Dogs Trust

Lily and Maddison: New Year Update

2012-01-30T10:53:00.000Z

A new and final update, as promised, for those of you who have been asking about Great Danes Lily and Maddison:

Lily's new owners say she has settled in very well. She enjoys her walks, and particularly loves playing with her toys. They are full of enthusiasm for their newest family member, saying they "love her to bits".

Maddison's owners popped in a Christmas card to Dogs Trust Shrewsbury over the festive season, letting everyone know she is very happy and enjoying life as part of their family.

We are very pleased that both Lily and Maddison have found homes that can give them the attention, love and care they need. We thank their owners for their commitment, and wish them all the best for the future.

We are not planning any more updates on these girls, but wanted to let everyone who had followed their stories know that they are happily settled. As ever, we thank you very much for your interest, concern and support.

Dogs Trust Loughborough: Photos, Info and Jobs!

2012-01-23T15:22:00.003Z

Did you know there's a brand new Dogs Trust rehoming centre coming to town?

Dogs Trust Loughborough will be opening late Spring / early Summer. The centre will be based in Wymeswold, Leicestershire, to cover that area of the country (although, as ever, if you have a UK address and can visit as often as you need to, you can rehome from any centre).

Recently we held an Information Day at Loughborough Town Hall to share information on our plans for the centre as well as career opportunities. There are over 38 job openings in at least 13 different roles... more about that in a moment!

First, here are some great photos from the day, many featuring Nikki Smith, the new Centre Manager, whom we warmly welcome to our team.

More information about what to expect from the centre can be found on the Dogs Trust Loughborough page on our website. This will be kept regularly updated, so it's the place to look for opening dates, events and more. You can also follow the centre on Twitter @dt_loughborough, so do go and say hi to Nikki there.

So, about those jobs! Here's where you can find the details on our website. The closing date for most of them is February 3rd, with interviews taking place from late February, so there's still a little time to think about your application.

Please note: it's important to carefully follow the instructions given for each individual role, as most require an application form (no CV), though some might require a CV instead (with a supporting statement). If you're not sure which, or you have any other questions just drop a line to our HR department. You are welcome to apply for more than one position. Part time roles are indicated.

Lily the Great Dane: a mini update

2011-12-13T11:58:00.001Z

We know lots of people out there are interested to know what's happened with Lily the Great Dane at Dogs Trust Shrewsbury, so we thought we'd share a short update we received this week.

Last week, Lily was 'booked' (reserved) by a carefully selected, committed new owner, and over the weekend she moved from the centre to her new home. As Lily is blind, adjusting can take some time because the home environment is a more complex one than kennels; we will do another update in the New Year when we have confirmation that she has settled in well to a loving forever home. So far, though, the signs are good, and centre staff are very hopeful.

We thank you again for all the interest you have shown in Lily's welfare.

Dogs Trust Salisbury's 12 Staffies of Christmas

2011-12-12T14:10:00.000Z

These gorgeous Staffies whispered a few little secrets in their carers' ears, and now they're letting us know what they want in their stocking this year!

At this time of year, we remind people that a dog is for life, so please think carefully about the commitment; we would love to hear from loving homes for the long haul. And though the video is tongue in cheek and includes some tinsel and references to roast dinners, please be aware of safety in and around the house this year and make sure that dogs aren't allowed to chew anything that could present a hazard, or eat anything inappropriate.

Please see the links below for more information.

Christmas Safety Tips

Dog-friendly Christmas Menu (pdf)

Ho No No: An Update

2011-12-12T11:09:00.001Z

Thank you to each and every one of you that has sent a card to Harrods or other retailers to spread the message about our Ho No No campaign. So far over 800 cards have been sent in just one week. We know that a few people have received responses from Harrods about the care that they take in selling puppies, and have a few comments to make about this:

While we know that Harrods does have high standards of care for the animals in the Pet Kingdom, we still believe it is completely unnecessary, in this day and age, to sell puppies in a retail environment, whatever time of year. It is not essential for animals to be sold in-store. We would always advocate that puppies should be seen interacting with their mother and a reputable breeder knows that, given the choice, a home environment plays a significant part in raising well-socialised puppies.

If Harrods was to stop the sale of puppies it would send a powerful message to smaller retailers and local pet shops that this is not an appropriate way to sell a dog. It is possible through the Ho No No campaign to choose an alternative retailer to send your card to if you consider that they present a more urgent issue.

We thank everyone who has been helping us put pressure on Harrods to lead the way in ending this practice. To join the campaign, and send a FREE card today, please see http://bit.ly/HoNoNo

Ho No No! Again!

2011-12-09T16:12:00.007Z

Ho No No – Please support our Christmas campaign!

We told you about Ho No No earlier this week but wanted to give you an update and ask you again to please help us. We also wanted to give you a bit more background. This year the campaign has had many strands, all with the ultimate aim of stopping puppies being bought as Christmas presents. Our two pronged approach targets both sellers and buyers.

To target the sellers we are trying to encourage pet shops not to sell puppies at this time of year, just as we stop rehoming during the festive period. The biggest of these ‘shops’ is the world famous store Harrods. Part of the Ho No No campaign is to send thousands of cards to Harrods to persuade them to stop selling puppies this Christmas, if we can convince them to stop then persuading other pet shops to do the same should be easy.

But we can’t do any of this without your help! Send a card to Harrods FREE by going to http://greetingcards.dogstrust.org.uk/ . There is a registration form to fill in but we can assure you its very quick, you won’t get loads of spam from us and it will mean the world to us and to the puppies that will have a better home as a result.

Every year we remind people that ‘a dog is for life, not just for Christmas’ and provide reasons why getting a dog at Christmas is not a good idea. Despite this, a third of all children put a puppy on their Christmas wish list and more than one in six parents say they would buy a dog as a Christmas gift if their child asked for one!*

Our Ho No No campaign targets buyers by reminding them that buying a dog online is not a great idea. Although there are many reputable sellers, we really want people to be aware of the dangers of buying an animal online and to understand why Christmas is not a great time to introduce a puppy into your home.

Dogs Trust friend Dermot O’Leary recorded these words of warning for us, isn’t he lovely!

Find our more about what Dogs Trust is doing this Christmas please visit our site http://www.adogisforlife.com/

*Dogs Trust survey carried out by One Poll in October 2011. 1,000 respondents of parents with children aged 3 to 16 years

Book: Carole Collier's Why a Staffie?

2011-12-07T10:49:00.001Z

Carole Collier is a Staffy owner and lover who has written a book to help encourage people to see beyond the breed's sometimes negative reputation. We definitely think it's important to stand up for Staffies, so we asked her to tell us all a bit more about her book. She also provided us with the beautiful photos!

As with the first, the updated Second Edition of Why A Staffie? tells the “other side of the story” about this much maligned and very loving breed. The majority of stories contained in the book are told as if through the eyes of the dogs themselves. These will make you smile. Then there are the stories of dogs that have been ill treated or abandoned, only to find love once more with a forever home. In the opinion of the contributors to this book, plus many other rescue organisations and countless vets, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier makes the perfect family pet.

As with the first edition, once production costs have been met 100% of the balance will go straight to charity. In this case Doris Banham Dog Rescue, to help in their work providing loving homes for dogs in need.

To purchase a copy please go to www.lulu.com

The book is available both in glorious colour, showing all our dogs in their true colours, or black and white, so you can choose whichever version best suits your pocket .

You can also download and share Dogs Trust's factsheet about Staffordshire Bull Terriers and Staffy Crosses.

Ho No No: Tell Harrods and pet shops to take puppies off the Christmas wish list!

2011-12-05T13:09:00.001Z

Did you know that a third of children still ask for puppies for Christmas and that 1 in 6 parents say they'd bow to the pressure and get one?

This year, we are launching our “Ho, No, No” campaign, to target Harrods and other pet shops across the UK and encourage them to help prevent pet sales that are regretted once the festive season is over.

We're asking everyone tosend a FREE* Christmas Card to Harrods to ask them to stop selling puppies at Christmas.

If you know someone thinking of getting a dog this Christmas, please help them find the right information so that they're properly prepared to give a dog a home for life by sharing the pages below:

- Dermot O'Leary's Christmas Message: Don't Buy a Puppy From the Internet

- How to rehome a dog from Dogs Trust

- Buying a dog from a reputable breeder

- Puppy care tips and advice

- You and Your Puppy iPhone / iPad App

- Responsible Dog Ownership

As we've been saying for 33 years: a dog is for life, not just for Christmas.

*Dogs Trust is funding the free cards. If you want to help our message go even further and help dogs at the same time, you can opt to pay for a card yourself. This will be much appreciated! If there's another vendor you think should get a card too, then please do send one - you'll have to pay a small cost for that. But even if you're not in the UK the free ones to Harrods can be sent without charge as they're posted from the UK.

Dogs Trust's 12 Gifts of Christmas

2011-12-01T11:34:00.007Z

The countdown to December 25th has begun and we proudly bring to you the ‘12 gifts of Christmas’.

It’s our pick of some Dogs Trust Christmas catalogue favourites, we hope you enjoy and feel inspired!

DAY 12: Ultimate 2 in 1 Dog Coat

We hope you’ve enjoyed our ‘12 gifts of Christmas’. The twelfth gift is our stylish Ultimate 2 in 1 Dog Coat. What we want to know is who wears it best; Daniel or Dee Dee? Cast your votes now in the comments!

DAY 11: Dogs Trust Car Safety Harness

Driving home for Christmas? If you’re driving with your dog in the car, make sure he’s safe and secure with our eleventh gift of Christmas. Our Dogs Trust Car Safety Harness is a must have and is available for dogs of all sizes.

DAY 10: Hide and Treat Bone

Our tenth gift of Christmas will keep your dog amused for HOURS! Our Hide and Treat Bone Dog Toy has hidden pockets in which to stash treats - watch your dog try to figure out how to find the tasty morsels!

DAY 9: Westie Mug and Spoon

Mmmm what a yummy winter treat. We’re taking a (short!) break from our computers and enjoying a tasty hot choc, with all the trimmings, served in this adorable Westie mug. Well, it is Friday after all!

DAY 8: Paw-print Socks

Operations Director, Giles is bringing a touch of style and flair to his daily office attire with our eighth gift of Christmas. Our cosy and colourful paw-print socks make perfect stocking fillers! He wears them well don’t you think?

DAY 7: Percy the Pelican

Here’s a video of our lovely office dog Daniel playing with our seventh gift of Christmas – Percy the Pelican. Percy could keep Daniel amused for hours and we could watch Daniel for just as long!

DAY 6: Malt Whisky Cake

The sixth gift of Christmas is our mouth-watering Malt Whisky Cake. A firm favourite in our catalogue for years, we thought it about time we tried it for ourselves! It’s rather tasty and when every crumb has been gobbled, the tin will come in handy for storing other cakes, mince pies and biscuits… Now, whose turn is it to bake a replacement?

DAY 5: Westie Slippers

Sing it everyone – ‘On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me, slippers shaped like a Westie…’ Here’s our Facilities Manager, Jeff, looking rather fetching in these cosy Westie Slippers. Yes Jeff, we know modelling slippers was not what you signed up for!

DAY 4: Hungry Hound Doggy Bank

Our fourth gift of Christmas is quite possibly one of the quirkiest gifts we’ve featured in our Christmas collection, and that’s why we love it! Our Hungry Hound Doggy Bank has the novelty factor but is also practical for saving your pennies after you’ve finished your Christmas shopping spree. Watch him gobble up your coins -barking mad!

DAY 3: Trio of Frames

Our third gift of Christmas is one for the home. Our stylish trio of wooden photo frames is perfect for special snaps of your loved ones both human and hound! Here’s our office dog rogues gallery! Cute don’t you agree?

DAY 2: Peperami Dog Toys

The second gift of Christmas is one for your canine friend. If your dog’s fed up of last year’s festive toys (or he’s completely demolished them!), why not treat him to something a little different this Christmas? Peperami has launched its own range of humorous dog toys with a meaty theme!

DAY 1: 2012 Dogs Trust calendar

We’ve turned the final page of our 2011 Dogs Trust calendar and what a year it’s been! If you’ve enjoyed looking at our lovely dogs throughout the year, now’s the time to get your paws on our 2012 Dogs Trust calendar. Next year’s dogs are just as adorable!

Check back daily from now until the 12th for the rest of our '12 gifts' or find us on Facebook or Twitter to follow our updates.

Dermot O'Leary's Christmas Message

2011-12-01T10:07:00.004Z

We know that puppies are still making it on to a lot of Christmas lists, so as well as reminding people that 'a dog is for life, not just for Christmas', we asked a lovely celebrity supporter, Dermot O'Leary, to help us spread the word about the risks of buying pups online.

He kindly agreed, and has recorded this special Christmas message for you to watch and share:

For more about our Christmas Campaigns, please see www.adogisforlife.com

Update 02/12: Can't get enough of ZOMGDERMOTANDPUPPIES? (And let's face it, who can?) Check out the outtakes!

