The Evil that Men Do
WARNING
You WILL find the stories and photos
on this page distressing


On this page you will find distressing stories of cruelty and neglect suffered by collies both here in the UK, and in Ireland.

Irish Collies

People often ask us why we bring collies over from Ireland, when there are so many dogs in the UK that need homes too.

The answer is simple: Collies receive a raw deal in Ireland, they are treated far worse than other breeds or types of dogs. They are seen as a disposable commodity, a tool for work, or dogs too hard to live with. They are not understood, and all too often people are not willing to try and understand them - it is easier to dispose of them. Collies in Ireland are exposed to the type of cruelty and neglect that beggers belief in this day and age, but is sadly all too frequent.

The images here will show you exactly how collies are thought of by some people in Ireland, more than words alone ever could.

They show graphicly and explain why we work with the Irish Rescues as they continue to fight a losing battle, and help them move collies to safety in the UK, and home as many as we possibly can.


Alice


Alice came to Wiccaweys from our friends at Limerick Animal Welfare in Ireland.

Alice has a terribly sad past. This is her story:

Alice is a beautiful collie cross. She was found after recently giving birth to puppies - all but one died. LAW was able to save Alice's last little baby too.

April, 06: When Alice was rescued, she was in very poor physical shape. She was very emaciated and had very bad scabies mange infection which was particularly severe on her head and face.

Alice also had sever burns on her head probably from a boiling liquid being thrown or poured over her.

Alice was a very sad and withdrawn dog. The only response she made to her rescuers was one of terrified cries when we they put a lead on her. Alice had no interest in anything or anyone around her. It was hoped against hope that Alice was not found too late.

Slowly Alice started to respond to treament. She learn to absolutely adore her comfy bed, and mealtimes became her favourite time of the day. She was literally skin and bones when she was rescued Mentally she started to relax and started to give the odd wag of her tail.

June, 06: Alice made a miraculous recovery from her ordeal. Her hair has grown back and you can now see just how pretty she is.

Alice is a very sweet little girl - she has recovered her trust in humans and now loves a cuddle and a fuss.






Photos of Alice taken the day she was rescued



And photos of Alice now!
How Beautiful is she?!
   

Hope

Hope came to Wiccaweys from Basingstoke Dog Warden Service.
Hope was found in October. She was found wet and muddy, in a bad
state with suspected pyometra. She survived the night but it was still touch and go. No sign of pyometra could be found.

The next day Hope took a serious turn for the worse, and X-rays were immediately carried out. Her stomach was very distended and full of fluid.
The x-rays showed foreign bodies in her stomach.
On opening her her, it was discovered that she has been shot!
Her stomach was full of air gun pellets.
She also had a large chunk of wood embeddied into the roof of her mouth, that was discovered when the vets had her on the operating table and was inserting a tube.
Her mouth was badly infected and all around the wood was infested with maggots.

Hope pulled through from the operation, and hung on in there.
It was all down to her now. The day after her op, poor Hope had to have a bottom bath to clear out maggots that had hatched around her bum. :(

Through all this, Hope's personality and temperament stayed trusting and kind.
Everyone who has met her has been touched by her kind and loving nature.
They all ask the same questions:
HOW COULD SOMEONE DO THIS?
WHY?
I guess we will never know.
I do know that people never fail to sicken me.

We asked Laura (Basingstoke Dog Warden) to call this very special girl Hope.
There were so many people hoping this girl made it, that is seemed appropriate.

 Hope came through her ordeal, with her spirit intacted and her head and pride held high.
Those cruel people didn't beat her - she beat them!
And she has had the best Christmas Present in the world - a loving new home!



Jack - A victim of a cruel world
Eire

This is a report from Limerick Animal Welfare,
one of the rescues in Ireland we work very closely with.
It is reprinted here with permission.
LAW want as many people as possible to know how collies are treated in Ireland.


HORROR OF MYSTERY DOG

On March 23rd 2005, Limerick Animal Welfare were contacted by distraught members of the public alerting us about a dead dog lying on a boulder with some sort of metal object sticking out of his back.
This dog was reported to be outside an ESB plant on the Ballysimon road. One of our members found the dog and indeed what was reported to us was true.

The dog a young male collie was lying on his side on a boulder with a golf club protruding from his body. The dog’s body had horrific injuries; most of his internal body organs were exposed. This dog because he was up on a height was very visible to people passing by. It is understandable how people were so upset. In fact a group of young adults with intellectual disabilities saw the dog and were clearly distressed.

