Lucystrust

03/06/2026

This is sadly very true.

Not all dogs can be rehabilitated.
Rehabilitation has never been my aim here at Lucy's trust.

Some of the dogs we have here would never be safe in a "normal" home.

I work within their limits, curating a life here that they can truly enjoy and feel safe in, but even that takes time with many of them. How much time is incredibly individual, but for many, its multiple years.

We are a small sanctuary, and unlike others, its virtually impossible to grow it into something bigger.
We cannot have volunteers and are a very long way from having trained paid staff, so.... that means there is only me here full time.

This means we cannot help as many dogs as we would like to, and are asked to.
Believe me, every message i get begging me to take in a dog with a bite history breaks my heart.
Having to say no, most of the time, shuts the book on that particular dogs story. :'(

to take on too many, more than I can personally handle, would be unfair to the dogs themselves, and is not something i am willing to do.... if i did, it would negate the very sanctuary we have created.

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1833293861290142&set=a.889417052344499

One of the most damaging myths in modern dog training and animal behaviour is the idea that every animal can be fully rehabilitated with enough love, enough training, enough consistency, or enough positive reinforcement. They cannot. And the same is true in humans.

Some individuals recover remarkably from trauma, instability, neglect, pain, or chronic stress. Others do not, despite excellent intervention, safe environments, medication, therapy, behaviour modification, and years of support. This is because behaviour is not created by one single thing.

Behaviour is the result of genetics, early development, nervous system sensitivity, prenatal stress, pain, learning history, environment, social experiences, health, neurochemistry, resilience, and ongoing stress load all interacting together. There is no scientifically credible model of behaviour that says environment alone determines outcome.

Research in both humans and animals consistently shows strong heritability for anxiety, fearfulness, impulsivity, emotional reactivity, aggression, stress sensitivity, and resilience. Studies in behavioural genetics repeatedly demonstrate inherited differences in stress responsiveness and emotional regulation. Selective breeding absolutely influences behaviour.

Chronic stress and trauma alter the brain. Animals exposed to chronic fear, instability, harsh punishment, pain, chaotic environments, or repeated stress during sensitive developmental periods may never process the world normally afterwards.

Some individuals experience severe adversity and recover relatively well. Others experience comparatively mild adversity and struggle profoundly. This is true in dogs, humans, horses, primates, laboratory animals, and virtually every species studied.

Resilience is influenced by:
- genetics
- maternal stress
- prenatal environment
- early socialisation
- neurodevelopment
- attachment security
- pain
- chronic stress exposure
- learning history
- health

Two dogs can live through the exact same experience and emerge completely differently. A deeply traumatised, genetically vulnerable, pain-affected nervous system may improve dramatically and still never become “normal”.

30/05/2026

I treated myself to a new pair of sharp grooming scissors, and little Alan got the beginnings of his make over

21/05/2026

A few days ago we said a sad farewell to little Maimie.
Maimie came to live with mummy back in 2020 from the wonderful
previously named Oreo, she had come from a loving home in Donegal- that was until her owner died, and then the family turfed her outside to fend for herself :'(
As sad as that story is in itself, it was made worse by the fact that she was almost completely deaf.
to think of the fear she must have felt at that time :'(

she found safety with Debs at claws, and then onto my mother here, to become a very spoiled little house cat :)
Mummy adored her, and Maimie was her constant companion up until her death in january of 2021.
We did our best to make sure she was not lonely thereafter, we spent much more time in mummys house to be with her, and she was very content after she got over her palpable grief at losing mummy.

we adored that little cat, she was very much her own person, not really hugely into pets unless she was in the mood, but always ready to sit on you for a sleep should you sit still long enough.
An olympic sleeper, with the loudest voice i have ever heard from one so small... when she was looking for you, she could be heard up the yard! and she would polish of those yowls with the sweetest wee murp noise when you finally turned up

04/05/2026

we have had an eventful few weeks here at LT, hence the lack of posts, just when I was starting to get back into it!

I have been quite run down personally this last while, and its kinda come to a bit of head with anaemia and a pulled muscle in my back which has been hard to work around, then last week, Ray (one of the Corran kennel 3) slammed into my leg at high speed, and forced my knee to go in a direction it was never designed to go!
where the usual singular F- word would have sufficed to dull the pain, this time there were at least ten, and some tears before i could even risk putting my leg to the ground.
Thankfully I got lucky and there doesnt seem to be any permanent damage, despite my entire leg swelling to twice its size and several days of being unable to straighten it, it is now on the mend, I just have to be very careful with how i place it.

