Happy Tails

Gracie was rescued in Bucharest by Mrs Bogza after being knocked down by a car. After a visit to the vet she went back with Mrs Bogza to the Shelter where she recovered physically but was emotionally so scarred that she hid in the back of the kennel and only crept out under cover of darkness. Alfie was found wandering almost blind in the forest and brought to safety. Nobody wanted to sponsor a blind dog so Sue Ellis Nixon took him under her wing. Both of his eyes deteriorasted and the only course of action was to remove the eyes and stitch up the sockets. He shared his paddock with Gracie Sue desperately wanted to help little Alfie get into a loving family and he was posted on a Rescue group for rehoming. There was no interest whatsoever. Sue and her husband solved the problem, and I was so moved by their kindness and devotion that I just had to share the story with my group at the time and with you now........ There were no responses to our initial plea. Thinking that Gracie would act as his eyes, Sue and Dave adopted both dogs themselves. They fenced off a huge paddock which was surrounded by lovely trees and shrubs, very close to their house.. In that paddock they built a heated house with dog flap. Alfie and Grace would be able to spend their days happily mooching around in their new house and garden, whilst Sue toilet trained them and Alfie got used to his new surroundings. At first the paddock was cordoned off to limit the area, and, as Alfie gained confidence, the cordon was moved back to eventually allow them the whole paddock. Both dogs came in to the family home at night, where Sue has another three rescue dogs. Once they were toilet trained they would have full access to all the facilities along with the others! How these two have been plucked from hell by Mrs Bogza and then taken on to find a safe haven is such a lovely story. However, life was not all plain sailing - far from being Alfie’s guide dog, Grace was so terrified that for ages she would not venture out from the back of her little igloo. There was friction between the dogs too and sometimes it was hard to see the way forward. But Dave and Sue persevered with love and patience. Eventually the dogs settled and became fully integrated with the others in the home.

Some dogs from Semper Fidelis Domus Shelter, happy in their new lives. If you have any stories and pictures/videos to share, please send them to us. We will be delighted to post them on here to show the world.

These photos show little Dylan - who lived with two elderly dogs in a paddock for over three years, an all time favourite of Mrs Bogza, who absolutely craved her attention. Dylan was adopted by Sue Dearing - another ardent supporter of the Shelter and top fundraiser. The Happy Bus was held up at Calais for over 24 hours causing great stress and consternation to Sue, who was overcome with emotion when he finally arrived. Dylan had never lived in a family home, but from day one he was “housetrained” and never made a mistake! He took to home life immediately and fell in love with his “creature comforts” From the start, Dylan has been wary of men, although this has lessened slightly as he has settled, and he still takes a little time to get used to strangers when first introduced. You can see from the video clip at the foot of this page how excited he was to feel grass under his feet and to be able to run. He still loves his walks, and his treats - and life in general. He is affectionate and cuddly and Sue and family can’t remember what it was like to live without him.

He is Home! Dylan’s first walk on UK Grass. Exuberance and Excitement with a Capital E

Izzy (front of picture) enjoying a well earned snooze on the sofa with her new Mum Emily and sister Lucy.