Testimonals

April, 06

As a collie-nut and member of Limerick Animal Welfare, I cannot describe how grateful I am to Sarah and the Wiccaweys crew.

There are precious few appropriate homes in this city for even well-adjusted, healthy collies, not to mind the collies that have behavioural problems because they haven't been socialised or have been cruelly treated. A deaf dog equally has only a very slim chance of being successfully rehomed locally. There's practically zero public appreciation for collies as pets. We really do face an enormous challenge.

Wiccaweys truly is a vital lifeline for Irish collies. I am doing my utmost here to press the case for collies, but there are far more collies in rescue than there are suitable homes.

There have been times when Sarah has offered to take a dog, that I've cried tears of relief - Wiccaweys really is that important.

Aisling
Limerick Animal Welfare

April, 06

Having come across Wiccaweys on the internet, and never heard of them
before that, it would be easy to think that the people there are not for
real - you know, REAL rescue homes are known in the national press, like
WoodGreen and the RSPCA.

However, that sort of view couldn't be further from the truth.

Sarah and Paul's level of understanding of Border Collies with problems is
unparalleled - they have rescued, rehabilitated and rehomed so many collies,
and yet still retain their sense of humour and their down-to-earth-ness.

Previously I have encountered some rescue folks who either don't seem to
know, can't answer questions asked, perhaps don't particularly care to know
any more, don't have the time to spend with you or the animal, or, if you'll
forgive me, are so 'snobby' in their manner that I'm put off wanting to talk
to them any more, or the criteria they demand is so very strict that unless
you have 4 acres in deep countryside you'll not get a collie of any sort.
But that's not the Wiccaweys way at all.

Sarah and Paul know each dog they take in, because they take them home, to
live with them in their own home, not in a cement and wire fencing kennels
affair. By doing this, the dogs are properly assessed in a home environment,
are properly acclimatised to living with others, both human and canine - and
not forgetting the chickens, the cats, the horses in the field not far
off...

Couple that with Sarah and Paul's almost uncanny ability to match dog
character with prosective adopter, and then you'll not be surprised to learn
that I phoned them one day to ask about them, went to meet them the next
day, bringing my older 3 legged lurcher dog with me, and that very same day
went home with an adopted Border Collie X.

Had another rescue centre not sent year old Molly to Wiccaweys, had Sarah and Paul not assessed Molly fully, had they not taken the time and sussed me out with asking lots of questions, then Molly and I would not have met. And maybe Molly would have not been alive today - because Molly had already been dumped, bred from far too young and dumped again when the owners preferred the pups, and because the truth is that so many collies are euthanased because they're not allowed the time or the space to be what they are - to be collies.

Thank you for giving so much time - time that others do not or cannot give.

And maybe you'll also not be surprised to learn that I am more than happy to
give a little of my time to go out and do homechecks for prospective
Wiccaweys adopters - I can give something back to these wonderful people and
help to get other collies new homes.

Please don't forget - so very often the "problem" collie's problem has been
people...

Rosalyn Young.

Whilst we were looking for our new premises, several articles about our search appeared in the Dog Press, these are some of the things people had to say about us.
A big thank you to Nick Mays and all that contributed.

Hi Nick,

Wiccaweys rescue have been extremely successful with rehabilitating collies and finding lovely new homes for them. They have a great deal of experience and knowledge of the breed that means they can offer places for difficult dogs that other more general, less specialised rescues (such as ourselves) have a problem with.

Wiccaweys have helped us at HWAR (Hereford and Worcester Animal Rescue) with a number of collies that we have needed to find homes for. They have helped us where we either have not had available foster space in which to place them and assess them, or where we have not had the available expertise to deal with them in the short term. Some of these dogs require long term attention to help them overcome their fears and insecurities due to their background, of which we usually know very little if anything at all.

We have been extremely thankful that Wiccaweys have been there to help these poor dogs that with time often turn into productive members of the dog world (excelling in agility or obedience disciplines for example) and/or loving pets.

