Issue 45 May 2016 RSPCA Little Valley Animal Shelter, Black Hat

Issue 45 May 2016
RSPCA Little Valley Animal Shelter, Black Hat Lane, Bakers Hill, Exeter EX2 9TA
Tel: 01392 439898  www.rspca-littlevalley.org.uk
SHOPS
129 Reddenhill Rd, Babbacombe TQ1 3NT
Tel: 01803 323841
1 Market Street, Brixham TQ5 8EU
Tel: 01803 859695
46 High Street, Budleigh EX9 6LJ
Tel: 01395 442349
31 Cowick Street, Exeter EX4 1AL
Tel: 01392 213847
27 Paris Street, Exeter EX1 2JB
Tel: 01392 494759
91 South Street, Exeter EX1 1EN
Tel: 01392 494113
49 Courtenay St, Newton Abbot TQ12 2QN
Tel: 01626 330716
10 Torquay Road, Paignton TQ3 3AB
Tel: 01803 528118
Brutus Centre, Totnes TQ9 5RW
Tel: 01803 866597
LITTLE VALLEY ANIMAL SHELTER
RSPCA South, East & West Devon Branch
Black Hat Lane, Bakers Hill, Exeter, EX2 9TA
Registered Charity No: 205154
Telephone: 01392 439898
Email: [email protected]
Website: rspca-littlevalley.org.uk
Facebook: facebook.com/rspcalittlevalley
Twitter: twitter.com/rspcaexeter
Instagram: rspcalittlevalleyexeter
Just Giving: justgiving.com/rspcaexeter
Shelter Opening Times
Open 6 days a week (closed Wednesdays)
11.00am-4.00pm (Last entry: 3.30pm)
24 hour Cruelty and Advice Line:
0300 1234 999
Shelter News
By Jo Evans, Shelter Manager
I must start off with an apology for getting the name of The Gerrick Rose Animal
Trust wrong in the last addition. Once again, a big thank you to the Trust for their
support towards the kennel rebuild. More about this on page 3.
We’ve had the odd spot of good weather—let’s hope we get some more for
Shelter Day on 26 June. If you’ve never been before, it’s always a fun day out. We
are looking for volunteers to help run stalls/games on the day so please let us
know if you are available. Other items we need are homemade cakes, plants, raffle
prizes, bottles for our bottle tombola (any sort of bottle!) as well as new but
unwanted presents or gifts. We are also after a few working fridges to help keep
everything cool on the day, as some of ours have seen better days! So if you can
lend a hand or have something to donate, please let us know either by phone or
email. I look forward to catching up with many of our supporters and seeing lots of
our previous residents in the dog show.
On the staff front, I would like to welcome Jo and Fiona to the dog team. Sadly,
we’ve had to say goodbye to Ashley on the cat team—good luck to him with his
move and new venture.
As you can see from the front cover, the Shelter is celebrating 25 years. What a
milestone! Sadly we are still very much needed today.
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Dog Kennel Update
As many of you know, we have been rebuilding parts of the Shelter over these last
few years. All of the animals, apart from dogs, now enjoy updated, modern and
comfortable facilities but in contrast, the kennel blocks
are no longer fit for purpose and have deteriorated
badly due to sustained hard wear during the past 25
years. Although they have served their purpose well,
the daily washing and hosing down have taken their toll
on the concrete floor. Also the breezeblock walls, the
windows and doors are almost impossible to insulate
and the outdated underfloor heating is inadequate in
all but the mildest winters.
Since the Shelter was built kennel design has improved
a great deal and the Trustees and staff, in conjunction
with their appointed architect and experts from the
National Society, are researching the best possible design and construction for the long term future. The rebuilding programme is a substantial undertaking which will involve a great deal of investment and, as such, is
the focus of the Branch’s fundraising activities in this anniversary year and beyond.
Little Valley aims to provide good, sound
accommodation and expert care for all incoming animals. Because of the special nature of the dogs which are brought in, it is
essential that the Shelter is able to offer an
environment which focuses on their welfare
and reduces stress levels as much as possible. Up to 80% of all dogs come via RSPCA
Inspectors and many have been traumatised through neglect, abuse or other mistreatment. These are special animals which
require time, patience and effort from the staff before they are ready to go to their
future homes and it is why it is so important that the new kennels provide the best
quality environment for the dogs while they are at the Shelter.
If you wish to donate towards this fundraising appeal to help us build the new
kennels, you can do so via JustTextGiving by texting LVAS25 £10 to 70070 to donate £10, you can donate to us via Paypal or you can send in a cheque to the
Shelter. We will keep you posted on fundraising activities for the forthcoming year.
