Freshfields Animal Rescue - Maple story

ON 18 November 2018, staff at the Liverpool branch of Freshfields were left reeling over the horrific condition of an injured puppy that was brought to our door. Although we were told the puppy had been found in the street, her injuries pointed strongly to her having been subjected to severe, sustained cruelty and abuse. We named her Maple, for the sweet girl that we knew she would become. Maple had sustained horrendous injuries and upon further examination, our vet believed boiling water had been poured over her. She was covered in wounds consistent with untreated scald burns. Her ears were torn and bleeding and she showed obvious signs of malnourishment.

Dawn Hurst, Operations Manager at Freshfields, said:- "It was heart breaking to witness the terrible state of this defenceless puppy. We wanted to shower Maple with love and attention and to make her feel safe! At first, Maple was not able to accept that from us, such was her physical trauma. Our vet estimated her to be around 6 months old, and Maple should have been displaying typical, confident puppy behaviour, instead, she spent days sleeping, physically and mentally exhausted by the trauma she had endured. She didn't make a sound. We can't begin to imagine what this poor little girl has been through in her short life. Her physical abuse is obvious; her mental scars may run deeper than we will ever know. Over the last 3 months, we've taken it day by day and sometimes hour by hour, to give Maple the intensive love and care she needs. We've seen great progress; her personality has come through and she loves playing with her favourite toy crinkly dinosaur."

Maple is now very good friends with our vet, Svenia Krause, who has been treating her up to 4 times a day. Svenia said:- "After the initial speedy healing of her burns Maple was left with 2 areas that just wouldn't heal. 1 was between her shoulder blades and the other was on her head, near the left ear. We tried everything, including a rather stylish surgical T-shirt. Maple has now had surgery to remove the badly damaged tissue, and also laser treatment on the wounds. To help her make the transition to a home, she is staying in a foster home with other dogs and cats. Remarkably, she now curls up with the other animals, accepting comfort and companionship from them. We are in awe of this little dog's courage. She has come a long way, and is now ready to be re-homed. We need a home for Maple as special as she is."

Dawn continued:- "Given everything she's gone through, we are looking for an experienced owner who can help Maple to settle in a home environment, and everything that will entail. Maple can still become fearful at times, so we're looking for an adult only home for her where any children are over the age of 16. She doesn't quite understand how to behave and won't be suitable to live with elderly or small breed dogs. Maple isn't fond of cats, but we will not rule out an experienced home with cats that are confident enough to handle her personality! Maple will need a home with someone around during the day as she will need to be given regular opportunities to go to the toilet. Maple hasn't had the exercise she should for a dog of her age so sometimes has crazy outbursts of energy! She does a bit of rough play; she doesn't mean any harm but it will need to be managed. 90% of the time Maple is a very calm, placid girl who enjoys snuggles. She loves to be sat on your lap on the sofa so we are looking for a very understanding home where she will not be restricted from the furniture despite her occasional toileting accidents!"

For Maple, 'life' started the day she came into Freshfields care, and now we want to find her a loving, understanding owner who is just as special as she is.

Find out more about how to adopt Maple online or call The Kennels, at Freshfields Animal Rescue on:- 0151 931 1604, or alternatively you can send them an email.  .

North West residents left with little to no disposable salary

PEOPLE living in the North West have just ₤293.32 of disposable income each month, less than ₤10 a day, a study has found. The recent poll, commissioned by Salary Finance, found that after paying out for their rent and mortgage, utility bills, food and other living expenses, just a small amount of 'spare' cash is left over for the lighter things in life. In comparison to the nation this means people in the North West are better off than the national average, which sees people left with ₤276 of disposable income each month. Of those surveyed living in the North West Region, 40% even claim to often have months with absolutely no disposable income whatsoever. And nearly 4 in 10 feel like they are never going to be earning enough money to give them a decent amount of disposable income. It also emerged that for those who do have some more left at the end of their month, eating out is the most popular way to spend it, along with by putting some away towards a holiday and new clothes.

Asesh Sarkar, CEO and co-founder at Salary Finance, the salary linked benefits provider which commissioned the research, said:- "For many, the main reason for going to work is to earn a living.  But while we want to be able to pay the bills, it would be nice to have at least a little bit left over to spend on some of the lighter things in life. Unfortunately, it seems for many, there is just not enough money to go around and they are left with very little spare cash after paying out for all the essentials. This can lead to feelings of stress and even depression concerning financial wellbeing, which can impact people both personally and professionally."

Researchers found that despite having an average monthly income of ₤1,961.85, the average person from the North West is left with just ₤293.32 for luxuries after covering their essential bills. The rent or mortgage takes up the biggest chunk of cash, while food and drink accounts for ₤207.63 per person each month. Utility bills take another ₤183.74 a month, while TV, internet and phone costs add another ₤64.41 to the total monthly expenditure. Other direct debits, credit card and loan repayments and even the cost of travelling to work also adds up over the course of a month. As a result, the average adult in the North West estimates they spend just ₤219.25 a month on items they would describe as luxuries; more than the national average of ₤201 a month. Eating out accounts for ₤64.68 a month, with another ₤73.55 is spent on going out with friends and socialising.  Almost ₤37.04 a month is also splashed out on sports and hobbies.

For parents, they have even less spare cash with the average mum and dad saying their monthly disposable income dropped by ₤290.09 after having children.  It also emerged more than 7% would describe their financial situation as poor, while another 31% say they just about make ends meet. And 32% admit to having felt envious of friends, relatives and colleagues who seemingly have more disposable income than they do. But while 51% of people in the North West set a budget to try and make their money last the month, 28% usually fail to stay within their limits, going an average of ₤126.95 over budget each month. More than 30% of those polled via OnePoll in the North West also admit they would have more money and disposable income if they were better at budgeting and managing their money.

Asesh added:- "Money worries affect 40% of UK employees, and our extensive research within this sector shows that this is not linked to salary amount as you may expect. In fact, financial wellbeing is related more to saving, spending and borrowing habits, meaning those that do manage to save some money each month feel happier and are less stressed by their financial situation. Of course, we know a lack of disposable income, amongst other things, can make saving hard to spend, including barriers such as time. That is why salary linked saving can be beneficial to many, as money is directed straight into a savings account meaning it is not 'missed' and there is no time spent popping this money into a savings account. This helps people feel happier knowing that they have this money for any emergencies – or treat themselves on a rainy day."

Top 10 things Brits are most likely to spend their disposable income on:-

1. Eating out.
2. Holidays.
3. Clothes.
4. Entertainment trips, such as to the cinema.
5. A hobby.
6. Books.
7. Nights out in the pub/ clubbing.
8. Pets.
9. Tech or gadgets.
10. Music or gig tickets.