Once again, please visit www.adogisforlife.com to find out more about our Christmas campaigns.

Lily and Maddison: an update

2011-11-22T10:29:00.006Z

Thank you to those of you who have shown such an interest in Lily and Maddison.

Update 11:58 (13th December): A short update on Lily's progress.

We are aware that many people have been waiting anxiously to hear more about the pair but we wanted to give both dogs time to adjust to their new circumstances before updating you on their progress. We appreciate that it can be frustrating waiting to hear more about such a public appeal, but we had to consider the dogs' wellbeing first and did not want to release half the story; it was, in fact, only this week that we had a full update to give.

A home was found for both Lily and Maddison and due to Lily’s special circumstances the settling in process needed to be very gradual. However, despite the best efforts of staff and the very committed new owners it became evident that Lily and Maddison were no longer happy to live together. Quite simply the nature of their relationship changed in their new home environment and after careful consideration and many attempts at re-introduction in different surroundings which continued until very recently, the decision was made that they would need to be rehomed separately.

Maddison remains very happy in her new home and Lily is doing fine back at the rehoming Centre. She is getting on very well without Maddison as living with her in a home environment just didn’t seem to work and was clearly stressful for her. The staff at Dogs Trust Shrewsbury are looking after her so well and she is not short of love and hugs. Our number one priority has always been the health, welfare and safety of both dogs, and this decision was not made lightly.

We hugely appreciate the concern and affection shown for these two dogs by supporters around the world, and thank you for your patience in awaiting this update.

Q: Why did it take so long for Dogs Trust to post an update on Lily and Maddison?

A: Dogs Trust has worked tirelessly with both Lily and Maddison since it became evident that they could not stay together in the home environment. We wanted to give both dogs as much time as they needed to settle down before giving an update on them. Their welfare is our priority above all else.

Q: Why were Lily and Maddison separated?

A: The dogs went to their new home together on 29th October and within one day of being in that environment Lily started to show signs of aggression towards Maddison and eventually attacked her. Maddison became very frightened of Lily and the family who was so willing to take on these two huge dogs were heartbroken to have to make the decision to contact Dogs Trust again to make them aware of their concerns. It was then decided that for the welfare of Lily and Maddison they should be returned to Dogs Trust where Training and Behaviour advisors could asses the unexpected situation.

Q: What happened when Lily and Maddison were returned to Dogs Trust?

A: From 30th October - 7th November Canine Carers and the Training and Behaviour Advisor at Dogs Trust Shrewsbury worked with Lily and Maddison every day to try to rehabilitate and reintroduce the dogs to each other. They did a scent transfer in their kennels and made sure that they were introduced to each other in different locations at the Rehoming Centre to give them the best possible chance to rebuild their relationship. Staff produced a daily report on their progress and gave them the most thorough assessment possible.

Sadly, the nature of their relationship seemed to have changed totally since being in their new home environment together.

Lynn Barber our Head of Training gives this assessment:

'The aggressive reaction Lily had towards Maddison in her new home is almost certainly because she is blind, meaning she will have adjusted and reacted differently compared to a dog with full vision. Lily had been living in a home for six years and in an environment that she was comfortable in and used to. The move to kennels with Maddison would not have been too hard for Lily as the kennel environment is limited and easier to adjust to. This means her relationship with Maddison would have been easy to maintain and remained stable.

Until that point assessment proved that the dogs were happiest together and that they offered each other valuable support – rehoming Lily and Maddison together became the Rehoming Centre’s priority.

Sadly for Lily moving to another home proved extremely stressful and she struggled to adjust to the new environment, find her way around, and build a new relationship with her owners whilst maintaining her friendship with Maddison. The stress and uncertainty Lily felt during the move resulted in her attacking Maddison. Unfortunately some fights in the dog world are so distressing that it becomes too difficult to forgive each other. After weeks’ of trying to reintroduce the dogs it was clear that they were extremely distressed in each others’ company and happiest when kept apart.

For the safety and wellbeing of the dogs Lily and Maddison will be rehomed separately. Human company and affection in their new homes will help to take the place of dog companionship and ensure their happiness'

Originally, when Lily and Maddison came to Dogs Trust, they got on very well in a kennel environment. This is the reason that we sent out a rehoming appeal looking for a home that would take them both on. We could not foresee the change in Lily’s behaviour towards Maddison in a home environment but had to act accordingly once this was highlighted to us. Due to the nature of the attack on Maddison in the home Dogs Trust had the responsibility for the safety of both dogs and the family members who took them on.

They were finally separated on Thursday 17th November.

Q: Why did the new owners decide to keep Maddison instead of Lily?

A: The staff at Dogs Trust had made a decision after thorough assessment that they would need to be rehomed separately - for the welfare of both dogs. The family were willing to take Maddison back without Lily. Rehoming Centre staff were relieved as Maddison was not coping very well in kennels.

Maddison was most suited to the family as she has never shown signs of aggression towards other dogs which is important as the daughter of the family has two dogs who regularly visit the house.

Staff at Dogs Trust Shrewsbury are confident that they will find a wonderful home for Lily as there was so much interest in both dogs but also interest from people who would be keen to rehome just one of them. She will have to go to a special home where she is the only pet. Lily adores human contact so it will also have to be a home where she has company for most of the day.

Thankfully neither Lily nor Maddison have shown distress or anxiety apart and in fact the only time they have shown anxiety is when they are together.

Q: Is Dogs Trust involving Great Dane Rescue in the story of Lily and Maddison?

A: Where appropriate we have worked with breed rescue organisations when rehoming some of our dogs but on this occasion with Lily and Maddison we didn’t feel it was necessary as we could not have foreseen the change in nature of Lily and Maddison’s relationship. Dogs Trust has previous experience working with and rehoming Great Danes successfully.

Q: What is Dogs Trust doing to help Lily now that she is back with them?

A: Firstly, Lily is getting lots of hugs and attention from the staff at Dogs Trust Shrewsbury. She is being thoroughly assessed by the Training and Behaviour Advisor and we are carefully looking at rehoming possibilities for her.

Q: Has Dogs Trust informed the Daily Mail about the changes in Lily and Maddison’s relationship and circumstances?

A: By the time the story of Maddison and Lily’s rehome had gone to print the attack had happened. Unfortunately it was too late as the story had already gone to press. However the Daily Mail have since been informed of the current situation.

Update 14:25 (23rd November): Just to clarify, as this was originally not in the statement but is in fact the case, initially both dogs were returned to us while behavioural work and assessments were carried out. Apologies for not making that clear in the original text.

Update 15:07 (24th November): We have updated the above with answers to frequently asked questions. We also posted this in its entirety on Facebook at 17:27 last night. You can see that entire thread here.

Update 11:58 (13th December): A short update on Lily's progress.

Dogs Trust Snetterton: Jasper the Weimaraner needs a home!

2011-11-21T10:51:00.006Z

Update 16/01/12:

After struggling to cope with kennel life a temporary home (on our Home from Home scheme) was found for Jasper so he could relax while waiting to find his forever home.

We are delighted to report that after spending a few months in the wonderful care of his foster mum, he was spotted on our website, by a family in Norfolk, and is now happily settled in his forever home, enjoying life to the full!

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Dogs Trust Snetterton is making a special appeal for beautiful nine year-old Weimaraner Jasper. A sweet boy, Jasper finds life in kennels hard, so has been in foster care. However, he now urgently needs to find his home for life; could you be the one to offer it to him?

Says Kate Brewster, Supporter Relations Officer at Dogs Trust Snetterton:

“Jasper is a lovely chap who unfortunately found his way to us after his parents split up and is finding kennel life very difficult. After his health started to deteriorate Jasper went to stay with one of our ‘Home from Home’ families and it is clear for all to see that he his health has dramatically improved. But he can’t stay here forever and is on the hunt for his new forever home.

As is typical of his breed, Jasper enjoys using his nose and even though his age is nearly in double figures he still has as much energy as a dog half his age. He enjoys nice walks and loves exercising and playing with his tennis ball or tug rope - its even better if there is someone to play with! A real 'people person', Jasper would ideally like a home with lots of people so that he doesn’t have to spend too much time on his own. This beautiful boy could be a great addition to any lucky family and he has a lot of love and affection to share.”

If you think you can offer this handsome lad a fairytale ending, drop into Dogs Trust Snetterton on North End Road between midday and 4pm Tuesday - Sunday or call 01953 498 377.

These stunning photos of Jasper were taken by the lovely volunteer foster carer who is currently looking after him.

Dogs Trust Veterinary Director visits ITC India to help vet training

2011-11-07T13:36:00.007Z

Who needs Captain’s Log when you can have Director’s Blog?

Paula Boyden, Dogs Trust Veterinary Director has swapped rainy London for a week in Southern India at the International Training Centre to help train vets, animal handlers and shelter workers from all over the country how to run

cost effective and safe neutering and vaccination programmes.

The Centre’s long term aim is to help reduce the number of rabies related deaths in India. The ITC needs more UK vets like Paula to give up their time and support the centre for a week or six months. Over to you Paula…

Saturday 29 / Sunday 30 October 2011

After a 10 hour flight we arrive in Bangalore at 4.30am, temperature around 25oC with a 7 hour car journey in front of us. Destination: Ooty, a small town in Tamil Nadu. Our car drivers await us, my fellow travellers being John Gaye (Vice Chairman of Dogs Trust trustees), James Florence from Worldwide Veterinary Service and Gabriela, a Spanish vet working in Yorkshire (!) who is volunteering at the ITC for a couple of weeks.

If there are any rules on the Indian roads it can only be described as anything goes, namely:

Any vehicle/person permissible; car, lorry, bus, tictic, oxen, sheep, goats, dogs, pedestrians, carts (ox drawn and wooden wheels) all vying for the same space
Use of the horn is mandatory in any and every situation
Overtaking, particularly in the face of oncoming traffic is a national sport. I’m not sure our driver understood what a gearbox is for, but it clearly wasn’t his day to die. Corners merely add a new dimension
Windscreen wipers are optional; we had the uni-wiper variety, thankfully on the driver side

We pass through Mysore and then onto Bandipur National Park – a baby elephant and her protective mother are sighted! Bandipur is in the Karnataka region of India; as we pass into Tamil Nadu it becomes Mudumalai national park. Plenty of monkeys also seen and tiger safaris are available. Sadly no time to stop and spot.

Our first destination is IPAN (India Project for Animals and Nature) where we meet Nigel and Ilona Otter. Nigel runs IPAN; which, like many animal welfare organisations, is run on a shoestring with totally dedicated staff. IThe organisation co-ordinates and runs field neutering projects.

Local animals requiring veterinary attention are also seen at IPAN; to ensure dogs get the right treatment, they are kept in until the course is complete. This is in part due to many dogs being ‘community’ dogs and not kept inside, and also difficulties associated with dosing. IPAN has around 30 dogs that live quite happily at the centre, many of them ending up there by default. There are also several donkeys left over from working in local brick kilns.

Our final destination is Ooty itself, just 500m climb and 36 hairpin bends (they are numbered so easy to count!). We finally arrive around 4.30pm, some 30 hours after I last saw a bed. No point in peaking too early; so time for rest and recuperation, an evening meal and then the most wonderful night’s sleep. Welcome to India!

Monday 31 October 2011

The first day on the Animal Birth Control [ABC] course; the ITC not only train vets but also run courses for managers, veterinary assistants and dog catching, essential to be able to run an ABC programme.

The first half of the day is introductions as well as an overview of the course. The course leader is Dr Ilona, helped by Dr Maiju, Dr Arnand and Dr Gabriela, with me Dr Paula in the wings. The course overview explains that the primary objective is to contain rabies and humanely control the dog population (via ABC programmes). Killing dogs or locking them up will not solve the problem.

The variety of experience of the vets is staggering; many have done no surgery at all or the numbers are in single figures despite graduating some years ago. This in itself shows how important the ITC is.

I was delighted to see a (human) GP on the course. He’s here because in his community rabies is on the increase and he wants to know how to manage it.

The afternoon consisted of demonstration surgery; a dog castrate and bitch spay.

Tuesday 1st November

An interesting start to the day; the waiters in the hotel restaurant had clearly decided that I needed help with my breakfast choice and brought, unprompted, rice pancakes and green curry for me. Now I am a fan of green curry, but not at 7.30am; toast and marmalade is truly fine!

First day of operating today; the students start the day by doing rounds and wound scoring on the dogs operated on the previous day which provides some healthy rivalry and a sense of pride among the delegates. Today’s scoring was from the two demo ops from yesterday afternoon only so it was more or less straight in to operating. Each delegate is expected to perform two surgeries each day; doesn’t sound much but try and imagine yourself as a 3rd year student again.