Wiccaweys, despite its own difficulties, is currently fostering a young collie bitch that came from our rescue.
We did not have an available foster home that would suit her as she is a very special needs dog due to a violent puppyhood. We are delighted that Wiccaweys offered to take her and she has been placed in an experienced collie home with one of Wiccaweys fosterers, where she can learn to become a family member and develop to her full potential.

The animal rescue world UK-wide will miss Wiccaweys if it cannot continue its invaluable work.

Alison Simmons
Hereford and Worcester Animal Rescue


Tess, long term foster dog, who had been severely abused and beaten with chains.
Her foster home worked with her for several months to bring her round - and then couldn't bear for her to leave, so adopted her. :)


Dear Nick

WHY CHOOSE WICCAWEYS?
As a family we wanted to replace a much loved dog that had died and felt with so many dogs in need of a home that we would "rescue" one. Although we had heard and read some horror stories about rescue type dogs, we felt that if we did our homework we would avoid getting the wrong sort!

We visited several rescue centres, but they did not have any Border Collies, on the internet I found several Border Collie rescue sites but they were in the Lake District and Wales, I rang a local rescue centre in Ely, and they recommended that I contact WICCAWEYS.

WICCAWEYS - never heard of them and they had not come up on my search on the internet.

Sarah answered my call, a friendly knowledgeable person, who had the knack of finding out all about you for very good reasons, and before I knew it, she had a potted biography of our lives, expectations from a dog, our lifestyle, family habits, and working patterns.

Sarah said that we may need to be patient until a suitable match came up, and we waited several months for a dog which fitted our criteria. Sarah and Paul rescue dogs mainly Border Collies and they all live together at home with them, they then can assess them without the stresses of living in a kennel environment, they can see if they are children and cat friendly, and are domesticated/housetrained.

Sarah contacted us with a choice of two dogs which may suit our needs, she posted photographs and potted history/biography of each dog, then arranged for a visit to be made to our home with the dogs. The visit was a relaxed affair and all the family were present, the dogs were able to have the run of our home and garden.

Sarah put no pressure on us to choose either of them saying that if we did not want either of these that she would keep looking out for a dog to suit us. We chose Jip a middle aged Border Collie who Sarah and Paul had rescued from Ireland where he was abandoned.

In the six months that we have had him, he has settled in well and now is very relaxed at first when you put him in the garden he would constantly be looking over his shoulder to make sure that you were not going to run away and leave him, and he cried when you left him on his own in the house, however now he is a confident, bright and intelligent dog who has put the past behind him, and has been given a second chance all thanks to Sarah and Paul.

To look at Jip with his middle aged grey fur and white rimmed eyes you would have probably passed him by in a kennel environment, but bringing him into our home his character was able to come across and we would most definitely choose another rescue dog from WICCAWEYS!

Grace and Brian Crump
Bury St Edmonds


Hi Nick,

I volunteer with a rescue group in southern Ireland called Limerick Animal Welfare. I have had a lot of dealings with Sarah and she has helped us out on numerous occasions. we rescue many collies and collie crosses.

Sadly many of theses dogs have been badly abused, and as a result of being ill treated many of them show behavioural problems.

However Sarah has taken many such dogs from us and turned their life's around. Sarah gives them so much time and care and she teaches them to trust and enjoy life again.

Sarah finds the dogs wonderful homes and always keeps in touch with us she sends lot of happy photos of the dogs in their new homes.

I wish there were more Sarah's in the world.

Niamh Allen
Vice Chairperson
Limerick Animal Welfare



Dear Nick,

Looking at Wiccaweys web site one day, we clicked on "dogs needing homes" and discovered Mia, (now called Lizzie).

She looked quite similar to one of our own dogs, a little black and white terrier x collie. She had been rescued from extreme cruelty. Her story haunted us and we offered to adopt her.

Home checks went well, and we were very priveleged to become Mia's new family. And she is a smashing little dog!

Fortunately she appears unaffected by her grim past, and loves everyone, covering them in licks and kisses, given half the chance. She's doing well at training classes, and is thoroughly enjoying life. She is full of energy, very bouncy and great fun.

We feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to give her a new home, and thank Wiccaweys so much for all the work that they do.

Graham and Toni Slater.
Suffolk


Mia was rescued by a Dog Warden in Ireland. He found her after hearing her terrifed cries in a Park.
He found Mia strung up by her back legs, and tied to a tree, while Youths beat her with sticks and branches.


Dear Nick,

Wiccaweys was an absolute life saver for me.

Oliver's Story
A lovely Border Collie,who was initially purchased by a friend of mine, had to be re-homed very quickly due to hospitalization of his owner. In my infinite wisdom, I took him on.

However already having a 3 year old German Shepherd, life was becoming very difficult and Oliver was not getting the stimulation he needed. So in great desperation, i contacted Wiccaweys .

Sarah and Paul were brilliant, they kept in touch and eventually Oliver found a perfect life with a new Mummy and Daddy.

Making sure that Dogs and prospective adopters are a perfect match is very important for the well being of all. This is carried out admirably by these precious carers.

The dedication that Wiccaweys gives to re-homing and rescuing Dogs is second to none.

Carol A Thornton
Leicester


Dear Nick,

I cannot bear to think that Paul and Sarah will not be able to continue the fantastic work they do simply for lack of accommodation. Paul and Sarah were strangers to me until Saturday August 7th 2004.
I had been devastated by the loss of my beloved collie, Bess, rescued through the RSPCA in 1993.
She was ravaged by an unusual cancer just after my retirement in March 2004.

I had to honour a commitment to a relative in Leicester that weekend and had discovered the Wiccaweys telephone number via the internet. A long telephone conversation and a prolonged visit to Wiccaweys the following day ensured that I met my new companion, Jess.

It was a truly amazing experience, thanks to Paul and Sarah's unique sensitivity and skills for matching dog to human. I hope many other people and dogs can go on finding the relationship that is - literally -mutually life-giving and made possible by all too few very special people like Paul and Sarah.

Liz Ramsey
Liverpool


Hi Nick,

We do not know each other, but I got in touch with Sarah and Paul when unfortunately I was taken ill and found that I could not look after my dog Ben. I have a bone disease that is progressively getting worse and found myself in the situation that I could not manage in my bungalow on my own and was told by my Specialist that I would really be better in a Warden Controlled flat where, if needed, help would be at hand.

After a lot of soul searching I conceded to this, but that meant that I would not be able to take my long time friend, Ben, whom I had had since rescuing him from the RSPCA in York after he had been badly treated. We had been friends for about 6 years and it was a big (and sad) decision to find Ben a new home.

My sister went online to see if there were any Dogs Home that may be willing to find him a new home, she found The Dogs Trust and talking to them, they had said that they would be able to find him a home but the waiting list was a bit long due to the Xmas period. The lady gave Sarah and Paul's number to my sister to see if they could help because they specialised in Border Collies and Ben is a Border Collie.

The contact was made and from the first phone call it was obvious that the love and care they had for dogs was so apparent. They quickly sought a home for Ben as time was against me in that I had to move quite quickly.

Ben is now with his new owner and is continuing to enjoy life in a loving home, without the help from Sarah and Paul I am not sure the outcome would have been good.

From the outset they were extremely caring about my situation and it was clear that their life is surrounded by the love of helping Borders in need. I was sad to hear that they need to move and hope that your article will allow them to find a suitable place to carry on with their work, because without them my transition would have been a lot more painful and to have someone care, not only for my dog, but that was understanding and caring for my situation is something you do not find very often in our world.

They deserve all our help.

With thanks,
John
Lancs



Hi Nick,

I believe you are doing an article about Wiccaweys for Our Dogs in the hope of helping them find a home.
Time is running out we all know and if Sarah and Paul don't find somewhere soon they will have to close.

I am one of Wiccaweys foster homes, I started fostering about 2 years ago, I contacted Sarah after reading about all the great work she does and it has just grown from there.

