Help save Kojak
A local animal charity is appealing to the public for surgery funds for a wire-haired terrier puppy.
Kojak, also known as ‘Scaldy’ along with his mother and two brothers were found running along the streets of Ballinagh.
The litter was taken to Carolyne McCabe who is one of the founders of Paws & Claws Animal Rescue Cavan.
A quarter the size of his brothers, Carolyne and co-founder Geraldine Allen quickly realised that something wasn’t right with Kojak.
“He’s bald, he just has patches of fur here and there,” Carolyne observed.
They brought him to the vets, where he was diagnosed with wide open oesophageal diverticulitis. He also has a valve in the wrong place in his heart. He is expected to go for surgery on August 12.
“He’s going for major surgery,” she explained.
“The reason we’re fundraising is because it’s going to cost €3,500.”
The four month old dog was described as “full of life.”
“If he was the kind of dog that was just lying around doing nothing and suffering in pain, obviously you don’t want that.
“This guy is running around the place, he has a great personality, he has a real spirit, he’s real feisty and he deserves as much of a chance to live as anybody else.”
Paws & Claws started three years ago with a charity shop on Thomas Ashe Street in Cavan. Caring for animals since their 20’s, the two friends decided to start their own rescue charity in Cavan.
“That’s how Paws and Claws came into being.
“We rescue unwanted, abandoned, sick animals and we are a no kill rescue so if we can help them, we’ll help them, we raise money somehow.
“Any dog or cat that I find, I bring it home, make it better and get it a home.
“That’s what we do, much to our families annoyance,” she laughed.
As the mother of one spoke about how they both have devoted their time to caring for pets, Geraldine was over in the Dunnes Stores car park trying to coax a kitten out of the wall.
“She’s sitting down with a packet of chicken trying to get this kitten out so she can bring it home and care for it.
“Dedication is something that comes naturally to us because we love what we do.”
All of the shop takings go towards veterinary bills, food and care for the animals. With dog kennels at her own Cavan home and cat sheds at Geraldine’s they currently have twenty dogs and puppies and 70 cats and kittens between them. The 52-year-old said older dogs are being abandoned because “the new white fluffy puppies” are more popular.
“The older dogs are just being abandoned because they take more money to look after,” she said.
She also said these animals are the hardest to re-home. She gave the following advice to those thinking of buying a new pet.
“Make sure you get the right animal for your family, for yourself.
“You might think it’s a cute fluffy little thing but little dogs grow up into big dogs sometimes and you can’t handle them, they’re the ones that’s being abandoned.”
“Do your research into the dog,” she said, adding to make sure owners get them microchipped and neutered.
“Get your cats neutered,” she urged.
The organisation is not government funded, they work under the umbrella of the Cat and Dog Protection Association of Ireland. To donate to Kojak’s fundraiser, search ‘Kojak’ on the Go Fund Me Page or donate here.