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The
following stories come from
a collection called "Battersea Tails"
which was edited by Katie Boyle, herself a
member of the Dogs Home Committee and
owner of four Battersea tails of her own -
Tiber, Cassie, Bambi and Daisy Mae.
The book
came about for three reasons - firstly
because of Katie Boyle's 20 year
involvement with Battersea, and her close
connection with everything that goes on
there.
Secondly, the need to destroy the myth
that all dogs who come to The Home are put
down if they are not claimed within seven
days, and to tell the real stories
instead.
Lastly it was to give recognition to the
loyal and loving staff who often work
under the kind of emotional pressure that
visitors can't even imagine.
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Left
alone on a balcony
"Baron came to us after he had
been rescued from a balcony where he was beaten and
children threw sticks and stones at him. He was
thin and unapproachable, so I used to sit in his
kennel with food in my hand until he trusted me.
After a couple of weeks, I was able to vaccinate
him and then I started taking him out. The only
problem was he didn't trust anyone else, and so he
was a problem. One day a couple who had just lost
their dog came to The Home looking for a large dog.
I was worried because of his past record, but he
took to them straight away and found his new
home."
Eddie Phillips has worked at Battersea for nearly
11 years.
He started as a kennel hand, then became a rehomer.
Now he takes care of all the stock for The Home,
including food supplies.
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The full
Monty
Monty is a
young pepper Dandy Dinmont Terrier, who
has lived in his present home since he was
a puppy, spending a lot of time in the
garden and on the veranda. When he was
younger, the iron railings on the veranda
were covered with mesh to stop him
wriggling underneath. But when he got
bigger, the mesh was removed - after all,
not even Monty could get through a
three-inch gap, or could he? One day,
Monty spotted a cat and that was it - he
forced his head and shoulders through the
tiny gap and got stuck. Alerted by his
screams, his owner came to his aid, but it
was not going to be as easy as it looked.
Monty was well and truly stuck and the
more he tried to free himself, the more
jammed he became. Finally the fire brigade
was called in. Monty had to suffer not
only the embarrassment of a fireman
cutting the rails to free him, but also of
having his picture and the full story
printed in the local newspaper.
Ruth Chapman works at Bell Mead as a part
time lecturer in small animal care. In her
early teens she was working at her local
kennels when she heard about Bell Mead.
She started her training there in 1985 and
after a year left with her Diploma and
went on to work with Irish Wolfhounds.
Months later, Bell Mead approached her
about a supervisor's job, an opportunity
she grabbed. As a student, she loved
working with Battersea dogs, so it seemed
only natural that she spend her life
working with them.
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Ben who loved Bell
Mead
Ben was a
stray who was given a home by some people
who had a cat. To avoid problems, we tried
him out in the cattery to make sure he
wouldn't attack his new house mate. After
a successful cat test, Ben went off to his
new home where the resident cat terrorised
him so badly that he left home and ran all
the way back to Bell Mead. That happened
twice and his new owners decided it was
unfair on Ben so we found him a new home
without cats.
Avril Money, Bell Mead senior supervisor,
has been working with animals since
leaving school at 18.
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Battersea Tails is
priced at £3 per copy and is
available from the shop at The
Dogs Home or by mail order by phoning
020 7622 3626.
Postage is free of charge if you order 10
copies or more.
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