The thing I find staggering is the lack of practical skills amongst these vets through no fault of their own. Even basics such as scrubbing up, putting on surgical gloves and having everything to hand before inserting an i/v catheter are completely alien. I spoke with Dr Neghna over lunch; despite graduating in 2009, he has not performed any neutering ops. He is a government vet (as most are – with a good income and a pension). He gets involved with AI, vaccinating against pasteurella and clostridial diseases in cattle and sheep. The 5 year vet course consists of 4.5 years at university followed by 6 month placements, 3 in agricultural establishments (equivalent to animal husbandry placements in years 1 and 2 in the UK) and 3 months with a government vet where they get no practical experience. With a culture of not questioning senior colleagues bad habits just perpetuate.

I joined in the supervision of surgery today; this is quite scary as you cannot take your eyes off them for a minute. They are simply, through no fault of their own, not used to handling tissues, ligation, suturing. Again, a reminder of how vital the work of the ITC is.

Lectures are held each afternoon; today’s was late as the first day of operating is always long. Perhaps not ideal, however given that we are at around 2500m above sea level, it is important that the dogs are given maximum time to come round from the anaesthetic. Today was asepsis and antibiotics. All dogs are kept in for 2 days post operatively to ensure that they are well before being returned to their own environment (note the change from TNR, trap-neuter-release to CNR, collect-neuter-return).

Finished the day with a Chinese meal (as one does in India); this was definitely the Indian adaptation with Indian level of spices – hot!

Wednesday 2nd November

Started the day with more surgery; this time a challenging spay even by UK proportions. The bitch was of good condition score, plenty of fat and tortuous blood vessels. Dr Krishna coped very well, although it’s quite difficult not to step in and take over. I’m so pleased I’m not a 3rd year student again!

Took the opportunity to have a look in Ooty over lunch; there are still some of the old colonial buildings left, including one which is a bookshop, Higginbothams! We were left in no doubt about it being the monsoon season; the heavens opened and continued for much of the afternoon.

Back for afternoon lectures, anaesthetics and analgesia. The good thing about this course is that the delegates are eager to learn and want to know more. There is one, slightly older vet on the course who, when discussing chronic osteoarthritic pain advocated the use of ‘bad leg tablets’ – it transpired these contain omega 3 and chondroitin. This is the same vet that suggested that the ITC should ask the vaccine companies to reduce the antigens in vaccines to make them less expensive; the ITC only receive 445 Rs, around £50, to collect, neuter, vaccinate and return the dogs – this not only includes the surgery and vaccination costs but has to cover the cost of transport and the salaries of the dog catchers as well!

Thursday 3rd November

A morning of completely mixed emotions today. Nigel took us to Coonoor (on the other side of the hill to the way we came up) where they have been very successful in running the ABC programme. We stopped at a local government veterinary ‘hospital’ which left me feeling completely downhearted. The building were erected in 1914 and little appears to have been done to them since. The practice room were frankly, a mess. Tables covered in used syringes, and tin pots containing treatment powders, magnesium sulphate and sodium bicarbonate. There was a lady waiting with her sick dog to see the vet who had disappeared off. A farmer arrived and shouted at the (unskilled) veterinary assistant who just handed over some medicines to pacify the individual. Seeing an environment such as this emphasises what an uphill battle is being faced; whereas in the UK, much of what we do is to educate pet owners, here in India it has to start with the vets. Ilona mentioned seeing the course notes for a postgraduate course in orthopaedics which suggested that peri-operative pain relief is not always necessary, and if so, paracetamol should suffice! It is still common practice to administer dexamethasone at the time of neutering to reduce post-operative swelling!

We then went on to visit one of the slum areas in Coonoor; even having visited developing countries before I still found this upsetting. The slum was alongside a fast flowing and dirty water course where people just dispose of their rubbish. Apparently it is much improved from when WVS first visited in that a toilet block has been built to improve the sanitation. The gypsy inhabitants live under tarpaulins with their animals in sheer squalor. There were lots of puppies which they try to sell to visiting tourists; the area is a holiday destination for Indians who come up to the hills to escape the heat of the summer.

There is a train that goes up the hill towards Ooty which we decided to take rather than drive back. I have to say, the best 50p spent in a long while. Stunning scenery and a fabulous feat of engineering. The carriages were something to behold, although we did have the best seats in the house – rights at the front of the train (the engine was pushing, not pulling) in the direction of travel!

This evening’s lecture was on ethics and euthanasia; we discussed amputation and the ethics of amputating more than one leg, but what about amputating the leg of a cow? Allegedly one of the (older) attendees had – interestingly the same one that prescribed bad leg tablets.

We ate with Ilona and Nigel this evening; these folks who give and do so much really have so little by Western standards – it is clear that while they give and do so much, being materialistic isn’t on their agenda.

Friday 4th November

The skills and confidence of the course participants is growing. One of them, Dr Prasad is fired up to set up an ABC programme in Andhra Pradesh where he is from. Sadly, like most things, bureaucratic red tape gets in the way. If he wants to set up the programme and apply for funding he has to run it himself for 2 years, gain approval from the AWBI (Animal Welfare Board of India) and then become an NGO. I just hope their enthusiasm lasts.

This afternoon was spent out with the dog catchers; there is a definite skill to this – it is not just about speed and, as with everything, a right and a wrong way! These guys most definitely do it the ‘right’ way. Therefore while the vets are neutering their assistants, apart from learning to assist in theatre, also gain the skills of dog catching. The main tool of the trade is a large net; once the dog is caught, it is then carried, in the net to the back of the truck. Nigel is the only one that handles the biting end whilst putting the dogs in the truck. Our travels again took us to parts of India that the average visitor would not see. Rubbish tips are a great source of food – if only the pictures could transmit the smell as well. One sadness was seeing cattle rifling through the rubbish while there is lush grass nearby; plastic is a huge problem for ruminants – they will eat disused packets with the plastic ultimately impacting in the rumen causing great distress. We saw a TV clip of Luke on the first day removing 14kg of plastic from a cow’s rumen. Although immediate relief, only palliating the problem until the cause – discarding plastic – can be resolved.

Today’s ‘catch’ is 11 dogs; they are taken back to the ITC and kept overnight. Bizarrely, despite being kept in a group, they never fight.

Tonight was the group meal, held at a local hotel (dinner for 29, £75). A great chance to chat and find out more about veterinary education and the profession in India. It was also a night for dancing; as I discovered, they don’t really listen to western music and the dancing is primarily by the men – I can’t see that taking off in the UK!

Saturday 5th November

Time to head back to Bangalore for our flight home tomorrow – via the 36 hairpin bends. We first visit the ITC to attend the final lecture (trauma and amputation) and to say our goodbyes. There is a festival on Monday so lots of traffic on the road. Thankfully our transport was better than on the way here – James and I had the (circa 1980) Chevrolet that was most definitely not built for comfort on the way to Ooty; the Toyota cruiser was a much more comfortable return journey. A trip that is a couple of hundred miles literally takes all day. We stop at Mysore for a break and to have a look around the palace. Not being used to westerners we found that we were the tourist attraction and will be turning up in many a photo album across the region! Bangalore is just one massive conurbation that spreads for miles – we finally arrive at the hotel around 9pm, Basco our driver relieved that James could tap into sat nav via his i-phone. If not, I fear we could still have been there.

Sunday 6th November

Finally back to Heathrow around lunchtime after a 10 hour flight. Sadly (not!) the Thai meal that I should have been taking the current Mr Boyden for (it was his birthday yesterday) couldn’t happen as the restaurant does not serve Thai on a Sunday night. A good roast was just fine!

So, was it worth it? Absolutely yes. These guys so need our help. The way they're taught is not their fault and their culture dictates that they do not challenge senior colleagues. I’m proud that Dogs Trust is involved with this project and the good that is so clearly being achieved, not only in terms of the skills of the veterinary profession, but in controlling the Tamil Nadu dog population.

Doctor Who's K-9 goes walkies at Dogs Trust

2011-11-04T10:50:00.004Z

Guess who we just caught on camera making his way from the legal department to the HR team? (Don't worry, we weren't giving him his marching orders, just a change of scene after several years in the same room)

Through no fault of his own, K-9's been through quite a few owners, but once he got to Dogs Trust we definitely knew that this dog was for life.

Besides which, he wasn't already microchipped, so tracking down The Doctor might be tricky...

Happy Silver Anniversary, Clarissa!

2011-10-28T11:21:00.005+01:00

In 1986, the Chairman's report in our Annual Review began:

“This has been a disappointing year, exceptionally so, for we have had to close three rescue centres”

Not the most auspicious of starts for the new CEO, Clarissa Baldwin, who just a few years before had coined the phrase 'a dog is for life, not just for Christmas'.

But the following years were to prove rather more fruitful, and this year we're celebrating 25 years of Clarissa being at the helm of what is now that UK's largest dog welfare charity.

At the end of 1986, Dogs Trust owned 9 rehoming centres and rented space at another 4 kennels. Those centres did what they could but in all honesty the building standards weren’t high and around 6,000 dog were cared for over the course of a year.

Today, Dogs Trust has 18 rehoming centres across the UK and Ireland. A brand new centre is under construction and planning permission has been lodged for another. When these latest additions are complete, around 18,000 stray and abandoned dogs a year will be cared for and the standard of care offered to canine guests is second to none.

The NCDL of 1986 couldn’t afford to tackle the stray dog problem at source. There were no neutering, microchipping or youth education campaigns. We couldn’t even afford to neuter our own dogs. All of these issues have now been addressed which has helped to ensure that the numbers of dogs destroyed in UK pounds is a fraction of what it was in the eighties. However, it must be stressed that even in the cash strapped days of 1986, Dogs Trust did not destroy any healthy dogs.

Thanks to Clarissa’s determination and visionary leadership - she will cringe when she reads that but it’s a fact - it’s been a truly remarkable 25 years.

So on behalf of all the staff and dogs at Dogs Trust, Happy Anniversary! Here's to the next chapter.

Book Giveaway: All We Need is Love - Daisy May Sewell

2011-10-17T14:53:00.006+01:00

If a Border Collie could tell her own story, what would she say?

In All We Need is Love, Daisy May Sewell, beloved dog of author Ron Sewell, we have the answer. As companion to the founder and former Chairman of the National Dog Owners' Association, Daisy led a wonderful life, but some of her siblings were less lucky, and the book mixes happy and sad stories to deliver a true life tale that will touch many an animal lover.

As our Chief Executive Clarissa Baldwin says in the foreword:

"At Dogs Trust we believe in celebrating the very special and unique bond that humans have with dogs... In this enchanting book we see a lovely description of this bond, so well written by one of our four-legged friends."

Daisy sadly passed away before the book was published, but her legacy remains. We have five copies of All We Need is Love to give away, in the hopes that you'll enjoy her story as much as we did.

How to Enter:

The competition has now closed and the winners informed. You can buy your own copy using the link below!

Buy the Book:

If you're not a lucky winner, you can still get your own copy of Daisy's book.

VIDEO: Pamper Your Pooch with Dogs Trust Products

2011-10-12T16:21:00.008+01:00

We promised more information about our grooming products... and here it is!

For starters, we think you'll enjoy watching this soapy, sudsy, wonderfully silly video of dogs trying out the new range.

Among the new additions are shampoos, a conditioner, soothing balms and spritzes and even extra-mild puppy products for our smallest, most delicate four-footed friends.

All the products are specifically designed for dogs, and do not contain parabens, sulphates or any ingredients tested on animals (check out the 'leaping bunny' logo).

Best of all, a minimum of one thirds of the profits will come straight to Dogs Trust and help us care for and rehome thousands of dogs ever year; so not only will your dog smell as sweet as he looks, but you'll be making sure other dogs get just as well looked after.

You can find out more about buy now at www.dogstrustproducts.com - you'll also see them in store at selected branches of Pets at Home from the New Year,

Dogs Trust Products: More info coming soon!

2011-10-11T11:08:00.003+01:00

If you've just received Wag! you might have heard about our brand new Dogs Trust products.

We're pretty excited about the launch as it's the first time we've produced anything like this, so we're looking forward to sharing more information about the range as well as giving you a peek at behind-the-scenes footage from a fairly soapy photoshoot!

Please do check back soon as it's all coming later this week.

Chiswick House & Gardens Dog Show: Max Griffin, Junior Fundraiser!

2011-09-29T11:54:00.007+01:00

Dogs Trust trustee Veronica Carbone is one of the organisers of the Chiswick House & Gardens Dog Show. This year she was very impressed to meet young fundraiser Max Griffin. Here's his story:

I reckon Mr Max Griffin deserves some kind of junior fundraiser/entrepreneur medal. Take a look at this cheeky chap with his beloved sidekick, Eric the Goldendoodle. Wouldn’t you want to tickle Eric’s chin? Scritch his delightfully flappy ears? You would? Well that’ll be 50p, please!

In recognising Eric’s extreme cuteness, and exploiting humankind’s innate desire to flapple a dog’s ears, Max has managed to raise an excellent £4.10 for Dogs Trust. Max’s urge to help stray and abandoned dogs saw him stand by the River Thames towpath near his home and charge passersby for the chance to pat Eric - for 20p a go. And charge 50p for a stroke. And charge £1 for a photo taken with him.

