A German Shepherd puppy is on its way to its forever home after being saved from euthanasia.
Russell, aged two, was scheduled to be put down this Saturday, reportedly due to family circumstances in his original home. With no alternative home available, he was running out of options.
But Russell is now being counted as “one of the lucky ones” after Tara Lafferty of the Animals in Donegal Aid farm in Rossnowlagh learned of his case. Tara launched an urgent search to find the dog a forever home.
The search went nationwide on social media as Tara appealed for a safe home suitable for this attentive and playful dog. A TikTok video of Russell touched many hearts and applications flooded in.
After receiving over 100 offers of help, Tara has finally found a new home for Russell. Tomorrow, he will move from his temporary foster home to a six-acre home in Kildare to live under the care of experienced dog trainers.
Russell’s story is just one example of the dire situation faced by dogs that come to the Animals in Donegal Aid sanctuary, Tara says.
“There is only one Russell but another 20 dogs seeking homes urgently too,” she said.
“The reaction to Russell was very lovely to see. There were so many people not wanting him to be put down and so many touching base with offers of food, payment for Russell’s vet work and his care and transport.”
Tara was also disappointed to see the number of people who offered homes for Russell but did not respond to Tara’s replies.
“Unfortunately some people react and then they don’t follow through, I’ve had about 10 email replies from the 120 messages I received over the past few days.
“Russell is an example of all the rescues in the country, and there are so many more ‘lockdown dogs’ that are now being rejected by their families. Russell was one of the lucky ones.
“I hope there will be one or two more people in that group of offers that will home other dogs here.”
Tara’s farm has 16 dogs on site, many of them vulnerable, and all seeking special homes to cater for each dog’s individual needs. There are a further six dogs in foster care, five cats and two kittens.
She said animal charities nationwide are struggling with the rise in people surrendering dogs when problems arise.
“There are far too many people that have just given up and don’t know what to do,” Tara said.
“The panic going around rescues at the moment is horrendous, you are getting calls from people that have booked dogs in to kill them, but there is help out there. There are behaviourists qualified to understand the reactions of dogs that can help people understand their dogs better.”
Tara’s life’s work is dedicated to animal rights and, as a member of the political party Sentient Rights Ireland, the first change she wants to see is for animal sentience to be enshrined directly into Irish law.
“Animals are considered property in Ireland, but if the law changes and they are considered sentient beings, they won’t be able to be put down willy-nilly.”
Meanwhile, Tara is working day and night to protect all the dogs and cats in her care. But the farm she is using is up for sale and she has just four months left to find adoptive homes for the animals, or find another site.
“I have five months on the termination notice. People are looking all over the country for me and I am concentrating on trying to find everybody homes. That is the most important thing now.”
Anyone who is interested in adopting from Animals In Donegal Aid is asked to email Tara on animalsindonegalaid@gmail.com. Many of the rescued dogs and cats are pictured in the gallery HERE.