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Little Valley’s 25th Anniversary
by Maggie Eden, Little Valley’s First Shelter Manager
I feel very privileged that I was entrusted with the management of Little Valley
when it first opened in 1991. I had a background in Animal Welfare from working
as an Animal Care Assistant with the Blue Cross and as a Supervisor at another
RSPCA Centre, and it was an exciting time to be charged with establishing a brand
new centre.
The Branch encouraged and supported me, and I have very happy memories of
working in such a beautiful location. Of course, a lot of the sights we saw, and still
see, are anything other than beautiful, but at least mistreated and abused animals
have the safety net of the RSPCA and a safe haven with expert care at places like
Little Valley.
When the Shelter opened the kennels and cattery were soon full. Of course, it is
not only cats and dogs that need the RSPCA’s help, and soon other species were
arriving. Among the first were a group of ex-battery hens and a herd of goats who
were hastily found temporary housing, and so the development of the Shelter
began.
We were asked to take a badly starved pony a few months after opening, and this
was the first time I dealt with a horse. It was a steep learning curve for me, but I
was ably steered by the Deputy Manager at the time who had equine knowledge.
Little did I know then that horses would play a big part in my career, and that later
I would move to manage the RSPCA’s first Equine Centre in County Durham. I have
had several jobs in the RSPCA in different centres, and the two and a half years at
Little Valley were some of the best!
Photos below show Maggie cleaning out a kennel block (left), the original site of Little Valley (centre)
and Maggie with Honorary Branch President, Daphne
Absalom (right)
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Young Supporters
We have many young supporters of the Shelter. Here are some of them and their stories.
Oscar Meredith (left) raised a fantastic
£80 doing a sponsored walk—well
done Oscar and thank you!
Suzi Berryman (right) did a sponsored
swim for Little Valley and raised
£102—thank you Suzi, what a brilliant
effort!
The Dean family (below left) decided
that instead of spending their Easter
money on chocolate eggs, they would
buy treats for the Shelter animals instead! They also adopted Dante the
rabbit from us. What a wonderful
generous act and the animals
loved all their treats! Thank you to
the Deans.
Thomas Matthews (right) recently
came in to adopt Dynamo the
hamster. Now renamed Humphrey,
he has become quite a hit in the
Matthews’ household. Thomas is
thrilled with his new companion—
he feeds Humphrey each day and
helps clean his cage each week,
which gives him a feeling of being responsible and grown up.
Thank you to all our young supporters!
Friends of Little Valley
By Jill Brush, Membership Secretary
Hello everybody. Thank goodness spring is here. January and February are my least
favourite months of the year. I have never seen so many primroses as there are this year.
We have hundreds of yellow and white ones and, as I walk down our road, they are
everywhere—growing in borders, decorating lawns and even growing in cracks in people's
drives. They are a delight. Our Shelter Day is looming and I know I can rely on you to
support our draw generously as always and why not come along to enjoy this fun day with
us? You are most welcome. Feel free to get in touch via email [email protected] or
telephone on 01392 661424.
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Anne Short
We are very sad to report the loss of Anne Short, a great friend and supporter of the Shelter. For many years Anne volunteered in the office every week, helping with the accounts,
writing cheques, counting the contents of collecting boxes and banking the proceeds. Her
good humour and sense of fun meant that working with her was very enjoyable for all of
us. She was also an experienced and enthusiastic home visitor visiting prospective adopters
of Shelter animals from dogs, cats and rabbits to mice, gerbils and rats. She carried out
numerous post home visits over the years and always took great pleasure in visiting animals when they had settled happily into their new homes, particularly those who had
spent a long time in the Shelter.
Anne also helped with Shelter fundraising events and for many years ran a very successful
silent auction at Shelter Day, having persuaded a variety of individuals and organisations to
donate items from days out at tourist attractions to paintings and meal tickets.
She was an accomplished needlewoman and loved sewing and all types of craft activities.
Over the years she made many items for sale at our Christmas Fairs from strings of Christmas birds with colourful beads to bags and cross stitch pictures. At Shelter Day each year
we continue to use the table cloths and bags she made many years ago.
Anne had a deep love, and interest in animals, which she shared with her husband, Tony.
Stanley, the collie, came from Little Valley as did Timmy and Fraggle before him. She approached everything in life with great enthusiasm and kindness and could light up a room,
and the lives of all who knew her. Throughout her final illness she remained cheerful and
bravely positive, with the devoted support of her husband and sister. The many dozens of
mourners at her funeral were testament to the esteem and affection with which she was
held. We will remember Anne always with a smile and are privileged to have known her.
We send our sympathy and thoughts at this time to Tony and her family.
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Children’s Easter Egg Hunt 2016
The weather was a bit erratic for our children’s Easter Egg Hunt, but despite that
we had a great turnout of excited children who followed clues for a hunt and
found a hidden phrase to receive their chocolate egg. The trail went around the
Shelter into the small animal and cattery areas. Also on sale were some yummy
refreshments and lots of bargain pet accessories. The fantastic amount raised on
the day was £376.50, so a huge thank you to everyone for your support, to those
who donated chocolate eggs and to all who kindly helped on the day. Below are a
few photos from the event.
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New Homes Required!
RE
SE
R
VE
D
We have had another very successful few months of rehoming since our last
edition. Here are a few more animals looking for their forever homes! All animals
for adoption are on our website: www.rspca-littlevalley.org.uk.
Miss Meow
Biscotti
Bram
Peggy
RE
Squidgy
SE
R
VE
D
Mimi
Budgies
Fergus
Tinky & Snowy
Floella & Yvette
Kizar
Meg
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Happy Endings!
Nutmeg
Matilda (was Daisy)
Poppy
Rocco
Nessa
Billy (was
Harley)
with his
new friend
Copper (was Roman)
Pluto
Gilbert & George
Peanut
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Orele
Marley
Long Service Volunteer!
The dog chalet was brightly decorated at the
end of February when guests came together
for a surprise birthday tea for Ann Bidmead
to celebrate a special birthday.
Ann has been one of the Branch’s loyalist and
most active supporters since the opening of
the Shelter and the tea was an opportunity to
show appreciation for all her much valued
support.
Ann was one of the first home visiting volunteers when the system was introduced at the
Shelter. Over the years she has trained many
other volunteers and continues to visit homes
for our animals within the East Devon area.
She is also a stalwart of the Budleigh Shop,
having volunteered there since the opening
19½ years ago—and she continues to provide
a friendly, welcoming face for the many regular customers.
Ann is also well known for her tea making
skills, which are usually in evidence at
Exmouth events and also at Shelter Day and
the Xmas Fair.
At the birthday tea Ann was presented with
flowers from all the guests and cut a lovely,
specially made cake to celebrate her big day.
She was also presented with an RSPCA Silver
Badge and long service award. Many
congratulations Ann and thank you!
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Pets at Home Pet Lifelines
Do you shop at Pets at Home? If so, have you signed up for their VIP
Card? If you do, you can choose us as your animal charity to benefit as
well as get lots of money off vouchers. Every time you spend, you accumulate points for us—your nominated charity! We then build up an
amount that we can spend in store on vital pet supplies. Sign up here:
http://vip.petsathome.com.
The most recent edition of the Lifelines newsletter, which you get
when you sign
up to the VIP
scheme, featured
Little
Valley as it is
our 25th birthday this year!
We got an
extra
£250
from Pets at
Home!
Here is the
feature from
their Lifelines
newsletter.
Thank you to
Pets at Home
and to everyone who has
supported us
through signing up for the
VIP scheme.
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Badger’s New Home!
Chris Tregale has been a supporter at the Shelter for as long as we can
remember. As well as adopting numerous dogs from us over the years,
he often pops in and takes some of our dogs out to the pub! Obviously,
this is a great experience for them (and for Chris!) as they get away from
the Shelter, get to meet lots of people and other dogs on walks and
Chris gets a well-earned pint! Chris’s other great talent is for putting up
gazebos for events here—we couldn’t do it without him!
Chris has recently adopted another addition to his family from Little
Valley—Badger. Here is a photo of Chris taking Badger home. Thank you
Chris for all your help and support over the years.
Happy Home For Pudding
You will remember the story of Pudding the dog from our last edition, the dog who was
abandoned in Plymouth on Christmas Eve in an awful state. Well, Pudding’s story made the
national news and all the newspapers!
The great news is that now Pudding has been nursed back to health
and has had a fancy new haircut, he also managed to bag himself a
new home and family!
Animal lovers Richard and Rachel Beakhouse, decided to adopt the
ShihTzu cross and are now treating him like a King—with a full
makeover and new wardrobe. Now
the pampered pup has his own
room in their house in Axminster,
Devon, along with a wardrobe of
designer clothes. Mrs Beakhouse,
an IT manager, said: "We treat him like a king because
that's what he deserves after what he has been through.
He's got his own room in the house for when he needs
"down time" and he has his own wardrobe—I think he's
probably got more coats than me."
Pudding has settled into life with his new family. "He is such
a little darling," Mrs Beakhouse added. "He's settled in great
already and it's amazing to see how much he has blossomed
in such a short space of time. He may be an older boy now
but I fully intend to give him the best final years of his life
and show him what it really means to have a loving home."
The couple also adopted a hamster called Gideon after they
visited the Shelter!