Limerick Animal Welfare had the dog removed to a local vet clinic and had a post mortem performed to determine cause of death. The results showed that the dog’s injuries were consistent with being rolled over by a heavy object most likely a truck.

However there are certain questions left unanswered.
How did the dog get up on the boulder?
Why was there a golf stick protruding from his body?
The golf club was inserted about 3 inches into his chest cavity.

The dog whom we called Jack was a beautiful young male black and white border collie. He was probably around 3 yrs old and was wearing a narrow mustard collar.

Why a dead dog who had been knocked down was placed on a boulder for all to see and had a golf club inserted into his body?

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shep
Wales

Shep is a lovely little dog who has really been to hell and back. He was roughly around 7mths old when he came to Wiccaweys after being rescued from the most appaling conditions. Shep suffered severe cruelty and abuse, but thanks to the courage and bravery of two elderly ladies , this young lad now has the opportunity to have the life he deserves.

Shep had been kept locked in a rotting shed all his life, and he was only fed when his owner remembered. Then he would have to fight rats for his food as they would steal it. He had rain water to drink. He lived and slept in his own mess and was kept on a chain at all times. The only contact he had with his owner was either a boot or a fist.
Shep when he first came into rescue

He first came to the ladies attention when they moved in next door to his owner and they could always hear dogs crying but not see them. They phoned a large rescue organisation whose Inspector was less than helpful. They had to phone several times before he came to investigate. When he finally came to investigate, he took one poor dog away immediately to be pts as it was in such a terrible condition, but left Shep there saying he had no grounds to remove him - he had access to water!?!?! The owner agreed that Shep could go outside during the day and would then drag himout of the shed in the morning, chain him up in the yard all day, and then throw him back in the evening.

These incredible ladies then took it upon themselves to help Shep, they crept around every day once his owner had gone to work to feed him, socialise and play with him. He had an old glove to play with and a ball. They had to make sure everything was taken home again before his owner returned. It broke their hearts to know what Shep faced when his owner got home.


Dog remains

Shep's shed

They kept this up for several weeks whilst planning their next move - finally the day came and as soon as Shep's owner had left, they were round there with bolt cutters to release Shep. They took their camera and photographed the yard and conditions Shep was living in. Then they went into the shed - the sight that met their eyes is something that will haunt them forever. Laying on the floor in front of them, still with a chain attached was the skeleton of a curled up dog, Border Collie sized. All that remained was a piece of hair on the tail. Poor Shep had been living alongside his dead friend.

Did the Inspector go in with his eyes shut???

Shep is now safe and happy in a new loving home, thanks to these two wonderful ladies. Considering what this poor lad has been through he is quite a remarkable boy. He is friendly, desperate to trust and bond and very loving. I put this all down to the socialising and playing he received from the ladies.

He is tri-colour with quite a white face, he has one pale golden eye and one blue. He is quite small in size. Shep does have a very overshot jaw which gives him a very sweet expression.

This little dog is a living miracle.

Final comment from his previous owner when he told the ladies that Shep had gone - "Good bloody riddance - more trouble than it was worth!"
The elderly ladies smiled sweetly and said nothing.

In my eyes they are Angels.


Shep just before he left Wiccaweys for his new home

Thank you, especially to My Guardian Angels



Luka
Eire

Luka was found in Ireland by Limerick Animal Welfare, a rescue we work closely with and take collies from.
I will leave Niamh to tell Luka's story, in her own words.

"One of our members called me she was so upset she couldn't talk. She was picking up her baby from the child minders when she saw this beautiful collie with a terrible injury to his neck. She said it looked like his neck was hanging off and all bluebottles were hovering around him, and the smell was unbearable.

I went up to help her and couldn't believe the condition of the poor dog who was a beautiful looking male collie.

Luka safe in the vet hospital

The wound to his neck was horrific it was so deep, oozing pus and the smell was indescribable. He was a bit nervous and must of been in terrible pain and I didn't know how he'd respond when I would try and get him into my car.

I needn't have worried, all he did was wag his tail and lick me. We named him Luka, he is around 3 years old and he is so gentle and affectionate. How could he still be so trusting after all he had been through?

I took him to the vet and he was given a general anaesthetic to have the wound explored. The vet found a puppy collar on Luka. It looks like he had this collar on since he was a pup and it just ate away into his neck. The wound was cleaned and flushed out with antibiotics.


Luka in the Vet Hospital and his neck wound (right)

The vet holds out high hopes for him, the muscles in his neck have been severed. He was about two days away from death, if we hadn't found him the collar would have severed his trachea and oesophogus - what's worse is that it may have been done deliberately.

