot of trouble.

Early this December Abbey Street Animal Rehoming Centre was presented with an early Christmas present with thirteen adorable Dachshund puppies.

The puppies arrived at the Centre in a flurry of wet noses, licky tongues and floppy ears. They were not the only ones to arrive as the puppies were accompanied by their mothers, cousins and many aunties.

These poor pups (and their relatives) didnt start their life in the most pleasant environment as they were born at a puppy breeders and fortunately these little guys have had a very lucky escape. Abbey Street Animal Rehoming Centre feel very fortunate to have been given the opportunity to care for all these amazing little dogs and eventually find them the loving homes they deserve.

Lucy, the Animal Care Manager at Abbey Street, had this to say;

"It is heart breaking to think that these defenceless puppies that we love and cherish so much have been born just to be sold and bred from. It is also clear that the adult dogs have had several litters already as on their initial health check by our vet it was discovered that some had already had to have a caesarean to safely deliver their pups. Some only being babies themselves! They have never experienced a loving home and have been kept simply as a product just to produce money. They would have been kept in unpleasant and cramped conditions as we know that in total there were over 100 dog rescued from this particular RSPCA operation. "

Abbey Street Animal Rehoming Centre welcomed 21 Dachshunds in total and it will cost the Centre approximately £6,550 to care for the Dachshunds - this will cover everything from food, vaccinations, neutering, toys, weekly vet visits and importantly staff time to enrich and rehabilitate the dogs.

The majority of the puppies and their relatives have been placed in foster homes to help them adjust and to reduce any stress. The Centre have also dedicated a room especially for the puppies with everything they would require with cosy beds, comfy blankets, relaxing music and toys and of course most importantly lots of care from our dedicated team.

The puppies in particular require a lot of care, from feeding several times a day to cleaning (many times a day) and of course providing plenty of love, cuddles and attention. The puppies are weighed every two days to ensure they are growing and gaining weight and they have regular health checks to make sure that they are used to being handled and touched. As you can imagine they are super wiggly so this is often a two person job. The Animal Care Team are also doing lots of sensory enrichment with the puppies to ensure they are used to the everyday noises and smells of a home.

We are sure that by Christmas all these puppies will all be in their loving forever homes but there will be many other dogs in our care that will not be as fortunate and will be spending their Christmas (alongside our wonderful staff) in the kennels. Fulfilling their needs is very costly and we cannot say thank you enough to everyone who donates their time, items or money to help us give them extra special care this festive season.

On average it costs us £450 to care for a dog during its stay with us, and we will have approximately 31 dogs in our care over Christmas.

Most of the dogs that we receive into our care require extensive veterinary treatment ranging from dentals, skin treatments and eye complaints and at times limb amputations. At Abbey Street Animal Rehoming Centre we like to give every dog a chance at a new life whether young or old, cross breed or pedigree and after receiving all their treatments endeavour to find them their forever home.

All dogs in our care receive several health checks form our vet, they are flea and worm treated, vaccinated, neutered and micro chipped to ensure that they have the very best start with their new family.

As an independently funded branch we rely on donations and fundraising to continue to operate, can you support the animals in our care this Christmas?