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