Dog rescued from Donegal wilderness after an eight-hour pursuit

A dog was rescued after an eight-hour effort, after he was spotted in a remote, wild area by passersby shortly before Christmas.

A couple were on their way to Letterkenny to do their Christmas shopping when they noticed Roy, a collie-labrador cross, standing on his own, cold, wet and shivering. These kind people abandoned their shopping trip and instead spent the next eight hours trying to catch him.

Roy was very frightened but eventually they managed to secure him and brought him to Animals In Need (AIN).

The dog was in a bad way and was extremely emaciated, with his ribs protruding. He was wrapped in a duvet to warm him up, and he is now receiving four meals a day to build up his strength.

Roy is a large dog, despite only being a big pup of around a year old. He has recovered well in his AIN foster home and is a truly wonderful natured dog. Roy’s favourite past-time is playing football with his fosterer, although he is so strong, he bursts the footballs.

READ NEXT: Flashback - A fabulous selection of photos from the Donegal Democrat 1995 archive

Roy’s finders came to visit him before Christmas and were delighted to see his progress. They also made a generous donation to the charity in appreciation of their rescue work and gave a fantastic hamper to the volunteers.

Roy has been neutered, vaccinated and received his Pet Passport and will be ready for a new home shortly. A huge thank you goes to the Good Samaritans who stopped to rescue him as he would not have survived much longer out there on his own.

AIN’s cat rescuers have been kept busy, with a number of new arrivals.

The latest is a young black and white cat whose mother was a stray cat. A local lady had taken the kitten in but was unable to keep her permanently.

The cat has a mild dose of cat flu but should make a full recovery.

READ NEXT: Eight cats rescued in Donegal in the first five days of 2026

Meanwhile, kitten Whitney was found with her brother six weeks ago, freezing cold and both siblings unable to walk, and it is likely that they had been thrown from a car.  X-rays revealed that Whitney’s pelvis was broken, and she was prescribed cage rest to allow it to heal. Her brother did not have any fractures, but he was badly bruised.

Whitney had follow up x-rays this week, and the vets are happy with the way her pelvis has healed. She has a home booked and will be moving there shortly.

Sadly, sometimes rescue comes too late, as was the case with a little kitten found outside in the harsh weather on Friday afternoon.

Despite being taken straight to a vet for treatment, the kitten's hypothermic and emaciated body gave up, and she passed away whilst the vets tried their best to save her. The only consolation is that she was warm and safe at the end.

It has been a good week for cat adoptions, and Mouse and Moose, two black kittens who were found on New Year's Eve were rehomed along with another litter of three kittens.

If adoptions do not work out, AIN always takes the animal back. Such was the case with Java, a cat that was rehomed last year and returned to AIN at the weekend.

When Java was initially rescued, she was suffering from hair loss due to a hormone imbalance, and a simple injection was all that she needed. There was a chance this treatment would be necessary in the future and at the time of rehoming, AIN confirmed full cover of this condition in her new home.

Unfortunately, her new owners failed to follow up on her care, and she was returned with open weeping sores that they had not noticed.

Java was clearly uncomfortable and was taken to the vets so that she could start treatment immediately.

Bagel, a lovely, big cat, arrived at AIN with a large abscess on his ear, which his previous owner had not noticed. He too is receiving the relevant veterinary care.

AIN would appeal to people to regularly check their pet for any physical or behavioural changes. They can’t tell you when they are not feeling 100%, and it is up to us to look out for them.

For further information on adoption, fostering, volunteering, etc., please contact the main helpline on 087 1356188. For cat/kitten enquiries please call 087 7644420. Animals In Need Donegal is also on Facebook and has a website at http://www.animalsinneeddonegal.com.