2016
Our goat herd
Cathy has two goats on her farm, Momma goat and Diva. Momma goat is about 8 years old. She arrived pregnant and all her babies were eventually rehomed. Momma goat just loves the two sheep on the farm or rather she loves to boss them around. Sweetie and Nancy are like her gang members.
The other little goat Diva came from Dublin Zoo. She was part of their petting farm but she was being bullied by the other goats. She’d already lost a horn and also had a hernia from being butted in the stomach. She only had 4 of her original 34 teeth left and needed an operation in UCD to sort them out.‘She’s become a really affectionate little creature and she lives with the pigs as she gets on really well with them’ Cathy MLHR main farm now has a 26 strong herd of goats but the first two arrived in 2016.
‘We called them Gladys and Edgar and they have warmed our hearts and made us laugh ever since.’ Debs
Goats are very social creatures. They have charming personalities and are very affectionate. Curious and intelligent they need the company of other goats and can bond with their human carers too.
Our goat herd
Cathy has two goats on her farm, Momma goat and Diva. Momma goat is about 8 years old. She arrived pregnant and all her babies were eventually rehomed. Momma goat just loves the two sheep on the farm or rather she loves to boss them around. Sweetie and Nancy are like her gang members.
The other little goat Diva came from Dublin Zoo. She was part of their petting farm but she was being bullied by the other goats. She’d already lost a horn and also had a hernia from being butted in the stomach. She only had 4 of her original 34 teeth left and needed an operation in UCD to sort them out.‘She’s become a really affectionate little creature and she lives with the pigs as she gets on really well with them’ Cathy MLHR main farm now has a 26 strong herd of goats but the first two arrived in 2016.
‘We called them Gladys and Edgar and they have warmed our hearts and made us laugh ever since.’ Debs
Goats are very social creatures. They have charming personalities and are very affectionate. Curious and intelligent they need the company of other goats and can bond with their human carers too.
Gladys and Edgar
Gladys and Edgar were very friendly from the start. They quickly made the farm their home and if you left your car door open you were probably gonna find at least one of them chilling in the back seat. Soon they were joined by Gavin and Clifford and for a long time it was just the FabFour.
Now we have an amazing little herd who like to hang out together in the hay barn with
whatever horses are around or follow volunteers around the yard.
During the day they often hang out in one of the nearby fields but at the first drop of rain they all come tearing back into the yard, running for cover. Some sleep in the hay barn at night, the rest in their lamp heated goat house. Gladys is the old dame of the pack but the one to beware
of is Lancelot who certainly has ideas of being in charge of both goats and humans alike! Gladys and Edgar remained the best of friends right up until Edgar’s passing on April 14th 2020.
Gladys and Edgar were very friendly from the start. They quickly made the farm their home and if you left your car door open you were probably gonna find at least one of them chilling in the back seat. Soon they were joined by Gavin and Clifford and for a long time it was just the FabFour.
Now we have an amazing little herd who like to hang out together in the hay barn with
whatever horses are around or follow volunteers around the yard.
During the day they often hang out in one of the nearby fields but at the first drop of rain they all come tearing back into the yard, running for cover. Some sleep in the hay barn at night, the rest in their lamp heated goat house. Gladys is the old dame of the pack but the one to beware
of is Lancelot who certainly has ideas of being in charge of both goats and humans alike! Gladys and Edgar remained the best of friends right up until Edgar’s passing on April 14th 2020.
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Gerry’s rescue
It was the Summer of 2016 and Gerry was one of the Fonthill herd that Summer. He had a head collar embedded in his face, most probably from being put on when he was smaller and then never taken off again. There was a severe gash across his face that had become infected and he would have been in constant pain.
Several times the volunteers gathered to try and catch him but he wouldn’t let any of them near him and Fonthill is a huge area to try and catch a horse that doesn’t want to be caught.
Eventually MLHR managed to rescue him with the kind help of Gerry Creighton from Dublin zoo who came with us. As our volunteers gathered and prepared to corral the horse, darted him with an expert amount of tranquiliser which still allowed us to eventually catch him and walk him out of Fonthill and to his new home with MLHR. And as you’ve guessed we called him Gerry after his saviour.
It was the Summer of 2016 and Gerry was one of the Fonthill herd that Summer. He had a head collar embedded in his face, most probably from being put on when he was smaller and then never taken off again. There was a severe gash across his face that had become infected and he would have been in constant pain.
Several times the volunteers gathered to try and catch him but he wouldn’t let any of them near him and Fonthill is a huge area to try and catch a horse that doesn’t want to be caught.
Eventually MLHR managed to rescue him with the kind help of Gerry Creighton from Dublin zoo who came with us. As our volunteers gathered and prepared to corral the horse, darted him with an expert amount of tranquiliser which still allowed us to eventually catch him and walk him out of Fonthill and to his new home with MLHR. And as you’ve guessed we called him Gerry after his saviour.