Not only did Max come up with the idea himself, and the sliding scale of charges, he also wrote out the sign advertising this unique opportunity and constructed the collection box.

I’m not sure what impresses me about Max the most. Could it be his dedication to raising money for dogs in need? Possibly. Or the way he has identified that people will pay more for greater service? Or could it be the way he has recognised that his own dog is super cute and that grown ups will definitely want, almost need, to stroke him as soon as they see him?

And if Max is not on Dragon’s Den pitching some fantastic idea by the time he’s 9 I’ll eat my hat!

If you're a young Dogs Trust supporter looking for learning ideas, fundraising support or just fun dog games, visit www.learnwithdogs.org.uk

Dogs Trust, The Guardian and the Dangerous Dogs Debate: Your Views

2011-09-27T16:13:00.008+01:00

About three weeks ago, we hosted a discussion on Facebook all about dangerous dog law. From about 9am to about 4pm, we kept the Discussion tab open and encouraged any one from our 220,000+ strong community there to post whatever they thought.

What we didn't tell our supporters at the time was that a round table discussion was being hosted by Dogs Trust and the BVA at the Guardian, which is being reported on today. The discussion was held under Chatham House Rule, which means that no-one is quoted by name or otherwise identified, so that a truly frank and open discussion can take place. A list of those who took part can be seen on the article linked to below.

This is the article in the Guardian as it appears today.

Below are the questions we asked on Facebook and an anonymous snapshot of some of the views posted that day.

It is not a comprehensive list of all the areas covered and does not represent a statement or view of Dogs Trust, but gives an idea of the views expressed by our supporters that day.

Is Section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 effective? It punishes the breed, not the deed; is that right?

"No. There's no such thing as a bad dog, just bad owners who turn the dog aggressive and that can happen with any breed. Meanwhile, those dogs listed on the DDA could, in the right hands, turn into well-adjusted, loving, sociable dogs."

"If DDA is so effective why are there 100's of pitbulls around and have only been on the increase? It's stupid and has not been thought out well at all, I mean it was only done overnight after all."

"There is a huge lack of education within this country when it comes to dogs. I have been out with friends who have all moved well out the way of a Staffy as it walked past, which then happily sniffed at me and let me stroke it. It was friendlier then my dog could be at the time! There is such a lack of education out there that needs to be addressed but to get it out to the whole country and to get them all to listen is a mission and a half."

"The wording of the legislation is also difficult to interpret... pitbull type, now sees many cross breeds being taken from their families on their measurements alone. Lab staffie crosses, mastiff crosses, great dane crosses, condemned to a lonely early death because they look like a type, despite being lovely family pets."

What are the implications of the DDA for dog welfare in the UK?

"The implications are that whole breeds are going to be persecuted for the actions of the few. Instead of learning that breeds aren't violent and that individual dogs are trained to be that way, all that will happen is that more breeds of dog will become illegal and so more dogs will be killed purely because of what they look like."

"There need to be more training schools and possibly something like Ofsted for them so they are more regulated. There are various trainers training in different ways from the dominance training to allowing the dog to work it out themselves. Each dog is different but there needs to be something to help keep trainers and then the dogs in check in some way."

"Some people don't actually care about the welfare of the dog and these are the people the DDA should be targeting. Those who would use a dog as a status symbol, or as a fashion accesory, or as a weapon, or those who see puppies simply as a means to make easy money."

Is the Scottish DDA an improvement?

"I think my country, Scotland, has the right idea with doggy ASBOs."
"The ASBO act is a step in the right direction, targeting the "deed not the breed" but so much more needs to be done to educate the general public."

Should the law be extended to cover private as well as public property?

"No I dont feel that it should. Why should dogs be restricted even more somewhere they should be allowed to be dog?"

If you have a swimming pool, your yard has to comply with a range of regulations that not only prevent kids who live in the house from getting in to the pool area, but also prevent your neighbours kids from doing the same (ie proper fencing). Why shouldn't this type of regulation be applied to owners of dangerous dogs?

"Yes - absolutely. A dangerous dog is a dangerous dog no matter if it's on private property or not. As we know, dogs that are trained and are well balanced and socialised tend not to be dangerous. So a dog that is dangerous perhaps hasn't the best start in life or has been trained inappropriately."

"My late father was a postman nearly all his life so came into contact with many dogs on their property. He always looked around if there was a Beware of The Dog sign before entering. On many occasions a dog would race out when the door opened, barking and snarling at him whilst delivering a parcel. 99% would get their dogs in and start apologising... The few who let the dogs carry on would be politely asked to put them inside. He never met anyone who wouldn't. Would these be classed as 'dangerous'?"
"I think the difference between a dangerous dog on public land and a dangerous dog on private property is that everyone has the right to be safe when they step into a public place. "

How can we work with key demographics that will be more likely to face challenges in this area?

"How to get from call for help from member of the public to education is tough. Compulsory microchipping at point of intervention with the specific objective of linking dog with owner, and using education as penalty mitigation."

"It is a great shame that we cant have more dog training classes available for some of the people who own the dogs that they are using as status dogs. Showing them how fantastic obedience is or agility and bring out their competitive streak but in a completely safe and fun for both way. This could be combined with advice on feeding, microchipping, vaccination etc for their dog but in a non confrontable way."

Are key agencies (eg police / local authorities) equipped to deal with this?

"No, the police are too busy dealing with other things and paperwork and there are not enough on the beat anymore. Local authorities can't deal with it either as they are too stretched with providing the essential services to boroughs."

"Police community support officers in my neighbourhood are very apporoachable I have found and take this kind of thing very seriously, I admire the job they do."

"Not that easy to police the puppy farms sadly. There needs to be education of people considering buying a dog many people dont really understand about puppy farms and just see it as way of getting the breed they want cheaply."

Will compulsory microchipping help?

"Definitely. All cats and dogs should be chipped by law. It really would help many animal welfare problems."

"YES... absolutely and without question! Impose a fine on those that don't - that will soon help with funding issues!"

"Surely only the responsible will microchip, usual problem, caring owners/breeders do the right thing."

"The microchipping service would possibly need to be made easier and more efficient."

"Compulsory chipping seems like a good idea, but will only work if there are meaningful enforceable penalties for non compliance and sufficient resources are available to police compliance."

One subject that did come up quite a lot and was eagerly debated was whether the dog license should be reintroduced. For Dogs Trust's view on why microchipping is preferable, take a look at this explanation from our Marketing Director, Adrian.

It's really valuable to us to know what our supporters think, especially about such a controversial, occasionally emotional subject so please, keep adding to the comments.

Competition: Andrew Higgins - With the S.A.S. and Other Animals

2011-09-20T14:11:00.007+01:00

When an army talks of winning the 'hearts and minds' of the citizens of a country in conflict, how does this happen? For young, newly-qualified vet Andrew Higgins in 1974 it was through joining a largely agrarian community in Oman and being solely responsible for the veterinary care of a territory roughly the size of Hungary.

Attached to A Squadron, 22 SAS as an officer of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, Higgins was caring for not only crucially important - and loved - goats, camels, sheep and cattle on which the community's livelihood depended, but also the Sultan's horses, dogs and birds - not to mention bears and hyenas.

Dr. Higgins has now put together a compelling book about his time in the desert, with an extraordinary mix of vet tales and Special Forces action.

With the S.A.S. and Other Animals: A Vet's Experiences During the Dhofar War 1974 is available in hardback from Amazon, but one lucky supporter win a copy signed by the author.

How To Enter:

This competition has now closed. The winner will be informed by email.

Buy a Copy:

By using this link to visit Amazon, Dogs Trust earns a small commission on purchases made within that session without any extra cost to you; this is regardless of which items you purchase (provided you are still within the original session).

You can also 'like' the book's page on Facebook!

More About the Author:

Dr Andrew Higgins is a graduate of the Royal Veterinary College, London, with a Master's degree in Tropical Animal Health and Production from the University of Edinburgh. He is the Editor-in-Chief of The Veterinary Journal and has co-edited The Equine Manual and The Camel in Health and Disease. He currently chairs the Doping and Medication Advisory Panel of the Greyhound Board of Great Britain as well as being Chairman of the Retired Greyhound Trust and working with a number of other animal charities including the Animals in War Memorial Fund.

He is a former trustee of Dogs Trust, and a great friend to the charity.

He and his wife, Nicola, have four grown-up children and live in Suffolk.

VIDEO: Behind the Scenes at ITV's This Morning with Daniel the Spaniel

2011-09-19T10:52:00.004+01:00

From Wag! Editor Deana Selby, Daniel's owner:

Our Veterinary Director, Paula Boyden, was invited to appear on the sofa on ITV’s This Morning.

The topic was obese dogs, and Paula chatted with Philip Schofield, Holly Willoughby and Louie Spence about easy ways to keep your dog fit, plus some top tips for getting a lardy dog back into good shape.

Daniel the Spaniel was invited along to demonstrate how easy it is for a dog to learn to use agility equipment. I was very proud of him – he went through the tunnel like a dream on his very first attempt.

Phyllis, 13, a rather portly, genteel Staffy who is currently at Dogs Trust Salisbury and looking for a great home, provided some excellent barking throughout the item! Her Canine Carer, Tery, says she’s been at the centre for two months and would absolutely LOVE a new home please (follow the link to the centre page for contact details).

In all there were seven dogs sharing the This Morning Green room – cue much barking and some super cute behaviour. And perhaps the odd growl. Here’s Paula in the midst of the dogular mayhem…

Huge thanks to all at This Morning for giving us this great opportunity to spread the word about responsible dog oownership.

Below: Daniel doing his best to look all cool and disinterested with his new celebrity friend, Louie Spence.

Vet faces snakes, panthers, piranha and more... all for dogs!

2011-09-12T14:55:00.003+01:00

Guy the Vet is going to run 137 miles through the Amazon Jungle, carrying all his food and provisions on his back, to raise funds for Dogs Trust.

He'll face wild pigs, panthers, caiman, piranha, mosquitoes, ants, and venomous snakes - all for the love of dogs. You can support him at http://www.justgiving.com/GuytheVet

Here he is in training (in the rather less terrifying surrounds of Salisbury!)...

500 miles... and 500 more: the man running 1,000 miles for dogs

2011-09-07T11:07:00.009+01:00

Supporter Matthew Joy is taking on an exhausting - if very healthy! - challenge to help our dogs; we thought no-one could tell you about it better than the man himself:

Could you run 1,000 miles?

Take a minute to think about it. No? Well, no of course none of us would want to think about running 1,000 miles in one go. Would you feel any differently if you had a whole year to do it? I suspect most of you are still shaking your heads but there are a few of you who think you might just be able to manage it - but why would you?

Well, for me it’s a long story.

As a young boy I hero-worshipped Abebe Bikila, the Ethiopian athlete who emerged from nowhere to win the 1960 and 1964 Olympic marathon running barefoot. Yes, barefoot. He was only prevented from winning the race again in 1968 by a broken bone in his foot and only finally acknowledged this when dropping out of the race approaching half way. Unfortunately, I was no runner but, by 1992, I had finally managed to summon up the courage to give the marathon a shot and was delighted to complete that year’s London Marathon (passing a man hopping on one leg only a few metres from the finish line).

Over the next 18 years I had three more attempts at the race - it’s a life-changing experience and a great day out – but outside of that I was only a fun runner, jogging a handful of miles each week. In 2010, I completed my fourth and final London Marathon in a personal best time of 3 hours 35 minutes and managed to raise a few tho

usand pounds in doing so with the kind help and huge encouragement of Matt Boustead and the fundraising team at Dogs Trust.

I trained hard for the race and, after perfect preparation and great conditions on the day, felt that I had now achieved a time that I would never better no matter how long I kept running and decided to “retire” from marathons having finally satisfied those long-held ambitions. I went back to trundling round the roads in Surrey for an hour a week or so – always a “jogger”, never a “runner” - but there was something nagging away in the back of my mind saying that I should carry on fundraising efforts for the Trust having seen at first hand the wonderful work they do and what good use they can find for every pound raised. And there also a little emotional blackmail coming from a certain little brown dog called Marley...

Tell me, who could resist? And so the 1,000 mile challenge was born.

The “rules” are simple:

I have to run 1,000 miles in 2011. My first run was on New Year’s Day and running outside or inside on the treadmill are allowed, just in case of snow and rain. All the runs have to be measured in some way, either via GPS monitor when outdoors or by the treadmill indoors, so I am not allowed to count the 100-yard dash to the bus stop after work (or chasing Marley chasing squirrels for that matter).

At the time of writing, I have run 669.59 miles, have 330.41 miles left to run and have been running for a total of 91 hours and 16 minutes or coming up for almost four days – you can get up-to-the-minute updates on progress by following me on twitter @run1000mile.