I am currently fostering number 18, his name is Sam, he is a lovely Black and White Collie, he was an Irish Poundie, probably an ex farm dog, his teeth have been clipped so he probably failed as a sheepdog.

I could try and explain all the reasons why Wiccaweys shouldn't close, but there is only one that matters and that is the dogs. Another rescue may help some, but most would probably be PTS.

Reason One - Wallie a Blind Collie, no other rescue would take a blind ex farm dog from Wales. Wallie found a home within five weeks, he now lives in the Norfolk Broads and his family often take him camping, he has more holidays than I do.

Reason Two - Dyson ex farm collie found tied to a fence in Ireland. He was extremely thin. He spent the first few days standing just outside the kitchen door popping his head round the door and wondering whether to come inside or not. He now lives with two other collies and a cat, he turned out to be the most handsome collie.

Reason Three - Mac a Pointer from Ireland, I became aware that this dog was to pts in Ireland and asked Sarah to help him. And just over two weeks later he arrived. I contacted a Pointer Rescue who had a waiting list, they gave me a families details in the same city as me and he found a home straight away. He is an honorary Collie.

Reason Four - Holly, a nine year old Collie from a Northern Pound, her owners decided to hand her over to the local pound to be PTS as they wanted a puppy. Holly was house trained, lead trained, perfect, she found a family of her own and is very active still and enjoys long walks.

Reason Five - Bear, oh my Bear, I do love this dog, he is a white collie. He was a stray in the midlands, a young couple found him and took him home, they wanted to help him, but they worked and they tried to find someone to take him, no one wanted to know. Wiccaweys took him, I remember the first time I saw him, he was so thin and he had licked at his bum (he had constant diarrhoea) so much he had turned his white fur a pink colour. Bear slept under my bed because it was safe and no one could hurt him there. He had so much character, I can't tell you in words how special he was and still is, I wanted to keep him and I think I might have, but a couple contacted Wiccaweys and they fell in love with him, they could offer him the perfect home, Bear is now happy, safe and very much loved and just a bit spoilt.

Reason Six - Ben (White Ben) a mainly white collie, I collected Ben from a farm in Hereford on behalf of Wiccaweys, he was terrified of people and flea ridden (when you touched him the fleas jumped on your hand). When I got him home he huddled on the paving slabs in my garden to terrified to move, I couldn't coax him in the house, eventually at 12pm at night I had to catch him and carry him in. He changed quickly, more quickly than you can imagine, he became a squeaky toy fanatic, I had to but them away at night, because all we could here was squeak, quiet then squeak, all night. Ben found a perfect home. I could go on in detail lol

Reason Seven - Finn an Irish poundie, Collie, a complete babe, rehomed

Reason Eight - Compo, a ball obsessed Collie with Hip Dysplacia, rehomed

Reason Nine - Lottie, problem collie, rehomed, training to compete in agility

Reason Ten and Eleven - Kelly and Mac, Kelly was an old Collie and Mac a Westie found together as strays, Sarah took them on and within a week she had found their owners, they had been stolen, and they were returned to their home.

Reason Twelve - Sky, Welsh Collie puppy, rehomed

Reason Thirteen - Buttons, now training to be a search and rescue dog.
Buttons is now known as Minnie, and is a member of the Leicester Fire Service Search and Rescue Team.
When her training is complete she will offically known as k9 Firefighter Minnie - and will be part of the UKFSSART (UK Fire Service Search And Rescue Teams)


Reason Fourteen - Ben, unwanted collie pup on death row in Welsh pound, rehomed

Reason Fifteen and Sixteen - Holly and Mistletoe, Irish 6 month old poundies, in a bad state when they arrived, rehomed and flourishing Reason

Seventeen - Jerry - unwanted collie pup, rehomed

Reason Eighteen - Sam, Irish poundie, ex farm dog, still looking for a home.