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Wilbur’s arrival
Wilbur was our very first pig on the main MLHR farm and certainly our most famous and much loved one. He was found on a farm where the horse pound had gone to seize horses. On April 18th 2016 Wilbur stepped foot onto the MLHR farm and so began the MLHR love affair with pigs. They have come to mean so much to everyone and they have taught us so much about our preconceptions towards farm animals.
Pigs are very intelligent creatures and you can have the same relationship with them as you can with your dog. They’ll go for walks with you and come in for dinner in the evening when you call them. You can watch tv with them and teach them to sit. You can become their friend if you’re lucky enough.
We now have eleven pigs. They have their own specially decorated stable as their bedroom and they live every day in peaceful security and love.
Wilbur left us last year but his legacy is strong. He had lived to the ripe old age of Ten, an age most pigs never get to see as they are killed between 3 and 6 months old for meat. Wilbur and the other pigs have shown so many of our volunteers that animals have lives too and that they enjoy them. They are the reason that our farm has become a meat free zone. After all, how can you love one animal and eat another one.
Wilbur was our very first pig on the main MLHR farm and certainly our most famous and much loved one. He was found on a farm where the horse pound had gone to seize horses. On April 18th 2016 Wilbur stepped foot onto the MLHR farm and so began the MLHR love affair with pigs. They have come to mean so much to everyone and they have taught us so much about our preconceptions towards farm animals.
Pigs are very intelligent creatures and you can have the same relationship with them as you can with your dog. They’ll go for walks with you and come in for dinner in the evening when you call them. You can watch tv with them and teach them to sit. You can become their friend if you’re lucky enough.
We now have eleven pigs. They have their own specially decorated stable as their bedroom and they live every day in peaceful security and love.
Wilbur left us last year but his legacy is strong. He had lived to the ripe old age of Ten, an age most pigs never get to see as they are killed between 3 and 6 months old for meat. Wilbur and the other pigs have shown so many of our volunteers that animals have lives too and that they enjoy them. They are the reason that our farm has become a meat free zone. After all, how can you love one animal and eat another one.
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Arnold
As Wilbur was taking over everyone’s hearts on the main farm another very special pig was arriving in Cathy’s farm. Arnold is an iron age boar, a hybrid of a wild boar and a domestic pig. He is the perfect example of everything that’s wrong with the pet pig industry. He was sold as an uncastrated piglet to be a child's pet. Then, when he began to display all the normal behaviours of a pig with high testosterone levels, the family didn’t know what to do with him and couldn’t handle him. So they locked him up in a chicken shed and put him back up on Donedeal. This cycle of pets for sale on sites like Donedeal with no regard for where the animal ends up, no homecheck or verification that the owners know what they’re getting into and no
support for them from the seller/breeder if things go wrong has to stop.
Arnold was one of the lucky ones, he came to live with Cathy and her two older pigs, Penelope and Fred, adopted him as he was so young. He was castrated and then it took him about six months for his own personality to shine through. He is still very territorial and would display aggression if his territory, eg his shelter is not respected by others.
As Wilbur was taking over everyone’s hearts on the main farm another very special pig was arriving in Cathy’s farm. Arnold is an iron age boar, a hybrid of a wild boar and a domestic pig. He is the perfect example of everything that’s wrong with the pet pig industry. He was sold as an uncastrated piglet to be a child's pet. Then, when he began to display all the normal behaviours of a pig with high testosterone levels, the family didn’t know what to do with him and couldn’t handle him. So they locked him up in a chicken shed and put him back up on Donedeal. This cycle of pets for sale on sites like Donedeal with no regard for where the animal ends up, no homecheck or verification that the owners know what they’re getting into and no
support for them from the seller/breeder if things go wrong has to stop.
Arnold was one of the lucky ones, he came to live with Cathy and her two older pigs, Penelope and Fred, adopted him as he was so young. He was castrated and then it took him about six months for his own personality to shine through. He is still very territorial and would display aggression if his territory, eg his shelter is not respected by others.
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‘Animals are not toys, they are living, breathing, emotional creatures, just like we are. And just like us, each of them has his/her own personality and characteristics. It’s a huge, life-long commitment taking an animal into your family and your life. They are not like a hobby that you can drop if you get bored or decide it's not for you.’ Cathy
Two other pigs called Napoleon and Winston also arrived at Cathy’s this year. They came from a petting farm where they had no housing in Winter and no shelter from the sun in Summer with the result that they were badly sunburnt. ‘So many people don’t understand the animals that they get.