The eagle-eyed amongst you will have worked out that I am two-thirds of the way through the challenge and two-thirds of the way through the year. This is no coincidence. Very early on, I decided that the best way to ensure that I kept on track to complete the 1,000 miles was to set myself a weekly quota of miles (20) and stick to it, which I have, give or take a mile or two which has been caught up in the following week. You might also have noticed that this schedule gives me two weeks “off” during the year. I took the first of those at the end of June when I was feeling exhausted by the efforts in the first part of the year and I am saving the second of them for sometime during the winter months when some sort of cough or cold is bound to strike. I have to date (*touches wood*) been healthy all year and have not missed a single run through illness or injury. My run of good luck can’t possibly last until December can it?

The runs have generally been spread between Hyde Park (which is outside of my office door), the Surrey hills (where we live) and the treadmill at the gym. I am running four or five times a week, clocking up miles wherever and whenever I can. The biggest single challenge was finding the willpower to run whilst we were on holiday in Thailand in July but by limiting the runs to no more than four miles each day along the beach and running early in the morning I was able to keep up my quota and not be too cooked by the sun. There’s nothing quite like finishing a run by jumping into a cool swimming pool. For the statisticians amongst you, the shortest run has been 2 miles and the longest has been 8.8 miles and the average pace so far is 8 minutes 10 seconds per mile!

Thanks to the generous support of Marley’s friends and acquaintances I have so far managed to raise £455 for Dogs Trust (and a bit more back from the tax man too). Having set an initial target of only £250 I think I can aim a little higher and it would be good to reach £1,000 by the end of the year. I am hoping to be able to run my final mile on Christmas Day.

You can sponsor me at my JustGiving Page here http://www.justgiving.com/Matthew-Joy1 or by texting the phrase RUNA90 to 70070.

Thanks to all of you who have already sponsored me.

Thanks to Alex and the Digital Marketing team for letting me blow my own trumpet on the blog. I hope this gives some of you the encouragement to try a bit of running (it’s good for you, you know) and to do some fund raising for Dogs Trust and I hope it encourages all of you to offer just a little by way of sponsorship.

I can’t wait for Christmas Day…

Matthew

If you've been inspired by Matthew to challenge yourself and raise funds to help us care for thousands of dogs every year, take a look at the Giving pages on our website or drop a line to our fundraising team.

Dogs Trust and Education: Junior Canine Carer Competition, School Workshops, Responsible Dog Ownership and Nintendogs

2011-09-05T13:23:00.008+01:00

Recently Dogs Trust partnered with Nintendo and The Saturdays for the launch of a campaign that included the message 'a dog is not a toy' and focussed on some elements of responsible dog ownership. We've had quite a few questions since then about education and our use of video games in school. So, we thought we'd try and answer some of those questions and comments in one place.

Here goes!

1. Is Dogs Trust launching an education programme for the first time?

No. Dogs Trust already has an education programme that has been running in one form or another for over a decade. What started in 1999 with a handful of secondary school resources and a single Education Officer - who now runs the department - has become a nationwide scheme with 12 members of staff offering free school workshops in ten different regions across the UK.

Actually, it's not just the UK; Dogs Trust Ireland has its own programme, and we run training for overseas teaching staff too.

2. What does the education programme do?

The main aim of our education programme is to help children understand how to be responsible and safe with dogs. Our free school workshops, which are flexible and curriculum-linked, are a major part of that.

In addition, our education website www.learnwithdogs.org.uk hosts masses of pre-school, primary and secondary teaching resources and guidance notes. These can be used in addition to a workshop or on their own, so even if there's not an Education Officer in the area the information is still available and easily used in schools.

There are also games to help engage children with the topic, and resources and advice on running fundraising events.

3. Where does nintendogs™ + cats fit in? What is 'a dog is not a toy'? How did The Saturdays get involved?

nintendogs™ + cats is a real-time pet simulation video game for the Nintendo 3DS. Nintendo is donating Nintendo 3DS consoles and copies of the game so that, from September, Dogs Trust can use them in school.

The games will assist Education Officers in engaging children to think about what is involved in looking after a dog, from walking it to grooming it, to toilet training and the costs for all of this. The game allows children to put these skills to use in a safe, comfortable environment. Some will have never had any interaction with a dog so being able to build their confidence in the classroom is very beneficial. The children will also be taught about how to make an approach to a real life dog. So whether it means asking the owner first or not trying to wake a sleeping dog, this will all prove beneficial when the children come face-to-face with a real dog.

The partnership has actually existed for a number of years, since the first Nintendogs game was launched. You can watch a video of the previous game being used in the classroom in February 2009. The aim is to celebrate how rewarding owning a dog can be and remind dog owners of tomorrow that ‘a dog is not a toy’. It is also a response to the recent trend of dogs being treated as toys or fashion accessories and carried around in handbags. Dogs are not disposable items and any decisions when choosing a dog should be considered after ensure that the new owners lifestyle has been taken into account and the owner fully understands the responsibility involved.

The Saturdays are dog owners themselves and wanted to ensure the message is as far-reaching as possible.

4. My child loves dogs. What else can they do to get involved?

If your child is aged 7-11, lives in the UK or RoI and loves dogs, you might just want to show them the Junior Canine Carer Competition! The winners of this creative contest get to come behind the scenes at a Dogs Trust Rehoming Centre as well as receiving some Nintendo and Dogs Trust goodies.

You can read all about how to enter on our website.

If you have any questions about Dogs Trust Education that haven't been answered here, please do leave us a comment or find them on Facebook.

Competition: Win copies of Dawn French's A Tiny Bit Marvellous (featuring Poo the dog!)

2011-08-26T13:43:00.004+01:00

There's a new canine resident at Dogs Trust Shoreham who's a little bigger than most. Of course she's pretty easy to look after, since she tends to just sit still all day.... Oh, and she goes by the name of Poo (sometimes).

Poo is a massive statue commissioned to advertise Dawn French's A Tiny Bit Marvellous, and named after the dog character in the book of that name. Since then Ms French has kindly donated the statue to us as a talking point that is helping get more people through the doors of the centre - thank you, Dawn!

The novel, a series of diary entries from the mixed-up Battle family, has become a stonking no. 1 bestseller and now five lucky Dogs Trust supporters have a chance to get their hands on their very own copy!

How to enter:

As it happens, Dogs Trust Shoreham has since re-named Poo! But rather than tell you her new name, we want to know this: if you were going to give this giant dog statue a name, what would it be and why?

Email your answers plus your name and address to feedback@dogstrust.org.uk and we'll pick our five favourites after the closing date of Tuesday August 30th @ 10am. We can only accept entries from the UK and Ireland, and will not add you to any mailing lists / keep your data.

Good luck!

Shoreham Dalmatians reunited after 3 years go 'dotty' for each other

2011-08-23T10:07:00.004+01:00

I admit I got a little teary-eyed when our communications team told us about this story, so I wanted to share it with you.

Back in 2008, two Dalmatians, seven-year-old Freckles (left) and six-year-old Tippy, came to Dogs Trust after over 50 dogs were seized from an animal hoarder and sent to various rescue and rehoming organisations. Understandably the difficult circumstances they'd been raised in affected the dogs; although Freckles bounced back quickly and found new owners easily, Tippy was more troubled and started undergoing training and rehabilitation at Dogs Trust Shoreham.

Over time the nervous dog who didn't like to be touched started to set free his friendlier, more playful side, and it seemed like Tippy might be ready for a home soon. By chance, Freckles' owners, Graham and Cheryl O'Neil, rang the centre saying they were looking for a friend for Freckles. Centre manager Tracy Rae thought that since they'd lived together before, Tippy might be that new friend.

Graham describes the moment the dogs were reunited:

"When they caught sight of each over the fence they jumped up and wagged their tails. The minute they were let off lead in the field that was it - they ran off, barking and nudging one another. We felt like bystanders watching two friends catching up! Tippy has settled in really well now - he loves having a mad half hour and then settles down for a snooze on the sofa."

Tracy and the team at Dogs Trust Shoreham are delighted for Tippy, saying:

"Tippy will love living with Graham and Cheryl. He’s such a gentle, affectionate boy and having Freckles for company will help him relax into his new environment. His carers have worked so hard to bring him out of his shell and we’re very proud to see him go off to such a great home."

Dogs Trust Shoreham cares for around 70 dogs at any one time and will never put a healthy dog to sleep. The charity cares for dogs of all ages, breeds and sizes and would like to urge anyone looking to take on a dog to please get in touch.

If you would like to offer a dog a home, please call Dogs Trust Shoreham on 01273 452576 or visit the centre on Brighton Road, Shoreham by Sea, West Sussex BN43 5LT.

New for Waggy Walks 2011: two new walks and running your own

2011-08-22T14:01:00.005+01:00

It's getting to the time of year when we grab our trainers and head out to a local park to have a healthy stroll and raise money for dogs. This year the big date is October 2nd.

In case you're new to Waggy Walks, it's an annual sponsored walk with both 5k and 10k route options, so anyone can join in.

You simply find your nearest walk, register and set about getting people to sponsor you. Dogs are welcome but anyone, owner or not, can take part and creative costumes are also great, though not required.

This year we've added two new walk locations - Stockton-on-Tees and Canterbury - to bring the total up to twelve, and the option to set up your own walk if you're not near one. So you could even do a walk if you're not in the UK, although if that's the case please drop us a line before you do.

Can't make it, not able to set up your own but still want to show your support? There's always the option to sponsor our mascot dog. This year it's golden oldie Barnes, who's determined to beat the £4,235 raised by Otis in 2010.

Everything you need to know is on the Waggy Walks website, so please do register and come and join us in making it the biggest, best event yet.

Photo: Brilliant young volunteers help us out in Glasgow at Waggy Walks 2010.

Friday Fun Caption Competition: Win SIGNED copies of Marc the Vet's book!

2011-08-19T10:48:00.009+01:00

Do you like books about vets? Do you like competitions? Do you like silly pictures of cats? Today is your lucky day...

Below is Izzi, who belongs to one of our lovely fundraising officers, Michelle. We're not sure what she thinks of one of our Dogs Trust mailings, but perhaps you can tell us.

The best part is, if we like your answer you could win a signed copy of Marc Abraham's book, Vet on Call: My First Year as an Out-of-Hours Vet. It's an honest, funny and heartwarming true story of the beginning of the now well-known TV vet's journey caring for animals and we have seven copies to give away to our most creative supporters!

How to enter:

The competition is now closed, but feel free to add your captions for fun if you'd like to!

Although it was a very close call with some excellent entries, and we've picked seven winners, the digital team's favourite so far has been:

"Iz bilingual, I speaks cat and dog but trying to read this human stuff makes me want to hock up a hairball."

Well done Jeri in Aberdeen for that one!

Marc, aka TV's 'Marc the Vet', is a much appreciated friend who has often come along to our Dogs Trust Honours events and we're really happy he chose to let some of our supporters gets their hands on his great book this way.

If you're not lucky, you can always pick up a copy from Amazon.

Dogs Trust joins Met Police, RNLI and more for Be Safe Week

2011-08-16T15:06:00.005+01:00

Hot on the heels of telling you all about things you might not know about us, here's an event you might not have heard about yet that we're taking part in. Natalie Dexter (pictured), one of our Education Officers, tells us more:

The Transport for London Safety & Citizenship team has put together a group of special guests including us for Be Safe Week at the London Transport Museum next week. It'll be a fun five days of learning about safety in the lovely setting of the museum and a hopefully sunny Covent Garden Piazza.

Throughout the Museum there will be drop-in workshops run by London Ambulance Service, Westminster Council Road Safety Team, London Fire Brigade, Metropolitan Police, RNLI and of course Dogs Trust all giving practical skills and advice around personal safety.

Plus it’s free for all under-16s! Tickets are otherwise £13.50/£10 conc. but are good for unlimited entrance for an entire year.

Here's the info again:

Be Safe Week at the London Transport Museum

22-26 August 2011

Daily 11-5pm

See you there?

Ten Things You Might Not Know About Dogs Trust

2011-08-15T11:01:00.003+01:00

I've recently come back to Dogs Trust after maternity leave and was happy with the way pretty much everything came back to me in an instant! But time away and chatting to people about going back to work made me realise there are quite a few things people don't know about the charity. Of course our fundraising and education teams work very hard so they do know about the key objectives of the charity and much of what we do day to day. But I thought it might be nice to flag ten lesser-known things about Dogs Trust.

If you find these interesting you can also read one of our most popular posts about misconceptions and myths surrounding Dogs Trust and rescue dogs.

1. We used to be the National Canine Defence League (NCDL)

Actually, occasionally we meet people who think we still are! But we changed name in 2003 for a few reasons. One was that we thought 'dogs' should be in our name, and another was because 'defence league' suggested we were more for campaigning than actual care and welfare of dogs. Although we do of course get involved in campaigns where appropriate, what we're about every day is taking in dogs and finding them homes.

On a related note, there is actually a reason why there's no 'the' or apostrophe in the charity's name. It was felt that 'Dogs Trust' suggested a double meaning: that we were a trust for dogs, and a group dogs could trust!

2. We're 120 years old

Since the original NCDL started in 1891, we've come a long way. From private shelters set up in members' gardens, we've seen the milestone of the first purpose-built shelter, in West London, in 1912. By 1924 it was caring for 1,500 dogs a year. Now we care for around 16,000 dogs a year through a network of 17 centres across the UK, with a new one set to join in next year.

