Caroline Schwartz: happy to be in the doghouse
‘I’m a sucker for an abandoned animal’
Published: 09 July, 2010
by PETER GRUNER
HOLLOWAY woman Caroline Schwartz, who lives with 11 rescued dogs and two cats, admits she can’t turn down an abandoned or unwanted animal.
She will talk about the joys of owning older pets at a charity event tomorrow (Saturday).
Ms Schwartz will introduce her much-loved canine family at a garden party in aid of the rehoming charity Friends of the Animals.
Her Papillion dogs – a cross between a Chihuahua and a toy spaniel – have grown in number from one to 11 since 2001, and they range in age from six months to 15 years.
All live in a specially adapted dog house in the garden of Ms Schwartz’s home, off Holloway Road, with two cats, Olly and Dana – apparently in relative harmony.
The dogs, which all have names, were either abandoned or unwanted pets or rescued from puppy breeding farms in Wales.
Ms Schwartz maintains the dogs are of a type that are reasonably quiet and shouldn’t disturb the neighbours.
Taking them for walkies, however, is a major operation. She has two leads which connect to four dogs each. Then she puts three in a doggie pram.
She insists she always cleans up after them.
“Cleaning up after your animal is absolutely essential, particularly in a city,” she says. “I’m always keeping an eye on them when we are out walking. Any mess and it’s cleaned up immediately. Dog mess makes me very angry. If I can clean up after 11 dogs, why can’t some owners clean up after one?”
She hopes to persuade potential pet owners thinking about buying a puppy of the benefits of giving a home to a more mature, abandoned dog.
“I admit to being a sucker for an abandoned animal,” she says. “I look into their eyes and sense their fear and panic. Puppies are delightful but can be very demanding and difficult at first. They tend to want to chew everything. But an abandoned animal, if he is one of ours, will have been neutered and given a health check.
“What’s more, he should be properly house trained before you get him. I always warn people never to buy a dog advertised on the internet unless they know who is selling it.”
• The Friends of the Animals charity event is being held at a private garden – The Coach House, 13a Mercers Road, N19 – tomorrow (Saturday) from 12noon-6pm, with music, magicians and refreshments