Labrador Welfare Autumn Newsletter 2009

Labrador Welfare
Registered Charity No 1012192
Autumn Newsletter 2009
2 Tapton Crescent Road
Sheffield
S10 5DA
E mail [email protected]
www.labradorwelfare.org
Chairman
Ray Carnall
Secretary
Susan Roberts
Treasurer
June Roberts
Assistant Treasurer
Kath Burridge
Re-homing Coordinator
June Roberts
Committee
Mr M Atkinson
Mr J Joel
Mrs S Wheeler
Trustees
Dr A Brook
Mr R Carnall
Mr A Lewis
Mrs R Lewis
Mr P Noble
Miss J Roberts
Miss S Roberts
Sub Editorial Team
Sandy
Quincy
Abby
Max
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EDITORIAL
One of the things June and I hate about the Newsletter is the proof reading. It
doesn’t seem to matter how may times we spell check it and read it through it
always goes out with at least one mistake in it. Of course we always notice
this once the proof has gone off to the printers, so too late to make any
amendments! Anyway we don’t worry about them any more and work on the
principle that some of you will now spend many happy hours looking for this
issue’s mistake(s) now that we have alerted you to it – happy reading!
All your favourites are here plus some tips for if we have a hot 2010 – fingers
crossed. We have stories about some of the dogs we have rehomed plus
updates on some of the dogs we rehomed previously. Ebony has written to
share her experiences of gaining her Gold Good Citizens award and we hope
that this might inspire a few of you to have a go (no chance with our lot as
they would never leave food) We are always pleased to receive articles from
you for inclusion in the Newsletters so please don’t be afraid to send us your
news and views.
In this Newsletter
June’s Jottings
Re-homing update
The way we work
AGM
50 Club update
Foster dog update
|Sponsor dogs
Helpers
Fundraising
Dog Walk
Labalogue
Web site
My KCGC Award
Su’s Snips
Memory Lane
Quincy’s quips
In the Field
Return to sender
Oscar has been especially busy over the last few months and claims that with
out his input the Newsletter wouldn’t be worth sending out! He has also told
us that he may be claiming for repetitive paw injury through all the typing he
has had to do! We know that many of you prefer to skip his section but you might like to read
the first couple of paragraphs to find out what he has been up to, we guarantee you a laugh.
As we go to press we have just been told that kennelling fees will be going up by £1 in
December. As this will mean an additional £7 per dog per week we will have to think long and
hard about the number of dogs we can afford to have in kennels. However we can assure you
that your committee will be pulling all the stops out to make sure that no Labrador goes with
out help and this will be one of the topics we shall be discussing at the AGM. If you have any
ideas/thoughts about dogs in kennels please do pass them on to us.
Memberships are due in January and if you pay annually you may prefer to use our on line
payment method for your subs. Just visit the home page of our web site
(www.labradorwelfare.org) and click on the charity choice button. The instructions are easy to
follow and we will be able to link your payment up with your membership.
Finally I would like to thank Alex for photographs of dog whilst in kennels and to their owners
for update photos used in this edition.
I would like to make it clear that the views given in the Newsletter are not necessarily those of
Labrador Welfare.
JUNE’S JOTTINGS. ……
I must admit that we have had a rather strange year – not at all like we had expected. Whilst
many of the general rescues have been pulled out with dogs and have been working at full
stretch I have found that in terms of the number of dogs being referred things have been
much as normal. What did worry me was when we hit a very quiet patch during July and
August. We have experienced quiet spells in the past but usually much earlier in the year.
This quiet spell made a big impact on our finances as we rely heavily on adoption donations
to keep us solvent. We also had about 3 dogs that were sticking in kennels for various
reasons and it was quite frightening to see kennelling bills mounting with no money coming in.
There were actually 2 weeks when I paid nothing into the bank – some thing that has never
happened in the past. Fortunately we now have a good fundraising team and some wonderful
friends who help to raise funds for us and we manage to get by. I know that many of our sister
organisations were also low on dogs so we were not alone. I do hope that the popularity of
the film ‘Marley and Me’ didn’t encouraged people to try to sell their dogs rather than hand
them over to rescue – with finances being hard it could have been a temptation. By the end of
August things were starting to get back to normal and by September I had more than my
allotted number of dogs in kennels!
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One thing that has worried me has been the number of dogs referred to us that have been
found to have serious behavioural problems. With a bit of doggie know how, time and
patience, most of these can be sorted but most of the people who have applied to adopt a
dog have seemed to want an easy fix with no problems! Every dog will have some hang up
because its previous owner may have allowed it to do things that the new owner doesn’t allow
their dogs to do. Many of the dogs have experienced trauma such as a break up of
relationship or an owner who has experienced finacial difficulties and perhaps been evicted
from their property. I am sure that dogs pick up on, and are affected by all the human stress
so no wonder they take time to settle.
Since our Spring Newsletter we have re-homed Jessie, Diesel, Molly, Bailey, Poppy, Toby,
Benson, Benson, Remus, Lucky, Alfie, Toby, Jet, Cormac, Bailey, Duke, Winnie, Charlie, Leo,
Bella, Sandy, Charlie B, Gem, Harley and Alfie
You might think that an eight-month-old chocolate bitch wouldn’t be a problem but Jessie’s
owner wouldn’t have agreed with you. She had found Jessie to be destructive and much too
boisterous for her children; in fact it says on the relinquishing form that the boy was frightened
of Jessie. She was also still soiling in the house. Jessie was bred in Wales and came with a
Dog Lovers certificate of Pedigree and had been given the name of Tanned Tizzy! A
gentleman who Ray knows was looking for a bitch and as they are a very experienced dog
owning family we asked him if he would consider Jessie. They have only had a couple of
accidents with her and she has fitted in very well with their older dog. Jessie’s owner is a very
quietly spoken gentleman and we are sure that she has benefited from his patient manner.
We have said this before but it never fails to amaze us how a dog changes when it gets into a
new home. The right home for the dog and many problems disappear.
Diesel’s owner was a casualty of the finacial crisis. His owner was in the building trade and,
unable to find any work, so had decided to immigrate to Australia where he was assured of a
job. Unfortunately he would initially be living in rented accommodation and so would not be
able to take Diesel with him, so he was handed over to us to rehome. Diesel was 18 months
old at that time and I know that it wasn’t an easy thing for his owner to do. Many people say
that they appreciate the care that we take when rehoming the dogs and Garry told me that
this had helped him when the time came to hand Diesel over. We can’t solve people’s
problems but we hope that we can take the worry out of placing the dog for them.
Molly and Benson came through together when a new baby meant that their owner couldn’t
dedicate enough time to them. Molly was a Labrador whilst
Benson was possibly farm bred. Molly is quite a small dog and
was 4 years old. Bitches are usually easy to rehome and this was
the case with Molly. However Molly proved to be very strong on
the lead and some hard work had to be put in to get her walking
nicely. She lives near one of our favourite Sheffield parks and has
joined the many Labrador Welfare dogs that enjoy caravanning.
Benson took a little longer to rehome, as at 5 he was a bit older
than most people were looking for. A couple had looked at another
younger black dog that we had in at the time but had felt that he
would be too lively for them. They were asked if they would consider Benson and they agreed
to have a look at him. They decided to give him a try and Benson has turned out to be just
what they were looking for.
We had such a difficult time finding the right home for Poppy. She is a beautiful little girl and
was ten months old at the time we rehomed her. The main problem was that every one who
matched up with her had another dog. The first time it was the lady’s other dog that didn’t get
on with her and the second time Poppy was too playful for a rather quite bitch. Then the
Bennetts got in touch to tell me that they were ready to take on another dog following the loss
of Tetley. They had seen Poppy and her progress and wanted to know more. They had never
had a bitch and were keen to give her a try as a companion for Eddie and I was happy to let
them. The Bennetts are such a sensible family, they keep things low key, don’t get excited or
upset and just get on with it. Poppy settled like a dream! Every time I called to give support I
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expected there to be some problem but one never occurred. They are finding the experience
of owning a bitch a different but rewarding one.
Lucky was one of the few dogs that we have rehomed outside our area. Eileen lives in the
Birmingham area but when she first wanted to adopt a Labrador the lady who used to cover
that area had just married and was gong to live abroad. We fetched a few dogs from that area
in the ensuing months until a new coordinator took over and it was during this time that Eileen
adopted Bruce from us and became a member of Labrador Welfare. When Eileen felt ready to
take on another dog following the loss of Bruce she obviously came to us and we were happy
to find a dog for her. Stu lives in the Birmingham area and does visits for me in the Derby
area so he was happy to do the home visit of Eileen and Ken. They had
fancied a black dog but I told them about Lucky, as he seemed a good
match. They decided to travel up to Sheffield to look at him and took
him back with them. Now on paper Lucky seemed a straightforward
kind of dog but we were to discover that this was not exactly true. The
main thing was that Eileen and Ken liked him and he got on well with
Bosun, their other dog. However he didn’t seem to be very well
socialised with other dogs and was quite a handful on walks. Stu went
over again to give a bit of moral support and I was always happy to talk
to Eileen, as a trouble shared is a trouble halved and all that. A lot of
people were more than willing to give Eileen their view on the subject
and to be honest I don’t know where some of them got their ideas from. Fortunately Eileen
stuck with him, enrolled in training classes and has come through with flying colours. They are
now reaping the benefit of all their hard work but we know that, like many of us, they came
very near to giving up on him. He is a keen gardener and I am sure that Eileen’s bushes have
benefited from the expert pruning Luke has given them. As you know we have never really
gone for the name Lucky so we weren’t surprised when Eileen told us that he is now
affectionately known as Luke. Stop Press – just had the news that Luke has passed his
bronze Good Citizens! Well done dog and owner.
A couple had adopted Toby as a puppy from the Sheffield Dog Wardens.
Unfortunately ill heath meant that they were unable to keep him as he was
obviously too boisterous for them. He is actually a lab cross but a very attractive
little lad and was only 7 months old when he came to us. We felt that his age
would be in his favour and apart from his ears and a white mark on his chest he
is very much a Labrador. Luckily it wasn’t long before we found a family who
were just looking for a nice family pet and they were happy to give Toby a
home. He is now affectionately known as Obi and is the perfect dog for them.
Bailey is a name we usually associate with dogs but this one is a little
bitch. The story behind this rehoming is rather sad as she was handed
over to us as the wife has a brain tumour and so keeping her was out of
the question. She was only 7 months old when she came to us so
wasn’t too difficult to find a home for. She has gone to live in Derbyshire
and she has fitted in so well with her new family they cannot believe that
she hasn’t always lived with them. The photo was taken when she was
in kennels and shows her with a favourite toy
Duke belonged to a publican and came through to us when they gave
up their pub and emigrated. We think that perhaps he enjoyed a diet of
beer and crisps as he weighed in at over 60Kg! I had a couple on my
books who had said that they would take an older dog to live with their
bitch and they agreed to take Duke on. He is now 8 years old and we
have no idea how long he has been over weight but they have done a
sterling job of getting him to loose weight. He is a big dog so will always
be around the 40kg mark but all that weight cannot have been good for
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him and sadly he is now showing signs of problems with his back legs. His owners say that he
some times runs to fetch a toy and will fetch their slippers (unfortunately not when they want
them). We are so fortunate to find people who will work with a dog like this, as it can be very
hard work keeping them on a strict diet.
Winnie’s owners both worked and they really felt that she was not getting the company and
attention she deserved as they were having to leave her outside for long periods of time.
