Homes sought for 100 St Bernards (Updated and moved to News)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7993538.stm

Homes sought for 100 St Bernards

The dogs "will need special care and patience" says the RSPCA
Animal charity the RSPCA is seeking homes for 100 St Bernards which were taken from kennels in Northamptonshire.

The dogs were removed in December 2008 after they found the owners could "no longer cope" with them, said the RSPCA.

Since then the dogs have been cared for in private boarding kennels on behalf of the RSPCA.

Now ownership of the St Bernards has been signed over to the RSPCA and and the charity wants to find new owners for each dog in the east of England.

The dogs are being rehomed in small groups through various RSPCA animal centres.

Priority will be given to potential owners who live nearest to where the dogs are currently being cared for to limit how far they will have to travel to their new homes.

So far caring for these St Bernards has cost the RSPCA around £100,000

Paul Williams, RSPCA animal welfare manager
An RSPCA spokeswoman said: "Priority will be given to people living in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire and Nottinghamshire.

"However, enquiries from other areas will still be taken."

The RSPCA added that St Bernards were large dogs and, as these particular animals had lived in kennels all their lives, they were not used to walking on leads and had not been house trained.


Priority will be given to people living in the East of England
They will need experienced homes where there is a reasonably large amount of space and will also need regular grooming.

Paul Williams, animal welfare manager in the RSPCA's east region, said: "These dogs will need special care and patience.

"They all have good temperaments but their kennel background means that they will need owners with the knowledge and time to help them settle into their new homes.

"So far caring for these St Bernards has cost the RSPCA around £100,000 and all donations, however big or small, will be gratefully received."

The majority of the dogs range in age from two years to eight years and older.

Anyone who wants to rehouse one of the dogs should contact the RSPCA.

seen this one before Paula , what checks were local council doing they have to give a licence for these kennels
100 dogs owners can no longer take care we struggle trying to cope with 4 sometimes

Was awful

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1090951/Ordeal-100-starving-St-Bernards-abandoned-kennels.html


Up to 100 St Bernard dogs have been rescued after being abandoned without food and water at a kennels.
Two were in such a bad condition they later died.
The dogs, which include puppies and fully-grown adults, had been locked in their cages and left unfed for several days.


RSPCA officers lead away a St Bernard from the kennels where they were abandoned - two later died

Their bowls had been upturned and many of the animals were covered in their own excrement.
The kennels belonged to a well-known dog breeder, Mary-Ellen Collis. She has vanished and the police and RSPCA have been unable to trace her.
RSPCA officers made the shocking discovery at the Wardana Kennels in Brigstock, Northamptonshire, on Saturday evening after a member of the public alerted police.


One animal was in such a poor state it had to be put to sleep while another died as it was receiving treatment

It is not known how long the dogs had been left but it could have been for up to a week.

A team of 12 RSPCA officers have spent the past three days removing the animals, but were unable to save two. The survivors have been placed temporarily at kennels in Nottingham and Peterborough where they are undergoing full health checks.
Once vets are satisfied they are in reasonable condition, new owners will be sought for most of them.
It is thought that four had been staying at the kennels while their owners were on holiday. The RSPCA has reunited two of the dogs with their owners and is still trying to get in touch with the remaining two.


Some of the St Bernard dogs found at the kennels. RSPCA officers were shocked at the conditions

Describing the scene at the kennels, RSPCA inspector Justin Stubbs said: 'There was faeces everywhere and upturned bowls. Something has gone wrong.

'Because they are such big dogs you wouldn't expect to see so many in such conditions. But it looks like we can do something with them.'

The Wardana Boarding Kennels and Cattery is well known among dog owners for its St Bernards. Mrs Collis, 50, was a founding member of the Kennel Club's Accredited Breeder Scheme which was set up in 2004 to encourage the breeding of healthy puppies.

She is also a qualified veterinary nurse and animal groomer. The Kennel Club said last night it was 'disturbed' by the situation.


The RSPCA was alerted by a man whose dog was boarding at the kennels. He turned up unannounced and discovered the abandonned dogs

A spokesman said: 'The club is deeply concerned to hear about the alleged conditions that the dogs belonging to Mrs Collis have been found in and her apparent disappearance.

