Ashs'
Sanctuary
Founded because of a very special boy Ash.
When Ash crossed over the rainbow bridge,Chris lost her soul dog. Her sanctuary, today Ashs' Sanctuary is the safe space for our more challenging dogs who have had extremely difficult pasts and require a very special kind of love, which sadly canon be found in the traditional home environment .
​
Chris has written a moving piece that gets across what Ash means to her and how his impact has helped shaped what we do here at the rescue.
​
​I remember the dark days…but I don’t want to go there. I was part of a family, felt the love, then they sold me. Why? What did I do? Then the dark days. They hurt. They wanted me to be something I wasn’t. I couldn’t fight. I tried but I wasn’t good enough. Suddenly I was alone in the trees. I hurt. I just wanted to curl up until the pain went away, sleep the endless sleep.
Wait… there is someone coming. Humans. Get up. Run, hide… don’t let them near, they hurt. A dark lane…I’ll go down there… safety.. NOOOO, Im trapped and they are still coming… shout, bark growl… stay away, I can’t trust you….The humans have me on the end of a pole thing. It hurts. I can’t escape, I’m trying, but I’m a prisoner again….
Now I’m in a place with lots of dogs again, please, no, not again…its noisy but they are offering food…. Growl, bark, shout…. Stay away, you won’t come near, I can’t risk it… there’s a lady here, she brought me here, she comes most days and talks softly to me. Could I trust her? No… don’t, too risky… today she sat in my kennel, talking, just talking. I pressed against the back wall, nowhere to run, nowhere to hide… maybe, just maybe she won’t hurt me? I crept a little closer… she had yummy food, I let her scratch my chest… just for a second…. Then she left. She never came back. I was right. Never trust, never ever….
Days went past, my wounds healed but bark, shout, never let them near…. Humans hurt. Never trust… now there re two ladies outside my kennel. Bark, shout, go away…but they won’t. They sit there, with lots of yummy food… I creep closer to the bars, delicious food… bark, shout, go away… they are still there…. GO. AWAY… they are still there… one of them is coming in… run, hide but there is nowhere to go…. The food is good, I take some then run again… then some more… suddenly, so gently I never felt it happen, she has a lead on me… run, hide… but I can’t. She has taken me out of the kennel… to the outside… run… but she has hold of the lead, there is no escape…. She has got me in a van, I am terrified but I’m not, there should be danger but there isn’t….can I feel that long forgotten love again?
That was the start of my future. My new life. I learned to trust this lady, she never asked more than I could give. I trusted no one, only her. No other people, no other dogs, only my Mum. She understood…. For many years it was me and her…. And the Rescue that was born because of me, to help dogs like me live…. We moved to Orkney, to peace, I had fields… and beaches and Mum always kept me safe. Still never asking more than I could give. She helped me believe that some humans were ok…. And in my last year I made some friends. Always respecting my comfort, respecting me….. I had found the love…I had found my soulmate. In 2021 I became unwell… and the angels called me home. I didn’t want to leave, I could see my Mums heart shattering but she let me go to the light. Now I walk beside my Mum, unseen, unheard but she knows. I will always be beside her, until that day she walks into the light and we are together, as it should be, forever.
Coco
Coco is a special girl with a very dark past. She came into sanctuary after a truly horrific early life.
Coco was abused by drug users which has resulted in a complete mistrust in humans as a general rule. We became aware of this beautiful girl when two good Samaritans rescued her from an attempted hanging. she was found hanging from a tree.
​
This terrifying assault has damaged poor Coco beyond repair in terms of living in the wider world.
Here at the sanctuary she has a wonderful life. She has varying degrees of trust with the staff, with Chris our founder being the one she trusts the most.
​
Coco enjoys short walks and playing with her ball in the large paddock and sniffs through our even larger cut path area where she can play in the long grass and discover new and exciting smells.
​
She may not have the life we here at LHDR would have wished for her but she has the best life on her terms and is truly a happy girl forever safe.