Although she was perfectly normal at birth Winnie went deaf. However they had managed to
teach her hand signals and a comprehensive list of commands came with her from her
previous owner. The first time Su and I went to see her in kennels we couldn’t find her. When
we asked Alex she assured us that Winnie was in her kennel and indeed there she was fast
asleep in her bed. Alex clapped her hands and Winnie, feeling the vibration, woke up and
came to greet us wagging her tail. A lady had been on my books for over six months as she
was waiting for a bitch. She had always had Labradors and was retired so would have loads
of time to spend with Winnie. I also knew that she wouldn’t be phased by a deaf dog, so
although there were plenty of people on our books waiting for a bitch I knew that this was the
right home for her. Winnie now lives on the outskirts of Sheffield and has lovely walks through
the fields every day. Her owner has no problems communicating with her, I think she is the
sort of lady who any dog would get on with and it is such a good feeling knowing that Winnie
has found a perfect match.
Sometimes we will get a call from some one who almost seems to blackmail you into to taking
the dog on. Harley was one of those dogs as his owner told me that she could not afford to
feed him and that she was likely to be prosecuted by the RSPCA if we didn’t
take him in. She didn’t have transport and only had enough food for a couple
of days. To be honest I am sure that she could have found some thing to fill
Harley’s tummy even if it hadn’t been food specifically for dogs. As she lived
in Bishop Auckland I was limited as to who I could ask to collect the dog but
needed to move him fast. With their baby due within the next couple of
weeks I wasn’t sure if Caroline and Anthony would be able to help out but of
course they did. As you know Caroline and Anthony already have Marshall
and Parker so Caroline had to look the other way when they picked Harley
up. They were a bit taken aback by her apparent lack of feelings when
Harley went but some times that is the way it goes. We were surprised to find Harley in good
shape when we saw him in kennels a few days later so as I said I did wonder if I was being
pressurised to take him in. Alex kindly brought a few of the dogs out to meet the general
public at the fun day and Harley was one of those dogs. Mike and his family were helping to
run one of our stalls and they fell in love with him and asked if they could adopt him, so we
arranged the home visit and as all was well Harley was soon off to his new home. He settled
in almost immediately and it seems as though he has always lived with them.
Alfie was one of our boomerang dogs. He came in to us when his owner, a single parent, was
unable to afford to keep him. He didn’t like being left on his own so I was looking for a home
where some one was in nearly all the time. I found a family who matched up with him and as
he was used to children he seemed the right dog for them. All seemed to
be going well and after the first two weeks we sent out his paperwork. The
follow up call at the end of 4 weeks was ok and the family didn’t contact
us again until a few months later we received a call to say that Alfie would
have to come back. We were told that he wasn’t good with the children,
he had attacked the wife and in general he seemed to have changed into
the dog from hell. I was upset that they had let matters deteriorate to this
level with out contacting any one earlier but we decided to get the dog
back into kennels so that we could see what exactly he was doing. He
was always a bit on the timid side when in kennels but we couldn’t see
any signs of the behaviour that we had been told about. Alfie is a big lad and I am sorry to say
that this put people off adopting him so he stopped in kennels. Weeks went by and Alfie was
getting quiet stressed as he would jump up the kennel door hitting his head off the kennel
roof. Sharon kindly offered to walk him for us to give him a break and also so that we could
see how he reacted. Sharon reported back to us that he had been well behaved and she had
not experienced any problems with him. Sharon thought that he was a lovely lad and was
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sorry to see him spending so long in kennels. It is often the case that the loss of a pet opens
the door for another needy dog and this was the case with Alfie. Some of you will know Peter
who is a trustee of Labrador Welfare and who does visit for us in the Doncaster area.
Although Basil has been unwell for sometime we were still very sorry to hear of his passing,
but in time we knew that Peter would want another companion. When we got the call to tell us
that Peter was looking for another dog we asked if he would consider Alfie and he agreed to
take a look at him. Peter has had St Bernards in the past so Alfie’s size didn’t put him off.
Peter has found Alfie to be a loving responsive dog although he does have his naughty side.
However we were in for a shock when Peter eventually had Alfie neutered. His vet found a
considerable number of lesions around his scrotum that was conducive with Alfie having been
kicked, so he was very sore after the operation. We will never know who did this to Alfie but
we feel very sad that some one had stooped so low. Fortunately this is all behind him now
and we are sure that Alfie will spend the rest of his life with Peter – his best pal.
RE-HOMING UPDATE
You may remember Rocky Brown from our pervious newsletters. You may recall that the first
people to adopt him claimed that he was an awful dog with vicious tendencies. Fortunately we
had Shelly on hand to put us right and through her knowledge of Rocky we were able to find
him a home with the Browns. You will be delighted to hear that Rocky has achieved his
bronze GC awards. Well done Rocky
We received a lovely letter from Lucky’s owner a few weeks back. He has
lost weight and is doing fine. No one really notices his wry mouth and every
one he meets falls in love with him. He seems to have retained that soft
fluffy coat that puppies have and so is a great favourite with the children
who just want to give him a cuddle. Lucky seems to enjoy all the attention
and is far more confident than he was when he first came into kennels. His
owner tells us that she is delighted with him and he has proved such a good
companion.
June can still remember rehoming Dexter Whitman. He is one of a number of dogs who live
in Cheshire, an area that seems to be a bit of a no mans land
as far as rescue is concerned. Dex was rehomed in the days
when we used to drive all over the area collecting and
delivering dogs. Because it was quite a drive Ella went with
June to take Dex to his new home. He did have one or two
problems but his owners soon sorted these. He is now 12 years
old and his mobility is starting to be affected. Dexter is one of a
number of dogs that are being referred by their vets for
hydrotherapy treatment. Jan tells us that it is improving the
quality of his life and as you can see he seems to enjoy it.
Michael has kindly sent us this update on Ellie
You can teach an old dog new tricks, just sometimes you need a little help. In Ellie’s case a
little help came in the form of a dog training school, a clay pigeon shooting champion and a
pair of Labradors called Willow and Bramble.
For those of you not familiar with Ellie’s story she was adopted by my mum in October 2008,
a gorgeous yellow Labrador, she crawled into the reception at Rainbow Hill Kennels when we
went to see her, very timid with people and so scared of other dogs. She came with a lead
and collar and a free cuddly toy, once settled in at mums house she became a very happy
playful dog and soon had a collection of toys, which she took it in turns to play with.
Ellie had been in kennels for eighteen months when we went over to see her. Mums’ other
dog had died a couple of months earlier and she had decided she wanted another one. The
situation was perfect for Ellie, she would have company all day and the local park was not far
from mums’ house. We were told about her problem with other dogs when we collected her
and we really, honestly thought we could train her out of this habit. Ellie has such a lovely
nature that it was only fair to try and cure her problem and give her the quality of life she
deserves and this just made us all the more determined to help her. She settled in quickly,
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June had been concerned she might need house training after so long in kennels but Ellie fell
straight into a routine and this was never a problem. She loves her toys and always greets
you with a wagging tail and a toy in her mouth. It was soon obvious she was too much of a
handful for mum to walk. She was however the perfect company round the house and really
being together all the time was as beneficial to Ellie as it was mum.
The months rolled by as my brother Dave and myself took it in turns to walk Ellie, finding
some places off the beaten track where she could have a run off the lead, always being wary
there may be another dog round the corner. We
knew she needed to mix with other dogs, but at a
distance and with the other dog under control,
however owners didn’t seem to understand this, too
many times a dog would be thrust upon Ellie with
the words “This ones friendly” too many times I had
to fight and pull to get her away, it didn’t matter if
the other one was friendly Ellie was still going to
attack it. I knew I needed help, I’ve trained dogs the
basics, to walk to heel, to sit, fetch, etc but this one
was beyond me. I talked to as many dog owners as
I could, telling them about Ellie’s little problem and
got told about so many different theories, you want to do this, you want to do that, about one
to one trainers and all their trickery, but quite honestly didn’t like the sound of any of this
advice. Then the name Leeds Dog Training Club started to get mentioned by one or two
people. I liked what I was hearing about them and was told they held socialising sessions.
It was time to make a phone call.
By the end of June me and Ellie were making our way up to East Keswick between North
Leeds and Wetherby to enrol. The classes are held in an old equestrian centre and we sat
down to listen to a little introductory talk by one of the trainers. Unfortunately Ellie didn’t like
being so near to the other dogs and carried on alarmingly, I eventually got her settled only
she was now sitting with her back to the lady giving the talk. I felt a little embarrassed and
expected any minute to be told to “make your dog look at me whilst I’m talking” Joking aside
the trainers there were fantastic they understood our problem and took us away from the
other dogs to stop Ellie becoming too stressed.
It was apparent Ellie would not be able to go into one of the classes and so began 4 to 5
weeks of going there on a Monday evening and walking Ellie round at a safe distance from
the other dogs trying to get her used to them. Straight away I picked up help, they sold a
choker collar with a stop on it to prevent it tightening completely. I’d never seen these before
but as soon as I put one on Ellie I could pull her back a lot easier when she went on the attack
without the fear of strangling her.
We decided it would be best to muzzle Ellie whilst at the training club. This proved difficult,
not the act of putting the muzzle on, Ellie sits down and lets you get on with it. In fact she gets
quite excited when she sees her muzzle. No, have you ever tried to buy a muzzle for a
Labrador? They have sizes to fit Jack Russells, Bull Terriers, Alsations, Dobermans you
name it, but a cute, cuddly, toilet roll carrying Labrador- no chance. Of course an educated
guess would work out the size needed but I couldn’t resist asking the lady in the pet shop just
to see the look on her face. I wasn’t disappointed.
At the end of July I was introduced to Andy, he specialises in dogs with behaviour problems
and started to work with us. He explained how dogs need to socialise just like humans, only
where we would shake hands a dog will go and have a sniff it’s not too bothered which bit it
sniffs and isn’t too bothered about being sniffed at the same time. To change Ellie’s
behaviour we have get her near to other dogs to socialise she has to learn they will not attack
and when she starts to try and attack we have to stop her and let her know it is wrong to
attack. We have to break her habit. To the untrained eye this can look a bit brutal, pulling hard
back on the lead whilst shouting but once the dog has responded you praise it. This requires
perfect timing and good voice control something we soon found I wasn’t very good at. Ellie
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responded much better to Andy than myself and as the weeks have rolled on this is still
something I have to work on - I have thoughts of people rushing to call the RSPCA and report
the horrid man for shouting at the cute Labrador.
Over the next few weeks I kept practising my handling skills whilst Andy kept showing me
other little tricks to distract Ellie’s attention and to keep her under control. When Ellie is out on
her walks she tends to go into hunt mode, whilst on the lead she will be looking for the other
dog all the time especially at places where we have come across other dogs. I gradually
started to see some progress when out on walks, as I became more confident when seeing
other dogs knowing how to control Ellie so it became easier to do so, the little signs to watch
for when she starts to go on alert and trying to distract her are things I have picked up at
training. This started to make her more relaxed and slowly I started to notice Ellie wasn’t on
alert all the time.
One night I mentioned to Andy an offer I’d had to muzzle Ellie and let her have a run with a
couple of gun dogs, I said I wasn’t sure she was ready. “ Do it “ replied Andy “It is exactly
what she needs, don’t worry about the other dogs they will keep her in her place” .
And so it was off to the gun club.
Yorkgate Gun Club is run by Bob and Angela Agar, they hold clay pigeon shoots every
Sunday morning on Otley Chevin just behind the Royalty pub. I have been a member for
nearly 2 years now after turning up just to have a go one morning it turned into a passion for
shooting clays.
Bob keeps two working Labradors, Willow and Bramble, and we had chatted about Ellie’s little
problem in the past. Bob had offered to let her have a run with his two before and now it was
time to take him up on this. For a “Townie” like myself watching Bob work his dogs out in the
field is almost magical. Gentle commands, whistles and gestures it is almost like he has them
on some sort of remote control, if Bob was confident about letting Ellie out with them then so
was I.
It was a beautiful September morning as I drove out to Otley with Ellie, I was almost nervous,
10 months of trying to get her to run and play with other dogs was now coming to a climax. I
had the utmost confidence in Bob and unbeknown to me also would have quite an audience,
a few of the regulars had heard of Ellie’s problem and were curious to say the least. I
purposely arrived while there was still shooting going on, if Ellie was to get a regular run out
here she would have to come along with me and Dave whilst we were shooting. I climbed out
of the car and let Ellie out, I had her on a slack lead just letting her get used to the new
surroundings. The gunshots didn’t bother her and as we walked nearer to the shooting the
noise still didn’t bother her.
Angela came over and started fussing over Ellie “She’s gorgeous”, then I spotted Jason and
his young son. I had been telling Jason about Ellie and her little habit “ I’m hanging about to
see this” he bellowed when he heard what we were going to do. The four of us wandered off
for a little walk, Jason’s son was a little nervous, a dog had bitten him not long since and
seeing the muzzle dangling from my hand didn’t boost his confidence.
“Don’t worry” I said, “She only bites dogs, and you know the type that bit you? Well she’s
bitten two of those.” He began to stroke Ellie and that was another new friend.
The gunfire stopped, shooting was finished and I could see Bob coming our way, it was time
to go and meet Willow and Bramble. I made Ellie sit and put the muzzle on her good and
tight, Bob called Bramble, the older dog, down from his pick up truck and put her into position
near Ellie who started to make a move as I tugged her back on the lead and pulled her a
couple of yards away. Bramble, completely unfazed by all this sat calmly by Bobs’ leg.
“Is the muzzle on tight? Asked Bob. “You understand if it comes off and she bites this one
she’ll have a go back”
“Yes” I replied.
“Right, take the lead off, just let her off and don’t worry”
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Ten months of putting her on the lead when so close to another dog had made doing the
opposite seem almost unnatural.
“Watch him with these two” said Angela “He’s like the dog whisperer only better”
Bob took Ellie by the collar on his left and with Bramble closely at heel to his right set off into
the field, almost straight away Ellie made a lunge for the other dog” NO” Shouted Bob into her
face shaking her as he did, she did this one more time and then they were off, running
together stopping and having a sniff of each other, it was magic.
“Look at his face” chuckled Jason, I must have been stood with a mouth as wide as the
Mersey tunnel absolutely speechless.
Bob called Willow down from the truck and sent her out into the field whilst Ellie sat next to
him before he sent her out too. How long all this went on for I don’t know, it seemed like
seconds yet it seemed like forever as I struggled to take it all in. Then Bob came back from
the field and just let the dogs mill around while we chatted before sending his two dogs back
to the truck, except now he had three dogs in his truck, all sat together, all best of friends only
one had a muzzle on.
We called Ellie down, put the tailgate up and then took her muzzle off. I can’t remember how
many times I thanked Bob.
“She’s not as bad as you made out but you need to keep bringing her up and letting her have
a run” said Bob “She needs to mix with other dogs, a couple of weeks and we’ll sort her”
And that is what we are going to do, Ellie still has a long way to go and we need to spend a
lot of time and patience but there is now light at the end of the tunnel. The next night we were
back at dog training and Ellie had started to show signs of improvement, Andy has told me
the interaction with other dogs will speed up her rehabilitation no end. There will be many
more training sessions and days at the gun club and we will not give up until Ellie is able to
mix with other dogs. I cannot thank Andy and Bob enough for their help. As for me I am still
reliving Sundays adventure over and over in my mind. I will certainly not forget that day for a
long time – if ever.
FootnoteCredit where it’s due so a big thank you to Sue, Andy, Mick and everyone at Leeds Dog
Training Club – highly recommended.
Tel. 01924 275563
Also a big thank you to Bob and Angela at Yorkgate Gun Club. Please be aware that Bob did
me a very big favour letting Ellie have a run with his dogs and please don’t ring him asking
about dog training. However if you have ever wanted to try clay pigeon shooting get in touch
with Bob, he is a fully qualified instructor and I can guarantee you will have a great time. If you
already shoot why not go along and try one of the friendliest sporting ranges in Yorkshire.
Tel 01943 467538 /07831 170697 www.yorkgategunclub.co.uk
THE WAY WE WORK
We are often criticised for being too particular. However we make no excuse for this, as the
well being of the dog is paramount. We would rather keep a dog in kennels for a few extra
weeks than send it to a home where conditions are not ideal as it is difficult to get a dog back
once it has been rehomed. Even with difficult dogs we refuse to lower our standards. The
main things that we look for in a new home are that the dog will be kept inside, that the
garden is secure (apart from the very rural settings where this is impracticable) and that some
one is at home most of the time. We have a strict 4hour rule and this applies to the whole day
so popping home at dinnertime to walk the dog just isn’t good enough. We have lost a few
homes where people haven’t been prepared to wait for us to match them up with a dog and
complete the home visit. We often smile when we ring them up and they tell us that they have
just picked up a puppy/rescue dog and were about to phone us! However it really does annoy
us when we have spoken to someone about a dog, arranged and some times even
undertaken the home visit, to then be told that they have got a dog. We do wonder where they
have got these dogs from as most decent breeders will have a waiting list for their puppies
and will not breed until they have most of the expected litter spoken for. We have wondered
10
whether the film ‘Marley and Me’ has encouraged the more money-motivated breeders to
cash in on the popularity of this film and have breed a litter to meet the demand. We just hope
that these dogs don’t end up being handed over to breed rescue.
The other thing we are very keen about is rehoming outside our area. We have a very good
working relationship with most of the groups and South East and Central do try very hard to
work in with us. However there is one Northern group who are more than happy to rehome
into our area and we are sure that they would rehome home on our street if they got the
chance. We have to have a really good reason for rehoming a dog outside the area we cover
as we just don’t see the point of trailing dogs and their new owners all over the country, they
must have huge carbon foot (or paw) prints. However we have noticed that no one other than
us seems to want to cover the North East and we cannot understand why as they are really
nice people and the ones we have dealt with have, on the whole been very helpful and
supportive.
We are always glad to receive feed back from you on the way we work so please do get in
touch and pass on your views.
We also aim to increase the support we give to our foster and sponsor dogs. With the help of
our home visitors we aim to keep in touch with the dogs and their carers on a regular basis
(every one to two months). We feel that these carers do need support and as we pay vet bills
for these dogs, it is essential that we are aware of their health issues.
OUR AGM
th
Our AGM is due to take place on the 15 November 2009, slightly earlier than last year. It is
looking as though it will be a pretty straightforward meeting with a short agenda. The
Secretary and Assistant treasurer are both seeking re election but the rest should be all
routine matters. We will give you a report on the meeting and copies of the officers’ reports in
the next newsletter.
50 CLUB UP DATE
Dogs in our care at present are: Mandy Fennel, Ruby Thornton, Cassie Armstrong, Blue Lindsey, Mollie Farrar, Phoebe
Raybould, Ben Townend, Ebony Waterhouse, Jasper Musson, Pip Ruston, Bonny Higgins,
Remus Bartholomew, Alfie Beckingham, Bella Cater, Martha Britland, Bart Hoyland
Winners since our last News Letter are:
March
Rob Depledge
April
Noreen Allison
May
Nicola Oldridge
June
Kate Paine
July
Susie Lenthall
August
Clare Brown
September
Tony Cawthra
Long-term foster dog up date.
We would like to introduce you to our new foster dogs
Remus came through to us because he wasn’t (according to his owner) getting on with the
grandchildren who were now spending more time at her house.
As she didn’t have transport we asked John to go and pick him
up and it proved to be an interesting if rather frustrating
afternoon for John. All was going well until John arrived in the
area of the pick up and phoned for more detailed instructions of
how to find them. Geography obviously wasn’t their best subject
and a lot seemed to depend on which side of the road the
supermarket was! Eventually the woman’s brother said that he
would meet John with the dog. Filling the relinquishing form
proved to be very enlightening as the guy couldn’t give answers
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to half the questions because, as he said, it wasn’t his dog. John managed to get most of the
form completed and the brother signed Remus over to us. John said that he thought Remus
was walking oddly as he came towards the car so we arranged for him to visit the vets once
he had settled in at the kennels. Poor old Remus has arthritis in his back legs and should
have been on medication some time ago – perhaps this was the reason he was a bit grumpy
with the children. We found him to be a rather nice chap and were delighted when couple
offered him a home. They had fostered a retired guide dog, which had recently had to be put
to sleep, and so were ideal for Remus. He has settled in well and is taking regular medication
for his arthritis and we are sure that he must be much happier now that he is pain free.
Alfie came to us through the dog warden. He was microchipped but when his owner was
contacted she said that she didn’t want him back. He had a largish lump on his back leg but
we were told that he had had this for some time and the vet had
said that it was best left alone. We contacted the vet she said that
she had used and they hadn’t heard of him! It is a vet who looks
after one of our foster dogs and we have always found them very
helpful and we appreciated the time they took looking through their
records. Alfie was supposed to be vaccinated but the vaccination
card never turned up either. Alfie’s new owners took him to the
vets to have his vaccinations done for us and this vet felt that it
would be better to investigate the growth and this has now been
done. The growth was cancerous and was hard to remove but the
vet is hopeful that he has been able to take most of it away and
give Alfie a better quality of life. Obviously this was a long and difficult operation and has cost
us nearly £1000. His carers say that he is a lovely chap and they think the world of him. He is
now well cared for and will certainly get the veterinary care he needs
Bella was handed over to us when her owner had to move to accommodation where dogs
were not allowed. She is twelve years of age but certainly doesn’t act
it. Alex very kindly brought some of the dogs out to meet people when
we held our Fun Day and Bella was one of these dogs. She met a
family who had adopted a dog from us last year as a companion for
their old dog. Unfortunately they have since lost their old dog and as
they had originally thought of fostering they asked if they could give
Bella a home. A lot depended on how she got on with Emma but the
two girls seem to pretty much ignore one other so all is well. Bella is
certainly in good hands and we hope that she will enjoy life for a good
while yet.
Martha was another stray that was passed on to us by the dog wardens. We have always
had a good working relationship with all the dog wardens in our area but obviously have most
contact with the Sheffield ones. This little girl is only about 6 or 7 years of age but needs to be
on medication for arthritis in her back legs. In view of this and her uncertain back ground we
felt that she would be better as a foster dog rather than being put on the sponsor dog
scheme. Mr & Mrs Britland have kindly offered to give her a home as all the family are
missing that extra dog.
Bart’s owners were not well enough to look after him and so they asked us if we could find
him a home. Because of his age (11) he has joined the foster dog
scheme. He had been taken to the PDSA for the removal of a fatty
lump prior to us taking him on and they gave him a clean bill of
health. As his owners didn’t have transport we had
to ask John to go across Sheffield to pick him up.
Stop Press
Unfortunately Bart is very over weight (over 68KG!)
Bart has
and so had difficulty getting in the car but with help
now lost
from John he eventually made it. He just sort of
over 12Kg!
rolled out at the other end bless him. From what his
previous owner has told us we are almost certain
that we know who his breeder was and so knew that he would have a good temperament
which has proved to be correct. He is such a loveable chap we were delighted that Mr & Mrs
12
rd
Hoyland have agreed to take him on. This will be the 3 foster dog they have cared for as you
will remember they have previously had Lady and Penny (who was also very over weight). If
the vets feel that it would help him we will be able to pay for a course of hydrotherapy for Bart
from the money we have been donated from the Pedigree Adoption Drive
Now for a quick update on some of our other dogs
It was lovely to meet up with Ben Townend again at the Fun Day. He is looking very well and
is obviously well cared for. He will have been away on his holidays by the time you read this.
His life has certainly looked up since he went to the Townends as he used to spend his
holidays at Rainbow Hill before (some thing he never really enjoyed). He was entered in
nearly every class at in the dog show and won a rosette in the waggiest tail class, bless him.
Cassie Armstrong has been enjoying some hydrotherapy and Doreen tells us that this has
really helped Cassie. This is a relatively new centre that has opened in Sheffield and June
has spoken to the lady who runs it and can give you more information if you are interested.
You will need a referral by your vet but we can certainly recommend it if Cassie is any thing to
go by.
SPONSOR DOGS
There have been two new additions to the scheme – Lucky and Charlie B. Here is a brief
update on the dogs
Sandy still remains our main sponsor dog. He continues to take Epiphen
(phenobarbitone) and Epliease (potassium bromide) for his condition. This is
helping to control his fits and he is enjoying a good quality of life. Sandy’s
medication costs around £62 per month.
Jack has juvenile arthritis and will remain on the Sponsor Dog scheme for
life. At present he is on Metacam and this does seem to help although he
still limps if over exercised. Unfortunately he has been allowed to put on
weight and this isn’t doing him any good. He has also been allowed to run
riot in the house and running up and down stairs, jumping on and off
furniture has certainly not helped his condition. We are working with his
owner to help to improve matters and she is paying for a dog walker to
exercise Jack on a daily base. With regular weigh ins at the vets we hope
that his owner will also be able to help him to loose weight. We are also in
discussion with his vet to ascertain if hydrotherapy might help him.
Henry has skin allergies and these can flair up from time to time. So far his owner has not
asked us to pay any vet bills but we suspect that she has paid for this herself. However she
knows that we will be there if finacial help is needed. As any one who has had a dog with an
allergy will know, tests and treatments can be very expensive. Of course it may be that in a
different environment Henry is not coming into contact with the stimulant.
Toby originally settled well in his new home but is very attention seeking at
certain times of the day. The couple who took him on have agreed to work with
a behaviourist to help Toby to improve his manners. We have spoken to the
behaviourist and she is certain that she can help Toby. We hope that his
owners will be able to follow this ladies advice and that there will be a
successful out come. We have already given some financial help towards the
consultation fee.
Lucky had a wry mouth which the vet feels is due to an impact injury
(possible dog attack or hit by car), which has affected the growth plates on the
right side of his face; hence he has a wry mouth He is doing very well in his
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new home and has certainly lost some weight. He is also far more out going and enjoys
meeting people especially children who all adore him as he has a soft fluffy coat. His wry
mouth also gives him that puppy look which makes him so appealing. So far his teeth have
not caused him any problems but once again we will be there when he does need help.
Charlie Bucket is the newest member on the scheme. Unfortunately he
escaped from his owner’s garden and was involved in a road traffic
accident that resulted in a broken right front leg. As he is a young dog we
hope that he will make a good recovery. His new owners are making sure
that he receives regular exercise but don’t let him walk too far. He seems to
be doing very well at present although it may be some time before the
effects of the accident appear.
Our sincere thanks go to all those who make regular donations to help these dog.
HELPERS
We are sure that you will be delighted to hear that all three of our mums in waiting have now
given birth. Must be some thing in the water as all three have had boys! Mothers, babies and
fathers are all doing well. All of these babies have been born into households where there are
dogs and every thing has gone well, unlike the calls for help we get when there is a baby on
the way and suddenly they cannot cope with the dog. Heather and Pauline are now both
grandmothers but neither look old enough for this to be true.
You will be pleased to hear that Eric has had his operation and is doing very well. However he
still has to take things steady but is making progress in the right direction. John has made a
full recovery from his hip operation and knows that he is able to run as he had to sprint after
Bella when she decided to go walk abouts at the vets! Our congratulations also go to John
who is now President of the Sheffield Tigers Rugby Club.
Our thoughts are with Pam, who is far from well at the moment. This is a very difficult time for
them as her illness has followed on so quickly from Don’s heart operations.
We are desperate for some one to help taking photos of the dogs whilst they are in kennels.
We have found that a photo makes such a difference to their chances of finding a new home.
Alex is very good and will try to make time to take some pictures for us but has recently had
problems with Internet connection and we were left without any photos. Pearl, who used to
take photos for us has not been well and does have a lot of family commitments so we do
need some back up. We are looking for some one who could go over to the kennels once a
fortnight to take photos of any new dogs and then email them over to us. If you could help
please get in touch.
We are also always grateful for help in making phone calls. We aim to increase the support
we give to foster and sponsor dogs and help with making contact with these people on a
regular basis would be appreciated. You don’t even have to live in our area to help with these
calls, as all you need is a phone and a few minutes every other month just to give some one a
call and a bit of support. Once again, if you can help please do get in touch.
FUND RAISING
We have been much busier this year with fund raising events and we must thank all our
helpers who work so hard to raise money for us. Although we haven’t had a very spectacular
summer we have done rather well weather wise and the sun has shone on most of the events
we have attended although a couple of events have been cancelled due to the rain.
Some years back we received a large donation from the friends and family of Joan Sugden.
Now her husband, Tony, has died and his family have asked that once again donations in
memory of Tony be made to Labrador Welfare. Tony was a potter and we know that some
14
donations were in lieu of payment for items of his work, however Tony must have been a very
popular person as we are £905.87 better off from donations in his memory. Although they
were never members of Labrador Welfare both Joan and Tony loved the breed and we intend
to present a cup in their memory for best Labrador in show at our fun days.
Alison has been a member of Labrador Welfare for many years and her mum has always sent
us at least one donation throughout the year. This year June had one of those special
wedding anniversaries where comments of ‘child bride’ and the like are made. June felt that
as they have had each other for all those years neither of them really needed a present and
so they asked family and friends to donate what they would have given in presents to our
funds. They must be a popular couple as we are now £310 better off.
Our own vets will always take back any unused medication and offer a refund. A number of
their customers have asked for the money to be given to rescue and if it is from a doggie
person our vets always ensure that it comes our way. We all know how expensive medication
is so the amount donated in this way has been a big help. Do contact us if you have any
unused medication, as we may be able to pass it on to one of our foster dogs.
Dog Fun Day
th
27 June saw us all over at Rainbow Kennels for what has become our annual Dog Fun Day.
We must have enjoyed one of the best days they have had at the kennels all summer as it is
usually much cooler over there and often quite breezy. All our usual stalls were there,
Labrador Welfare, Bric a Brac, Cakes and the raffle. Our fun
dogs show was very well supported and we hope that every
one enjoyed what was a not too serious event. We would
like to thank Rita Howson from Support Dogs for taking time
out to judge the show for us. She spoke kindly to all the
dogs (and their handlers) and every one we spoke to said
that they all felt that the right dogs had won. We were
fortunate to have our good friend Pauline to hand to steward
for Rita as some classes were very popular and this helped
to keep things moving along. There were far too many
people involved to mention individuals but our thanks go to every one who baked for us
(some fabulous cakes were donated), donated things for us to sell,
helped set up the gazebos and tables, man/woman the stalls, and
tidy up at the end. Thanks to all who attended, you were all very
good and there was no litter to pick up at the end of the day. We
decided to have a BBQ this year instead of hot sandwiches and we
must thank Andy and Becky for running that for us, it proved very
popular. We do try to make the day doggie centred and were
pleased that Liz Saunders was able to come and bring along her
agility equipment. Liz was very good with dogs and ensured that
every one had fun and that no dog was over awed by the experience. We hope that Liz will be
able to join us again next year. We have had one or two suggestions for events we could
include next year but if you have any ideas or have seen some thing at another event that you
think we could try, please do let us know. This year’s event was our best ever with over £900
being raised for our funds. Thank you to every one who sent us their photos of the event.
Goth Weekend.
Hazel has continued to raise money at the Goth Weekends she organises through out the
year. As you may remember Hazel usually divides the money between the CPL (as she is
also a cat lover) a Whitby general rescue group (as her events are always held in Whitby) and
us. So when we tell you what she has given us please remember that she will have raised
more than that amount. Hazel has always been good at taking money off people but even she
has found it harder this year. However she has been able to give us donations of £125 &
£180. We have often wondered how she manages to get so many different and unusual
prizes for her raffle and can now let you into the secret, if Hazel sees a BOGOF offer the free
one goes into the raffle.
15
Collection at Sainsbury’s
This went really well with many of our Sheffield friends helping to collect. We were allowed to
take dogs to this event and they certainly made a huge difference, our collectors have told us
that they didn’t see one shopper pass by without talking to the dogs (and some times even
the humans) as well as dropping something in the collecting box. Our thanks to Sally and the
team for raising £470
Lowedges gala (Sheffield)
The Green family saw this event advertised in the Sheffield Star and as it was a new venture
they decided to give it a try. The day was rather blustery but stayed fine and the attendance
was very encouraging. Over £100 was raised on the day with there being no fee charged to
charities for stalls. This is certainly an event we will try to attend again.
Bark In The Park (Ravensknowle Park Huddersfield)
We would have liked to have given more publicity to this event but we were only asked to
attend when the Lancashire Labrador Rescue group they had invited, dropped out. As
Huddersfield is so near to Sheffield it is well within the area we cover so we were pleased to
attend. There was an example of nearly every breed there for you to meet as well as fly ball
and agility demonstrations and a chance for your dog to have a go as well. However selling
any thing was hard work but we did manage to raise £70 for our funds and we also made one
or two new contacts. The weather was just right so altogether it was a good day. Thanks to
Sally and June T for helping with this event. After the event June rang the organiser to thank
him for inviting us and to let them know what we had made. June mentioned that we would be
happy to support the event next year if it was held again and was a bit taken aback to be told
that it depended on whether the Lancashire group wanted to come. For heavens sake this
event is on our doorstep and we could have given them some good publicity. Will we go if we
are invited – you bet we will!
th
Dore Show (Sheffield) 12 September
June must have been attending this event for over 17 years now but had to miss out last year
when there was no one to help her run the stall. This year Sally and June T offered to help,
the sun shone, people came and the tombola was a sell out! £130 was raised on the day plus
June won a prize in the show’s raffle, which she promptly gave to Sally to use at her next
event!
th
Pets at Home (Drake House – Sheffield) 12 September
Julie and her family had a go at this one and made £60, which was very welcome. As people
who visit Pets at Home are obviously pet owners the publicity was also very useful.
th
th
18 and 19 December collection at Morrison, Ecclesfield, Sheffield.
Sally would be glad of any help you can give on either of these two days. Dogs are welcome
at this event so if they are happy to be around people please bring them along.
th
st
20 21 and 22nd December Christmas Market at the Sheffield United Football Ground.
Sally has booked us a stall on all three days of this event so we need you to
Help is
come along and help us make it a success. As with the collections, it doesn’t
needed
matter if you can only give an hour, any time you can give will help towards
with this
the success of the event. We have always been short of fundraising events at
event
this time of year so we feel we have to take every opportunity. Please contact
us if you can help on the stall or if you have anything you could give us for a
tombola.
Pedigree Adoption Drive
2008 Grant. You may remember that we had experienced problems with a company called
Medema when trying to purchase a set of weigh scales. We have now taken this company to
the small claims court and we will let you know the outcome, although we are not optimistic.
We used some of the money to purchase microchips and also paid for Alex Edwards to go on
a course to learn how to implant microchips. We were pleased to get some very positive feed
back about Alex’s performance on the course and she is now qualified to microchip animals.
16
Prior to this there was only Andy who was qualified to chip our dogs and we felt that we
needed cover if Andy was ill or away – now we have it. Both Andy and Alex are covered by
our insurance to microchip dogs on our behalf.
The rest of the money has been used to give help towards neutering and many people have
commented what a help this has been. We have also used some of the money to help pay
veterinary bills for some of our foster and sponsor dogs.
2009 Grant We were invited to apply for funds again this year and were absolutely delighted
to hear that we had been granted £3,000. Our thanks must go to all the members of the public
who have supported the drive, they managed to beat last years amount by raising
£564,747.53. We have a good supply of microchips at present so this year’s money will be
used to continue to give financial help towards neutering, to help to support our foster dogs
and to sponsor Sharon Speight to complete a course in dog behaviour.
Jean Sainsbury Animal Welfare Trust
We have found it impossible to pay the running cost of the Suzuki out of Labrador Welfare
funds so June has paid for the tax and insurance and every one has helped out with petrol
expenses. However we really felt that this could not continue so we decided to approach the
Jean Sainsbury Animal Welfare Trust to ask for help towards running costs. The Trust was
set up by Jean Sainsbury (the banking family not the supermarket chain) and will give grants
to animal charities for specific purposes. Our request was put to the trustees and we were
delighted to hear that they had granted us £750 towards the running cost of the vehicle. Had
we not received this grant it is unlikely that we would have been able to run the vehicle this
year.
DOG WALK
We have been doing a sponsored walk at Castle Howard for 17 years now and there have
only been a couple of times that it has rained. This year was no exception as the sun shone
all day. After the poor results of last year’s stall we had debated whether to carry on doing
one but this year we took £155 on the stall so it was
well worth the effort of setting up. This year we
pitched the stall just outside the entrance archway
and this may have helped increase sales as we were
able to attract the people who visit the garden centre
and perhaps don’t go into the house. There is a lovely
shady tree that we were able to tether the dogs under
so that they were nice and cool so all round we were
quite happy with the arrangements. David makes an
excellent walk leader and his local knowledge
ensures that we don’t get lost. We would also like to
thank Linda who always helps out on the stall and to
all those who turn up with their dogs to do the walk. At the present time all the sponsor money
isn’t in but this event was a great improvement on last year.
LABALOGUE
We still have many cards available but only have the odd card left in some of the designs. We
are trying to clear our stock so that we can purchase some new designs so do contact us if
you wish to take advantage of our clearance sale! Our clothing (fleeces, sweatshirts, T Shirts,
Polo shirts, Ski caps, Baseball caps and more) is still selling well and every one who has
made a purchase seems to be satisfied with the quality of the garments. Su has just invested
in a new Regatta waterproof coat – her waxed jacket having finally fallen to pieces. She tells
us that it is very comfortable to wear and has kept her nice and dry. June has just ordered a
couple of pennants to display in her car so we will let you know more about them next time.
We were contacted a few weeks ago to see if we could help a chap get rid of around 300
carpet samples as they were taking over his living room. A relative works for a carpet
company who were closing a couple of branches and the samples would other wise have
been thrown away. He had wanted to share them between a few local charities but we were
the only group who offered to take them off his hands so we got nearly all the lot.
17
There are two sizes, a couple of the large ones (27”X27”) would carpet a car boot or the back
of an estate and the smaller ones (18”X18”) would fit in a foot well. They are also ideal for
putting in crates to keep your dog snug. We are selling these at 25pence each for the small
squares and 50pence for the large ones. The squares are available for collection from
Rainbow Kennels (payment on collection), but please remember to phone us to make an
appointment to collect, or from June.
We also have a number of collector’s plates. Obviously we only have one of each design but
if you are a collector of Labrador items please contact us for more details. We hope to be able
to have a new Labalogue available in the spring
OUR WEB SITE
We have been criticised by one of our sister groups for ‘advertising’ dogs on our web site. We
never allow people to ‘chose’ which dog they adopt – that is down to us and which dog (if any)
we feel will fit in with their family and commitments. As it happens most people who express
an interest in a specific dog don’t actually end up adopting that dog as we have far more
details about the dogs and so are able to make a better match. We know that a number of
you enjoy following the dogs progress but what are your thoughts? Please do let us know as,
after all, it is your charity.
We are also aware that a number of people who posted comments on our guest page
received an unsolicited email. We would like to apologise for any distress that this may have
caused but the only way we could prevent this is by not having a guest page at all.
We have also introduced an In Memoriam page. This is intended to mark the passing of
Labrador Welfare dogs and we would be happy to include you own entries as up to present
Su has had to do all the entries and she is finding it difficult to find some thing new to say, we
would much prefer your own personal thoughts. We are happy to receive emails or entries via
the post and please include a photo if you have one.
MY KENNEL CLUB GOOD CITIZEN GOLD AWARD
By Ebony Snowdrop Buttons - with a little help from my mum.
Hello again, mum said she needed my help with writing another piece for
the LW newsletter. So here goes.
Now don’t get thinking that I am really well behaved all the time (no body is
perfect eh?) but I can be when necessary. (Big word that)
Anyway, I passed my Gold in April this year with a couple of my friends. We
had passed our Puppy, Bronze & Silver before trying for the Gold. We all
received a certificate, gold dog tag & gold pin badge for our owner. I was just over 3years old
& had been going to obedience class since I was a pup. More fun then ‘cause I was allowed
to get away with a lot in them days!
Mum & a few friends got quite concerned as five dogs had ‘Not been ready’ (they don’t call it
failing) in the last Gold Test. Our training club is very much involved in competitions for
obedience & didn’t seem to concentrate on the Good Citizen Tests when you got to the top
class. So mum & friends started asking for more guidance & advice, which luckily had the
desired effect.
There are some exercises that I am very good at (even though I say it myself). I can do a very
long ‘down stay’ for example but will sometimes slide into a down if something disturbs me
during a long ‘sit stay. ’
Mum says my worst point is always being in a hurry especially if with my friend or auntie. I
want to get to the woods or park, not walk slow for goodness sake!
I also don’t like someone walking up close behind me which is done in the Gold Test as the
examiner has to follow & give commands when to stop at kerb, turn etc. Mum was a little
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worried about that but we managed OK & the ladies testing us are really nice. They came
around at the start & gave out treats! Won me over straight away I must say.
Since I have been teased by a nasty local boy through our side garden gate I sometimes back
away from people (though mum says I have improved a lot since starting agility). Mum was
concerned I would do that when we had to allow a stranger to inspect our body (like the vet
would look in your ears or mouth). I was a little wary at this but the examiner allowed mum to
assist & knew from earlier that I wasn’t a nasty dog.
We also had to walk around the hall off lead, as close to our owner as would be needed, (if
necessary) in the park etc. with several changes of direction. Mum had to really keep my
attention on her for this with constant praise & saying ‘watch me Eb’. Competition standard is
not required for this.
Next was a recall to mum’s side (from a sit & wait command) when she was 10 paces away
(when instructed). We had practised this in the garden & park & I was pretty good at that.
Always got a treat if I got it right & that helps with me being a Lab.
‘Food manners’ was an exercise I was taught from the day I went to live with my mum. I was
never allowed to start eating my breakfast or tea until I looked at mum & she said ‘OK’. So it
was just a step up from that to have a treat put on the floor & not touch till told. This is harder
in the hall or street as kids drop sweets & us Labs are so quick to find!! Practise this amongst
other people & dogs & you will pass like me. (Don’t forget to let friends and relatives know
your release word. If some thing happened to you they might be unable to get your dog to eat.
Also if your dog toilets on command. ED)
Other exercises:
I had to stop on command when running. (Mum tells people this proved to be invaluable when
I was younger & my ball started to run down the park path & out into a road. Can’t understand
why she says that made her feel sick?)
Send to my bed to relax. We took blankets to the church hall to practise as most dogs will do
it at home but it can be strange in different environments. Big word again!
Responsibility & care: Owners are tested on subjects relating to owning a dog & have to
answer 8 out of 10 questions correctly.
You are given leaflets at the beginning of your training for the test so you have plenty of time
to read up. Most is common sense but owners said it was like being back at school & they
were nervous. Don’t know why they were taking it to heart but said that had been doing the
training & wanted to pass.
Think we have covered most of the exercises & if you get the chance, do join a club & have a
go. Mum has made some lovely friends so I have got even more doggy mates than before
plus I am praised for being well behaved.
I do have my problems especially if strange dogs run up to me fast. But that’s another story,
which I will keep for the future.
Dog bless.
Ebony & Mo xxx
SU’S SNIPS Heat Stroke
This year we have enjoyed a few very hot days. Unfortunately there were some dogs who lost
their lives through being left in hot cars (including the two Nottinghamshire police dogs),
however this is not the only way that dogs can become over heated. Conservatories are a
popular spot for dogs but they can quickly become very hot so do keep this in mind if your
dog spends time in yours. Many dogs will find a patch of sun shining through a window but
this can lead to them becoming very hot so if your dog likes to take a nap in a patch of
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sunshine do keep your eye on them. Old dogs may fall into a deep sleep and may not feel the
heat rise. Don’t forget that the sun moves round through the day so what is shade now may
be a hot spot in half an hours time. If we do enjoy some very hot days next year here are
some facts that you need to bear in mind for the safety of your dog.
Heatstroke occurs when a dog loses its natural ability to regulate its body temperature. Dogs
don’t sweat all over their bodies as we do and only sweat through their paws. The main
method for regulating body temperature is by panting, and if their respiratory tract can not
evacuate heat quickly enough heatstroke is likely to occur. A dog’s normal temperature is
o
o
o
about 100.5 F to 102.5 F. Once the dog’s temperature rises above 105 F physiological
changes start to take place and the dog begins to experience the beginnings of heatstroke.
o
At 106 F the dog starts to suffer irreversible damage to the kidneys, liver, gastrointestinal
tract, heart and brain.
Signs of heatstroke are excessive panting, hyperventilation, increased salivation, dry gums
that become pale, greyish and tacky, rapid and erratic pulse, weakness, confusion,
inattention, vomiting, diarrhoea and possible rectal bleeding. Finally seizures or coma can
occur.
Action to take if your dog becomes overheated
• Pay attention to your dog and look out for the symptoms of heatstroke
• Get the dog into the shade
• Apply cool (not cold) water to the inner thighs, stomach and foot pads
• Use running water if possible and don’t submerge your dog in water (this can cause
shock)
• Don’t cover your dog as the water you are placing on your dog needs to evaporate
• Keep the dog moving slowly as this will help blood to keep circulating taking the
cooled blood back to the core.
• Allow the dog to drink small amounts of cool water
• Once your dogs temperature starts to recover stop the cooling efforts and take the
dog to your vets.
Even if your dog appears to be fully recovered your vet will need to check if there has been
any damage to internal organs. The effects of heatstroke can last for 48 to 72 hours or longer
even if your dog appears normal.
TV Trainers
I have had some feed back on my last piece. Many thanks for your comments; at least I know
some one reads my ramblings. Mo made the following comment regarding television dog
training programmes. “Some people really think that a dog can be trained in an half hour
programme! I always explain that you only see part of the training. I watch and read a lot and
take onboard some of the suggestions. Some I think are rubbish and others are great and I
wonder why I hadn’t thought of that. It depends on the problems, dog and owner. No two dogs
are the same”. I certainly agree with Mo on this one. Each dog is an individual and there is no
‘cure all’ for problems. Some people don’t even seem to realise what the problem is that they
are trying to sort. Let me give you an example.
We recently rehomed a dog called Charlie. His history was that he had been found as a stray
and had been rehomed through a general rescue. His new
owner realised that he had problems and tried to work with
them but found that she really didn’t have the time to
address his needs so she reluctantly contacted us. When he
was handed over to us we were given a written report from
his previous owner and it was obvious that she had done a
lot of work with him. Charlie was already neutered. His main
problems were that he wasn’t good with other dogs and his
recall was none existent. We rehomed him to a family who
assured us that they were going to take him to training
classes and that they had many friends who had dogs who would offer support and advice.
To cut a long story short they didn’t do what they had told us they were going to do and
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Charlie made no progress, in fact I think that he got worse. After a couple of months these
owners contacted us because they were finding it difficult to control his aggression to other
dogs. There had been a serious fight with a smaller dog resulting in injury and Charlie’s
owner had had to hit him with a stick to get him off. He told us that Charlie seemed to respond
to the stick so he had taken to carrying one on his walks! Now I’m not sure how hard he was
hitting Charlie but I certainly did not like the sound of this and was so glad that the dog was
coming back. I guess that you are all thinking that Charlie is a dominant dog who just likes to
push the other dogs about. Well we found a couple that were happy to take Charlie on and
work with his problems. They observed him on his walks and realised that far from being a
dominant dog he was in fact quite fearful. With in a
few weeks they had worked with Charlie and he was
able to walk with a group of other dogs, most of which
are from rescue. He is attending some one to one
sessions with a behaviourist who is known to us and
is making excellent progress. I’ve included a photo of
Charlie with his friends so that you can see what has
been achieved. So it really is a case of knowing your
dog so that you can adapt the way you handle
problems to get the required result. Our own Quincy
also suffered at the hands of a very experienced dog trainer when with his previous owner.
This trainer did some thing that I have seen Jan Fennel do on many occasions; because
Quincy was barking at her the trainer shut him in the kitchen. Now Quincy suffered from
separation anxiety at that time so you can imagine how he felt about being excluded! Rather
than helping the situation it made matters worse. A good trainer/behaviourist will observe you
and your dog and will assess the way your dog responds and behaves. The retraining
programme must suite the needs of your dog and your ability to implement the retraining.
Mo also mentioned the importance of finding a good breeder if you are buying a puppy. Our
advice has always been to contact a breed club as members of these clubs are bound by a
code of ethics and so you can expect to get a well-bred pup from them. Breed clubs will often
have a designated person who will hold a list of breeders with puppies but if they don’t run a
puppy register they will often know of members with a litter or who are about to breed. You
can find contacts for Breed Clubs through the Kennel Club. That doesn’t mean to say that a
local breeder isn’t good. Some home reared puppies are excellent and will already have been
introduced to the home environment (TV, suction cleaner, kids, etc) but do ask questions and
be prepared to be asked a few yourself. Puppies who have spent most or all their lives in
kennels won’t have this early experienced and may take longer to settle in the home.
Breeders will look for a stud dog that compliments their bitch, that is to say that it is strong in
areas where the bitch is lacking and will hopefully improve the resulting pups. However the
breeder should be able to tell you about the sire and may be able to show you a photo of him.
Dogs and bitches should have undergone all the relevant health schemes but do check that
these are current. Hips and elbows are only scored once and the scoring should have been
done when the dog was mature as obviously growing joints can alter although many people
seem to think that the pups should have been hip scored! Eye test, however have to be
updated as some conditions are late in onset and cannot be detected in early years. The one
thing that I would say to people is - the best things in life are worth waiting for so be prepared
to put your name down on a waiting list for a puppy.
Crufts will be back on television next year. More4 will be screening the event and there will be
coverage of all four days. There was some good coverage of the event on the Internet and
this will be available again next year. There is also a new sponsor for Crufts as DFS, the
furniture company, will be the main sponsor. It is amazing who is involved in showing dogs
and it is not only TV personalities and pop starts that enjoy dog shows. As you can imagine
there have been a few cryptic comments regarding prizes for group wins and best in show but
I bet most dogs wouldn’t say no to their own sofa!
The question of dominance has been in the news recently following some research by Bristol
University. This was a re-analysis and review of how stable groups of feral and domestic dogs
interact with each other. The paper suggests that groups of dogs do not form the type of
hierarchical structure that is commonly used. They have found relationships to be far more
21
fluid and to be based more on the dog’s learning experiences. This report has provoked some
heated arguments amongst dog trainers and behaviourist, some of whom will still give you the
impression that the sole aim in life for a dog is to be top of the pack. If you have any
comments or views on dominance please let me know and we can look at this topic again
next time.
MEMORY LANE
Well here we all are again, come on in, the kettle is on. It’s nice to see
you all again, Mo at the front as usual. Just mind that ball, its Max’s
favourite and he is always leaving it around the house. Don’t mind Abby
she always sits like a discarded bagpipe and has the manners of a pig.
What’s that you said? You can hear snoring – well that will be Max as
well!
You might have noticed that Joan isn’t with us today. You may remember that, a few issues
ago she told us about Sadie, her Bull Mastiff. Well sadly Joan has gone to join Sadie and her
beloved husband Brian. I know this for sure as a few months before her death Joan confided
in me that whilst she had been laid in bed she had felt Brian hold her and then she felt Sadie
by the side of the bed. Both Brian and Joan idolised Sadie and when she died neither of them
could face having another dog. Some people are like that and the relationship they have had
with their dog has been so close that they just feel unable to go through the pain again. Yes
loosing a pet is painful but for many of us the reward of the devotion, friendship and loyalty we
get from our pets far out weighs the pain. It really is down to you and what feels right. Many
people express concern over taking on another dog when their old one passes on and they
do feel betrayal to that dog’s memory.
Dogs come into our lives to teach us about love
They depart to teach us about loss.
A new dog never replaces an old dog; it merely expands the heart.
If you have loved many dogs your heart is very big.
However this has convinced me (if I needed convincing) that we will meet our friends again
and I do have this conviction that it will be Oscar who comes to meet me when my time
comes. I guess many of you will, like me, find it a comfort.
I thought that you might like to walk down memory lane with me today and remember Errol,
one of our foster dogs. Oscar will tell you of his passing but we have many memories of this
chap. He was in fact a Labrador, Springer Spaniel cross (what today would be called a
Springador) but to look at he was a big chocolate Labrador with rather a large white patch on
his chest and white on his feet. He suffered from fits and so when his owners decided to
immigrate to Australia their vet felt that the journey would be too much for him so they
contacted us to see if we would help to find him a good home. They gave us plenty of notice
so there was no rush but as the date of their departure neared we still hadn’t found Errol a
home. We decided that because of his illness and his age
(about 7 at that time) we would let him go as a foster dog and
Stuart, who was already fostering Sasha for us, offered him a
home. Stuart had made a full recovery from prostrate cancer
and had found that Sasha had made his life much richer and so
was happy to take on another dog. As time was of an essence
Errol’s family brought him down to Sheffield and were able to
meet Stuart and Sasha. They later wrote to us to say how
meeting Stuart and knowing what a lovely home Errol was
going to had made the parting easier. Errol settled in very well
and eventually was able to stop taking medication for his fits.
He enjoyed his walks in the local woods when Stuart would stay with Sasha who was not up
to long walks and Errol would join in the walking group and would enjoy a good walk through
the woods. When Sasha died Stuart took Mandy on and Errol enjoyed a new partner. Sadly
Stuart’s cancer returned and this time he couldn’t fight it. Errol and Mandy had to go back into
kennels and Errol certainly didn’t enjoy the experience. Fortunately it wasn’t too long before
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we were able to find them both new foster homes and Errol stayed in Sheffield whilst Mandy
went across to Glossop. Errol went to live near one of our favourite parks and was well known
by other dog walkers. Sadly Errol started to have fits again and seemed to go down hill after
that. However he will always be remembered by his foster family who had this to say: “We would like to thank you for letting us foster Errol. The house is very empty without our ‘in
the way’ Errol.
We enjoyed two holidays with him and it felt like he had been part of our family for ages. Our
little dog, Ellie, is like a spare part, he was her rock and with his fantastic personality he did
wonders for her nervous disposition.
All his friends in the park, especially the ladies, will miss him. Thank you to the man who sang
Hot Chocolate songs to him (he was named after Errol Brown in the group) – it leaves a lovely
memory. Also having to rescue the swing bin off his head when his greedy side kicked in.
The house is less hairy and smelly and I really miss it! The allotment won’t be the same; he
loved a good roll there and a walk all over the onions.
Fate brought Errol to us, and it leaves a warm glow to know that when others let him down we
didn’t.”
I’ll leave you with the following remarks that I feel are very fitting. Have a safe journey and see
you all next time.
Something that we all have to remember at such difficult and distressing
times is that the magnitude of our sadness and grief is simply an echo, a big
paw mark left by the love and affection that went before it. If we didn’t love
them so much we wouldn’t feel so bad when they go.
Jessica Holm
Dog Bless!
QUINCY’S QUIPS
Hello every body. I hope you have all had a good summer and enjoyed the
bit of sunshine we did get. I love to lay or sit on our front room windowsill
and watch the world go by. This window faces east and gets all the morning
sun. Some times it is so hot that I get drowsy and fall asleep. Su says that it
is very bad for me to do this and closes the curtains so that I cannot see out.
She thinks that will stop me but I can push my way underneath them! Max
also likes to sit on the windowsill with me and some times we lay on top of
each other, as this is very comfortable. Lots of people look at us and smile, which is nice. Max
really likes to watch the children going to school and coming home again in the evening but I
find them noisy and boring.
I was trying not to let the TV interfere with my nap one evening when the news came on and
gave me an awful shock. It said that ice cream vans are an endangered species and that
there aren’t many of them left! As you know I love ice cream so this has been rather worrying
for me and I don’t know what I can do about it. Please let me know if there is a society that
supports ice cream vans and I’ll try to get June and Su to join it.
As you know we held our fun day again this year. I’m not sure why it is called a fun day as
Sandy, Abby, Max and me spend a lot of time just hanging about. There was an improvement
this year and Sandy even got to sit out on the grass opposite the cake stall. He thinks that I
didn’t see him being given buns and stuff but I did. Max and I spent a bit of time watching Ray
show people how to shoot clay targets and some people did really well. We were down in the
bottom field where it was sheltered and the bank took most of the noise away. Abby doesn’t
like gunshot so she sat in the back of the car all day – honestly, it wasn’t that loud. In the
afternoon when things got a bit quiet, Su came and fetched Max. He was gone about ten
minutes and when he came back he told me that he had been over a jump and through a
tunnel. He said that he had enjoyed this and it took him back to the days when he was
training to be a sniffer dog (?). Then Su asked me if I would like to try. She took me to this
23
area where Becky trains the horses and there were a number of jumps, a round thing
suspended on two poles and a tunnel. A very nice lady came and said hello to me and told
me what a lovely dog I was (flattery gets them everywhere). She then helped Su to take me
round the course. The first jump wasn’t really very high and Su told me to stay then called me
over the jump – easy! Then I had to go through the tunnel. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed
to do so the lady showed me where the entrance was whilst Su went to the other end to show
me where to come out – not too bad! Then I had to jump through the hoop thing – easy! Then
over another little jump – no problems there. Next was a set of poles stuck in the ground that I
found out I had to ‘weave’ through – not as easy as it looks when you are a short coupled dog
like me. The last task was what they called a long jump. I’m sorry but I just couldn’t see the
point of this one as you could easily just walk over it so why jump. Any way at the end all the
Humes seemed very pleased with me and I felt rather proud of myself. As you know my pen
pal Ebony does this agility thing and I think that she is rather good at it. I don’t think that I was
up to her standard but I did have fun and both Max and I would like to have another go if
some one can find time to take us.
One Sunday when we were helping Ray with his clay shoot, we found these bins behind the
pub that were over flowing with food. Sandy said that it was disgusting and that we should try
to tidy up, so he and Max jumped up on top of the bins and pulled the black bags down. We
were just in the middle of a big tidy up when Ray came down and told us all to get back in the
club house so we thought that we had better scram. Abby went down much later in the day
and she told us that there was the remains of a very tasty BBQ. We all had poos for England
the next day (which didn’t say much for the pub grub) but thought that was it. However about
8 weeks later Abby said that she felt quite ill. June and Su thought that her tummy was
swollen but she was still eating all her food (pity as I would have been willing to clear that up
for her) so off to the vets she went. Dr Phil was rather worried about her as he said that it
could be a problem with her liver so she had to go back the next day to have a scan. This
didn’t go too well as some thing was blocking the scan so Dr Lee asked if they could operate
to find out what the problem was. Imagine their surprise to find a load of kebab sticks, melon
skin and all sorts of other semi rotting stuff inside her. Anyway Dr Lee took it all out and put
her back together again. I think that they must have fitted a zip or something when she went
to be neutered as you could hardly see where they had opened her up but of course she
spent the next few weeks showing everyone her scar. She is now known as the BBQ queen.
Anyway let that be a lesson to all you scavengers out there – make sure that you don’t eat
any thing too rotten but if that is your favourite food have a zip fitted so that they can open you
up easily!
Bye for now
Quincy
IN THE FIELD
2009 proved to be a fantastic year for grouse with record bags throughout the
area. Thanks to the keepers on Strines and Broomhead these moors have
provided a lot of sport, plus the shooting has been of a higher standard than
normal, which all makes for a satisfying day.
For myself, I have enjoyed several days loading and got back into using
double guns (whilst I am loading one gun the shooter is using the other). This
is an old technique and it was good to get back into the double gunning ways.
I was delighted after the first shoot to see that the grouse were good quality
and well feathered, as this is a good sign for 2010. Whilst a lot of grouse have been shot in
South Yorkshire there are still enough left to give a good breeding stock for next year. I am
convinced that the spring weather suited the grouse and encouraged breeding. The cocks
didn’t have to fight for territory and paid more attention to breeding. I have noticed that this
year there was evidence of multiple pack breeding where there were no signs last year.
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To cap it all we enjoyed some glorious weather, which ensured some enjoyable shooting,
however I think that the midges have got bigger and when they attack they are like miniature
oil tankers! I have also seen an increase in raptors – hawks, falcons, buzzards and the
biggest birds of the lot – the harriers, which I haven’t seen in South Yorkshire for decades. It
doesn’t seem to have had any effect on the grouse and the keepers seem happy that the
amount of game taken by the raptors has not been excessive.
Mad Max and myself are looking forward to the start of the pheasant shooting at Spinkhill on
th
28 October. The keeper at Spinkhill reports that there are plenty of pheasants, partridge,
pigeons and this year there will also be duck. The ponds that were dug out last year have
resulted in mallards breeding and there are even some widgeons there too. We all hope for a
good season through to Christmas.
If we have the same weather during the breeding season with good game keeping and
conservation we should be able to look forward to a successful 2010/11. There is also a new
keeper on Ronksely moor so we hope that will also prove to be successful.
As you know, every other Sunday sees me up at Fox House (on the outskirts of Sheffield)
running the clay target shooting club. We are seeing more and more people coming to shoot
and many beginners trying the sport for the first time. If you want to try clay shooting for
yourself please come and join us. We have a ‘Have a go’ stand where either me or my son
Mark will take you through the clay shooting experience in a stress free environment and I
can promise you that you will break a few clays. We have refreshments available and there
are always a few Labradors around just to make you feel at home. If you want to have a go or
just fancy coming up to see what it is all about, just give me a call on 0114 2663822 or 07976
521369 and mention Labrador Welfare.
Ray
RETURN TO SENDER
Well here we are again! Hope you have had a good summer - oh come on!
You must remember those two hot weeks we had. Personally I think that it
has been a bit of a wash out but that hasn’t stopped me having fun.
At Easter we always have egg rolling. Proper eggs I mean, boiled hard, and then we get to
paint them. On Easter Sunday we all go to a little grassy bank and roll our eggs down
the slope. If you are lucky your egg breaks and you get to eat it. This year that happened
to my egg! Then on to May Day and what fun we had there. My half sister Poppy once
went to Crufts with her training group and part of the display they did was a type of
Maypole dance. Any old way I asked Poppy if she would show us how to do it because I
have been told that this is one of the things people do on May Day. There was Poppy, my
brothers Ben and Mac, Cousin Pip and me! We needed another one to join in but Bruce
refused to get involved (some thing about not wanting to be made to look a fool – as if!) so
my plan of a ‘Perdamile’ event didn’t quite make it as I had to ask Benny to stand in as
an honoury Perdamile. Well we started off all right, and then our Ben seemed to have got a
shorter ribbon than every body else and ended up half way up the Maypole. I had a fit of
giggles, and went the wrong way and bumped into Pip. Ben was still swinging on the end
of his ribbon when the pole took a turn for the worse and fell over. Laugh! It’s a good job I
don’t wear pants or they would have been wet! Poppy stomped off in a huff and told me
never to darken her door again, Bruce muttered some thing about ‘now I know why May
Day is a distress call’, and the rest of us set about trying to unfasten our Ben.
I decided that it was about time we celebrated Oak Apple day, so this year we decided to do
something about it. Bruce said that it is all about having a king, then not having a king,
25
and then having a king again. Lost! Well so was I by this time but I gathered that a King
Charles was involved and an oak tree. Bruce said that the King hid in the tree so we
started the proceedings by shoving this King Charles Spaniel (he ate the last mince pie at
Christmas so deserved this) up into an oak tree. Then we all danced round the tree, the
KCS started to cry and said he was scared of heights so we all had to shake the tree until
he fell out and then we all went off for a picnic.
Some one said we ought to go Morris dancing at mid summer but I had enough of that
sort of thing when I was with you lot. Just because they some times didn’t look after me
properly and they lost me, they put these big bells on my collar. I felt a right idiot as every
where I went it sounded like the ice cream man coming, so bells are OUT.
OUT However I do
fancy having a go at sword dancing this Christmas and have found a book that tells me
how to go about it. Why are you looking like that Bruce? Of course I won’t cut any one’s
head off – they’re not proper swords for heavens sake! I can’t spend time talking to you
just now Bruce as the people want to know about all the Labradors that have joined us.
Sorry about that. Now where were we? Oh yes! I’ve been extra busy since I last wrote so
much so that I have been awarded some bonus angel money for being kind to our new
arrivals. This isn’t like your money but you earn it for doing good deeds and can spend it
on treats for yourself like an ice cream. I’m saving my bonus money until Christmas so
that we can all have a big party and invite all the new Labrador Welfare dogs. Which
reminds me I better start to tell you who they are as I have been so busy over the last few
months my paws will be sore by the time I have finished telling you about them.
These first few dogs were all from the foster scheme, there have been so many that I wonder
there are any dogs left on it but I understand that there are still about 20 dogs on the
scheme.
Benson Maskery used live with a gentleman who became a bit confused and couldn’t look
after him. Some one called Social Service (what a funny name) contacted June and asked
her to find him a home. He says that he went to live in Barnsley with a gentleman but he
developed heart problems and so Benson had to go to live with a lady in Sheffield. He only
had 3 legs because he was injured in a road traffic accident when he was about 4 or 5. He
says that he didn’t find it too difficult as 3 legs are still better than 2, but he said that by
the time he moved to the lady in Sheffield he was finding it a bit hard to get around. He
used to see a very nice lady vet who stuck needles in him (I think this is called acute
puncture or some thing). He said that it wasn’t half as bad as it sounds and he did feel
better for a while. She gave him some strong painkillers but he was still finding it hard to
get up and make it out into the garden and life wasn’t much fun. Any way the vet said
that she thought he should come to us as he would have 4 legs then and would be much
more mobile so here he is!
Penny Hoyland also went off her legs. She has told me that a previous owner had let her
get very over weight and she thanks her carers for helping her to loose weight and be able to
be more active. She went out as a foster dog and says that she can recommend this scheme
as the carers are so kind and really look after you. With Bonny Monkbar’s help I
managed to find Lady who had preceded Penny as a foster dog and the two of them found
loads to talk about.
Jimmy Hibberd was also a foster dog. He came in with his mum when their owners had to
move into sheltered accommodation and couldn’t take them with them. He tells me that he
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wasn’t really old enough to go out as a foster dog but as he and his mum were very close
June had wanted them to stay together and so he was a kind of ‘bogof’ dog. His mum got
very distressed when their carer had to go to college although he didn’t mind being on his
own for few hours. His mum eventually went to live with another family but Jimmy
stayed. When he was younger he used to enjoy a game of football and so has joined our
football team (I am band from this for slobbering on the ball, which isn’t very fair as I was
rather good at dribbling). Jimmy is another dog who went off his legs and his carer and
vet thought that he would be happier playing for our team. Any way we knew exactly
where Cassie (his mum) was so they are now back together and catching up on the gossip.
Errol Pearson was known to me as I was still with you lot when he first came in. His
owners were going somewhere a long way away (have kangaroos and stuff – you know
the place – always try to beat us at cricket). He had epilepsy and his vet thought that the
journey wouldn’t be good for him; apparently it takes ages to get there. He was able to stay
with his owners until nearly the time they had to go and they took him down to his new
home themselves as by then time was running out (where does it run to by the way?) He
had a lovely time in his foster home, which he shared with Sasha who was also a foster dog
and had lots of lovely walks in the woods. Unfortunately his carer died and he was very
grateful to the Pearsons for offering him a home. He was very happy in his new home and
used to go for walks in my favourite park so I was able to catch up on the news about what
had been happening there. One day Errol found that he couldn’t manage to wee although
he felt as if he needed to go. The vet said that his kidneys had packed in (who gave them
permission to do that I want to know!) so as he was in a lot of pain they decided that the
time had come to let him come and find Sasha. They are both here, pleased to see each other
again and they both spend lots of time with their first carer as well.
Monty Davies got one of those cancer things – not like the tuber I had in my leg but just
as awful. This was a big shock to his foster carer as her previous foster dog had also had a
tuber. These can be jolly painful I can tell you and stop you from doing things that you
need to do so we do appreciate it when our owners let us come up here. Monty has settled in
very well and has been introduced to Barney (his predecessor) so they have been able to
have a good chat about thing
Jasper Taylor
Taylor was yet another foster dog, He used to be a stood dog, which I must admit I
didn’t know very much about although Quincy used to tell me about his uncle Ranger
and Granddad Angus who were also stood dogs. I suppose that eventually their legs get
tired with all that stooding about because Jasper’s owner eventually didn’t want him. Any
way he went to live in a very nice part of Yorkshire where there were some lovely walks that
he used to take with the dogs he had gone to live with. He says that he kept having funny
turns, which weren’t in fact very funny for him, but he had a very nice vet who used to get
him back on his feet again. However he became very ill all of a sudden and despite all his
carer could do the vet said that it was time for him to join us. He knows that his carer will
miss him very much but I have to tell her that we have managed to find her other dogs and
Jasper has been able to tell them what has been happening.
Jill Ingham has been a foster dog for simply ages, which shows that her carer took good
care of her. She says that she used to be a working dog and went with her owner to look
after a shoot. However he seemed to get very forgetful and one day some people who seemed
to be very kind to him took him into some thing called a home (not the one he lived in you
understand – but another one) Neighbours came to see that Jilly could go out into the
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garden and to feed her but they told her that they were going to look for a rescue group to
take her on as this wasn’t a very good arrangement. She was rather worried about this, as
she was 12 years old at that time and thought that no one would want her. However she
was proved wrong as she was only in kennels one day before she went off to her new home.
She says that she has been really ill a couple of times but that her vets were very good and
looked after her. In the end she says that she just couldn’t cope with that was wrong with
her and she was glad when her carer said that it was time for her to go. She misses her
carer very much as she used to go lots of places with her and enjoyed the love and attention
she got from all the family.
Nala Britland
Britland used to live with another dog called Homer who was much younger than
her. She has told me that she didn’t have to stay in kennels very long before she moved
into her new home. She missed Homer at first and worried about how he was going on but
she had another dog to keep her company so she didn’t feel lonely. Her carers were very
good to her and she said that she couldn’t have wished for a better home. Unfortunately she
was taken very ill one day and was taken to the vets. The vet felt that a lot of her organs
were not working properly and because her carers loved her so much they couldn’t let her
suffer. She wants to thank her dad for staying up with her when she was ill.
Gemma Bennett originally lived in Doncaster with her sister Jess. They used to go
working with their Dad but when he joined us up here their family just couldn’t manage to
look after them. Gemma says that they were really lucky and dropped right on their paws
as Mr and Mrs Bennett agreed to take them both on. She is glad that she was able to stay
with her sister and they had such lovely times together. Gemma was a bit upset about
having to leave her sister behind but she knows that she will be well looked after until it is
her turn to join us.
Gerogie Raybould was also one of two sisters who came through to us together. Georgie
tells me that the gentleman who they had always lived with died and as no one could take
them on they came through to Labrador Welfare. She has also told me that her new mum
and dad just couldn’t think of them both being in kennels and so they offered them a
home together. This meant that they didn’t have to spend long in kennels and they have
been very happy in their new home. Georgie hasn’t been well for a while now but she says
that her vet has always taken good care of her but in the end her carers knew that she was
not well at all and saved her further suffering. She was sorry to leave them and her sister,
but hopes that they will know that she still looks out for them.
Emma Sullivan arrived just as I was sitting down to my Friday tea – good timing that –
well for Emma but not for me as some one stole my fish fingers and half my chips whilst
I was looking after Emma. Emma has been a foster dog for a long time and she has told
me that she had lots of nice walks with her carer. She was only really poorly over the last
few months and was glad that her carer and vet sent her on her way to our place as she had
really had enough in the end. As she didn’t know any one here she had tea with us (I got
some replacement fish fingers and chips for being good). She will soon make friends as
most people here are very helpful and she can always join in with my family.
Jess Bennett just couldn’t bear to be with out her sister as they had always lived together so
I wasn’t too surprised when she turned up the other morning. Of course it was easy to find
Gemma and they were soon together again. She was sorry to leave the Bennetts as they
had been very kind to them. Jess tells me that they were very worried when they first came
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in as they thought that they would have to go to different homes but were lucky when they
were offered a home together
Jasmine Nicholls is yet another foster dog to join us. Mrs Nicholls kindly gave her and
Ellie (her sister) a home when their owner was unable to keep them. Ellie joined us a while
back and now Jasmine has come too. They were very pleased to meet up with each other
again but, you know, we are always sad to leave our owners behind and we do miss the
love that they gave to us.
Molly Flintan has told me that she was originally rehomed by another rescue group.
Unfortunately when her owner became ill and was having to visit the hospital a lot, they
discovered that this group no longer existed (I don’t know where they went to but they
aren’t here – we don’t need them!). Any old way her owner contacted Labrador Welfare and
they said that they would be happy to help out. Molly’s dad and a friend took her for a car
ride where they met this lovely lady called Susie who took Molly to another house where
she was made very welcome. Molly’s carer couldn’t have done more for her and when Molly
eventually couldn’t walk at all she did the kindest thing and sent Molly over to us.
LABRADOR WELFARE DOGS
Bruce Godfrey has joined us. He says that you will already know him as his mum had
written about him in the last Newsletter. He had been having difficulty with his back legs
and eventually found that he couldn’t get around at all. This is no fun for a dog like a
Labrador who isn’t used to having to lay about all the time and his mum and dad
understand this and so they did the kindest thing for him and let him join us. Of course
he misses them enormously but will be waiting until they join him. This may seem to be a
long time ahead to you lot but to us it is just like the blink of an eye.
Jasmine Slack was always known as Jazz and was adopted on 12th November 1999 when
she was 6 years old. She says that she must have been the luckiest dog around as she
ended up in a fabulous home where she was loved so much she used to have to pinch herself
to make sure that she wasn’t dreaming. She used to go for some lovely walks with her dad
and they would visit the horses and watch the world go by. She was sorry when the time
came to leave but she still watches out for her mum and dad.
Jess Hill was first adopted on 19th October 1998. When her owner had to move jobs and
couldn’t take her with him she came back to Labrador Welfare and she went to her next
new home on 6th September 2003 when she was 5 years old. She actually used to live quite
near our house but a lot further up a very big hill so I can’t say that I ever met her. She
really enjoyed living in her last home and used to go up to Scotland to visit Cassie
Higgins and she tells me that the last time she visited she went up with a dog called
Bonnie and when they got there Cassie wasn’t there. I told her that ‘no she wasn’t as she
was here with us’ so we quickly found Cassie for her and they have kept each other
company.
Tammy Blair used to live with the lovely Abby (poor her – Tammy I mean). They both had
to find new homes though when some thing funny happened in their house and Tammy’s
Dad left and then her mum had to go out to work all day. She said that it was pretty
awful spending all day with Abby, as she was such a bossy bitch. One day these lovely
people came to her house and asked if she would like to go and live with Jacob. She said she
would be happy to, as it would have to be better than staying with Abby. Tammy tells me
that she certainly made the right choice as she was made to feel very welcome and had a
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fabulous time and was loved so much. She was quite upset when she got here as she tells
me that her mum is far from well and she didn’t like to leave her but I have shown her how
she can go back to visit and she hopes that her mum knows that she does this and will
always be around.
Beauty Craddy is a LabradorXGerman Shepherd and was taken in by Labrador Welfare
in May 2006 when her owner became too ill to look after her and she was being left on her
own a lot. She says that she was very lucky as she was offered a really good home with a
couple who understood her needs and really looked after her. She had a wonderful time
with them but started to suffer from CDRM (This is not an uncommon condition in GSD
ED) and found that her back legs started to not do what they were told. Apparently her
owners bought her this trolley that supported her back legs and she was able to move round
again but eventually her legs got so bad that she could hardly move at all and her owners
decided that she should join us so that she didn’t loose her dignity and before she suffered
a lot of pain. She says that she was very sorry to have to leave them as they had given her
such a lovely home but she will always be looking out for them.
Just when I thought that I had finished this bit for you Boris Edwards turns up. It was all
a bit sudden but Boris tells me that he has been quite poorly. He feels much better now but
is missing his family and his mate Max. He tells me that he was a bit of an escape artist
in his other home and got arrested by the dog warden on one occasion so he was glad the
Labrador Welfare found him a home where he was always safe. He sends his love to his
family.
LABRADOR WELFARE MEMBERS AND FRIEND’S DOGS
Basil Noble, tells me that he hasn’t been too well for a while. And he is sorry that Peter, his
owner, has had such a worrying time. He tells me that he had a wonderful time with Peter
who is always very gentle, firm and most of all fair. He had every thing of the best and he
is sorry that he got a bit picky over food towards the end. He realises how embarrassed his
dad must have been having to buy him that cheap food but it was the only food that
seemed to have any taste! He understands that his dad has just taken on a Labrador
Welfare dog and he is sure that the new guy will help to fill the gap. Like many of you we
are sure that Peter has too much love and just needs a new friend to give it to.
Saffron McMullen used to go to shows with her mum who bred her and who also judges at
those important shows where you get letters – not OBE and all that - some other sort of
letters. She says that there are still two Labradors down there with Heather but she knows
that to her mum she was some thing special and we all agree with her. She already has a
few relatives up here so with Bonnie Monkbar’s help we were able to find them for her so she
hasn’t been lonely.
Mulley
Mulley Perdamile Iredale. Yes! Another cousin has arrived! You just can’t imagine all the
chattering that has been going on since Mulley got here. Of course as she is family we
were soon able to find her sister Pippin and Mum (my aunty Bridie) so she was soon
gabbing away getting them up to date with what had been going off. You would have
thought that she hadn’t seen Pip for years rather than months. She arrived just in time for
Brucie’s birthday (typical Perdamile!). Some one said that there were so many Perdamiles
up here now that it seemed like a take over but I’m not sure what we would be taking over
and what we would do with it when we had if you see what I mean. Any way it will be
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some one else to join the family may pole team – wonder if she knows any thing about
sword dancing?
I’m also sorry glad to tell you that Harley Speight has joined us. He isn’t a Labrador but
his mum always tries to help us whenever she can. He tells me that he knows all about Max
and Quincy as his owner meets them when she is doing her dog walking round. He
reached the grand age of 16 years and he has said that he was only ill for a little while. He
is sorry that his leaving left his owners so upset, but he tells us that he has friends here
and is very happy. He is looking forward to joining in all our activities!
I suppose this is a bit of a cheat because Tikka Price is a German Shepherd (and you
know that I am simply terrified of GSDs!). However Tikka sorted out one or two Labradors
for us when they came to stay at his house whilst they found new homes. He enjoyed most
of the company and of course Cheeko stayed with them. He knows that his Mum misses
him very much as he was rather special but he is with the rest of the gang here and will be
waiting patiently.
The last report has been done via a third party as there is no way I am going near a GSD –
not even for you lot!
Look not where I was, for I am not there,
My spirit is free, I am everywhere.
In the air that you breath, in the sounds that you hear,
Please don’t cry for me now, my spirit is near.
I’ll watch for you from the other side.
I’ll be the one running, new friends at my side.
Smile at my memory, remember me in your heart
This isn’t the end at all, it’s a brand new start.
Chocs Away!!
☺scar
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