The slogan 'a dog is for life, not just for Christmas' is itself over 30 years old, coined in 1978 by Clarissa Baldwin. Working in the press office for the NCDL then, she has since taken the helm as CEO and helped us go from strength to strength.

We look forward to a great milestone of 125 years in 2016.

3. We have outreach programmes to help owners in housing crisis and fleeing domestic violence

Our Hope and Freedom Projects are often ones that surprise people who only know about our core work. The Hope Project helps owners who are homeless or in housing crisis ensure that they can keep their dogs with them and access veterinary care, while the Freedom Project arranges free temporary homing for dogs with foster carers so that women fleeing domestic violence can do so without worrying their pets will suffer.

The Freedom Project currently only operates in Greater London, Hertfordshire and Yorkshire, with Cats Protection involved in London to help find temporary homes for cats.

The Freedom Project is always happy to hear from fostering volunteers in the areas the programme is running in, and you can find out more about this and watch a video of existing foster carers on our website.

4. We have a special home just for older dogs: Oakfield Oldies

Regular sponsors might be aware of the Oakfield Oldies, but not everyone is! Part of Dogs Trust Shrewsbury (until recently known as Dogs Trust Roden), Oakfield Oldies provides a quiet, very comfy environment for some of our older residents and can be sponsored as a whole.

Despite their slightly more advanced years we know that older dogs can make excellent pets, so we never stop looking on their behalf and dogs have been rehomed from Oakfield before. Although you can't visit Oakfield as a sponsor if you are interested in taking on an older dog and are visiting Dogs Trust Shrewsbury, do let them know!

Need convincing that an older dog is for you? Read all about Chris McGrath and beloved pooches Dixie and Missy.

5. We have a Sanctuary

In rare cases, we deal with dogs that prefer not to live with people.

The Sanctuary is a large, secure field with shelter provided, which allows dogs to roam and form natural relationships within the group. They are happy, content and living a life free of the stresses with which they have shown they cannot cope. Food and health care are provided and there are two dedicated carers on hand to ensure they are well looked after.

6. We run the special STAR unit for behaviour problems

Although it's a misconception that all dogs come bundled with behaviour problems - many of our handovers are much-loved and well-trained family pets reluctantly given up due to financial problems, housing issues or a death in the family - there are dogs that need a helping hand getting back on track before a home can be found.

For some of those dogs a stay in our STAR Unit, based at Dogs Trust Evesham, is needed, where they can receive the attention and training they need to cope with the stresses and strains of ordinary life.

Incidentally, for those dogs that are not in need of help from STAR but might be nervous there are other methods used to help them in the transition from kennel to home. All new starters at Dogs Trust head office in London visit Dogs Trust Harefield within their first few months and one of the things that stood out for me there was their 'living room' - a room in the centre set up as a typical lounge where potential owners and the dog they were planning to rehome got to know each other in a non-kennel setting.

7. Our kennels have evolved

Over the years we've learned more about the comfort and behaviour of dogs, and kennel design has changed as a result. Although some of our older kennels do still have the traditional bars and the dogs are perfectly content with them, we now prefer to build our kennels with glass fronts, and at a slight angle. The glass allows both dog and visitor a better field of vision, and the way kennels are arranged means that visitors can see more dogs at a time, preventing dogs further down the corridor being overlooked, while the dogs are not placed directly opposite each other where stresses might arise.

We are also able to employ more and more eco-friendly building techniques which not only improve our carbon footprint, but they reduce our running costs. For instance both Dogs Trust Dublin and the new buildings at Dogs Trust Shrewsbury employ solar panels and recycle rainwater to hoses for cleaning kennel blocks. Shropshire Live reported many more of the eco-friendly features of the Shrewsbury rebuild.

8. We have a Dogmobile

Actually, we have two! They travel the country to help let people know about the dogs that are available for rehoming. The dogs that come along are carefully chosen to be up to the short trips and have two cosy kennels to retreat to whenever they want a rest.

Cathy, the manager of Dogmobile 1, writes regular updates for the Dogmobile blog on our website, so if you've met her you might well be mentioned!

9. Scrapping your car can help us raise money (And we have other partners, too)

One of our newest partnerships to raise funds is with Giveacar. The way it works is:

1. You decide you want to scrap your car.

2. It's picked up for free.

3. It's either resold at auction or scrapped, with proceeds from the car or scrap metal sale coming to us.

You can find out more on the Giveacar website. We also have partnerships that helps raise money from booking holidays in dog-friendly cottages, recycling old mobile phones and ink cartridges, ordering personalised children's story books, and lots more.

10. There are no kennels in our London head office!

There are a few dogs in the office, but they are all regular attendees with their owners; we don't rehome out of our Angel premises.

Although some of our fellow animal welfare charities do have central London locations it's generally because they existed before the built up areas around them. These days building a kennel in an already busy area would be just a bit tricky! That's why our nearest centre to London is nearer Ruislip and Uxbridge in Harefield, where there's loads of room, and the offices in Islington are packed with people doing lots of supporting roles to help our centres do their vital front line work.

Dogs Trust Loughborough and working for Dogs Trust

2011-08-08T14:08:00.003+01:00

Some of you might be aware from Wag! magazine that a brand new Dogs Trust Rehoming Centre is being built in Wymeswold, Leicestershire. The new Dogs Trust Loughborough, as it will be known, is due to open in Spring / Summer 2012. We hope to be able to bring you updates from the centre’s progress soon, but in the meantime we wanted to address a question that’s coming up a lot in our inboxes.

We have already been receiving queries about working at the new centre in both paid and voluntary roles, and it’s lovely to see such enthusiasm out there. Here’s what you need to know:

Vacancies will include canine carer jobs, centre management and other hands on and administrative roles.
Recruitment for the centre is unlikely to start before next year. When vacancies are released, they will be published in the local press and on the Jobs page of our website.
While speculative applications (CV with a covering letter) are welcome, we cannot keep CVs on file for more than six months, so to be considered for this centre we would recommend that you do not send a CV before the end of the year. The email address for applications and related queries is jobs@dogstrust.org.uk
To volunteer, we recommend contacting the centre once it has opened, as all volunteering at Dogs Trust centres is arranged locally (see our website to find out more about volunteering for existing centres).

We hope that answers all your questions, but feel free to ask about anything else in the comments.

Friday Fun: WIN copies of In Defence of Dogs by John Bradshaw

2011-08-05T10:58:00.008+01:00

Have you ever wanted to know what makes your dog tick?

John Bradshaw, a leading biologist and dog expert, thinks he might have found the answer, and he's written a book, In Defence of Dogs, all about it.

Analysing the evolutionary history of dogs and the way in which canine biology and psychology determine behaviour, he think it's time we moved beyond the idea of dogs as wolves in domestic clothing. He explains how biological science can now tell us a great deal about whether our understanding of dogs is accurate or not.

Want to know more? Well, we have five copies of In Defence of Dogs, to give away!

Watch the video below to find out more of what John Bradshaw has to say. In just three minutes he touches on which human emotions dogs feel too, and why dogs suffer from separation anxiety:

To enter: The competition is now closed and winners will be informed by email. Thanks to the giveaway's popularity, the publishers kindly gave us 10 copies, so each entrant had twice the chance of winning!

Closing date: Monday 8th August, 10 am.

And to whet your appetite in case you're a lucky winner, you can read an extract from the first chapter on Penguin's website. And if you're not, In Defence of Dogs is available from Amazon in both hardcover and Kindle editions now.

*Winners will be chosen at random after the closing and informed by email. Comments on this blog will not be counted as entries and may be unpublished to protect the commenter if they contain personal contact information.

Desert Dogs: How sponsors in the UAE help dogs in the UK

2011-08-03T12:01:00.015+01:00

Meet Gem, Snowy and Honey. Beautiful, aren’t they?

They are all rescue dogs, whose stories you can read below, and they live in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

What has that got to do with Dogs Trust? Well as well as giving their three dogs a loving home, owners Peter and Sharon sponsor our very own Sammy at Dogs Trust West Calder.

Despite the distance, it actually costs us very little more to send out sponsor information and updates around the world, so if you want to regularly support our work by sponsoring a dog but you don’t live in the UK or Ireland, you still can.

Peter kindly shared his photos and the dogs’ stories with us when he contacted our sponsor team with a query.

Gem’s Story: Now around two years old, Gem (with the black muzzle) was found wandering the streets of Al Ain at just 6-8 weeks old, back in 2009. As you can see, he’s making good use of a Dogs Trust collapsible water bowl to stay cool.

Snowy’s Story: Snowy (the white one, of course!) joined the family mere months later, having been found in the very same street as her ‘sister’. She is now around 18 months old.

Honey’s Story: Already a rescue dog, Honey had been rehomed by a different family. When they were unable to take her back to New Zealand with them, Honey joined Gem and Snowy.

The happy family of three now enjoys running around in the desert, sometimes in the company of fellow rescue dog Chandri, whose owner is planning to send her to live with family here in the UK. And when they’re hanging out at home, they have the company of a trio of cats, also former strays who have joined the busy household.

Although 150,000 out of our 215,000 friends on Facebook are in the UK, we have been lucky to attract supporters from all around the globe. Here are the top ten countries hanging out with us online:

1. UK

2. United States – over 15,000 American friends!

3. Ireland – with a few more on Dogs Trust Ireland’s dedicated page

4. Australia

5. India

6. Canada

7. Philippines

8. Spain

9. Egypt

10. Greece

(As I’m* from a Greek family, I’m delighted to see it edging into the top ten there!)

We do love to hear from supporters near and far, and love to think of people around the world looking fondly on their photos of our sponsor dogs, knowing they’re helping us save lives and find new homes for thousands of dogs every year.

Our thanks to Peter for sharing his story and photos and to every sponsor helping us care for dogs.

*Hi! I’m Alex, and I’m part of Dogs Trust’s Digital Team. I’ve been away for a while on maternity leave but am back and blogging for you! Please do ping me in the comments with any topic requests.

Who will look after your dogs when you're gone?

2011-07-28T13:13:00.011+01:00

Yesterday it was revealed that Alexander McQueen, the late British fashion designer, left £50,000 of his reported £16 million estate to his dogs to be looked after in his Will.

The money that McQueen left behind for his beloved dogs is incredibly generous and kind; sadly this it is not something that most people are able to do. Many people worry about what would happen if their dog were to outlive them, which is why Dogs Trust set up the Canine Care Card scheme. It is a fantastic free service that gives you peace of mind, knowing that Dogs Trust will care for your dogs if you pass away before they do.

What would happen if your dog came to Dogs Trust?

If you pass away and have registered as a Canine Care Card holder, we will arrange to bring your dog or dogs to our nearest Rehoming Centre. Once there, they will be examined by our vet and cared for by our dedicated, trained staff.

We will then try to find your dog or dogs new owners whose lifestyle and experience match their needs. Any new owners would be visited at their home and given a thorough briefing in caring for your dog.

How to join the Canine Care Card scheme?

If you decide to become a Canine Care Cardholder, we will issue you with a handy wallet-sized card. It acts in a similar way to an organ donor card and notifies people of your wishes for your dogs, should anything happen to you.

We also strongly recommend that you mention the care of your dog in your Will. That way, there can be no confusion about your wishes. If this is something you wish to do, we suggest that you include the following phrase in your Will: "It is also my wish that Dogs Trust care for or rehome any dogs that I may own at the time of my death".

Find out more

If you would like further information about how Dogs Trust can arrange to take care of your dog in the event of your death, please contact our Supporter Relations team on 020 7837 0006 or contact us by e-mail.

Alternatively, you can download our registration form and simply follow these steps:

Complete the registration form found in the link above and return it to us by Freepost so that we can send you your free Canine Care Card.

Fill in the Canine Care Card when it arrives. It's a wallet size card so you can carry it with you, as you would an organ donor card.

Leave instructions in your Will confirming that you would like Dogs Trust to look after your dog(s). This is essential to ensure that there will be no confusion about your wishes. The suggested wording is, "It is also my wish that Dogs Trust care for and rehome any dogs I may own at the time of my death."

Whether it’s their likes and dislikes, special dietary requirement or details of medication, please include as much important information as you can give us to help your dog. Once registered, you need never worry about the future of your four-legged friend again.

Give more dogs a brighter future...

McQueen also generously left approximately £400,000 to UK animal welfare charities. Many people who join the Canine Care Card scheme also decide to leave us a gift in their Will, as a way of saying thank you for securing the future of their canine companion. Legacies are crucial to Dogs Trust as they account for over a third of our income and will help to save the lives of countless dogs in the future. You can find out more about legacies on our website.

Canterbury has Harry Potter fever with their own 'red head' Weasley family!

2011-07-19T13:35:00.006+01:00

To celebrate the release of the final installment of the much-loved Harry Potter films, our team at Canterbury have named seven ginger pureblood boxer puppies after the Weasley family characters.

