Animal Rescue with Marion Garnett
Dedicated animal expert Marion Garnett, founder of the Ealing Animal Charities Fair, continues her column
This Mastiff Cross, Bruno, might be so hefty, he’s been given the nickname, One Ton Fun, but he’s clever enough to know how to open doors.
Although lockdown is a time when some doors are closed, it’s also a time when, as Bruno has discovered, other doors can be opened.
For example, drawing has never been my strength but after watching the National Animal Welfare Trust’s (NAWT) drawing tutorial developed by the artist, Emma Rowsell, on how to draw a Husky dog, even I could manage a portrait of Bruno. Lockdown can provide an opportunity to develop skills, we’ve not previously had time for. You can access the free drawing tutorial at nawt.org.uk.
Using the methods described in the video you can learn to draw any animal from your own pet to wildlife in your garden.
You could use it as part of the Wildlife Trusts’ fabulous 30 Days Wild project. One of the ideas they have is to sketch something from nature and they’ve got plenty of experience with that.
The Wildlife Trust cares for 2300 wild places including woods, rivers and inner-city nature areas. During the month of June, they want us to do one wild thing a day, for our health, wellbeing and for the planet. That’s 30 Random Acts of Wildness. The Trust has produced a pack bursting with ideas to help us. Besides sketching, there’s planting wildflower seeds and identifying birdsong. The pack can be downloaded from wildlifetrusts.org.
Now back to Bruno who is waiting at the NAWT’s Watford centre for homing to restart. NAWT are desperate to reopen their doors to the public not only because they have animals to rehome but also because they need the income. Money is tight. Dogs like Bruno have a big tummy to fill.
When lockdown is over, one way NAWT generate income is by boarding cats, dogs and small animals. Animal boarding places can be like gold dust, so it’s useful to know all available locations. If you board your pet here, not only will your pet be looked after by trained members of staff but also the proceeds will help homeless animals.
Meanwhile, Bruno continues to wait for new doors to open for him. He’s an inquisitive dog who is looking for an owner experienced with large breeds. He doesn’t like being left on his own, so his owner will need to be around to keep him company. See nawt. org.uk, if this could be with you, when rehoming starts.