'Help save more dogs like Kermit' says Celandine Wood Animal Rescue on brink of closure

Celandine Wood Animal Rescue is facing a challenge of immense proportions.

With its shelter set to be sold, Celandine Wood Animal Rescue (CWAR) must raise £500,000 by June 23 to secure a new home for its many animal residents, including the lovable stray dog, Kermit.

Nobody knows his past or his exact age, but this pocket bully’s future was forever changed when CWAR took him in. Despite enduring severe neglect, Kermit’s spirit remains unbroken.

“He’s always wagging his tail at everyone he meets and he’s partial to licking you on the face too,” said vet Sharon Williams, founder of Celandine Wood Animal Rescue (CWAR) in the Wirral which took the pocket bully in.

The news of the shelter’s impending sale came as a shock just a few weeks ago, putting CWAR in a desperate race against time to find new premises. With 50 dogs, as well as cats and various wildlife under their care, the stakes couldn’t be higher.

Kermit. Credit: Celandine Wood Animal Rescue

Sharon and her team are determined to avoid the heartbreaking scenario of having to turn away new animals in need, particularly at a time when record numbers are being abandoned.

Generous supporters have given £50,000 in this short space of time. But unless the rescue raises the substantial remainder, it may have to pause being able to take in new animals in need like Kermit – which the founder says is heartbreaking given the record levels being dumped.

“Kermit was completely emaciated and so malnourished you could see the outline of every bone in his body and his fur had gone extremely thinned,” said Dr Williams. “He’s the skinniest dog we’ve ever had in.”

Kermit came to the rescue in March and was so poorly he had to spend a week in the 24-hour veterinary hospital.

“We put Kermit on a strict feeding plan,” said Dr Williams. “It’s important to start slowly when feeding a starved animal. You give them a small amount of food a few times a day.

“Then you gradually increase the amount of food and the feeding frequency. If you feed them too much too soon, they could have digestive and neurological problems.”

A member of vet staff even made Kermit a special jumper to help him stay warm because he had such little body fat.

Now, he’s a healthy weight and looks a different dog. His dry and flaky skin, caused by malnutrition, has gradually improved too.

With a mended body, this sweet boy just needed a loving home. Thankfully, Laura Brailsford from Nottingham came along and fostered him. Within weeks, the 27-year-old and her family – dad Denis and four-year-old daughter Faith – decided to keep him.

“He’s settled in really well,” she said. “He loves people and he loves cuddles. He snuggles up with my daughter on the bed. He’s a great dog.”

Dr Williams has always taken animals home who were brought in for euthanasia unnecessarily and has saved around 1,000 over the years.

CWAR began last year and had make-shift kennels after a generous barn owner allowed them to use her land for free. Now, said Dr Williams, CWAR wants to “build back bigger and better”.

“We urgently need to raise enough money to get all our dogs safe,” she said. “We’ve been running a rescue on a shoe-string budget and now we’re striving to have a purpose-built facility on our own land to bring us security.

“We want to provide a better shelter environment for our animals and a sanctuary for the dogs we have that are unrehomable.”

The rescue currently is forced to turn away around 10 desperate animals each day.

“It’s crucial we save our rescue because the levels of animals being dumped is at a record high – across the UK and Merseyside is especially badly impacted,” said Dr Williams. “We want to be in a position to never say no to an animal in need.”