My little goblin Alan had a VERY close call too.
He choked on a piece of broccoli.
he suffers from a collapsing trachea, which has not been too bad of late thankfully, but what happened showed just how dangerous this condition is.
he gets some broccoli every night (its his favourite thing in the world.. he would pass up a stea for a bit of the green stuff) along with the other house dogs, and must have literally gobbled in down without really chewing,
I was thankfully still in the room just a foot away, cutting up more for the others when i happened to look in his direction.
I say him wobble and fall on his face, completely silently. No coughing, no noise, just lack of oxygen and collapse.
I was able to grab him immediately and get his airway cleared THANK DOG.
the wee soul gave my face a lick as soon as he came to, he must have been so scared :/
just goes to show how quickly and silently things can change. If i had walked out of the room to do something else he wouldnt be here now. Thankful to the universe for allowing me to be there!

on the upside, we have yet another new blow in, a little black tom, who has been hanging around.
early this morning was the first time he allowed me to come close enough to really see him, and get him fed. he demolished 3 pouches of cat food, before wilma and roy (sheep) became overly interested in him and he ran off.

he may just be passing through, but i will keep my eyes peeled for him!

loving the beautiful spring weather... but have to say I am deeply concerned about the lack of insect life. the horse chestnut has been in full bloom for almost a week, and is normally alive with buzzing from bees, wasps and hover flies at this time of year... i stood today in the warm sun for ten minutes, and saw one bumblebee :'(
please tell me you have more insects than me???

we do our best here, we dont spray ANYTHING, dont use flea/tick medication unless its completely unavoidable (rarely even have fleas here) and have undisturbed areas for overwintering mini beasts.
i miss them!,

22/04/2026

I finally caught a photo of hogsprickles face

13/04/2026

Finn has been waiting for a home for a really really long time.
He is such a beautiful guy, i dont understand why no one has given him a chance yet.

please share his wee face as far and wide as you can.
lets help Finn find his ideal home before the summer!

🙏PLEASE KEEP SHARING FINN🙏
SO FAR OUR APPEALS HAVE NOT RESULTED IN ANY APPLICATIONS💔
Finn is a beautiful and super smart 6 year old Lurcher. He knows many tricks such as 'sit', 'give paw', 'spin', 'lie down' and he will also jump up on things on command is doing good with learning his stay command. He has so much potential with the right person, he is so smart and loving. In general he walks well on the lead but can bark and pull if he see's other dogs, but if you change direction or just simply say his name and reward with a treat before he is allowed to become overwhelmed then he doesnt react. He travels well in the car/van and in general is a very biddable and loving natured boy. He is also muzzle trained.
In rescue he does mix well with other dogs when introduced slowly and even enjoys a play. But he can get nervous or unsure at times with some dogs. Ideally he needs a home with no other dogs, as he has been in rescue for years now, and we would like him to have the best chance in finding a forever home that will work out.
Finn was previously house trained, but he has been in kennels now for years so will probably need some refreshing, however he is a super smart boy and any time he is inside our home he is a good boy. He needs a home with no young kids as he isnt used to kids, but could live with teens and older no problem. We love Finn and we know his perfect home is out there somewhere. We will provide any support needed to ensure he gets the best chance in finding his forever home.
✅Fully vaccinated, neutered, microchipped, wormed/flea treated and upto date on vet checks. Also comes with five weeks free insurance. (Applications in Northern Ireland only, or within a 1hr drive if in the south of Ireland so we can provide proper support and backup for Finn.)
https://www.petadoptionwebsite.com/pet/6355b3d1fb7bdf0009a6d52f

10/04/2026

heres me, Jack the lad, just chilling in my favourite spot on a decent day.
my spot is far more interesting these days as it is indeed froggy season and they move through this area of the field.
I like to watch them and chase them, but thankfully I have never hurt one.

I have had a bit of a rough few months me.
I started taking really bad frequent nosebleeds, and to be honest I found them quite distressing, as did mum :/

Mummy thankfully worked out very quickly that it was a reaction to one of my arthritis medications (paracetamol) even though I was on a low dose, I'm the kind of guy who reacts badly to a whole host of meds.

I have cycled through pretty much all the NSAIDS, and had severe side effects from most of them... thankfully I am ok on Galliprant, providing i get it alongside my main meal, or i get the runs.

So yeh, it was a bit of a worrying time. Mum was worried I had a permanent blood dyscrasia or even a nasal tumour, and given that i dont really like to be examined, injected or generally foottered with, I get kinda angsty (sorry mum! I cant help it!)
life could have become very difficult....

we are all extremely relieved that the nose bleeds resolved quite quickly, they reduced in frequency and I havent had one now for 3 weeks!

onwards and upwards!

froggy watch continues!
x

09/04/2026

our latest temporary house guest, is a little "pricklier" than normal :D

Rob spotted this chap in the lower field late last night, when walking Breena. He was in the exact same spot half an hour later when walking Steven, so he called me to come investigate.

hedgerino was lying beside a tussock of grass in a really open part of the field. Not moving, I initially thought he was dead.
I went to move him and he very slowly began to curl up into a ball. Alive (obviously) and curling is a decent enough sign, even though his was very slow.

I brought him up home to warm him up and get a good look at him, and it was several hours before he unfurled for me to examine him.
Thankfully no signs of any injury, clear eyes, wet nose, no discharge, breathing fine, only thing about him was his very and slim obvious waist when walking about.

This little man has probably just come out of hibernation, having used up all of his fat reserves, he literally ran out of steam when trying to forage for food.

he had a couple of kitten food pouches (chicken) and buried himself underneath the towel and heat pad when he was done.

He will have a warm bed here and plenty of food for a good few nights to get him built up a bit (and for the overnight temps to come back up a little... there are a fair few cold ones ahead in the next few days)
Then he can be off on his merry way.

A very lucky chap Breena and Rob spotted him when they did!

If you spot a hedgehog out during the day, or acting out of the ordinary, please do gather then up in a high sided cardboard box (they can climb!) and contact your nearest wildlife rescue or your local vets for advice.
If you do want to offer food, make sure it is cat food... and that it is poultry based.. NO FISH!
please DO NOT for the love of god give them bread or milk they cant digest lactose and you will make them very ill.
fresh water is very important too, as they can be dehydrated coming out of hibernation x

sorry about the photo... he wasn't really in the mood, because i just cleaned out his bed and moved him. I assure you he is indeed a hedeghog and not a scrubbing brush posed for a photo hahaha! i might get a better one later tonight when he comes out to eat. will do my best!

x
Olivia

08/04/2026

Please meet Alexander :)

unsurprisingly, this little one has not been claimed. So we are claiming his as ours... and if you want him back, at this point you will have to pry him outta my cold dead hands!

When I was going to bed a few weeks ago, just before dawn, i spotted this little guy coming up the lane.. or more accurately, my head torch picked up the tapetal reflex from his eyes, and I relalised he was not one of ours.
I said oh hi little one, who are you? and dropped down to my hunkers. He stopped in his tracks, meowed, I did the universal "swish swish swish" and he literally ran to me and climbed onto my lap.

dirty, thin, exhausted, matted, clearly sick yet very thankful that someone took notice of him, he was then bundled into the house, fed and given a warm bed.
if any creature could have squealed THANK YOU with delight it would have been him that morning.

He is still quite snotty, though thankfully after a course of antibiotics, it is no longer thick and green... and now he knows food comes regularly he is no longer demolishing every bite as soon as it arrives, he takes him time to eat now, stops for pets and snuggles and goes back for more later :) he knows he is safe now.

I still find it heart breaking that a wee one as affectionate as he, was not neutered, and just allowed to roam/get lost/be dumped.... i'll never know the exact answer as to why he walked up our lane, but i do know that NOW he will be loved and cared for for as long as the universe allows him to live.

please please NEUTER your kittens.

when Alex is well enough, his sugar puffs will be in the bin, where they always belonged!

05/04/2026

Hi everyone! I Hope you are all having a lovely Easter :)

i'm not going to apologise for being abesnt on the page.. but will say I am trying hard to get back to posting, to let you into our little sanctuary world, which I am aware would not exist without your support