'She is perfect for us' - Woman drives two hours to rescue Minnie at Limerick dog rescue

Meet Realta Harrington, a young woman who drove over two hours to rescue a puppy from Limerick Animal Welfare.

Realta (23) from County Clare and her puppy Minnie recently celebrated one year of love, happiness and fun together since adoption.

The young woman recently bought a cake from Kildare's Happy Tails Bakery to mark the special day.

"I just wanted to do something to really commemorate the day because we know her birthday, but she didn't have the best start in life, so we wanted to celebrate the day she came home with us and became a part of our family. It's almost like her new birthday, in a sense."

Realta made the long two-hour car journey to Limerick Animal Welfare because they are over capacity with dogs, "they're crying out for people to adopt."

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"We had heard really good things about them. I know a friend who adopted from them, so yeah, it's been really smooth sailing. Even when we adopted and filled out the paperwork, they were like, look, you have any issues with her, you bring her back to us.

"Please don't dump her, we will always take them back. Just bring them to us, you know. They really care about the well-being of the animal and that they're looked after."

At any one time the centre cares for up to 200 animals including up to 70 dogs, 60 cats, horses, goats, rabbits, chickens and the occasional exotic animal.

The animal rescue has a no kill policy and works tirelessly to make sure every animal they rescue finds a loving home.

Realta decided to rescue a dog from the centre after her childhood dog Coco passed away seven months prior.

"He had epilepsy and we had to put him down, unfortunately. He had multiple seizures every day. So about seven months had gone by and I thought, I need another dog in the house. You just miss their company so much."

Realta and her mother were initially introduced to a male Cockapoo named Andy and she said "it just wasn't a match for us."

"He was very strong and my mum's got back issues and we were just worried she wouldn't be able to walk him. So Marie in Limerick Animal Welfare actually decided to match us with Minnie."

Minnie is an adorable little female Cavalier mix who had come in just the day before Realta arrived at the centre. Nobody had gotten a chance to meet her yet. 

Marie from Limerick Animal Welfare told Realta: "I think she might be a really good fit for you."

"Little did she know Cavaliers are my mum's favourite breed ever. So, she brought her in to meet us and she was just such a loving, affectionate puppy.

"I'd met a lot of puppies before, like friends' puppies, family's puppies, but I'd never met a puppy that was so affectionate. Her tail was going 100 miles an hour, this tiny little tail, and she was licking us all over. She was just the sweetest little thing and I thought, she is perfect for us."

Realta and her mum couldn't take Minnie home straight away unfortunately because she had been turned into the centre with health issues.

She had kennel cough and a viral infection.

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"She had diarrhoea, bless her, and she had all these symptoms and she couldn't leave. She needed antibiotics and care so they couldn't give away a sick puppy.

"So, it was about 10 days before we were able to bring her home and we were both kind of nervous when we went back in."

Realta wondered what if Minnie didn't remember them or what if they didn't feel the same as when they had first met.

"But as soon as we went back in, she was the same lovable puppy she had been the first time. Just a ball of energy."

Bringing Minnie home was "very scary" because Realta only ever had one dog who she got when she was nine-years-old.

"This was my first time adopting myself as an adult, so she was all my responsibility. We brought her home and she was quite whiny and whimpery the first day, specifically the first night. But then, honestly, by night two, she was fine.

"She just settled in really, really well. I think that's one of the benefits to adopting a puppy, although I think adopting any dog is important. She was so young.

"I think she adapted so quickly. She was about 10 and a half weeks old."

Realta said that adopting dogs and puppies is so important in Ireland because "there is no real animal protection in this country.

"We still have greyhound racing and puppy farms, as much as people like to pretend they don't exist. I think there's not much protection for animals in Ireland. I think so many of them are in shelters and I think they all need a home.

"People need to stop promoting such a negative business in Ireland by buying from breeders, especially when there's so many dogs, like I said, that need homes. Limerick Animal Welfare, specifically, are overwhelmed with the amount of animals they get in. They've had to close off their cat unit before because they've just had so many cats that need a home."

"That's just my point to people. It's not just these mixed-breed mutts that people are thinking of that look real scruffy and whatever. There's Bichons and Collies and beautiful dogs in the shelter. Small dogs, big dogs, mixed breeds, pure breeds.

"There's something for everyone, and I think that's why people need to be more open-minded to adopting and not so set on the one image of what they have in their mind."

Realta herself has health issues of her own, having to leave school at 17, and said that getting a puppy meant she could give her the love, attention and time that she needed.

"They need a lot of care. That's why I think for a lot of people, it's more beneficial to adopt a dog who's a little bit older and can have more of a routine where they can be okay for a few hours on their own and they won't be pining as much. With puppies, they need to be fed multiple times a day.

"It's a big commitment to take on a puppy, it really is, especially one that young."

If you or someone you know is looking to rescue an animal from Limerick Animal Welfare, you can get in contact on 063 91110 or out of hours 087 6371044 or lawsanctuary@gmail.com.