Be mindful this Easter...

A couple of years ago we posted an Easter warning to remind dog owners that though the holiday is fun, family time for us humans, it can be a dangerous minefield for our canine friends. We've decided to repost this important information below. Because with all the poisonius chocolate hanging around, we all need to be very careful!

Let's kick it off with an unbearably cute video on the wonders of safe doggy chocolate:



Increasing numbers of dog owners now know that there are a few foods that us people munch on that dogs definitely shouldn't. Raisins, grapes, onions and sweetener xylitol are a few, and chocolate is definitely on the list.

At Easter-time, there's generally a lot more of the gooey sweet stuff around the place, and dogs are inquisitive souls. The smell is inviting, and before you know it they've munched down the lot and made themselves very ill indeed. I still hear people saying "it's because they can become diabetic" but actually it's much more immediate and frightening even than that: they can suffer poisoning.

A chemical called theobromine is present in chocolate and is something us people can handle, but dogs cannot. The higher the cocoa content, the more theobromine is present, which is why things like cocoa powder and cocoa mulch for the garden have been known to kill dogs when they have ingested some.

So please keep a look out this Easter and remember:

• Keep your chocolate treats out of reach of intrepid hounds
• Don't let family and friends give them chocolatey treats
• Distract them with special dog "choc" drops if it helps!
• If you're a gardener, make sure you're not using cocoa mulch

If you suspect your dog has eaten some chocolate and you observe any of the following symptoms, please take them to the vet straight away:

• Vomiting (with blood)
• Sore tummy
• Excessive thirst
• Excitability
• Drooling
• Slow heart rate
• In the later stages, epileptic-type fits

Early symptoms of theobromine poisoning can be treated, but it's possible that as little as a regular bar and a half of dark chocolate could be fatal to a small dog.

Is it a bird? Is it a plane?

Check it out! The above pictured, record breaking* giant nodding dog weighs in at a whopping 4 tonnes (it bears repeating- 4 tonnes!) and was hoisted onto the Vanguard building near Hanger Lane in West London today.

The dog - christened Dogcilla - will raise awareness of our West London Rehoming centre, located near Uxbridge. We have applied to Guinness World Records to have her status as the biggest nodding dog in the world confirmed. Dogs Trust West London manager, Richard Moore, says:

“At Dogs Trust West London we care for around 150 stray and abandoned dogs at any one time. We really want Londoners to think of us when considering getting a new canine companion and Dogcilla will increase awareness of the Rehoming Centre.

I’m glad we only have normal size dogs to look after though because at around 2000 times larger, Dogcilla would need a 120 mile daily walk!”

Our West London centre just celebrated its 5th birthday and cares for around 150 abandoned and unwanted dogs at any one time. It is part of a national network of 17 Rehoming Centres across the country. If you are interested in rehoming a dog from Dogs Trust West London please call 0845 076 3647.

*We're awaiting verification of Dogcilla’s record breaking status.

Happy birthday dear Harefield, happy birthday to you!

Happy birthday, Dogs Trust Harefield! Sky Sunrise presenters Eamonn Holmes, Jacquie Beltrao and Charlotte Hawkins popped down to Dogs Trust West London (Harefield) to wish the Rehoming Centre a happy 5th birthday. They dished a special doggy birthday cake to the lucky canine residents of the Rehoming Centre (which you can see the gorgeous puppies Pastrami and Serrano demolishing in the photo above). Eamonn says:

“It’s a joy to be at Dogs Trust West London celebrating their 5th birthday. Since it opened the team here have found homes for 5,000 dogs which is a wonderful achievement.”

The Sky team were joined by Jacquie’s Westie/ Bichon cross, Maddie who was the first dog ever rehomed from the Harefield based centre when in opened in 2006. Eamonn, Jacqui, Charlotte and Maddie also met Serrano and her brother Pastrami. Serrano is the 5000th dog to be rehomed by the Dogs Trust West London team and she will go to her new family this weekend. Jacquie Beltrao comments:

“I’ve been so lucky having Maddie in my life for the past five years – we’re inseparable! The staff here did such a wonderful job matching us up and it’s really impressive hearing how many other dogs have found happy homes thanks to their hard work.”