We are hoping that all going well luka will make a full recovery. He will have to stay in the vet hospital for some time to have his wound dressed and he will also be given IV antibiotic and pain relief. It's hard to believe that someone out there knew that Luka was living like this and did nothing about it. Keep Luka in you thoughts and hopefully everything will go well for him he's such a wonderful dog."

Luka on the road to recovery

A Very Happy Ending!!

Luka didn't make his way over from Ireland to Wiccaweys in the end.

His foster mum Ciara couldn't bear to be parted from him when it came to it, so she and Luka are companions for Life!

Here is Luka looking extremely handsome, fit and well, winning best Rescue Dog at a Show in Ireland.

We think he looks amazing and extremely happy and relaxed after all he went through.

Well done Ciara!




Jade
Wales

Jade is a pretty sable-colour border collie aged 18mths(ish). She was very nervous, so much that she shook with fear. She had been badly abused and constantly thought she will be beaten. A farmer handed her in at Brynn Kennels in Wales declaring that they could take her as she was useless, but to good to shoot! She was dragged out of the back of a Landrover, cowering with fear, with a tight piece of twine around her neck.
Thank goodness for Jo and Darren.
Jade would not eat or drink in front of people.



*Many thanks to Maria, Mark, Paul and Lee for giving her this chance. Good luck Little Princess *



Jade when she first came into Bryn

After being with us at Wiccaweys for about 2-3 months, Jade started to make considerable improvements. She would run into the garden to do her business, and she loved to play with the other dogs - she adored puppies. It was fantastic to see her tail wagging for the first time. She was still very handshy and wary of human contact, but she had relaxed and gained enough trust to eat and drink in front of us. Occasionally she would accept a tasty titbit from our hands. She knew her name and came when called from the garden, but prefered a clear access route. She panicked when her path was blocked. She would sometimes accept a short fuss, or stroke and quite liked her tummy being tickled, although sudden movement will still scare her.
With continued progress Jade was able to find the loving family she so much deserves.

 

Herbert-Sherbert
England

Herbert-Sherbert, or Herbie as he is known to his friends, was a little collie x puppy of around 8 weeks when he came into Wiccaweys care after being rescued by a friend.

Herbie's early life had been an extremely sad one. His owner, an alcoholic was involved in a RTA ... he did not live.
When a neighbour heard this, they contacted the police and told them that he had a puppy... he has had it 4 weeks.
They went round the owners house and found Herbie
.
Herbie was very emaciated, and at first he did not appear to be fully developed in some ways .... if it were politically correct you might use the word retarded, there may be a little bit of brain damage there.

Herbie had obviously been taken from his mother and sold/given to this person at an extremely young age - basically as soon as he started walking, if not before.

When collected he was covered in fleas, full of worms, couldn't see and appeared to have some deafness (although that has improved) and he was starving hungry. With care from the Wiccaweys Gang, especially the attention and guidance of Grandad Brynn he started to eat well, learned to love a cuddle and starting making funny little grunting noises when being held. Herbie learnt to be a puppy.







Herbie is now in a fantastic new home where he continues to make excellent progress, there doesn't appear to be anything wrong with his hearing, he soon comes running when his name is called.
His sight seems to be nearly normal now. He may fully recover with love and attention, or he may need additional love all his life. He relishes the company of other dogs, and likes the cats.



Hardy
Eire

You will find this disturbing and upsetting. The photos will shock you.

Hardy is with ASH Animal Rescue in Eire. If you would like to make a donation towards his treatment, please click this link to be taken to the ASH website. Please help Hardy to find life again.


Hardy on his good side.

Hardy is a young collie boy who has been shot in the face with a shot gun. It is known where Hardy received his injuries. The farmer responsible regularly lets his bitch have puppies (he won't have her spayed). The puppies are allowed to reach around the 5 month age. If he has not sold them by then, and he doesn't want them as a working dog, he takes them into a field and shoots them in the head.

Details from the ASH website: reprinted here with permission.
Saturday night around 8.30 we got a call from our next door neighbours to say they had picked up a little dog that was walking down the road and that they hadn't seen before.

They never said anything about an injury, frankly I think because they were in shock.
It looked far worse then, more infected and the smell was terrible as well.
When Remi came there they asked him to please give him a chance and see could he be helped, they offered to help financially. I know though that they are poor enough people and wouldn't have a fortune to spend.

We rang our vet and Lorna, who was on call attended to him, she was very upset about it and said that all she could do would be give antibiotics and painkillers. On Sunday morning we rang the Mirror as we realised that his vet bills would by far exceed our means, they ran the story with a black and white picture as they felt that the colour pictures were too graphic.