Like the Weasley family characters, all of these bouncy boxers are purebloods/breeds who would do anything for their friends. They are all special in their own way and will certainly bring a bit of magic to the families who have rehomed them.

Featured in the group photo (from left to right) Canine Carers: Ashleigh Green, Harriet Cardwell, Ruth Howard, Samantha Davis

Four year old Bill is like his character counterpart is a bit of a ladies’ man and has lots of female canine companions at the rehoming centre! He attracts only the most beautiful of hairy hounds!
Three year old Percy like his namesake in the film has an independent streak and knows his own mind.
Charlie is five years old and like his dragon expert counterpart, is a very wise dog. He’s very intelligent, a group leader and the other boxers in the gang look up to him as he’s excellent at showing the others the doggy ropes, especially the younger ones!
Fred and George are both four months old, and just like the Harry Potter characters are two mischievous puppies with hearts of gold. They’re always finding trouble, but with the best intentions and are quite a handful!
Ginny the three month old puppy is also the youngest in the litter and is a fast learner; she’ll be a high achiever when she grows up – again, just like her counterpart!
Five year old Ron, like JK’s character, is fiercely loyal and will be your best friend for life.

The three puppies came from the same litter and it’s likely that the adult dogs are also all related – cousins and brothers and sister etc. All of the dogs have now found loving, active family homes with owners who will be spending lots of time training and working with the boxers. Their new families will certainly be rewarded for their hard work as these dogs will make loving and loyal canine companions!

If you’re interested in finding out more about other dogs currently in the care of our centre, please call 01227 792 505 or visit the Canterbury rehoming centre.

Paws up for Poop Scoop Week!

2011-07-04T14:59:00.002+01:00

Schools, teachers and pupils can pledge their support and get involved at www.poopscoopweek.co.uk to encourage responsible dog ownership in their communities.

Linking closely to health and wellbeing aspects of the curriculum, the Poop Scoop Week pledge, supporting resources and activities for pupils could be a fantastic way for schools to empower pupils to make ‘pawsitive’ changes in their local area this summer.

Get involved before the end of term and put your ‘Paws up for Poop Scoop Week’ at your school now!

Poop Scoop Week runs nationally from 25th – 31st July 2011.

Can you give Darren the home he craves..?

2011-06-27T11:56:00.004+01:00

Meet Darren an insomniac collie cross

Ten-year old Darren is desperately missing being in a home, so much so that when the lights go out at night he gets anxious and can’t get a good night’s sleep. While he settles during the day, he craves company at night, leaving him dog tired the following day.

Staff are confident that with the right care, time and patience Darren will adjust - he has become a firm favourite at the centre because of his gentle and loving nature.

Darren is seeking an experienced new owner who will take the time to understand him and be savvy enough to follow some behaviour guidelines to give him the direction he needs.

Dogs Trust Rehoming Centre Manager, Beverley Price says:

Darren is such a loveable lad – he has a kind face to match his heart. He’s been making great progress here at the centre, but hasn’t taken as well to kennel life so needs to overcome his separation anxiety in a caring home. We’ll offer guidance along the way as needed.

Beverley adds: “A home with another dog, or even several dogs so that he is not the centre of attention, would be ideal for Darren. With time and understanding, we think Darren will come on very well - from our experience, you certainly can teach an old dog new tricks!”

To find out more about Darren, or to offer this tired puppy a new home, please call Dogs Trust Bridgend directly on 01656 725 219 or visit the centre at Court Colman, Pen-y-Fai, Bridgend, CF31 4NG.

Your dog can be a world record holder!

2011-06-21T14:28:00.010+01:00

(Along with 627 other dogs, that is!)

Leslie Gold is the Supporter Relations Officer at our centre in Salisbury. The team often do fantastic events that are a little bit out of the ordinary and their latest twist for the upcoming Open Day is no different! Here, Leslie explains about how your dog could be a record breaker:

"On Sunday 7th August, Dogs Trust Salisbury is holding a Guinness World Record attempt, trying to break the record for the World’s Largest Simultaneous Dog Stay – and you and your dogs are invited to take part!

The ‘Super Stay’ as we’re calling it, will be part of Dogs Trust Salisbury’s Open Day & Fun Dog Show, held at our centre in Newton Tony, eight miles north of Salisbury in Wiltshire (near Stonehenge). People and dogs come from far and wide every year to attend the dog show, and this year the Guinness World Record attempt is sure to make it the best year ever!

Dogs do NOT need to be obedience champions to take part; in fact, most dogs will be able to do this. Dogs will go into the ring with their owner, and will need to sit or lie down for two minutes. Owners can bribe their dogs with treats, speak to them, use hand signals – the only thing owners can’t do is touch their dog or force them to stay – because of course the dogs have to want to stay.

Even if a dog does move from his stay, they won’t let the side down. They’ll simply be subtracted from the total number of dogs taking part – and hopefully we’ll have enough successful stays to hit the magic number: To break the world record we need at least 628 dogs to stay for two minutes.

So come along on Sunday 7th August and be part of a Guinness World Record attempt while also having a great time raising money for a good cause in the process. Special thanks go to Animal Friends Insurance, for kindly sponsoring this very fun and hopefully record-breaking event!

The Open Day runs from 11am to 4pm, in the field opposite the centre in Newton Tony, Salisbury, Wilts, SP4 0HW. Admission to the event is just £1.50 per adult, with kids and OAPs entering for free. The Super Stay will take place at 1pm, and it’s free to enter.

For more information, please ring Dogs Trust on 01980 629634 or visit the website.

Rules of the Super Stay:
• All entrants must register on the day, and will receive a numbered runner’s tag which must be visible throughout the Super Stay attempt. This is theirs to keep.
• Dogs must sit or lie down in an alert position for two minutes, from the official start time.
• Dogs may switch from sitting to lying or lying to sitting, but cannot move from their location.
• Owners can talk to their dogs, use hand signals, and give treats to their dogs, but cannot touch their dogs or in any way force them to stay.
• Any dog who breaks his stay during the two-minute attempt will be noted by a supervisor but must NOT leave the ring, as this will distract the other participating dogs."

To find out more information, please come and join our Facebook page.

Competition Time

2011-06-06T15:59:00.009+01:00

Is your dog is a bit of an escape artist? Perhaps you are worried about being the unfortunate victim of a pet theft?

Thanks to our friends at Retrieva, creators of the world’s most advanced dog collar, we have one fantastic prize worth £299.99 to offer to our supporters this month which will hopefully offer a little bit of piece of mind!

The Retrieva Collar aims to help protect your dog from theft and loss, as well as offering you some personal protection. It works by using the website, your phone or a handheld receiver so you can track your dog’s movements and receive alerts if your dog travels beyond the boundaries that you set online.

The Retrieva tracking collar has been designed by looking at every aspect of a dog’s life and behaviour. It’s even waterproof so if your dog is a fan of swimming, it won’t interfere with their happiness! It is not just a piece of technology adapted for use on a dog; it can be used by pet owners, for working and field sport dogs, and also specialist functions for service dogs.

The collar features a locking buckle with automatic interference alert (via text or e-mail) if the buckle is tampered with whilst locked. It is made of anti-cut material with automatic interference alert (via text or e-mail) if any attempt is made to cut it and can alert the owner (via text or e-mail) if the dog roams out of any pre-defined safe area or enters a forbidden area.

To find out more about Retrieva, please visit their website.

To be in with a chance of winning this really useful prize, simply tell us in 25 words or less why you and your dog should be the worthy winners of this great prize:

“I should win the Retrieva collar because…”

Please email your answer, name and address details to becky.ridgley@retrievatracking.co.uk with 'Dogs Trust Competition' in the subject line.

The lucky winner will be awarded one Retrieva collar to fit the size of their much-loved four-legged friend and one years membership to the Retrieva website.

The closing date for entries is Monday 20th June 2011.

Dazzling Doggies at the Dogs Trust Honours 2011

2011-06-02T16:26:00.006+01:00

Each year, we host the Dogs Trust Honours - an annual celebration and awards ceremony for some of our special four-legged friends, alongside some equally special humans who do fantastic work to help them.

Now in it's fourth year, the event was held at Haberdashers' Hall in London on Wednesday 1st June.

On arrival, the guests congregated in the specially designed doggy playpark and this was a great opportunity to catch some of the familiar faces for a quick 'meet and greet'.

You can watch the video to see who you may recognise and also meet the real guests, their doggy friends!

To find out the more about the winners, please visit our media centre.

There will also be a full list of winners, photos and news available in the coming days on the website www.dogstrusthonours.co.uk

URGENT HELP NEEDED LEEDS AREA

2011-05-31T10:28:00.002+01:00

We have a litter of 11 pups who are 9 days old that need hand rearing, we are looking for dedicated Foster carers for these pups as they need feeding every three hours day and night.

Full training and equipment will be provided including puppy pens. The pups will be fostered in pairs so they are not ever alone and a minimum commitment of 3 weeks needed but it may be up to 7. Potential foster carers would need to be at home most of the day

Local enquiries only so we can monitor progress and any other dogs in the house MUST be vaccinated.

If you can help please call 0113 281 4920 and leave your name, number and the reason for a calling and we will call back or email leedsrehoming@dogstrust.org.uk

Thanks

Dogs Trust Leeds

Free microchipping from Dogs Trust

2011-05-27T16:04:00.004+01:00

As part of microchipping month which runs throughout June we are offering free microchipping at all of our centres. There are only 100 chips available per centre so it is first come first served!

All centres will be offering microchipping (for dogs!) FREE of CHARGE (usual charge £10 unless on means tested benefit) as a special offer in the month of June. You do need to book in advance. Please call your nearest rehoming centre to book your appointment

The dates are

1st – 7^Th June Glasgow
8^th – 14^th June Merseyside, Kenilworth, Bridgend, Snetterton, Evesham
13^th – 19^th June Newbury and Canterbury
15^th – 21^st June Ballymena, Harefield, Ilfracombe, Salisbury
20^th – 27^th June West Calder
22^nd – 28^th June Shoreham
23^rd – 30^th June Leeds, Shrewsbury(Roden)

In addition, every owner that gets their dog chipped in the month of June will get Petlog Premium (which allows the clients to keep their details updated for life of dog free of charge) for just £7.50 (full price £15).

Book competition!

2011-05-17T15:19:00.005+01:00

WIN a copy of Until Tuesday - an inspirational tale of one man and his incredible canine companion.

Until Tuesday is the powerful and moving story of how Tuesday, a service dog, helped to heal a shattered soldier.

This touching book entwines Luis Carlos Montalván’s story of courage with that of his trusted Golden Retriever, Tuesday, and shows how a brave soldier found a way back from the devastation of being injured in action with the help of his canine friend.

We’re giving away TEN copies of this inspiring and uplifting true story in hardback. To be in with a chance of winning, email marketing@headline.co.uk with “Until Tuesday” as the subject and answer this question:

What kind of dog is Tuesday?

a. Labrador
b. Poodle
c. Golden Retriever

Watch the Until Tuesday trailer here:

Terms and Conditions

The closing date is 6th June 2011 and ten winners will be randomly selected from the valid entries received before the closing date.

The prize is one copy of Until Tuesday in hardback.

This prize is non transferable and cannot be exchanged for cash.

Winners must be over the age of 18.

In the event of being unable to contact winners within 7 days of the prize draw, the promoter reserves the right to reallocate the prize to the next randomly drawn correct and valid entry.

The competition is open to UK & ROI residents excluding employees of Headline Publishing and associated companies or Dogs Trust or anyone connected with the promotion.

The judges' decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

The information you provide will not be shared with other companies by the Promoters. The Promoters will only use your address in compliance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998.

The Making of Dogcilla

2011-05-10T15:25:00.007+01:00

Remember our exciting news from last month? Well, the UK’s largest nodding dog, “Dogcilla” has been perched beside the A40 in West London for a few weeks now and we hope some of you have seen her in all her glory!

Dogcilla was created to draw attention to our rehoming centres in a cost-effective way so that we can find more homes for our dogs. And it seems to be working fantastically well. Yay!

For a bit of fun, Dogcilla’s creators filmed the whole process. And here’s the rather entertaining result...

Dogs Trust Dogs Day Out.

2011-05-03T09:34:00.003+01:00

Hi, my name is Annie and I live at the Dogs Trust Harefield in West London. Recently, me and my canine friends Bridget, Tootsie, Blue, Romeo, Fifi and Puffin went to Hampstead Heath for an outing, and this is our story.

We arrived and Kenwood car park and started our walk from there. There were lots of new smells to investigate and it was great to be out in the sunshine with my friends. The humans all wore bright yellow T-shirts so that other walkers on the Heath could spot us from a distance. Lots of them came to ask what we were up to and to say hello. Our humans from the Dogs Trust explained that were promoting the work of the charity and explaining how we all need forever homes, and there’s plenty more of us back at the centre. And then we all had our photos taken, photos you can see on this blog. The small tan terrier is me!

