MUNCHKIN MANOR

‘A PLACE WHERE SCHNAUZER DREAMS ARE MADE’

In 2006 a little Miniature Schnauzer came to live with one of our DBARC staff members having been rescued from a Puppy Farm in Wales - she was named Munchkin.

Everybody fell in love with this little girl and quite soon several other DBARC staff members adopted other miniature schnauzers - Munchkin had started a DBARC trend!

Over the years Munchkin helped hundreds of other ex. puppy farm schnauzers while they were fostered in her home, she always greeted them with love and showed them life was now OK and helped them understand humans now meant them no harm.

More and more schnauzers kept arriving at DBARC, too many to move in the house with Munchkin, so an area was specially adapted to accomodate these little ones - away from the hustle & bustle of the main rescue, a peaceful area where they could relax and get used to humans.

Munchkin and other staff dogs regularly spent time in this unit, helping these dogs to adjust to life after rescue - one thing about Schnauzers is they all really love their own kind!

Sadly Munchkin passed over the Rainbow Bridge in 2019, and our special Schnauzer Unit was named after her - Munchkin Manor, a truly fitting tribute to a very special little dog 💔

While our Schnauzers are in our care, they live in Munchkin Manor. There are comfy dog beds to cuddle up in and also sofas for them to sit on. It is like a half-way house, a bridge between rescue and home life where they can get used to things like a TV, radio, vacuum cleaners, they even have a mirror - all things they can be scared of when they move into their forever homes. They have a private, secure patio area and a small garden they can play in with their friends.

There are four kennels within the unit, but these are rarely used but are there if any of them need a little more private space.

Best of all is a lot of the schnauzer community regularly visit, often bringing their own schnauzers to spend time with the residents and visiting dogs, bringing chicken as treats for them all. This is so important to the dogs as they get used to lots of people, learning people are no longer to be feared.

Over time, these little dogs who are usually very scared and very traumatised begin to relax around humans and start adjusting to life outside the awful places they came from. It’s a joy to see their tails start wagging when the see their carers coming (especially when it is food time!)

DBARC is very lucky we are supported by the schnauzer community - and are especially grateful to the group Mad About Schnauzers who support the schnauzers in our care and help with the costs of the day to day running of Munchkin Manor.