“It’s me or the dogs,” Mike Haslam told his wife Liz after he felt that he is not able to deal with his wife being a dog owner of not one or two, but 30 pooches.
The couple from Barnham, Suffolk, has been married for 25 years when 53-year-old Mike Haslam decided to give his 49-year-old wife a very unusual ultimatum to choose between him and her adorable dogs. Liz, proving she loves her dogs unconditionally, without much hesitation chose her Bull Terriers.
Since Liz is from a truly animal-obsessed family (her mother bred West Highland terriers and her father ran an animal food company), her answer wasn’t unexpected. “I thought after 25 years, he should know giving up the dogs was not what my intentions were,” said Liz. “My husband said ‘it is me or the dogs.’ I haven’t seen or heard from him since. He told me he was going and had sorted out some other accommodation so he packed his bags and went.”
Mike and Liz met when she was only 16, and got married in 1991. After a family moved into a two-bedroom farmhouse with half an acre of land, Liz decided to start a boarding kennel business. She also founded BedforBullies, a charity which relies on donations and takes on Bull Terriers that other dog rescues won't, and then she began running an animal shelter for dogs that have medical/behavioral issues.
At the moment Liz, dog person in its truest sense, is fostering 30 rescue dogs and many of them are experiencing very complex needs – five are deaf, two have only one eye. A few of her cute dogs are ex-fighters, one suffers from brain damage and other defects. They require constant care and Liz admits that she usually spends around 18 hours per day helping the poor animals. “It is very deliberating job, you can't have a day off," she said. “I don't sit down till 11:30pm at night so you can't just go on holiday. And I can't just turn around and say I am not going to do it anymore, it is my responsibility, I took the dogs in I can't just stop.”
Although her business is successful, it doesn’t cover all the costs. The irony here is that Liz has fostered so many abandoned and stray dogs, however, her landlord is now insisting she must move out of the property within a year and she’s looking for a new home herself. It doesn’t make her sad though: “I have chosen to do this. I love it.”
This is Liz Haslam who decided to choose her 30 rescue dogs over her husband
Mike Haslam and Liz have been married for 25 years when suddenly he gave her a very unusual ultimatum
53-year-old Mike made his wife choose between him and her pets after getting completely fed up with the mess at their house
Since Liz is from a truly animal-obsessed family, her answer wasn’t unexpected
“I thought after 25 years, he should know giving up the dogs was not what my intentions were,” said Liz
“My husband said ‘it is me or the dogs.’ I haven’t seen or heard from him since"
Mike and Liz met when she was only 16, and got married in 1991
After the family moved into a two-bedroom farmhouse with half an acre of land, Liz decided to start a boarding kennel business
She also founded BedforBullies, and began fostering dogs that often have medical/behavioral issues
At the moment Liz is fostering 30 rescue dogs and many of them are experiencing very complex needs
Five dogs are deaf, two have only one eye
A few of them are ex-fighting dogs, one also suffers from brain damage and other defects
They require constant care and Liz admits that she usually spends around 18 hours per day helping the poor animals
“It is very deliberating job, you can't have a day off,' Liz said
Image credits: swns
“I don't sit down till 11:30pm at night so you can't just go on holiday"
"And I can't just turn around and say I am not going to do it anymore, it is my responsibility, I took the dogs in I can't just stop”
Although her business is successful, it doesn’t cover all the costs
Liz has fostered so many dogs, however, her landlord is now insisting she must move out of the property within a year and she’s looking for a new home herself
It doesn’t make her sad though...
“I have chosen to do this. I love it”