On Tuesday morning we made an appointment for Pete Wedderburn to see him and the news was good and bad, Pete said that this would be way beyond what any private vet could take on, as round the clock care would be needed for a number of weeks, the good news is that all of it is repairable at a cost, the alternative would be to euthanise him. So we decided that we would have to go for it, it would be too ironic if Hardy had survived 2-3 months without treatment to finally get into a rescue centre and then to be pts. Not an option by my book.

He is the most patient dog ever and absolutely adorable. Pete discussed his injuries with the vets in the college and they think that a minimum of 3 operations will be needed and a maximum of 8, all depending on how successful they are. They also think that it will be October before he will be ready to start the rest of his life. Hardy is going into the hospital on Monday morning 9am.

The treatment to save Hardy will cost many thousands of Euro, can you please find it in your heart to help him and his saviours at Ash?
You can donate here.

30th April 05.
I met up with Remi today to collect two Irish dogs coming in, and he tells me that Hardy is recovering from his first operation. He is sweet and loving soul, who did not deserve this. He is recovering well, and faces a futher 6-8 operations.
Sarah.

Hardy, safe with Remi at ASH Animal Rescue in Eire.

Benny


Benny came to Wiccaweys from Limerick Animal Welfare. Here is his sad story.

June 26th
Benny was taken from the streets of Limerick in horrific condition. Benny was terrorized on the streets by a gang of youths. They threw stones at him and kicked him.

Benny is now safe in the veterinary hospital. He is a very sick dog. Benny is very weak, he is barely able to walk. He has an injury to his hip. Benny also has sarcoptes mange which is particularly bad on his hind quarters, face and limbs. His skin has thickened in these areas. He is emaciated. Benny has a high temperature and his lymph glands are swollen. The vet feels the swollen glands are as a result of his skin infection. Benny's teeth are worn down.

He is terrified of his own shadow and drools with fear. Despite being so frightened, Benny shows no sign of being aggressive, in fact he is the opposite, a very gentle dog. When he sees people Benny cowers with fear. Its heartbreaking to watch him.
Benny is exhausted, he is currently asleep in the veterinary hospital. Benny didn't have the strength to eat.

July 8th
Benny responded very well to his treatment and was discharged to a foster home to continue his recovery. Benny is in a wonderful foster home. He is doing so well.

Physically we are really pleased with Benny's progress, but the most remarkable change is in Benny's mental state. Benny went to his foster home a terrified dog he cowered if anyone approached him. However thanks to the fantastic care given to Benny by his foster mum he is now wagging his tail, taking treats out of his foster mum's hand and today he allowed a collar be put on him and he went for a walk.

Benny is a different dog and its all down to his foster mum teaching him to trust again. What a special gift she has given him, she calls him Baby Benny. Benny will have a bath and we will have new photos taken then. We want to find Benny a special home as he deserves it. It is worth pointing out despite all the pain he has suffered and being terrified, he never once showed any signs of being aggressive. He is a gentle dog with a big heart. Benny is due back to the vets next week for a check up. Very soon we hope that we will find Benny his forever home.

July 16th
Benny's foster mum now feel's that Benny has made such good progress that is now time to find him his very special forever home. Benny is looking so much better. With each passing day he grows more and more handsome. Photos show just how Benny has improved.

Mentally Benny has come on in leaps and bounds. He is no longer scared of the lead and now is very happy to go for his walk. Benny is learning to trust people again and loves to be rubbed. Benny adores the company of other dogs and loves to play with them, he is very relaxed with other dogs.

Benny is looking for a special home. He needs a caring new owner who will be understanding of what he has been through and will give him lots of love and attention.

Benny's new owner will have to help him build his confidence as he is still rather nervous of new situations, but with someone who loves him by his side giving him the guidance and reassurance he needs Benny will be fine.

Despite all Benny has been through he shows no signs of aggression, in fact Benny is one of the most gentle and sweetest dogs to come into our care. His foster mum calls him Baby Benny and when we look at his eyes we can see why.

1st August

Benny is doing fantastically well in his foster home. He has met children and cats and is great with both. Cats are good fun to chase if they play that game, but if not, being friends is great too.
Benny has also met our goats, and was brilliant with them. He loves the company of other dogs, and a home with another dog would be ideal for Benny. He is such a sweet boy. He is good as gold in the house. He dances for food, he is so sweet he really makes you laugh it actually looks like he is really dancing. Benny is really trusting considering what he has been though.

September '06

Benny is doing fantastically well in his new home and is a really cheeky character - he is now very mischievous and full of fun!










"Hey Sonny, who are you pulling faces at?"