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Events & AppealsLatest news and appeals
Please share our stories to help spread the word on the vital work we do
𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐮𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐥?
Winter is always a challenging time for us as the run up to Christmas brings in lots of old animals that people discard to make room for the Christmas puppy or kitten. This year we have seen an increase in the number of vulnerable dogs and cats needing our help due to increased living costs. It is vitally important that we provide our animals with the very best during their stay with us and their pens must be kept warm and comfortable at all times. During the winter months we use lots of donated duvets and blankets to help keep the animals warm and cosy, but our heating bills increase dramatically. There are 76 cat pens and 71 dog kennels to keep warm, which with the increase in electricity costs has soared to over £15,000 each winter.
This huge increase in our heating costs is really shocking and means we have to ask our wonderful supporters for their help again. Any donation you can give will make a huge difference and help us to continue to be there for these vulnerable dogs and cats.
Gables does not receive any government funding and has felt the financial strain from rising costs. If you can make a contribution to our Winter Heating Appeal 2024/25, you can do this by:
1. Telephone – please call 01752 331602
2. Online
- via Justgiving – www.justgiving.com/campaign/gableswin
- via Paypal – www.paypal.me/gablesdogsandcats
- via this website – www.gables.org.uk/how-can-you-help/make-a-donation-2
3. By text:*
- To donate £1, text GABLEWIN to 70201
- To donate £3, text GABLEWIN to 70331
- To donate £5, text GABLEWIN to 70970
- To donate £10, text GABLEWIN to 70191
*Text will cost your donation amount + standard network message charge.
Fundraising, payments and donations will be processed and administered by the National Funding Scheme (Charity No: 1149800), operating as DONATE. For Terms & Conditions, see www.easydonate.org.
If we are lucky enough to raise more money than is needed it will go towards helping all the animals in our care.
July 2024 Broken Hearted Rescue Dog Appeal
We took in a 3 year old Cockapoo called ‘Phoebe’ who was in need of urgent lifesaving surgery.
During a routine veterinary health check it was discovered she had a severe heart murmur. Phoebe was referred to Bristol Vet Specialists for further investigation.
After lots of tests Phoebe was diagnosed with a serious heart defect called a ‘patent ductus arteriosus’ (PDA), which is a congenital heart defect in dogs.
Thankfully if detected in time this is the only cardiac disease in dogs that can actually be cured!
With the help of our amazing supporters Phoebe successfully underwent her lifesaving operation on 22nd October and is now nicely recovering at home with her wonderful new family who have been a tremendous help with transporting her to and from Bristol to have the operation as well as providing ongoing aftercare. It is delightful for us to see her recovering so well in the peace and calm of her forever home.
MEDIA
Devon Live – Desperate plea as beautiful Cockapoo is found with fatal condition
August 2023 Larry’s Lousy Liver Appeal
We took in an 18-month old cat called ‘Larry’ who was in need of urgent medical care and life saving surgery. On arrival at Gables he was very wobbly and it was discovered he was having seizures. Gables contracted vets carried out tests which indicated he has a portosystemic (liver) shunt.
We believe he was born with this condition, where the toxins in the blood are not filtered out by the liver and instead travel to the brain. This caused him to have episodes where he becomes very wobbly, disorientated and dribble.
With the help of our amazing supporters we were able to take him the life saving surgery and he made a full recovery. Even better news is he is now enjoying life in a new loving home.
MEDIA
Plymouth Herald – Poorly Plymouth Cats life at risk due to fatal condition
Plymouth Cronicle – 18 month old cat in need of life saving care and surgery
May 2023 – 25 puppies rescued from bleak conditions
We took in 25 puppies and dogs from a terrible situation where they had no food, water or shelter from freezing conditions. Back in March on a bitterly cold Saturday morning Gables were called to help remove these poor dogs. Deputy Manager Ruth Rickard and General Manager Claire Sparkes jumped in their vehicles and made the 90 mile trip. On arrival they were horrified to see the living conditions these vulnerable creatures were having to endure but they started to get them out one by one. We took as many as we could consisting of 9 young puppies that were around 8-12 weeks old, a 6 month old puppy with terribly matted, sore and infected skin and 3 mothers each with litters of puppies.
