The dog was out on a walk when it spotted Brooke in the unlikely location and alerted its owner, who picked her up and brought her to our Burford rehoming centre.

When she arrived we realised she was pregnant and she had a litter of two a couple of weeks later, a boy called Wrinkles and a girl called Creases.

But sadly the pups didn’t survive and poor Brooke found herself alone again. More than ever, she really needed a second chance in a loving home where she could get the care and attention she deserved.

We were delighted when someone came forward to give Brooke exactly that and she’s now been rehomed.

Blue Cross has lots of pets desperate for a second chance in life. If you’d like to give a rescue pet a happy, healthy future, please visit our rehoming pages.

Blinding dust, whipping, ill-fitting blinkers – any number of things can cause agonising and sight-threatening conditions. SPANA treats over a thousand working animals every single day and in some countries where we work, almost half the animals we see are suffering with eye problems.

SPANA have launched an appeal to help them tackle this potentially life threatening problem

Even a minor eye infection can lead to blindness if it isn’t treated. The harsh realities of life in most developing countries mean working animals that lose their sight are often abandoned. Unable to fend for themselves, they can starve to death.

This appalling and all too common loss of life is completely preventable. It only takes a small amount of antibiotic ointment to save an eye, but such is the demand for vital life-saving medicines like this, supplies constantly need replenishing.

Saving Gomura’s sight

A young horse called Gomura was brought into our centre in Ethiopia. Gomura had already lost the sight in one eye and now his other, ‘good eye’, was weeping.

Thankfully, Brehan had brought Gomura to SPANA just in time. If left much longer, the eye condition would only have worsened and could have led to permanent sight loss. Our vet used a fluorescent dye strip and detected a large ulcer which was making Gomura’s eye very painful to open.

He was given painkillers and antibiotic eye drops, then a doughnut bandage was used to protect his eye from any rubbing whilst it healed. Our vets also showed Brehan how to keep Gomura’s eye clean to prevent further problems in the future.

Thousands of equines are suffering with eye problems – and far too many are losing their sight needlessly. The fate for these donkeys and horses is nothing short of horrific. It’s awful to think what would have happened to Gomura if our hardworking vets had not been there to save his sight.

Police visiting a house in Cricklewood in August 2011,when the London riots were taking place,
discovered a group of people throwing around a mother cat and her litter of two week old kittens.
The police immediately brought the kitten to The Mayhew Animal Home in Kensal Green and they
were named after the night staff at the rescue centre that saw them in to safety.

Feline mother, Tammy, found a loving new home when her kittens were old enough, but the kittens
themselves had a bout of bad health and spent several months in The Mayhew’s isolation block
receiving treatment by the charity’s vet team.

Now fighting fit and looking for homes to call their own, Rod, Taylor and Jackie are waiting at The
Mayhew’s cattery for someone to give them their happy ever after.

The three kittens are now nine months old and are looking for homes all together, or independently.
They adore affection and a good tumble about and a home with a garden is a must as they enjoy an
adventure in the outdoors.

Joanna Puzzo, The Mayhew’s Cat Welfare Coordinator, said: “After their lucky escape from the
London riots, it would be wonderful to wave goodbye to this terrific trio and know they will finally be
able to get the love and attention they truly deserve.”

The dog warden who found her said she had never seen a dog in such a bad state but, despite her horrific ordeal, everyone who met her was touched by her gentle and affectionate nature.

The mastiff crossbreed was brought to one of Blue Cross’s rehoming centres and given the love and veterinary care that she so desperately needed.

Everyone was delighted when gentle giant Hettie was moved to a loving new home.

Among them were seven giant rabbits – both continental giants and giant papillons – which cane weigh a hefty 8kg, or even more when they are fully mature.

This gang were around nine months old when they were rescued. They are all friendly and affectionate and have now been rehomed. However there are lots more rabbits waiting for a new home and you can find out more at www.bluecross.org.uk

Some of the kittens hoping to find a new family are Chocolate, Pear and Syrup, who arrived at only a few
weeks old after their original family felt they had far too many cats already
and the tiny trio were handed over to the charity before they were even three months old.

The Mayhew’s Cat Welfare Coordinator, Joanna Puzzo, said: “It is sad to see the arrivals of so many
unwanted kittens and 32% of the felines in our care are under two years old. Too many people let
their pet cats have a litter but soon realise that they are not willing to care for them and expect
charities like The Mayhew to take them in and look after them. We have many wonderful kittens who
we hope will find a committed loving home and be looked after for life.”