As an Accredited Breeder, Mrs Collis's premises have been inspected by the Kennel Club and at that time there was nothing to give any cause for concern.

'The Kennel Club is disturbed to now hear about the alleged dramatic decline in her dogs' living conditions.'

The discovery comes a year after 100 abandoned horses were rescued from a smallholding in Buckinghamshire.

Up to 32 were found dead at Spindles Farm in Hyde Heath.

bloody hell!!..... 100 dogs, thats unbeleivable :nhy: poor things, fingers crossed they find good homes

Wonder what happened to the woman?

oh yes, and the woman, i hope she got the punishment she deserves, but i highly doubt it

I thought the dogs were like this because she had vanished but it seems that she is to blame. Scroll down to April 28th 2008 and July 17th 2008 on this link,

http://heezedoorn.oswshop2.nl/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=41&Itemid=65


July 17, 2008 We just got back from a trip to Europe. We were able to rescue Bear, Jael and Raisho from Mary Ellen Collis in the UK out of her "Kennel of Hell" formally known as Wardana. They had been there for 7 months without her paying us and without her taking care of the dogs and feeding them properly. We got them out in a horrible condition - underfed, yellow coats from laying in pee, never groomed so completely matted, covered with fleas and stinking as a garbage can. Some people of the rescue team started crying when seeing the dogs. Despite the neglect of propar care, love and attention the dogs were incredible sweet and allowed us to wash and groom them and they loved all the attention. After three days of love and care the sparkles came back in their eyes. It was clear that Bear had puppies recently and since she was not registered in Mary Ellen's name the puppies are not registered in Bear her name. So if you purchased a puppy from the Wardana kennel in the UK from February 2008 till now then we suggest a DNA-test since there is a possibillity that your puppy's dam is not the one you think. For more information you can email us.

!WARNING**WARNING**WARNING**WARNING**WARNING**WARNING**WARNING**WARNING!

April 28, 2008 People asked me if my problems with Mary Ellen Collis @ Wardana Kennels in the United Kingdom are solved since there is nothing more said on email lists a.s.o. NO THE PROBLEM IS NOT SOLVED!! Mary Ellen never paid for the dogs! She came to Calais in person to evaluate the three dogs and she liked them and wanted to have them. She promised to wire the money and never did. After not responding on any of my emails and telephone calls I've put the story on email lists I'm on (I warned her first and she then also didn't respond) and her reaction was that the dogs were sick and in horable condition. The dogs were in great condition otherwise she wouldn't have taken them and my vet wrote an official letter about the condition of the dogs which is in the UK with my lawyer. She has failed either me or my lawyer despite the fact that she has the three Saint Bernards Heezedoorn's Rain Showers (shorhair male), Heezedoorn's Ice Follies (longhair female) and Heezedoorn's Indrawn Breath (longhair female) now for over 4 months. She has totally ignored my English Solicitor's letters. I will now proceed legal actions against her. I will keep this updated now for the benefit of others. This is a warning for everybody who even thinks about doing business with Mary Ellen Collis!

Mary Ellen Collis is on the insolvency list for bankrupcy, but keeps running her business fraudulently obtaining credit for the purchase for animals. She has been steadily selling pups and putting her dogs out at stud and demands cash or checks made payable by her staff. This is illegal when a person is undischarged bankrupt!!

The English Kennel Club has been informed since Heezedoorn's Ice Follies and Heezedoorn's Indrawn Breath have been in heat. If Mary Ellen bred them and wants to register the females and the puppies with the English kennel club then they know that she obtained my signature by fraud. I requested to do not issue registration papers. The Law and the Official Receiver for Bankruptsy is involved.

Any information about Mary Ellen Collis or my dogs Raisho (Heezedoorn's Rain Showers), Bear (Heezedoorn's Ice Follies) or Jael (Heezedoorn's Indrawn Breath) or offspring out of these dogs is most appreciated. Any information I receive will be treated in the strictest confidence.

http://www.northantset.co.uk/news/Police-make-two-arrests-in.4759179.jp

They got her!!

im glad theyve got her... i hope she gets a punsishment that its the crime

:san12: