Faces of Tamworth: Jean Medlock rescues dogs for 30 years

It’s going to a loving new home this afternoon, another furry friend saved in the long line of rescues she’s made over the past 30 years.

“It’s just in me, I can’t help it when the pound call I have to go and pick them up,” she said.

“It’s just something that’s in me where I can’t walk away.”

What’s this Faces of Tamworth all about?

The selfless local has been rescuing dogs her entire life, she even bought a property in Kootingal with the sole purpose of turning it into an animal rescue shelter.

And, every dog that lands at her door is microchipped, desexed and vaccinated – the cost of which all comes out of Ms Medlock’s own pocket.

“There wasn’t anybody really doing it when I started and I knew there was a need for it,” she said.

“I’ve always found homes for them as long as I can remember.”

A broken hip forced Ms Medlock to sell her property and move to a smaller premises, where she still cares for up to 10 dogs at a time.

Six of which are dogs she was rescuing that she couldn’t quite give away.

“I had to actually leave the property because people kept throwing boxes of puppies and kittens over the gate – I’d come home from work at 1am and there would be dogs tied to the gate and goodness knows what,” she said.

“I was really tired, I was working full time and I gradually got back into it but not at the same scale, I wouldn’t have 50-odd dogs at a time.”

Ms Medlock is very fussy about the homes her rescues go to, and with every dog she gives away she opens an account at the veterinarian’s in the new owners name, with a desexing operation already paid for.

“While there’s a need I’ll always do it,” she said.

“Probably 75 or 85 per cent of the dogs would have died, they would all be dead now or heaven knows what would have happened to them.

“I miss some of the dogs a lot but I can’t keep them all, I have six dogs of my own that were orphans – I have to draw a line somewhere.”