In Mongolia, winter temperatures can drop as low as minus 50°c, claiming the lives of literally millions of horses and livestock. Thanks to your support, SPANA is now working to help animals through the devastating winter months.

We’ve provided grass cutters and hay storage barns to help herders protect and feed their animals throughout the savage winter. Now, with your support, we’re also planning to construct 10 wells in the Gobi desert, an area with large numbers of animals but which is prone to severe drought.

Mongolia’s livestock herders follow a unique, traditional and fascinating way of life. But it’s a fragile existence for herders – and their animals.

Thanks to supporters like you, more herding families will be able feed their livestock during the harsh winters.

Our Veterinary Consultant Keith Meldrum has been working closely with the Dartmoor Hill Pony Association and leading pharmaceutical company Pfizer on proposed plans to provide a group of 20 mares with a contraceptive injection.

In late spring this year, the plan is for the semi-feral ponies to be rounded up into a holding area where they will be micro-chipped and also marked in a way in which they are identifiable at a distance. They will then be given an injection, and four weeks later a second dose will be administered.

After a six month period the mares will be blood-tested to see if their oestrus levels have been suppressed due to the injection. If the mares respond positively after the initial six months of the project, then they will receive a further does which will last until spring 2013.

Keith Meldrum says: “A project of this kind has never been carried out before in the UK and I am delighted to be a part of it. We are hoping that, if successful, this could become a long-term solution to the issue of overbreeding within semi-feral horse and pony populations.

“We feel that this method of control is advantageous as the mares can come back into foal after the treatment; there is simply a reduction in foal production for the duration of the project. We are close to starting the initial injections now that we have the vaccine, provided by Pfizer, in our possession and after the Veterinary Medicines Directorate gave us the go ahead for the vaccine to be imported from Australia into the UK.”

Secretary of the Dartmoor Hill Pony Association, Charlotte Faulkner said: ‘The adult pony numbers on the moor need to be maintained at its present number for the benefit of Dartmoor, but the foal crop needs to be reduced as there is no market for the foals at present. Controlling the production of unwanted foals will ensure their welfare. We are optimistic that this project will help us to ensure the future of ponies on Dartmoor, grazing to keep it as we know and love it for generations to come, creating the habitat for its wonderful birds, plants and animals to be conserved.”

The project is being sponsored by Friends of the Dartmoor Hill Pony who are grateful for the help they have received to take this project forwards. They are always looking for fund raising ideas as well as volunteers to help them to support and promote the ponies of Dartmoor.

At just four months old it was a cruel start to life for the little kitten but thankfully she was rescued by a dog walker and brought to Blue Cross.

We gave her the love and care she needed and, despite her ordeal, Esther proved to be a really affectionate girl who craved love.

Animal welfare assistant at our Lewknor rehoming centre, Jess Hollis, says: “She loves fuss and attention and has one of the loudest purrs of any cat we have had here.”

Jess adds: “We knew from the start that Esther would make a fabulous pet and we were right, as she was snapped up only ten days after she was found and has now gone to a loving new home.”

Blue Cross has been dedicated to the health and happiness of pets since 1897. Abandoned or unwanted, ill or injured – we do what’s needed to give every pet a healthy life in a happy home.

Snowball was discovered by a passerby huddling in her cage in a bag with a note saying: “Please take care of my friendly hamster. I cannot afford to look after her anymore. Thank you.”

Her plight touched the heart of thousands of pet lovers but none more so than 10-year-old Anya Davies who persuaded her mum Barbara to drive to our Burford rehoming centre so they could meet Snowball.

Anya was so keen to help the poor hamster that she offered to pay for the cage herself with her birthday money.

As soon as they met Snowball they knew that they had to give her the happy home she deserved.

Barbara says: “Snowball slept for most of the journey back to London although she woke up as we drove into Pimlico and pottered around her three-tier cage.

“‘I wonder if she knows she’s back home?’ said Anya. It was a sentimental thought but then that’s the wonderful thing about animals – they bring out the softer side in us.”

Snowball is now settling very well into her new home. Barbara adds: “Like all hamsters, Snowball may not have much of a tail, but I like to think we’ve given her story a happy ending.”