Dogs Trust West London manager, Richard Moore, says:

“The support we’ve received from the local community over the past five years has been incredibly heart-warming. It’s been a pleasure to match so many lovely dogs with fabulous families. One that particularly sticks in my mind was helping Blue Peter presenter Helen Skelton choose her dog Barney. It was vital to find a dog that would be happy on the set of the show as well as make a great pet for her. It worked out perfectly. We’re all looking forward to the next five years and finding forever homes for even more marvellous mutts!”

Thanks to Klassy Canine Bakery for donating the doggy-safe birthday cake and special treats. http://www.klassycaninebakery.co.uk/ / 01884 255584

Happy Mother's Day, Norah!

Samantha Davis, Supporter Relations Officer at our Canterbury centre wants to tell you about the centre's 'Top Mum' on this Mother's Day! Over to you, Sam:

Mother’s Day is a day when we can spoil our mums and take them for days out and show them how much they mean to us. So we thought we’d share the story of our ‘Top Mum’ here at Dogs Trust Canterbury and how she deserves lots of love and affection and a 2nd chance at the perfect home.

Norah is a 9 year old Boxer Cross who first came to Dogs Trust Canterbury back in July 2005. She was heavily pregnant and a week after her arrival she gave birth to 14 little rascals. She played the role of mum perfectly for the following 8 weeks and all puppies went to their new homes at 2 months old.

Norah had put all her energy into raising her brood of puppies so she spent the next 2 weeks resting and recuperating before she went to her new home. She spent the next 5 years quite happily in her home as queen of the castle but was sadly returned to us last year.

Norah is now looking for her forever home where she can be the ‘baby’ and be looked after by a loving and devoted new owner. The ideal setup for her will be a quiet adult only home where she will have company most of the time. She is quite happy to potter about and enjoys a slow amble in a rural environment. She would prefer to be an only pet so she can get the lion’s share of the love and attention. She can be quite shy and timid of new people and strangers so the adoption process would be slower than normal; she is worth the wait however as she will make a loving addition to the right household once she is settled in.

If you're interested in Norah or any other dog at our Canterbury centre, please pop into the centre (Radfall Road, Chestfield, Near Whitstable, Kent, CT5 3ER) or call us on 01227 792505. You can also see her profile online.

Response to The Sun - "Nuke Brit stays in Japan to look after his dog"

Did you read this piece in The Sun about a Martin Dean, a Brighton man living in Japan with his family, who has refused to leave his dog due to quarantine restrictions? We read it and decided to contact the Sun to let them know that we had some information that would be useful to Mr Dean or others in a similar predicament. If you're interested, you can read our letter here:

Hello,

I’m writing from the charity Dogs Trust regarding your piece in today’s paper on the Brit in Japan who’s refusing to leave his dog due to quarantine restrictions [p 19].

I wanted to let you know about an animal rescue shelter called ARK that is based in Osaka, Japan, that is caring for dogs/cats/domestic pets caught up in the devastation. ARK is running a boarding programme for pets which allows owners to leave Japan safe in the knowledge that their pets are cared for.

The charity and is run by a British woman called Elizabeth Oliver. Today Elizabeth has issued the following guidelines which may be of interest to your readers:

• The charity will take in pets at either ARK Tokyo or in the Osaka shelter and will look after any animals left behind or at risk from people having to leave Japan, at no cost. Pets can board at ARK for three months. If after three months there has been no contact from the owner, those pets will then become the property of ARK and will be rehomed to a loving new family.


• Anyone wishing to leave their pets at ARK will need to visit the rescue shelter themselves details on http://www.arkbark.net/ or have the animals sent to the nearest airport which is Osaka Itami. Here, dedicated members of staff will meet them the animals and/or their owners - this is a huge task so they are short of transport staff but will do all they can.


• All animals will be checked by vet upon arrival and ARK asks pet owners to prepare details including vaccinations, health issues, or daily habits.


• ARK will board free of charge but would appreciate any donations.

Photo courtesy of the ARK website at http://www.arkbark.net/.