Candy and Storm
(The Moots)
Candy and Storm affectionately known as The Moots, came to us via SSDR when sadly they lost their premises. They area lovely pair very typical of their breeds. Candy the husky is a beautiful girl with extremely strict boundaries which is sadly why her some placement failed. She is a happy girl though here at sanctuary, with lots of free run time and she just loves her treats! She has a life she is content with and we adore her. Staff member interact with her on her terms and she looks forward to these. especially the afternoon paddock visits when one of our volunteers brings her treat bag. Candy has learned that this lady means yummy things so is always very pleased to see her. Its very sweet.
​
Storm the Malamute is a beautiful looking boy with an aloof personality. He is happiest left to himself. as long as he gets his outside time, which is extensive he is one happy boy.
​
He also came to us for the same reasons as Candy.
Both our moots do have behaviour issues which are unclear as to what caused them, however this is the nature of rescue we sadly don't always get the full story. One of the things we pride ourselves on is our ability to meet the dogs where they are and work to their timeline.
Candy and Storm are a very contended pair of dogs and have found a life that suits them. Which here hat LHDR is all we can hope for with some of our more specialised care residence.
Jax is an extra special case here at the sanctuary. He came to us for rehabilitation, he is incredibly intelligent having passed his IMDT stage one. the future was looking incredibly bright for Jax. that is until the XL bully ban hit Scotland.​
​
Jax is not an XL bully. However he has the potential to meet the criteria so he was reclassified as a dog in need of sanctuary and legally exempted. This means that Jax will live out his life with us,
​
Jax can be a difficult boy, however he has a great bond with our founder and he loves the training session they have together. We hope to get his IMDT stage two underway, this has hit a snag due to his exemption but if we can find a way we surely will.
​
Jax loves and thrives on routine, so sanctuary life suites him well. He loves his time out in the paddocks and seeing the staff going about their chores. He is very fond of treats so you may have guessed that the treat lady (as our volunteer has been nicknamed) is one of the people he really enjoys seeing, she always has something lovely for our Jax.
​
With any sanctuary dog or any dog for that matter, finding way to express your love for them in a way they find acceptable is paramount. Whether is is words of love spoken through a kennel gate. treats passed through a fence ( if safe to do so), Walks or games in the paddock or physical touch. it must always be up to the dog.
Love can take many forms and as guardians of these beautiful animals it is our duty to ensure they all receive it in their own individual way.
Jax
Orla
Orla or Lols is a Kangal, typical of her breed she is a guardian to the bone.
​
Orla cam to us through a situation which turned out not to be safe, while under the care of a well known rescue. Due to this failed placement there rose the potential issue of Orla being put to sleep.
​
Well, here at LHDR we decided that she was worth the work and we took her under our umbrella of sanctuary. Since then Orla has gained the trust of three staff members and enjoys those interactions immensely. The wonderful thing about Orla is that once you have gained her trust , you have it for life.
​
It is a very special thing for her to trust, but once you're there you can cuddle her and brush her, she loves a good cuddle.
​
Orla is the perfect example of a breed that should never be a pet.
​
Thriving in our sanctuary she loves noting more than seeing her favourite people. guarding our big paddock when she is out and having some treats and cuddles.
​
We have managed to not only save her life but also make the rest of it the very best we can manage, and if you could ask Orla would like to think she would let you know she is a very happy girl.
Alaska
Alaska , or Woo's as she is also known is a beautiful example of the breed. Her coat is fluffy and her face is gorgeous. Unfortunately, she has a deep aversion to human contact. She again is a transfer from SSDR and sadly a failed home placement. If she is in the mood you may touch her but its very rare.
​
Alaska loves the peace of Sanctuary, all our staff are aware of her needs and currently only three members of staff are able to handle her. Like Orla, once she trusts you, you and her are friends. Just be sure to not over step her boundaries.
​
With all our sanctuary dogs it is important to meet them where they are and work from that point. The time line of trust is theirs to control. We never push a dog for interaction. This is their safe place. where they are never forced to do anything they don't want.
This is the life they find acceptable and comfortable and we maintain that to the highest standard.
​
Alaska, loves her outside time and will let you know by wooing, hence the nickname woo. Its is a sound we have come to associate with happiness and contentment. It's a lovely thing to hear her on the way to the paddock wooing to her handler. its almost like a conversation.
Of course we always answer her woos, it would be rude not to!
If you would like to donate to help the sanctuary with our running costs please click the button below.
