On 1 July 2024, we turned away a couple of ladies at the Sanctuary gate who wanted to surrender their mother dog and three new-born puppies. If we said yes to owner surrenders we would end up with at least a thousand more dogs and DAS would collapse as an organisation. We act with discretion at times and have taken in a few owned dogs that were abused but for the most part we just can't. We said no and advised them to post for adoption. 4 days later on 5th July Alvin heard a dog in distress and found the mother dog tied to a tree with no water or shade. She'd been there for 4 days and nights and one of her puppies had crawled out of her reach. She had just been left out of sight, hidden from the main road. X-rays showed a healed spinal fracture and also a broken pelvis. We called her Odette and her puppies Orli, Onyx and Oli. Odette is a sweet-natured, quiet dog, who has grown in confidence since her rescue, and we hope that the right family comes along and gives her the comfortable home she so deserves.