Sharon Quinn began her life as an animal rescuer about 21 years ago and since then has succeeded in protecting the lives of thousands of dogs, some of which may well have been euthanised were it not for her enormous commitment to animal welfare writes Eddie Rainey.
Her love for animals began early on in life and she opened up Millvale Animal Sanctuary near Leitrim and then decided to dedicate her life seven days a week to caring for unwanted, distressed and often sick and injured animals.
Sharon said: “I have around a hundred dogs at the peak times and they are all well cared for properly. They are neutered, given their proper treatments such as worming and receive vet treatment if required.
“I take in dogs from kennels from around Down and Armagh and get them ready to go to the Dogs Trust in England for re-homing. The Dogs Trust ensure that they are homed and have a decent future and their policy is not to put dogs down.
“We also have a range of other animals which turn up at our doors. For example, we have a young female red deer called Bambi which was badly injured. The vet was dubious about her survival, but we nursed her back to health and now she lives in a pen and seems quite happy.
“People also give us a range of unwanted pets such as lizards and snakes they cannot look after. Quite often the responsibility of caring for a pet is just too much for some people who take them on impulsively and get an eye-opener about the great responsibility of looking after another living creature.
“We have a range of cats too. Most of them have been injured and fixed up by the vet. One of our favourites is Hips who had an artificial hip operation and there is another one with three legs. They all get neutered.”
Sharon explained that she believes every dog deserves a decent life and that she has a number of blind and deaf pooches in her care. But looking after each animal costs money and Sharon is all too aware of the need to keep an eye on the budget. They need to be fed and there are vets bills and other costs. There are a few voluntary fundraisers who support Millvale Animal Santuary and organise events throughout the year.
“We also have twenty two equines which we look after. They were basically unwanted or people could not look after them. These animals are no good for companions or for riding, and we look after them for their life here.
“People need to think very carefully about taking on any pet. We even have grey parrots and a cockatoo at Millville. They can be a handful unless you know how to look after them,” added Sharon.
Not so long ago we took in a Kune Kune designer pig which was dumped at the side of the road with its nine of a litter. We have found homes for seven of these and still have to home a boar which needs to be neutered and a female.
“There are clearly trends in people’s tastes for dogs. At one stage it was Yorkies, then Shiz Tzus and Schnauzers and the poodle crosses such as Labradoodles.
“People need to stop breeding these animals and creating a flood of unwanted pets. The law needs to be tightened up. And certainly dog owners do need to think very hard about the responsibility of looking after their pet, and consider getting it properly trained.”
But the sixty plus dogs were barking again. Sharon had just send a selection of dogs off to the Dogs Trust the previous week in a special caged lorry. “We have up to a hundred dogs here usually,” said Sharon.
“I must go again as I’m cleaning out the pens and runs. It has to be done every day come rain or shine. Sixty or a hundred dogs can make quite a mess in a free run pen so you do need to be on top of the situation.
“If anyone is interested in homing an animal from Millville, we will ensure that the prospective pet owner is suited and matched to the pet. Otherwise, we will not let the animal go. Our aim is to ensure the animals’ welfare and that is the key priority”.
Check out Millvale Animal Sanctuary on Facebook.
