Affectionately named Patsy Pancake, she was left abandoned
A forever home – is just that – forever.
And Shih Tzu Pasty Pancake has found her perfect match with Jayne Johns.
Veterinary treatment was immediately sought and she was firstly clipped to remove her heavily matted coat which was contaminated with faeces. Worryingly she did take a turn for the worst and became poorly with sepsis, but thankfully recovered and was placed in RSPCA foster care.
“She’s doing so, so well,” said Jayne, who lives in Kenfig Hill. “She has been spayed and has had a dental – and sadly most of her teeth bar about five were removed. She also has a mammary mass and a lump under her chin, but her recovery over the past few months has been going so well.”
Patsy Pancake now shared a home with another rescued Shih Tzu – Ruby Bish Fingers – after she was found severely matted and faeces uncrusted fur by RSPCA rescuers. She was also fostered and then officially adopted by Jayne.
“Patsy Pancake has settled in really well and she is turning into a right sassy madam!” said Jayne. “She’s very vocal but very loving and is really integrating with my other dogs which includes the lovely Ruby Bish Fingers and my two cats!!
“I was only going to foster her but just knew she had to come and stay with me permanently.”
RSPCA Inspector Keith Hogben and Deputy Chief Inspector (DCI) Gemma Cooper were both involved in the rescue of Patsy.
“We’d like to thank the person who found her, who was also understandably very upset to see her condition and who did clip the hair around her eyes as she could hardly see,” said Keith.
Gemma (pictured left with Patsy Pancake after receiving vet treatment) added: “It was touch and go as to whether she would survive but the staff at the vets were incredible and they helped to make a miracle happen. We’re delighted that she has now found a loving home to call her own with Jayne.”
Whilst the charity’s dedicated band of fosters – like Jayne – are playing an important role to care for rescue pets, the RSPCA is calling on animal lovers to adopt a pet from a rescue centre or RSPCA branch rather than buying from a breeder to help ease the spiralling rehoming crisis as part of its Adoptoberrehoming drive this month.
The RSPCA has also revealed that the average length of time dogs, cats and rabbits are having to wait before someone adopts them – across England and Wales – has risen by almost one third (31%) over the past five years (from 31.7 days in 2019 to 41.4 days in 2023), according to new data from the RSPCA released this Adoptober. Consequently, many rehoming centres are bursting at the seams and unable to take in new animals – with many in costly emergency boarding centres while they wait for space.
As of 3 October (2024), a shocking 118 dogs, cats and other animals at the RSPCA’s 14 national animal centres alone were recorded as having already waited 100 days or more without being adopted. And that doesn’t include the charity’s 135 independently run branches – who are also looking after numerous ‘long stay’ animals who are sadly being overlooked by potential adopters.
Karen Colman, who leads the RSPCA team finding places for rescued animals, said: “We are appealing to potential adopters to – where possible – consider rehoming petswhich have spent a particularly long time waiting for their forever home at our centres.
“We have so many absolutely wonderful dogs, cats and rabbits who through absolutely no fault of their own are sitting at rescue centres waiting patiently for the next chapter of their lives to begin. That chapter cannot start without the public coming forward to offer them homes.
“As well as the lucky animals who tend to fly out of our centres into new homes, there are others who have more specific rehoming requirements because of the environments and conditions they were subjected to before being rescued.
“Very sadly, these are the animals we find most challenging to find new homes for.
“We are especially keen for those people with higher levels of pet-owning experience and patience to step forward and consider adopting one of our more ‘hard to rehome’ animals, because the situation has reached a crisis point.
“There’s a log-jam that prevents another newly rescued animal from getting a rehoming place. We currently have hundreds of animals in our care forced to wait in temporary and emergency boarding accommodation because pets already at our rehoming centres are not being adopted fast enough.
“Our rehoming centres are crying out for people who have the desire, dedication, time, facilities and willingness to step forward and offer to adopt our long stay animals. They can do this with the confidence that the RSPCA rehoming team will give them all the help, advice and support they need to make the animals transition from centre to home a positive one.”
The RSPCA has a clear policy that it will not put healthy, rehomeable animals to sleepand euthanasia is only carried out, on advice of a vet, to prevent further physical or mental suffering to an animal. The charity goes to great lengths to find the animals in its care loving homes, whether that takes weeks or months – but that means that animals are staying for longer and spaces are opening up less frequently.
Potential adopters can visit the RSPCA’s Find A Pet webpage to see all of the animals currently in the charity’s care who are looking for their perfect match. Supporters can also help the RSPCA continue rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming by donating onlineor calling their donation line on 0300 123 8181