My best advice to anyone thinking of getting any type of animal is to do your research, there’s lots of information on the internet and please always feel free to contact a rescue like MLHR with any questions you may have. We won’t judge you but we’ll be able to point you in the right direction and help you to make the right decision for both your family and your prospective new family member.’ Cathy
Two other pigs called Napoleon and Winston also arrived at Cathy’s this year. They came from a petting farm where they had no housing in Winter and no shelter from the sun in Summer with the result that they were badly sunburnt. ‘So many people don’t understand the animals that they get.
My best advice to anyone thinking of getting any type of animal is to do your research, there’s lots of information on the internet and please always feel free to contact a rescue like MLHR with any questions you may have. We won’t judge you but we’ll be able to point you in the right direction and help you to make the right decision for both your family and your prospective new family member.’ Cathy
Mrs. Wobbles the Wonder Pig
In May 2016, a Northern Ireland rescue was called to a farm in Fermanagh about some geese in trouble. As they went around the farm looking at the geese situation, one of them opened the door to what looked like a coal store. Just as they were about to close the door again they saw a movement in the back. When they went in they found a jet black pig lying in the dark on a bed of coal. She was in a shocking state. The farmer had gotten her free with the idea of fattening her up but either lost interest or couldn’t fatten her properly so dumped her in his coal shed. She couldn’t walk because she had severe abscesses on three of her legs and on the other leg her shoulder was broken. He agreed to surrender her.
MLHR was contacted and Cathy headed for Fermanagh to collect her. She was a pitiful sight. By the time they got back to Cathy’s farm Mrs. Wobbles had gone into a coma. She stayed in the coma for three days and three nights and for all that time Cathy looked after her in the horsebox as they decided it was better not to move her. Her body was so cold that they had to wrap her in electric blankets. Cathy and her dog Rex slept in the horsebox at night to keep watch over Mrs.Wobbles and turn her as she had huge pressure sores all over.
In May 2016, a Northern Ireland rescue was called to a farm in Fermanagh about some geese in trouble. As they went around the farm looking at the geese situation, one of them opened the door to what looked like a coal store. Just as they were about to close the door again they saw a movement in the back. When they went in they found a jet black pig lying in the dark on a bed of coal. She was in a shocking state. The farmer had gotten her free with the idea of fattening her up but either lost interest or couldn’t fatten her properly so dumped her in his coal shed. She couldn’t walk because she had severe abscesses on three of her legs and on the other leg her shoulder was broken. He agreed to surrender her.
MLHR was contacted and Cathy headed for Fermanagh to collect her. She was a pitiful sight. By the time they got back to Cathy’s farm Mrs. Wobbles had gone into a coma. She stayed in the coma for three days and three nights and for all that time Cathy looked after her in the horsebox as they decided it was better not to move her. Her body was so cold that they had to wrap her in electric blankets. Cathy and her dog Rex slept in the horsebox at night to keep watch over Mrs.Wobbles and turn her as she had huge pressure sores all over.
On the third day she was alert enough to accept fluids with a syringe
and eventually liquid food. She was still too weak to be moved out of
the horsebox but she was slowly coming out of shock It took four people
eventually to lift her into the shelter that Cathy had built for her. It
was a long road to recovery.
Cathy got a bio energy worker to come and work on Mrs Wobbles because she was obviously totally depressed and in the two weeks since she’d arrived she hadn’t done a poo. Amazingly after that first energy healing session, her body began to heat up and she managed to get up slightly and did her first poo. Mrs.Wobbles is 8 years old now and living out her days happily. If ever there was an example of what pure love, devotion and never giving up can achieve then she is it.
Cathy got a bio energy worker to come and work on Mrs Wobbles because she was obviously totally depressed and in the two weeks since she’d arrived she hadn’t done a poo. Amazingly after that first energy healing session, her body began to heat up and she managed to get up slightly and did her first poo. Mrs.Wobbles is 8 years old now and living out her days happily. If ever there was an example of what pure love, devotion and never giving up can achieve then she is it.
Sean the carriage horse
On the evening of October 21st 2016, a vigilant member of the public reported a very thin carriage horse operating in Dublin’s popular tourist area of Templebar. The incident was reported to gardai at Pearse St station and to MLHR. The guards rushed to the scene and Garda Sean McCarthy authorised seizure of the horse by DCC’s horse pound contractor. One of our MLHR volunteers took video and photo evidence.
On the evening of October 21st 2016, a vigilant member of the public reported a very thin carriage horse operating in Dublin’s popular tourist area of Templebar. The incident was reported to gardai at Pearse St station and to MLHR. The guards rushed to the scene and Garda Sean McCarthy authorised seizure of the horse by DCC’s horse pound contractor. One of our MLHR volunteers took video and photo evidence.