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Branch Annual General Meeting
You are invited to attend the Annual General Meeting (AGM)
to be held on Thursday 2 June 2016 at Little Valley Animal
Shelter, Black Hat Lane, Bakers Hill, Exeter, EX2 9TA at 7pm.
St Davids Station
Exeter
EX4 4NT
Tel: 01392 271221
[email protected]
[email protected]
St David's Veterinary Hospital is a modern, well equipped veterinary hospital in the city of Exeter.
As a Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) certified Veterinary Hospital our outstanding
facilities include digital X-ray and ultrasonography, a fully equipped laboratory, air-conditioned
kennels and operating theatres, along with 24 hour on-site vet and nursing care. All of this ensures
your pet will receive first class modern treatment.
THE FAMILY MASSAGE CENTRE
Established 1994
Annie Samuels (Hons)a holistic approach to health care and diet
Deep tissue massage, sports injury therapy, Hopi ear candle treatment,
aromatherapy
1 hour to 3 hour treatments from £30 to £70
Available 7 days a week (9.30am to 5.30pm) by appointment only
Gift vouchers available for cash or cheque only
7 Piazza Terracina (river basin), Haven Road, Exeter EX2 8GT
Tel: 01392 203182 (answerphone) | Email: [email protected]
Canine Remedial Massage
A complementary therapy which uses the manipulation of
soft tissue to promote the physiological and psychological
well-being of dogs — regardless of age, size or breed.
Veterinary consent is required prior to treatment.
For further information or to request a consent form, contact Linda Rogers ITEC Dip ICAT
Tel: 07732 688383. Email: [email protected]
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Events 2016
Our events are listed on our
www.facebook.com/rspcalittlevalley
website
and
also
our
Facebook
page:
Thursday 2 June 2016
Annual General Meeting—7pm, Little Valley Animal Shelter
Saturday 4 June 2016
Bumper Sale—Budleigh Salterton Public Hall, Station Road, Budleigh Salterton EX9 6RJ
Monday 6 — Sunday 12 June 2016
RSPCA Week
Saturday 11 June 2016
Exmouth Flag Day
Sunday 26 June 2016
Shelter Day, 11am to 4pm, Little Valley Animal Shelter
Saturday 17 September 2016
Budleigh Salterton Flag Day
Sunday 18 September 2016
Big Walkies—12pm to 3pm, Ludwell Valley Park, Burnthouse Lane, Exeter EX2 6NF
Sunday 2 October 2016
Exmouth Sponsored Dog Walk—Exmouth Seafront
Saturday 19 November 2016
Exmouth Christmas Fair—All Saints Church Hall, Exeter Road, Exmouth EX8 1RZ
Sunday 26 November 2016
Christmas Fair at the Shelter—Little Valley Animal Shelter
Please support our events—they are vital for raising funds for the Shelter. We are always
looking for volunteers to help at events, if you are interested please email us on
[email protected].
Shop Volunteers Needed!
Our
shops
in
Budleigh,
Babbacombe, Newton Abbot,
Totnes and Paris Street Exeter
are looking for some more
volunteers.
If you have a few hours to spare and think you’d like to help out, please drop into
the shops and have a chat with the manager.
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We have three wishlists — one for dogs, one for cats and the other for
small animals. They list lots of items that our animals really like, such
as treats and toys. You will need an Amazon account to do this but it’s
really easy to set up and it’s free. Go to www.amazon.co.uk. Log into your Amazon account and
type into the search box “RSPCA Little Valley Wishlist” and our wishlists will come up! It’s a
great way to help us out and all the animals in our care will be very grateful! And don’t forget to
claim for your purchases using Easyfundraising, as we can raise even more money that way!
If you shop online, please use
Easyfundraising to help us raise even
more money. Lots of well known
retailers are on there and it’s free to
register. Sign up at:
www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/
rspcalittlevalley
Giveacar raises money for UK charities
by scrapping and selling old cars. They
provide a nationwide FREE service
which:
- Arranges the collection of the vehicle
from your home;
- Depending on its age and condition,
recycles it at an authorised facility or
sends it to auction.
To arrange donation of a car visit
www.giveacar.co.uk or call 020 7736
4242, quoting “RSPCA Little Valley
Animal Shelter” as your chosen charity.
Join the Pets at Home VIP Club to get great
discounts. Select your home store as Exeter,
Exmouth, Torquay or Newton Abbot and you
can opt for Little Valley as your chosen
charity so we can receive benefits as you
shop! Register at: http://vip.petsathome.com
Please consider sponsoring a dog kennel, cat
pen or rabbit run for as little as £3 a month
through our Safe Haven scheme. An application form can be found on our website.
A legacy to us will provide crucial funds. We
could not carry on our work without such generous support. Please visit our website to find out
more about leaving a legacy to us.
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