Two dogs had to be rescued when they fell down a hole while their owner was walking them near Pateley Bridge.

Mountain rescuers from Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association were called when the owner, who has not been named, was unable to help the dogs escape.

The incident happened at Guise Cliff, near Glasshouses in Nidderdale, shortly after 2pm on Wednesday. Seven rescuers were in attendance for more than two hours.

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The association’s incident log said:

“Once there, the team set up a rope system allowing them to abseil down and rescue little Terrier Pippet, and fox red Labrador Pidge.

“Apart from being a little dirty the dogs were unharmed and were able to carry on with their walk home with a very grateful owner.”

Rescuers head down the hole.

Pidge is brought to the surface.

A dog rescue charity has launched a £250,000 fundraising appeal to buy a dedicated home.

Saving Yorkshire’s Dogs, which is based near Masham, wants to buy the former Jerry Green Dog Rescue centre near Thirsk.

The charity already has £170,000 in pledges but needs another £250,000 to make the dream come true.

Over the last six years the charity has rescued about 200 dogs, many of which would otherwise have been put to sleep.

The Jerry Green site closed in the summer and will be sold by informal tender in mid-November.

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SYD, which currently rents premises, believes this is the right time to buy dedicated kennels and “secure its future”.

Julie Hart, who is organising the fundraiser, told the Stray Ferret:

“This would make a big difference. We would have much more space so we would have room to grow. This would be the dream place to move into, it is fully furnished in a great location.

“It has been incredible to watch all of the donations coming through already. People have been very generous. We have had pledges from some people of £10,000.”

So far the gofundme page has reached £2,600 in donations out of the £250,000 target. Click or tap here to donate.

The asking price for the former Jerry Green site starts at £300,000. SYD hopes the fundraiser will help with bidding and set-up costs.

Gracie finds a new home

The English Bulldog Gracie, star of the first Stray Pets Club and SYD rescue, has been given a new home.

Gracie was used for breeding to make money and was abandoned after reaching the maximum age for reproducing.

She has given birth to around 30 puppies in her lifetime and has been left with the scars to show it.

Lockdown led to a huge increase in demand for puppies. But as people start to return to work, there is concern that  ‘lockdown buyers’ will no longer have time to care for their new furry friends.

Karen Moss, who has fostered over 50 dogs for the Harrogate-based charity Miss Mollies Rescue, told the Stray Ferret she was concerned there could be an increase in owners returning adopted dogs. She said:

“There was definitely an increase in people wanting dogs during lockdown. People found they had more time on their hands and wanted to get out and about walking and found it the perfect opportunity to get a dog, which in most cases they have always wanted but working full-time was not ideal and never would be.

“There are rescue centres that are now having to take back dogs and puppies that people adopted during lockdown. We have been ok so far but when lockdown hit we had to close our charity shop, which impacted us financially so if we do get an increase in dogs it will be a worry.”

Karen Moss told us that she spends up to 18 months getting dogs ready to go to new homes.

“No dog is the same, I have to figure out how to get them to respond, some come quickly others take a lot of time. I have one dog at the moment that is now ready for a new home after 18 months… he couldn’t look at me when he first came, but now when someone comes to visit he will practically sit on their knee.”

Miss Mollies currently has a range of dogs looking for a new home for life. The Stray Ferret will be running a monthly ‘Lonely Pets’ page where you can find a wide variety of animals that are looking for a loving home.