Dedicated to animals

LOVING ANIMALS: Juliet and Hamish Qualtrough, with Bogart the pug, and Bob the huntaway-beardy and "Cow" the cow, have started The Q's Zoo, an animal rescue service from their Evans Rd home.

Masterton couple Juliet and Hamish Qualtrough live, literally, in a zoo.

At last count, there were no fewer than 42 animals on their Evans Road property: 10 dogs, four cats, 14 sheep, some chickens, three horses, a cow, a goat, and a miniature donkey named Eric.

With so many four-legged companions, their house usually smells "doggy", there's cat hair everywhere, the washing machine is constantly full, and animal feed "chews through" at least $160 a week.

And, now they've set up their own animal rescue service, they expect things to get "hairier".

Juliet and Hamish, parents to six year-old-twins and a teenage son, have launched The Q's Zoo, a home-based animal welfare centre, dedicated to rehabilitating and rehoming abandoned animals.

After setting up a Facebook page last month, they have been "inundated" with rehoming requests.

"We're are crazy: we are the mad cat and dog people," Juliet said.

"But we wouldn't have it any other way - our animals need someone to intervene on their behalf.

"Who else is going to do it?"

Juliet and Hamish have spent their adult lives taking in all kinds of critters, from kittens to miniature horses.

In fact, it was animals which brought them together - they met while working at the Wairarapa SPCA Centre, she as an animal welfare inspector, and he a veterinarian.

"I was covered in kitten poop when I met Hamish," Juliet said.

"We had some bonding moments, crying over cats we had to put down."

Hamish remembers clearly some of the first dogs he rescued while working on a dairy farm.

"I saw a guy on a tractor with four puppies," he said, 'I'm going to drown them'.

"I said, 'no, you're not' and put them in my ute, and took them home."

He and Juliet have seen it all: wild cats coming "out of their shells", kittens hiding out in car yards, staffies with "severe" separation anxiety, terriers salvaged from puppy mills, and horses with deformities from backyard breeding.

Their newest recruit, Bob the huntaway-beardy, was rescued from a house in Masterton - and, they suspect, ill-treated by his previous owners.

"We got a message saying, 'I don't want my dog, you can pick him up'," Juliet said.

"That night, he got into bed, lay across the length of my body, and buried his face in my shoulder.

"He'd clearly been starved of love."

While they predict there will be "more cruelty cases", the majority of their animals are those whose owners had a change of circumstances, such as moving house.

Which brings challenges of its own, as many do not divulge their pets' history.

"Every cat we get is 'litter trained', and every dog walks 'perfectly' on a lead," Hamish said.

"But then we end up with a five-year-old dog who destroys his bed.

"Some people don't realise animals are a lifetime commitment - some cats can live 25 years."

"But we knows things can change, so we try not to judge," Juliet said.

At The Q's Zoo, Juliet and Hamish spend time preparing the animals for new homes, which includes basic obedience training, attending to various health needs and, naturally, plenty of affection.

They also take care of desexing, flea and worm treatments, vaccinations and microchipping.

They are raising funds via Givealittle to build an on-site kennel facility, a dogs' play area and an isolation area for cats with infectious illnesses.

Since their Facebook page went live, the Qualtroughs have been "overwhelmed" with donations of pet food, litter, blankets, towels and washing powder.

"We've had an unbelievable response," Juliet said.

She and Hamish are aware caring for so many animals will be a pricey task -- but, as Juliet said, "we'll be fine with two-minute noodles.

"As long as the kids and the animals are fed, we're happy."

For more information, visit The Q's Zoo on Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/The-Qs-Zoo. To donate go to givealittle.co.nz/cause/theqszoo.