These are my eighteen reasons why Wiccaweys must continue and these are just the dogs I have fostered, there have been so many more. They aren't all Collie's, Wiccaweys has rehomed, a Pointer, Poodles, Shih Tzu, a German Spitz, mongrels just to name a few. Sarah and Paul have taken on Dogs with Epilepsy, Hip dysplacia, Blindness, Deafness, brain damage and numerous other illness's, not many rescues would take on dogs with illness's, let alone a breed rescue.

Some of the collies they have taken on also have behavioural problems, most have been retrained, but the rescue still have a few that can never be rehomed and will have to stay at Wiccaweys, if Wiccaweys closes these dogs have no where. Sorry I do go on.
If you would like any details or photos of the dogs I have mentioned please contact me.

Thank You for doing this article
Tricia Dunham
Coventry, Warwickshire



Hi Nick,

A little note in support of yet another rescue threatened with closure.

There are few people who will travel the country to collect one dog who's life is at risk, let alone drive for solid days to ensure the safety of many.

There are fewer who will put their hands in their pockets and pay for the treatment often ill or abused dogs so badly need, which can be said of much of the work Wiccaweys do, rehabilitation, training with dogs who have particular behaviour issues, home checks to ensure the dogs are rehomed hopefully for life in a happy safe and loving environment, not to mention the routine neutering, vaccinations, microchipping, walking, feeding, and genuine love for each and every dog that's saved - and the tears for those that couldnt be saved.

I am scared as to what will happen to the dogs if yet another rescue has to close, who is going to do all of the above....... will you?

Amanda
Coventry, Warwickshire



Hi Nick,

Thank you for giving Wiccaweys some coverage. If anyone deserves it, then it's Sarah & Paul!!!

They do a fantastic job rescuing numerous collies, and plenty of other dogs besides
.
I am a volunteer at another rescue centre & Sarah & Paul have always been willing to provide lots of support & advice, despite any problems of their own.

With Paul at death's door over Christmas & the ongoing worry over becoming homeless, Sarah still managed to rescue several litters of manic collie pups.

The world would be a worse place without Wiccaweys - especially for Border Collies!
It will be tragic if a rescue that has saved so many lives is not rescued itself.

Liz Clarke
Wiccaweys Supporter
Buckinghamshire



Hi Nick,

This is Catherine from District Dogs Rescue.

In Warrington I work with a pound and regularly receive support from Wiccaweys with border collie's in need of assessment.

The commitment shown by Wiccaweys to the welfare of border collies is exceptional.

Many border collies suffer in their early days from landing in inexperienced hands, this means that once abandoned it is not possible to rehome them without prior assessment and care, something Wiccaweys excels at.

Through their network of experienced foster homes, and the commitment of Sarah and Paul, I have watched many border collies grow into balanced and well trained dogs which if this initial training and assessment had not been given may well have had no life at all.

Catherine Moore
Warrington Animal Welfare
Warrington, Cheshire

Molly - Stray from Warrington. Sad haunted girl.
Now excelling at agility, much loved and a happy, confident young lady.



Hi Nick,

I understand you are doing an article about Wiccaweys and the fact that they need a new home.
I therefore thought I would drop you a quick e-mail just to say how hard Sarah and Paul work to keep Wiccaweys dogs in good health until they find their forever homes.

In 2002 they took in a 10 week old blue merle dog who had been rescued from a garden where he was tied up 24/7, with an overturned dustbin as a kennel! The poor dog was barking constantly for some attention, but the owner didn't know why he was making so much noise!

Sarah and Paul (thankfully) came to the rescue and I was the lucky one to end up with Dylan.

If it hadn't been for Sarah and Paul giving up yet more of their time, energy, money and not to mention space in their home, who knows what would have become of this poor defenceless dog. Not to mention the other lucky dogs who have found themselves at Wiccaweys Rescue.

It would be a real shame if they had to close down because they couldn't find anywhere to move to that is suitable. I would therefore urge people to help with finding Wiccaweys a new home.

Dylan now (Kennel Club Name : Wiccaweys Sparky Blue)

Mandy Melville-Love
Birmingham



Hi Nick,

I adopted young Herbie at 8 weeks old and he was very poorly having had a very sad start to life.

