Animal Connexions Trustees report 31" December 2023 Trustees: Grace Leigh Jason Leigh Sheelagh Dale Siobhan Gilmore Who are we We are a small animal rescue In Northern Ireland since 1996. We are solely run by volunteers and have no paid staff, every penny raised goes to ensure the welfare of dogs & cats in our care. Due to complying wlth Covid19 restrictions this had an impact on the charitable income and volunteer help. What we do The rescue provides safety & securlty & love for unwanted, abused and those Ilttle ones who flnd themselves In pounds and basically who have no future. We provlde people with contacts such as trusted behaviourists who can help keep a dog in their own home, its works well and many dogs respond well to thls & therefore are able to stay In the security of their own homes. We also take in orphan & abandoned new born kittens for hand rearing. We provide the public with advice on spaying and neutering dogs and cats or indeed any concerns they may have. We have a structured
rehoming process and a strict No Kill policy. We do not adopt out any animal until a home vlslt Is completed and we get to know the prospective new owner and their familyy rf successful there will be a meet and greet & any dogs in the home will be brought along. If successful the dog wlll go to new home for at least 3 weeks before adoption to see if they settle & within that time frame we keep in touch. We promote animal welfare withln Northern Ireland and are happy to advise should anyone need our help. We use private boardlng kennels where our dogs are very well looked after & are loved by the staff. They have heated kennels and get out every day to play wlth each other and get walked. Our dogs take turns to go to the doggy fun park where this enables them to socialise with all types of dogs & many humans, it also gives them mental stimulation. We also take some of our dogs for swlmming and therapy if required. Many thanks go to the fun park staff and the therapy staff for all they do for us. We are still trying to recover from Covid19 lockdown whlch took a toll on the rescue. We worked onllne to raise funds and had so much amazing help from others who also set up fund raising? Wlthout their kindness¥ generosity & support it is doubtful we would have survived. We cannot thank them enough for how they helped us to keep on helping the little ones.
2023 information During 2023 we Carried fonmard 22 dogs from 2022 these dogs were successfully adopted during Januaryy February and March. We had an Intake of 54 dogs from January to December 2023, 42 were surrenders from owners, 12 were pound related. Most were successfully adopted during the year. We had some traumatised dogs which needed work & they therefore stayed with us for some time. We rarely get dogs returned to us and on the rare occasion it would be a change of famlly circumstances. Matching of dogs with new owners takes priority because it has to be their forever home. We have several wonderful foster carers who will care for dogs who have had to have surgery and are traumatised In kennels and also for the little oldies. Our kltten foster mum speclalises in new born orphans. The foster carers are the core of the rescue and are very much appreciated. We had an intake of over 100 new born orphan kittens some were sadty lost due to viral Illness they carried which affected so many others besides ourselves. Despite extenslve veterlnary care little could be done. All our animals get the very best In veterlnary care and thls is what we raise funds for. We keep in touch with all those who have adopted and they update us with progress & photos which Is a great joy to us. Our veterinary accounts were hlgh due to orphan kittens and also dogs who came to us and needed spayed. neutered, vaccinated, wornied and varlous medical conditions.
We have at this tlme to thank our lovely volunteers and supporters, kennel staff, the vets we work with, dog groomers businesses and others who have supplied us with donated food especially those who help with supplying specialised Mil food and litter for the kittens. The Trustees are hands on and do not have any beneficial interest In the charity. Our team update each other every day on various toplcs. We welcome new volunteers to work alongside of our happy and friendly team. Thls report was approved by the Board of Trustees Slgned on behalf of Trustees 20th October 2024 Sheelagh Dale Trustee