Having dropped off the three forestry puppies to get settled into their new home, I had to dash off for a rendevous with a kind lady who rescued a kitten from the road. A tiny little black kitten about five weeks old and very sick with flu which is bad in cats and is also very dangerous to kittens. For the first week he just slept and ate and slept some more and then he began to play. He made friends with all the dogs and jumps on their backs and slaps their nose with his little paw and bites their tale and they all take it in good humour. Escargot adores him and chases him around the sitting room and the forestry pups are always wanted to play with him. But they all have to be watched as he could be injured if they play too rough. So with constant visits to the vet with Marshall, the Welsh hound, who tripped on a gate and tore all the ligaments in his paw, Kitty Boo is making a fine recovery and is looking for a home as soon as possible. Phone 086-8163707.

On the day that Scampi found a new home, there had been a report that three puppies had been abandoned in a forestry. Fortunately, the workers at the forestry and put them in a shed and so they had shelter and a kind lady had been going up twice a day to feed them. So leaving Scampi’s new home, I headed straight for the forestry and meet the three puuppies. They were gorgeous. About five months old, a cross between a sheepdog and a terrier, it seemed, they were lively in spite of being quite thin and very friendly. So they were brought to their foster home where they meet all the other dogs including Escargot who was lonely for his brother. They have a field to run in and their very own shed and every evening they are brought into the house which they promptly wreck. They are called Andy, Rosebud and Daisy and will make wonderful pets for a lucky family. So if you are on the lookout for a perfect pet, call 086-8163707.

The judges were from the Tipperary Friends of Animals. There were several categories for the dogs to enter, including the Waggiest Tail, the Most Obedient Dog and the Dog you Would Most Love to Take Home.

Anyone wishing for copies of the following photos can phone 086-8163707 and all we ask is for a small donation to our organisation.

The Waggiest Tail: 1st Prize – Bella

The Waggiest Tail: 2nd Prize – Tigger; 3rd Prize – Cody





The Best Rescued Dog: 1st Prize – Ruby; 2nd Prize – Bella; 3rd Prize – Roxy

Best Handled by a Child under 12: 1st – Haley; 2nd – Zeus


Rover won 1st Prize in Most Obedient and Best Tricks

Ruby won 2nd Prize in Most Obedient and Best Tricks

Zac won 3rd Prize for Most Obedient



Our Hardworking Judges – Linda and Bridie

The Dog you Would Love to Take Home
From left: Quillan (2nd); Penny (3rd); Rover (2nd); Roxy (1st) and Bella (3rd)

It was certainly heartwarming to see the number and variety of dogs taking part in the walk, from the large rottweiller, Rocky, to the tiniest of Yorkshire terriers, Millie and Muffin.




Fr. Jim O’Brien and the Reverend Rowling-Brooke opened the event with a blessing of the animals, even giving the dogs their own prayer “A-woof” and then everyone headed off on the three mile walk, making the most of the temporarily dry weather, which remained dry until everyone had gone home. Refreshments were served to everyone who took part in the event, including speacial treats for the dogs. Several photographs were taken and anyone wishing to get a copy of their photo, can go and see all the photos at the Sportsman’s Dream in Kenyon Street, Nenagh, Co. Tipperary, and for a donation, are welcome to take their photos away.

Over €4000 was raised as as Tipperary Friends of Animals is run solely by volunteers, every penny will be usd in the care and homing of stray and injured animals.

Next year, the Tipperary Friends of Animals are planning to have a Fancy Dress Dog Walk, where both dogs and their owners can get dressed up to do the walk. They would also like to thank everyperson and every dog that took part in the walk and hope to see you all again next year.

On a Friday morning after a night of torrential rain, the children at a school discovered a box left in the shoolyard with three tiny little kittens in it. Because of the rain, the box and the newspapers they were sitting on were soaked through. They were only about four weeks old and far too young to leave their mother. They were immediately picked up by Tipperary Friends of Animals and placed into a foster home, where they cared for and fed. Now they are seven weeks old and beautiful, lively and as mad as kittens can be and looking for a new home. One is a little black and white male with a black patch over his eye and called Mattie; the second is also a black and white male and is called Popeye; and the last little one is Toto, a black female, with the biggest blue eyes in the feline world.

If you would like to home one or all of these adorable kittens, call Kathleen on 086-3906934.

Marshall is a pedigree Welsh Hound that was rescued by a kind man who found out the the poor dog was going to be shot by it’s owner as it had no blood lust for hunting. He had been beated and his ear drum was perforated, ignored and a dreadful infection set in. Since Welsh Hounds are very big dogs, the man who rescued him was unable to keep him and Tipperary Friends of Animals placed him in a foster home. He is very nervous of other people but well settled with his foster carers who are hoping that he will soon settle down and be happy to approach other people again. The ear infection has nearly cleared up and his eardrum has sealed up again.

He loves the company of other dogs and enjoys running as fast as he can and is fortunate to have plenty of space in his foster home. He would need to be homed in a house with the same facilities and plenty of dogs. He is gentle with other dogs and gentle with cats and kittens.

If you think you would like to home Marshall when he is ready to go, call Kathleen on 086-3906934

As we do not have a dedicated  centre, the animals have to go to foster homes, who volunteer their services to care for these animals in their own homes and in their own time.  We are always looking for more foster homes as there is a never ending stream of unfortunate animals who have no place to go.  We manage to find homes for most of our animals and it is always a wonderful feeling knowing that the once lonely animal, will now be loved. 

Some of the animals we rescue are wild, such as feral cats or the wildlife of the countryside, that may have been hit by a car or injured with wire or in a fight.  These are always released back into the wild as soon as they are well enough to cope by themselves.

We invite you to page through the photos and the stories of our rescue animals and events and maybe you would be able to help us in our efforts.  It is a scientific fact that owning a pet reduces stress and lowers blood pressure and that children growing up with a pet, are less likely to suffer from allergies and illnesses, and generally grow up to be better balanced and able to cope with life.

And you could never get a better, less judgmental friend.