We called the horse Sean after Garda McCarthy who worked tirelessly to
get a prosecution. In 2018 the owner was sentenced to two months
suspended sentence for animal cruelty and three years disqualification
from owning, possessing or being in charge of an animal. The Judge said
it was a ‘shocking case of cruelty.’
Sean was taken into the loving care of one of our volunteers Clodagh and slowly nursed back to health. He spent two years being loved and cared for and living on lush green pasture before very sadly dying from colic in October 2018.
Sean was taken into the loving care of one of our volunteers Clodagh and slowly nursed back to health. He spent two years being loved and cared for and living on lush green pasture before very sadly dying from colic in October 2018.
MLHR horses take a trip/ go European
In 2015 two women joined MLHR who have been the force behind the very successful fostering and adoption programme we run. Maddie and Mags have allowed hundreds of horses to find new homes which is key to allowing MLHR to have the space to rescue more.
In 2016 we had our first German adoption as the Irish cob is very valuable in Germany and very respected as a breed. Initially Martina, Debs and Cathy were hesitant about sending MLHR horses abroad.
‘We have a very strict adoption process which involves MLHR’s name always linked to each of our horses so we can monitor their futures. We’re very protective of them. They’ve come from terrible experiences and each one of them is part of our family forever. We’re kind of like those parents who never quite let go of the apron strings.’ Cathy
‘It was a huge undertaking. Months of work went into setting up our adoption programme for Germany. We had two german ladies as our points of contact and who did our home checks. We applied the same adoption rules as for here in Ireland,’ Maddie
Finally the first horses were ready to travel. Passports organised, vet checks done, forms signed in triplicate, all translated into German and Orla, Alex and Ricky were on their way.
Maddie and Mags went with that first transport to see how the experience was for the horses and make sure everything was up to MLHR standard.
‘We were sending pictures to adopters at every point along the route, everyone was very excited. It was an amazing experience. I remember bursting into tears when we dropped the last horse Alex off at his new home near the German/Polish border. So much time and effort had gone into securing these homes. All the new German owners were fantastic, so open and welcoming and so excited about the horses arriving.’ Maddie
In 2015 two women joined MLHR who have been the force behind the very successful fostering and adoption programme we run. Maddie and Mags have allowed hundreds of horses to find new homes which is key to allowing MLHR to have the space to rescue more.
In 2016 we had our first German adoption as the Irish cob is very valuable in Germany and very respected as a breed. Initially Martina, Debs and Cathy were hesitant about sending MLHR horses abroad.
‘We have a very strict adoption process which involves MLHR’s name always linked to each of our horses so we can monitor their futures. We’re very protective of them. They’ve come from terrible experiences and each one of them is part of our family forever. We’re kind of like those parents who never quite let go of the apron strings.’ Cathy
‘It was a huge undertaking. Months of work went into setting up our adoption programme for Germany. We had two german ladies as our points of contact and who did our home checks. We applied the same adoption rules as for here in Ireland,’ Maddie
Finally the first horses were ready to travel. Passports organised, vet checks done, forms signed in triplicate, all translated into German and Orla, Alex and Ricky were on their way.
Maddie and Mags went with that first transport to see how the experience was for the horses and make sure everything was up to MLHR standard.
‘We were sending pictures to adopters at every point along the route, everyone was very excited. It was an amazing experience. I remember bursting into tears when we dropped the last horse Alex off at his new home near the German/Polish border. So much time and effort had gone into securing these homes. All the new German owners were fantastic, so open and welcoming and so excited about the horses arriving.’ Maddie
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For Maddie and Mags it was a mix of joy and sadness as they got on the
plane home. ‘We kind of felt like we were leaving them behind even
though of course where they were now was the best possible place for
them. Over the years our adopters have given us great updates. It makes
me want to cry with joy when I see the wonderful lives our horses have
now.’ Mags
In all, eleven MLHR horses have found homes in Germany. Bill was the last to go, a Cork horse pound baby that someone discarded as trash but whose worth MLHR saw and who is now in an amazing home on the continent.
In all, eleven MLHR horses have found homes in Germany. Bill was the last to go, a Cork horse pound baby that someone discarded as trash but whose worth MLHR saw and who is now in an amazing home on the continent.
Dance off
2016 also saw the charity dance off between members of Dogs Aid and MLHR to raise funds for both charities held in the Regency hotel (now the Bonnington Dublin). Some people took it very seriously…
2016 also saw the charity dance off between members of Dogs Aid and MLHR to raise funds for both charities held in the Regency hotel (now the Bonnington Dublin). Some people took it very seriously…
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The judges were Linda Martin, Rory Cowan and Dustin the Turkey who kindly gave up their time for such a great cause.
The winners were Dogs Aid and a fab night was had by all.
The winners were Dogs Aid and a fab night was had by all.
