Fundraising through a Sky Dive, sponsored by Blue Cross. Sky Dive will take place on the 10th July at 6pm! :-)

HELP PUT AN END TO PUPPY/KITTEN FARMING. SUPPORT THE WELFARE OF ANIMALS.

**UPDATE**

The breeders that are mentioned in this story were fined:

https://animalprotectionservices.org/2021/05/25/admaston-illegal-puppy-dealer-given-fine-and-disqualified-from-dealing-in-animals/

https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/crime/2021/05/26/fines-for-puppy-sellers-operating-without-licence/

**TRIGGER WARNING FOR IMAGES**

In the summer of 2020, we lost our beloved Golden Retriever, Sherbet, suddenly and tragically. Any animal lover who has experienced losing a pet will know this pain, but Sherbet had been through so much with us as a family. She loved us all unconditionally, provided pure affection and companionship - and she provided a light when times seemed so dark. It really broke us as a family, especially after losing our Grandmother and Father in January and March 2020 - it felt like things couldn't get much worse!

After her passing, my Mum's partner noticed an advert on Facebook, advertising 'Beagle X Cocker Spaniel Puppies for Sale! Mum can be seen with puppies.' No price was advertised, and there were pictures of some of the puppies all together. My Mum messaged the seller asking if the puppies were still available, and if so, would it be possible to go and see them. My Mum, brother and Mum's partner went to view the puppies, and what they saw was abhorrent. The puppies were kept in a filthy stable, in their own excrement. The mother of the puppies was not with them - she was housed in the stable next door, with 5 different puppies. There was no water or food available for the puppies. They ranged in condition, from relatively healthy looking to struggling to stand up. There was 12 puppies all together, and at least 6 of the 12 were incredibly malnourished and severely dehydrated.

My family were shocked and disgusted at what they saw and the conditions that the puppies were kept in. They picked up the weakest of the 12 puppies - he could not lift his head at the time. My family didn't want to leave any of them there, but they wanted to save at least one - and make appropriate authorities aware of what was going on.

They enquired into the cost of the puppies, they responded with £1,700!! However, the breeder said that my family could take the puppy, and pay the £1,700 a few days later. The mother looked in horrendous condition - but there was another 5 Cockerpoo puppies next door with her, who were in the same condition as the 12; no food, no water and in a cramped cage in a dirty stable.

My family left for home with the puppy, but he seriously started to deteriorate within 2 hours. He was passing and vomiting blood and water. He couldn't eat or drink - he was too weak.

My mum has messaged the breeder to inform them of his condition and the state he was in. The breeder responded with 'yes, he will be pining for his siblings - as long as he is drinking, he will be fine. They were all fed before you came. The diarrhoea is normal because they have just been wormed. As long as it is not water coming out, he will be ok. It will be the change in environment.'

My family made an emergency appointment at the vets for the following morning at 8am. The vet immediately suspected Parvo Virus, and he was placed on a drip. The vet stated 'he has a very, very slim chance of survival. He won't make it if its Parvo Virus because of the condition he is in - if he had been looked after correctly, he would have a higher chance of making it through. If it was indeed Parvo, the mother (the bitch) can't have been vaccinated, and this is where it has come from. This also means that all of the other 11 puppies will have it too.'

My family told the breeder. The breeder didn't know what Parvo Virus was. My mum spoke on the phone to the breeder, and they asked to be updated.

The puppy was at the vets every day for 7 days - he was on a drip for all of these.

The puppy was treated for Parvo Virus and he was slowly improving. The vets gave him a 50/50 chance of making it, but told us not to get our hopes up. We weren't allowed to touch him without gloves on, due to contamination and spreading to our other animals. Therefore, if the Virus got to our 4 cats (2 in my household and 2 in my Mums) - they would also contract the Virus too, as well as us.

During this time, the breeder took all 11 puppies to their vets - and had them tested for the Parvo Virus - they came back positive. Rather than having the puppies treated, they chose to have all 11 puppies destroyed. Making our puppy the only survivor.

Our puppy was in and out of the vets over the course of 4 weeks - spending half and full days in there at a time. He was on a drip, administered medication and 24 hour care for the first month. He had to have someone stay with him over night, due to his condition - he had to be nursed and looked after all night and all day. For the first 4 weeks, he did not eat solid food - we were desperate for him just to have a mouthful of something. His diet consisted of syringed meat paste and water with strong electrolytes. He was syringed for 4/5 weeks.

However... in the 6th week, he took a liking to chicken and scrambled eggs (FINALLY!!), and this is all he ate! With this diet and exercise, he built up his strength and condition, slowly but surely.

In the 7th week, he had a check up at the vets - and the vet was gobsmacked at his improvement, calling him a 'miracle puppy' and he had doubled in weight! He was starting to play, and become the 'puppy' he should have been!

The vets warned us, that we were not out of the woods just yet, and even if he lives past 6 months, there is a strong chance that he will have lifelong health complications and issues - in particular, his heart and lungs.

Our little boy has gone from strength-to-strength, and he is getting bigger and stronger every day. As he started to grow up, we got curious about his DNA - thinking to ourselves and being told by others "there is no way he is a Beagle X Cocker". So, we paid for a Doggy DNA test... Here are the results below:

It's safe to say that he is not at all what he was advertised as!! However, after everything that he has been through, it's safe to say we couldn't give a sh*t what he is. He is happy, healthy and loved - and it's what those 11 other puppies deserved too. This is the story of our little Walter, who was 7 months old on New Years day!

My family wanted to get them all out of there, but we did not have the capacity or the means to do this. Rest assured these vile breeders have been reported for their disgusting and inhumane acts against animals**. This negligence, ignorance and cruelty cannot continue.

Animal lovers need to remain vigilant and do what we can to put a stop to this.

Beth will be Skydiving on 10th July 2021 - please donate what you can, to help put a stop to this disgusting trade.