Roommates
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Prior to founding KFAAF there were already special needs animals living at Peggy’s farm (such as dogs and rabbits). Most of these animals are like the farm animals in need of special care, yet they are not supported by the foundation. Therefore, we call these animals our roommates as they share the same property as our farm animals. Some housemates are almost blind, others are chronically ill, have disabilities or are incontinent, old and senile. But we love them dearly. They don’t have to be perfect to be beautiful. Taking care of special needs animals continues 24/7.
Integrity and transparency are of paramount importance at Stichting Kindness for all animals and we ensure compliance with the highest ethical standards and laws governing the welfare of animals. KFAAF holds a certificate of professional competence for taking care of animals.
Meet our roommates below.
Colt
Colt is a golden retriever born in England on July 2, 2009. Colt, like Dart (for those who do not know Dart’s story, look at the page “about what motivates us”) has elbow dysplasia, also known as OCD – Osteochondritis Dissecans (OCD is a defect on the smooth cartilage surface within one or more joints. In Colt’s case, a piece of cartilage broke off and floated freely in his joint. This causes constant pain and limping). At the age of five months, Colt could barely walk. Whereas most puppies enjoy a carefree youth, Colt was lying quietly in a corner. Colt was operated on in Belgium (arthroscopy) by one of the top orthopedic surgeons in Europe. A long period of rest and intensive rehabilitation (hydrotherapy) in combination with anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID’s – Previcox) followed.
Peggy slept on the floor next to Colt for months and kept him entertained with mind games. Colt is now almost 8 years old and has severe osteoarthritis. He is a relatively young dog in an old, worn body. But with daily therapy and anti-inflammatory drugs, as well as a brace, he enjoys every-day life to the fullest. We’ll continue to do whatever we can for this wonderful boy to give him a happy and pain free life.
Poppy
Poppy (formerly known as Bella) is a border collie mix born on December 6, 2011. Poppy is born deaf and almost blind (with her right eye she has no vision, with her left eye she has limited vision). Poppy is living with us because her former owner had no time for her anymore. Poppy needs special care and is facing the necessary health and weight problems. It will take months before we’ll get her back on track. Poppy is an amazing sweet girl and crazy of playing with a ball. You can follow the developments around Poppy on our Facebook page (@kfaaf).
Gillian
Gillian is a golden retriever born on October 31, 2008. Gillian was 1.5 years old when she came to live with Peggy (reinstated). With her previous owner, a breeder, she lived in a kennel outside rather than inside a house. We call her our “China Girl” because of her beautiful, Chinese-looking eyes. With her pointed snout and beautiful, full tail she looks a bit like a fox. Gillian is a very sweet girl. She crawls thoughtfully to you like a panther. She’s crazy about balls and is the fastest of all dogs when we play a ball game. Two years ago she was diagnosed with malignant mammary gland tumors. She underwent surgery and now her life expectancy is unknown.
Goofje
Goofje is a golden retriever born on April 13, 2011. She is the sister of Jagger and Shai and is one of the few animals living at our farm sanctuary that is not a special needs animal. Goofje can be wonderfully stubborn, and she is the leader of the pack. She loves the sofa and you can often find her there enjoying the sunlight. Outside, she loves to play with her siblings and challenge other dogs when playing a ball game.
Jagger
Jagger is a golden retriever, born on April 13, 2011. He is one of the few animals living at our farm sanctuary that is not a special needs animal. He is the brother of Shai and Googje. Jagger is a happy dog and always wears a big “smile” on his face. Each day he has his five crazy minutes. Like a madman he runs crisscross over everything and everyone. He totally loves the two-person hammock hanging outside between two trees. He takes the “two people” label quite literally, because if you think you can lie quietly for just a half hour in the hammock, you are wrong. Before you know it, Jagger plops on the hammock next to you and takes over all the space. And if you think the crowding stops with him, just wait a moment and soon nine other dogs will follow.
Lana
Lana is a golden retriever, born on February 5, 2006. Lana was adopted by Peggy at the age of six together with her sister Ronin, because she had no economic value anymore for the breeder. This was her third new home as she had lived previously with another breeder in Belgium. Like Ronin, Lana has always lived in a kennel, never inside a house. Dogs who have been in kennels are distant since they’ve always been on their own without being in the midst of a loving family. They simply don’t know any better. The only reason for their existence before they came here was to breed puppies. Lana is incredibly sweet. She is old for 11, but she has had a hard life. She became blind and deaf, and she is incontinent and has dementia, as well. She loves to sleep through the day and when she wakes up, she hobbles outside for a bit of fresh air or to go to the bathroom. As soon as she can, she pops back inside the house to find a thick, warm dog pillow to fall asleep on again. The highlight of her life is when you take her to a home garden center. We take a small round with her because she can’t walk long distances anymore, but her tail is up, her ears perk, her nose is up in the air and she hobbles around like a five-month-old pup. She enjoys the cuddles she receives from the shopping folks. Old, senile, deaf, blind, incontinent, it doesn’t matter to us. She is being loved dearly.
Ritt
Ritt is a golden retriever, born on 7 February 2008. Ritt was adopted by Peggy at the age of 1.5 years as he was diagnosed with a cataract and the breeder couldn’t use him as a stud dog. Ritt is a behemoth of a dog, size extra, extra large. But he is as cuddly as a teddy bear. He is slowly going blind, and last year he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of skin cancer (mast cell tumors). Five major, aggressive tumors in his skin were surgically removed and lab results showed he was in an advanced stage of grade 2. The tumors can return at any time and quickly grow to the size of a tennis ball or bigger. The life expectancy of Ritt is unknown.
Ronin
Ronin is a Golden Retriever, born on February 5, 2006. Ronin was adopted at the age of 6 by Peggy, together with her sister Lana. She had no economic value anymore for the breeder so this was her third new home as she had lived previously with another breeder in Belgium. Like Lana, Ronin has always lived in a kennel, never inside a house. Dogs who have been in kennels have a distant behavior since they simply don’t know any better. They’ve always been alone and never had the presence of loving family. The only reason for their existence is to breed puppies. Ronin is very calm and quiet and likes to distance herself from the pack. She was diagnosed with malignant mammary gland tumors 2.5 years ago. She underwent surgery and her life expectancy is unknown.
Shai
Shai is a golden retriever, born on April 13, 2011. She is the sister of Jagger and Goofje and is one of the few animals living at our farm sanctuary that is not a special needs animal. Shai is a very sweet and quiet girl. She is almost invisible until you call out for a cookie. She stands front row to receive a delicious cookie or two. She is a happy dog who loves a cuddle and a hug and plops next to you on the chair if you drink a latte. For some reason, she likes to stick her nose in the milk and drink it all.
Valdi
Valdi is a golden retriever, born on March 27, 2010. He came to live with Peggy when he was a puppy. As a pup, Valdi was very ill and we didn’t know what caused it. He suffered from excessive salivation and had constant diarrhea. During his first 1.5 years, he underwent many examinations and was finally diagnosed with Crohn’s disease (Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory disease of the colon and digestive tract). He is on a strict diet to keep him well balanced – however, sadly enough, the only thing he can eat without getting very sick is his special food. When all other dogs get a treat, Valdi gets a few cubes of his food. Valdi is a strong-minded dog. He is very caring and protective of Colt. He is also very smart as he can open pretty much any door, even the door of the washing machine. He walks in our shadows.
Like Ritt, three years ago he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of skin cancer (mast cell tumors). A massive tumor in his skin was surgically removed and lab results showed he was in grade 2. The tumors can return at any time and quickly grow to the size of a tennis ball or bigger. The life expectancy of Valdi is unknown.