MEDIA
ITV – More than 25 puppies rescued after being left without food or water
Plymouth Herald – Plymouth’s Gables rescues 25 vulnerable puppies left with no food or water
May 2023 Aye Aye the geriatric cat
We took in an elderly cat called Aye-Aye from the RSPCA. The lovely elderly girl was found lying in a road in a collapsed state and was extremely cold, underweight and lethargic. She was taken to a local veterinary practice where it was found she was hyperthyroid and in need of urgent medical care. Sadly she was not microchipped so there was no way to trace her owner. We successfully treated her condition and found her a new home where she will be comfortable and happy during her retirement years.
MEDIA
Devon Live – Frail and abandoned Aye-Aye finds hope after being found on roadside
October 2022 Puppy Farm Palaver
As Covid-19 becoming something we learnt to live with, Gables had hoped that the huge demand for dogs would fall as people returned to work. Sadly this was far from the case as there is still a huge demand for puppies, which encourages breeders to cash in while they can!
This demand for puppies resulted in 90 dogs and puppies, living in horrific conditions, being removed from a single Devon property, with Gables helping to remove them and taking in 23 of them.
The dogs, a mixture of small “designer breeds” ranging from 7 days old to 12 years old, had been living in terrible conditions.
MEDIA
The Mirror – Tiny puppy who weighs less than a bag of sugar desperate to survive
Devon Live – Devon puppy weighing less than a bag of sugar fights for her life
Plymouth Herald – Poorly puppy weighing less than a bag of sugar fights for her life
Greatest Hits Radio – Animals rescued from ‘heart-breaking’ Devon puppy farm
August 2022 Heatwave Kittens
On one of the hottest days on record we took in four abandoned kittens who were dumped in a field and left for dead in the middle of the heatwave. Although Gables rushed to collect the tiny 8 day old kittens, they were very concerned that they would not survive as they were so dehydrated, floppy, covered in fly eggs and fleas and struggling to breathe in the heat. They were taken to the vets for emergency fluids and the first 24 hours were touch and go.
ITV – Tiny kittens ‘left for dead’ and covered in fly eggs after being dumped in field
Devon Live – Four tiny kittens left for dead in heatwave
Plymouth Herald – Tiny kittens found in field during heatwave were ‘left for dead’
Totnes Times – Kittens callously abandoned in heatwave
June 2022 Queenie’s Vet Appeal
Queenie has suffered with skin issues for several years and now she is at Gables we can effectively treat her skin and find her a new home where she will be comfortable and happy. The most likely cause of Queenie’s skin condition is Flea Allergic Dermatitis, or FAD, but with regular flea prevention treatment this can usually be controlled. Poor Queenie was in such distress from her condition that she scratched her neck red raw and chewed the base of her tail and hind legs, leaving her with large patches of fur missing and very sore, red, crusty skin with multiple scabs. As a precaution Gables vets took a skin scrape to test for any other underlying conditions, such as ring worm. Unfortunately this led to the awful discovery that Queenie had the bacterial infection, MRSA and she had to be moved to the isolation area.
MEDIA
Plymouth Chronicle – Right pain in the neck for Queenie the rescue cat
May 2022 Pillsbury’s Vet Appeal
We took in an extremely over weight pug who is in urgent need of medical treatment. Pillsbury had the most severe pinched/narrow nostrils that Gables vets had ever seen. Pillsbury had difficulty breathing, with little or no air flow in or out of his nostrils, resulting in a lot of open-mouthed breathing and panting. He also had a very large facial fold (the crease of skin over the ridge of the nose), which contributes to his difficulty in breathing and has resulted in an uncomfortable and painful skin condition called Erythematous.
