Encouraging news about the ‘two emaciated hounds’ – now known as Joy and Hansel

You might recall,via our Facebook and web pages, that we took two hounds into our care at the beginning of December. They became known as ‘the two emaciated hounds’  as they came to us in a horrendous state. Both had been deliberately starved, had intestinal parasites and flea dirt in their coats. It looked like they might not survive. However, G.R.A.C.E founder Tracy Cook refused to give up on them and rushed them straight to the vets. She was warned by the vet that it might be too late. Tracy insisted on help and begged the vet to give them a chance.

Following a period of intensive veterinary care, amazingly both dogs survived. On leaving the vets, both were taken home by Tracy. As well as receiving love, care and attention , they had four small meals a day to build them up gradually.  Despite being touch and go during those early days, both dogs have turned a corner and are doing remarkably well.

We have been blown away by the kindness of so many people who have gone out of their way to help these two poor souls. As well as raising funds to help towards their veterinary care, a Facebook competition saw the duo named ‘Hansel’ for the brindle boy and ‘Joy’ for the black girl.

Special thanks go to Catherine Kearney and her husband, who raised hundreds of pounds. Also a big thank you to Ali Smith for the wonderful grooming session, which saw Hansel and Joy enjoy a much-deserved pamper and left Ali’s salon with gorgeously clean, fresh coats.

We’re delighted to  report that Joy and Hansel have both put on weight too. When Hansel came to us he weighed a mere 17 kilos, but was up to 26 kilos in early January. At his latest weigh-in, he was an amazing 32 kilos. Joy was only 15 kilos when she came to us and was 23 kilos at her early January weigh-in. [NB: We are waiting for her latest figures]

Their personalities are starting to emerge too. Joy is a confident cheeky girl and Hansel is a sensitive soul.

So on behalf of Hansel and Joy, a big thank you to everyone who has made a donation, helped to spread the word about their plight or has taken the time to care.  Your help and ongoing support means so much to our charity and we are forever grateful.

The good news is that Hansel has already been reserved and has a forever home lined up. We will continue to look for the right loving home for Joy too. We will keep you posted!