Hope was rescued, along with her three surviving littermates and several other dogs from the same household, who all needed veterinary attention. The RSPCA became involved and  successfully prosecuted the owner

The PAWS team - Bev, Caroline, Tina, Larry, Clive

Unfortunately, Rina's owner seemed not to realise that her wounds were serious and possibly life-threatening. When members of the PAWS team saw the extent of her injuries, they were extremely concerned and immediately arranged for Rina to get the treatment that she needed.

The large wound on her side had been sustained several days beforehand; it was infected and very deep. Further tissue loss or damage, could have resulted in peritonitis. In a two hour operation, the wound was thoroughly debrided to remove the necrotic skin and a drain was put in place. The wound was stitched and thanks to the skill of the surgeon, the adjacent nipple was able to be saved.

Rina's owner had bred 3 litters in 6 weeks, so was unable to adequately care for her after the operation. The PAWS team undertook all her care, feeding and supervision and paid part of the vet bill not covered by insurance. With the full support of Rina's breeder (who is not resident in the UK), Rina remained with a member of the PAWS team, while the RSPCA carried out their investigations into the treatment of Rina, Hope and several other dogs from the same household.     

Hope had sustained a badly broken leg at around 3 weeks of age. Both bones in her lower right leg had been broken and the ends of the bones were displaced. Her breeder failed to get veterinary attention for her for at least 5 days, by which time the leg was twisted, deformed and useless. Members of the PAWS team had been trying to advise and give hands on help to the breeder (who had many other dogs) about health and welfare issues, as she had refused to cooperate with the RSPCA. Eventually, the breeder agreed to relinquish Hope's care, but due to the extent of the damage and the length of time her leg had been left untreated, there was only a slim chance that the leg could be saved.

The PAWS team stepped in and ensured that Hope was given the very best of veterinary attention, which involved changing the cast on her leg every 3-4 days for 8 weeks. Six months of intensive rehabilitation and physical therapy followed and although Hope has a slightly smaller foot on the affected leg and will develop arthritis around the damaged area, she is now able to use the leg completely normally.

Rina  & Hope were saved from further suffering, when the PAWS team stepped in to offer help to her owner. We were able to obtain the veterinary attention they needed. Rina was given the 24 hour care she required in the weeks after her operation, whilst she recovered from her ordeal. Hope was eventually taken for surgery to repair the leg and members of the PAWS team arranged and paid for her treatment and rehabilitation

The PAWS team liaised with Rina's (non-UK based) breeder, who was extremely worried about her welfare. We were able to reassure her that Rina was in safe hands and that members of the PAWS team would work with the UK authorities to find a way to resolve this sad situation and help all the dogs get the care they needed.

All Hope's veterinary treatment, physiotherapy and hydrotherapy was arranged and paid for by the PAWS team. After 6 months of intensive physio, hydro, a balanced diet and a lot of love, Hope's leg was healed and she had full use of it. She is now three years old and has been able to run and gallop, as fast as any Wolfhound we've known!

The PAWS team worked closely with the RSPCA to bring about a resolution to an escalating problem with this particular owner/breeder. A total of 17 puppies and 5 adults were rescued by the PAWS team during 2014.  In 2015, the woman was finally convicted of offences under the Animal Welfare Act and banned from keeping dogs for 5 years. Despite the ban, this offender continued to keep dogs and bred at least 2 more litters. She also imported more dogs from several European countries.  Further information provided to the RSPCA, enabled them to get a court order to remove a further 22 dogs and other animals from her premises.

In 2016, Amanda Adams was convicted of further offences under the Animal Welfare Act, given a 6 week suspended prison sentence and banned from keeping any animals for a total of 10 years.