When we took him on we knew that he had wonky eyes and that he was a little bit slow at picking things up, but we didn't care as he was very cute and in desperate need of a permanent home. He is now 18months old and yes he still has wonky eyes but he is full of mischief and brings a lot of fun into our lives.

When we went down to see him at Wiccaweys, Sarah gave us quite a tough time as she knew that he had to go to a home that would really care for him because of his many problems. We are very pleased and grateful that she allowed us to take him home. My husband reminds him every time he does something naughty (nearly every day) that we travelled a long way to find him and if he doesn't behave he can pack his toys up and start walking back (100+ miles). His usual answer is to bark and stick his tongue out.

Wiccaweys do a really good job for very little monetary return, but I would image they get a lots of satisfaction in knowing they are helping some of the thousands of dogs abandoned every year.
Attached are some photos of him at 8 weeks and 15months.

Jean
South Yorkshire

Herbert's story can be read in the Evil that Men Do section



Dear Nick,

I understand that you are writing an article about Wiccaweys for Our Dogs and you are looking for people to contribute.

Myself and my fiance Dave first got in contact with Wiccaweys in May of last year when we were looking to adopt a pair of collies. Sarah matched us to a bonded pair she had there who were very nervous Irish collies. After a homecheck we travelled up there to meet them and at the same time ended up falling in love with another collie. So we came home with three!

We then spent six months working through their various issues. In November, once they'd settled in, we offered to start fostering for Wiccaweys. Our second foster was Meg - an elderly collie cross - who ended up staying with us.

We now have another foster called Tess who has been badly abused and is extremely nervous.
We've also conducted homechecks for Wiccaweys and transported dogs to their new homes.
If you would like to have a chat about our involvement with Wiccaweys or our dogs please feel free to email or call.

Kind Regards
Sarah
Surrey


Hi Nick,

We got a Bella our rescue dog from Wiccaweys last November.
Sarah & Paul went to a lot of trouble to get her for us and were very helpful during the whole process.
Bella has turned out to be a delightful dog and has met all our expectations.

David & Sue Goodman
Wigginton Herts.

Bella came over from a rescue in Ireland, where she kept getting over looked.



Dear Nick,

I would like to say that I think that Sarah and Paul do a wonderful job and go above and beyond the call of duty in many cases. I work with them and foster some of the dogs they take in, and have also given a forever home to one of their puppies.

They put up with an awful lot of grief from some people and give all their time and effort to trying to find loving homes for all the dogs that they possibly can.

There is always a long waiting list of homeless dogs and Wiccaweys is in constant high demand.
It would be such a shame if because of their situation all this good work had to stop and the animal world would definitly suffer.

Regards
Alexa
Oxfordshire



Hi Nick & Sarah,

Just wanted to say thank you both so very very much for helping with, the wee deaf border collie puppy.
I think you both do a marvelous job, and to take on a puppy, especially a deaf one when you are in such a turmoil re accommodation, just makes me admire you all the more.

I wish you both all the very best and hope you find a place soon, so that you can go on doing the great work with Border Collies.

Yours most sincerely
Ena Conyon.
Second Chance Kennels
Scotland



Hi Nick,

I don’t have a Wiccaweys dog, but have known of Sarah and Paul and the wonderful work they do for several years. If I ever hear of someone looking to adopt a collie, or someone needing to rehome theirs, Wiccaweys is the first place I think of for them to contact.

I am very impressed by their devotion to the dogs in their care and recall many occasions where they have gone out of their way to help a dog in need – as every good rescue would.

I hope to be in a position to foster collies at some point in the future and look forward to helping Wiccaweys if I can.

I pray that Wiccaweys can find the new home that they need, in order to be able to continue their rescue work.

It would indeed be a very sad day in the rescue and collie world if Wiccaweys Rescued Border Collies and Working Sheepdogs had to close its doors. The dogs need them – please help them!

Kind regards,
Angela Chapman
UK