Click here for the full story
MEDIA
Plymouth Chronicle – Gables need help with Pillsbury, the pug who’s running out of puff
Dartmouth Chronicle – Can you help Pillsbury with his health problems
May 2022 Cloudy’s Vet Appeal
We took in a stray cat with a badly damaged eye. Cloudy, as he was affectionately named, was being fed by several people but had not seen a vet for over 5 years. As a result, his damaged eye became swollen, infected and ulcerated and he was in constant pain and discomfort. It is unclear what caused the damage to Cloudy’s eye but after veterinary examination it was concluded the most likely cause was blunt force trauma such as a kick or a collision with a car.
Plymouth Chronicle – Cloudy the cat is hoping for a much clearer future
Ivybridge & South Brent Gazette – Cloudy the cat needs your help
February 2022 Hockey aka Lovebug
Hockey is a 4 year old staffie X we took in with a long list of medical needs. He arrived needing urgent treatment for a severe heart murmur and arrhythmia.
MEDIA
Plymouth Chronicle – Broken-hearted Hockney needs urgent treatment
January 2022 Popeye in a pickle
We were contacted by Filham Park Veterinary Clinic to help a cat with a severely damaged eye who desperately needed medical care. Popeye, as he was affectionately named, had an accident on a farm and his eye was beyond repair and needed to be removed.
MEDIA
Plymouth Herald – One-eyed cat called Popeye rescued after serious injury on farm
Animal Rescue Society – one-eyed cat called Popeye rescued after serious injury on farm
Opera News – one-eyed cat called Popeye rescued after serious injury on farm
November 2021 – Kittens fright on bonfire night
Five terrified, cold and wet kittens were found abandoned on a building site on bonfire night.
Click here for the full story
MEDIA
ITV.com – Terrified kittens found abandoned at building site on bonfire night
Plymouth Herald – 5 terrified kittens found abandoned in Plymstock on bonfire night
Dartmoor Links – Kittens fright on bonfire night
October 2021 – Neglected Spaniels Dolly & Droopy
We took in two elderly Springer Spaniels with multiple severe medical issues. The two dogs needed urgent treatment to drastically improve their quality of life and ensure they are more comfortable and pain-free in their twilight years.
MEDIA
Plymouth Chronicle – Appeal for help to treat elderly Springer Spaniels
August 2021 – Shih Tzu Shambles
We were called to help with yet another suspected puppy farm, located in a seemingly typical family home in the centre of Plymouth. When we arrived, we immediately knew we were dealing with a serious situation by the putrid smell that greeted us as we approached the property.
MEDIA
Devon Live – 19 Shih Tzu’s rescued by Gables from suspected puppy farm in Plymouth
Plymouth Herald – 19 Shih Tzu’s rescued by Gables from suspected puppy farm in Plymouth
Dartmoor links – Can you help?
June 2021 – Smashed Smartie
Smashed Smartie, a 3 year old Jack Russell needed major surgery after being hit by a car. She suffered a large facial wound, multiple fractures and a dislocation of her right hip in the collision with the car. We were asked to take her into our care due to the essential, expensive surgery that she required.
MEDIA
May 2021 – Wanda’s Wish
We took in a heavily pregnant dog from a puppy farm, who had been used solely for breeding to make money. This poor girl, who we named Wanda, had been living in a totally unsuitable location; exposed to the elements, knee deep in mud and freezing cold during the winter.
MEDIA
Plymouth Herald – Fundraiser for Gables after dog put through constant pregnancies to make money
March 2021 – Lumpy Larry
We were contacted for help by another organisation and asked if we would take in an unwanted, overweight cat who desperately needed medical care. Lumpy Larry, as we affectionately named him, arrived with tightly matted fur all over his body and a large tumour on his face, which has been left untreated.
MEDIA
February 2021 – 7 Manky Pups
January 2021 – Tattered Tom
While we all hoped that 2021 would be a better year for everyone, it hasn’t been the best start for a very poorly 13 year old cat, who was given up by his owners. When Tattered Tom, as we affectionately named him, arrived here at Gables it soon became obvious that he was suffering from more than just his rundown, untidy looks. His fur was matted, greasy and heavily discoloured – the result of not being able to groom himself. This has also left him with a rather distinctive odour. He was born with a cleft lip, which makes eating and breathing normally much more difficult for him.