We walked for a while and met lots of other dogs and their humans, had a sniff and eventually came to a pond. We loved this part! We jumped in, had a paddle, and some of us had a swim, and there were lots of other dogs who joined us, their owners laughing and calling at us all, avoiding the shower of water when we all shook ourselves dry.

Then we walked up a steep hill towards Kenwood House and we could see the whole of London stretched out before us. The humans really liked it and said it had been there since the 18th Century just as we could see it, but I just sniffed around and hoped to find a discarded ice cream or something to nibble.

Romeo and Bridget were getting quite tired at this point so our lead human Anna suggested we find something to drink and visit the café. We had been out walking for a whole 3 hours which was lovely because normally we’re in our kennels for most of our day. Anyway, after a drink, we headed back to our cars and slept all the way back to the centre.
It was a great day out and I hope next time we can take some of my other friends who live at the centre, all of them hoping to find their forever home. Here’s some more information about me and my friends in case you would like to come and see us and take us to your home – forever.

Be mindful this Easter...

2011-04-21T13:16:00.004+01:00

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?

2011-04-15T14:51:00.009+01:00

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!

2011-04-05T12:03:00.006+01:00

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!

2011-04-03T10:27:00.011+01:00

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"

2011-04-01T11:28:00.012+01:00

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/.

Spring has sprung, so celebrate the Dogs Trust way!

2011-03-25T14:50:00.016Z

Spring has finally sprung, so it’s time to shrug off those winter blues! This is the time of year for holiday planning, celebration, and sprucing up that spring wardrobe. We thought we’d let you in on a few quick and easy ways to help out Dogs Trust while you spring into these seasonal activities!

Holiday planning - Thinking of escaping the Royal Wedding commotion? Already thinking of your summer getaway? Think your pets deserve a treat for being so patient through the snowy winter months? Plan a trip with Dogs Trust Cottages and choose from a superb selection of dog friendly holiday cottages throughout the UK, France and Ireland! For every holiday, we benefit from a 10% donation of the cottage element of your holiday.

Celebration - I hope you didn’t forget Mother’s Day, as it’s just around the corner! What about that certain loved one’s birthday coming up? Don’t fret, because we are happy to introduce our brand new card shop! With over 3,000 greeting card designs to choose from, there is something for everyone and a percentage of each card sold comes straight to us!

Shopping spree - Try this free service where you can shop with your favourite online stores at no extra cost and raise funds for Dogs Trust! You still shop directly with each retailer as you would normally, but simply by using the links from the Easy Fundraising site first, each purchase you make will generate a cashback donation!

Don’t throw the dog out with the bath water!

2011-03-15T16:01:00.007Z

Deana Selby, Publications Manager, writes her view on last nights Coronation Street.

Is anyone following Coronation Street at the moment?

My spies (Hi Mum!) tell me that Fiz has finally brought her new, very premature, baby, Hope, back from hospital where she’d been in an incubator for weeks. She’s also told her brother and housemate, Chesney, that Schmeichel has got to go, because she’s worried Hope will catch an infection from him and his “great big slobby gob.” Schmeichel, for non Corrie viewers, is a Great Dane.

Before anyone shouts ‘It’s just a TV programme, not real life’ the answer is yes, I know, but it’s a great programme which millions of people enjoy. Of course Fiz is not a real person, but her concerns are doubtless shared by many new parents. Staff from most of our rehoming centres have told me that they regularly receive calls from people wishing to hand their dog over either because they have just had a baby, or have learnt that they are pregnant.

Babies do need to be protected from germs, especially those with a not fully developed immune system. However, a quick word with our Veterinary Director, Chris Laurence, reveals that commonsense hygiene precautions are all Fiz needs to make things work, ie:

· Always wash your hands after touching your dog

· Make sure the dog doesn’t lick your baby

· If he does lick the baby, wash that area with soap and water

We’ve recently commissioned research into the potential health benefits of dog ownership, and one of the early findings is that exposure to dogs in infancy is associated with positive immune system development.

With so many otherwise perfectly sensible dog owners believing that 'Dog plus Baby equals Huge Disaster Waiting To Happen', I thought it worth flagging that it ain't necessarily so.

So, thank you Corrie, for giving me the opportunity to clear up an all too common misconception. And yes, I certainly will be glued to the next episode – will you?

Dogs Trust Takes A Trip To India

2011-03-09T15:52:00.008Z

Find out about our International Director David Newall's recent visit to a very special project we helped set up in India with the charity Worldwide Veterinary Service.

“Thousands of dogs across India are born on the streets and sadly the country has the highest prevalence of rabies in the world - around 30,000 people a year die after being bitten by a rabid dog and 80% of those bitten are children under the age of 15.

The International Training Centre (ITC) which we helped WVS set up teaches local vets vital skills and knowledge about animal birth control and rabies prevention. We aim to reduce the number of child deaths in India from rabies by 5% over the next three years – the equivalent of saving a child’s life a day - as well reduce the vast numbers of unwanted litters born every year in India.

The centre is built on a former colonial tea plantation in Ooty in Tamil Nadu and last week I paid a visit to attend its inaugural training course.

They say there is no real preparation for the size of the attack that India subjects on all one’s senses, and they are right! After negotiating a hectic seven hour drive from the airport, involving overtaking, undertaking, rickshaws and cows slowly crossing the road, I finally arrived in Ooty.

Five vets and seven assistants took part in the first course and it was wonderful to see them so keen to learn new skills and pass them on to colleagues. I have nothing but admiration for the work they do in the sometimes limited facilities and they certainly face unusual problems. The sight of an elephant or monkey strolling by outside the clinic isn’t unusual, and sadly one morning a cardboard box of one week old puppies arrived at the clinic shelter after their mother had been killed by a leopard – thankfully not something our Dogs Trust vet clinics in the UK come across.

Dogs Trust International usually works throughout Europe, where we provide training, help and assistance to the cohorts of enthusiastic animal welfarists struggling in demanding circumstances to influence change and promote responsible dog ownership.

I was incredibly grateful for this opportunity to spread our wings a little wider by supporting and guiding local organisations further afield.”

To find out more about David's work, you can read his My Week Profile on the Third Sector website.

Dogs Trust Leeds Update: Ronnie

2011-03-01T16:43:00.007Z

Remember Ronnie from our Leeds centre, the loveable pup with megaoesophagus? Well, we have an update for you!

Ronnie the 8 month old cross breed is still looking for his forever home, but he now has a stylish new feeding station specially designed and built for him by the dedicated Leeds team.

Megaoesophagus is a condition that means he can’t swallow; Ronnie has to eat standing on his hind legs allowing gravity to take food and water – which is made into a jelly so he can digest it – into his stomach.

Ronnie needs to eat three times a day and each meal lasts 20 minutes because staff feed him slowly from a spoon to ensure it all settles, so having the special feeding station has made the process much easier. If he were left to eat and drink in a normal way from a bowl on the floor, he would be sick and could eventually starve.

Ronnie is healthy in every other way and is a lovely, playful pup but because of his feeding requirements, will need to be the only dog in the home. He also needs an active family and would be more suitable with older children.

Due to his condition, Ronnie will be a part of our foster scheme and his new owners will receive financial support for any veterinary treatment required throughout his life.

If you are interested in rehoming Ronnie, please contact our Leeds centre on 0113 281 4920.

Ronnie also currently features on our media centre and you can read more about him here.

Standing up for Staffies!

2011-02-23T13:50:00.006Z

Our Publications Manager, Deana (owner of Daniel the Spaniel), is standing up for a breed that gets a bad rap in today's post. Check it out:

What’s got four legs, a wagging tail, an appetite for fun and a serious need for reputational rehab? The Staffordshire Bull terrier:

I’ve always loved this particular breed for their fun loving and eager- to- please characters, and like many dog lovers I’m always upset to hear the latest piece of anti Staffy news or gossip. It seems that the media in general really has it in for this breed. It makes me mad that journalists are all too keen to slate the Staffy while failing to look at the dimwitted owner who didn’t have their dog under control.

Here are my top reasons to love a Stafford:

Wide smile – so entertaining
Fat butt / whippy tail combination
Always delighted to see you
Very energetic – except when asleep
Great with kids
Can shimmy from to of head to tip of tail when happy
Dark beady eyes
They look especially fetching when grey around the muzzle
Extremely affectionate
They have SUCH a big character

I’d love to hear your reasons too...

Photo courtesy of Andy Catterall

Love is in the air... and here at Dogs Trust, too!

2011-02-14T14:57:00.006Z

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone! Mixed emotions are a hallmark of this day (no pun intended)! There are those that hate the abundance of hearts, chocolate, and flowers on principle or think it is just a holiday manufactured by greetings card companies to cash in. There are those that think it is the most romantic day of the year or will take it as an excuse to wine and dine their loved ones. Here at Dogs Trust, we’re always in love with our dogs. If Valentine’s Day gives us an opportunity to share that love, we jump at the chance!

This year, we thought it would be a great chance to remind everyone about how they can improve their doggy relationships with a fun, vintage training film. It’s a 1950’s look at building a relationship with your dog. It is not hard to see that things haven’t really changed since then! Check it out here:

This relevant, fun, and quirky video shows how an improved relationship with your dog can make any home a happier place. So, whether you have a special someone, or no one to pamper on this Valentine’s Day, why not celebrate the bond between you and your dog?

We’re also proud to say that we used some home-grown talent in this video! Can you spot Stephanie from our Sponsor a Dog team? She was made for the era, wouldn’t you say?

Diary of a Volunteer - The Final Installment - Part 3/3

2011-02-02T15:43:00.010Z

Catch up with Merseyside volunteers, Helen and John as they reach the end of their first year of volunteering with the centre.

October

I did my Animal First Aid course; it was fun putting a bandage on cuddly toy animals and imagining that our dogs were going to remain still for me to bandage their leg. However, it is a comforting thought that if the worst happened, I would have basic knowledge of the best actions to take.

November

Snoop and Bryn visited the centre to say hello. We’ve had them for five months at this point and it’s as though they have always been a part of our life. Many of the staff came over to say hello; Georgina, the Centre Manager, was in the car park and remarked how well they looked. We really felt quite humbled by this, as it is impossible to imagine that they would have looked any different, but then we did not see them on their first day in the centre, which coincidentally was on John’s birthday in February.

The following week we tried our hand at agility. I have so much respect for those folk and dogs who do this especially after having had a go myself. Michelle brought Jaz her 10 year old collie and Clare had Zack her 18 month old staffie. Everyone had an attempt at each piece of equipment. The aim was to show us the art of safely teaching a dog agility. Unfortunately the weather has taken a turn for the worse and we have not had the opportunity to put this into practice as of yet. I look forward to the spring when my training will be able to give some of the dogs something different to do.

December

We had a lovely evening out at the volunteer’s Christmas meal and it’s been brilliant to meet like-minded people who love and care for our canine companions as much as we do. It was also rather strange to see these folk in clothes, other than those they wear to go out dog walking!

So, here we are at Christmas 2010. My Christmas morning consisted of walking Snoop and Bryn in the local park, and both loved running around in all the snow. After breakfast at home with John, we celebrated by helping at the centre. Of course my first visit was to see Jacob to give him his Christmas cracker from Snoop and Bryn.

I collected Jacob, met with John and Kevin (another volunteer who fell in love and adopted Paddy) and we all went off site around the park. Afterwards I went over to block 3 to give Barry a hand. What a perfect Christmas morning… roll on next Christmas!

We are now nearing the end of our first year journey and if I look back and ask myself what I wanted to achieve from voluntary work, I don’t think I really knew at the start. However, what I did know was that we had some spare time, a little knowledge and a lot of love for dogs.

What have we achieved from voluntary work:

• A sense of fulfilment
• Unconditional love and devotion from the dogs when they learn to trust you
• New friends – both staff and other volunteers
• Being able to put life’s challenges into perspective
• Lots of walking out in the open air is better than any gym – and is also absolutely free!
• The opportunity to gain continued personal development
• An excuse not to do the housework (!)
• But most of all, two very loyal companions – Snoop and Bryn

I have mentioned a few of the staff, but I really need to say a huge THANK YOU to all of them for being helpful and friendly, making us feel very welcome and a valued part of the team.

There are some people who will never understand why we want to do this yet so many people think volunteers are wonderful. The secret is anyone can do it, I just wish I had known this sooner!

If you would like to volunteer with your local centre, please visit our website for information.

Read part 1: http://bit.ly/DT_Vol1
Read part 2: http://bit.ly/DT_Vol2

Diary of a Volunteer - Summer - Part 2/3

2011-02-02T15:39:00.007Z

Volunteers Helen and John have some new additions to the family and making a new friend at the centre over the summer months.

June

Yippee – after arriving back from our holiday in Vienna, we collected Snoop and Bryn in the early afternoon on the 9th. Now the fun was to start, settling two dogs into our routine whilst attempting to continue our volunteering at the centre.

I must admit, it has been a little more difficult trying to train two dogs at the same time, but the rewards are definitely twice the amount. When people who you see out and about congratulate you on how well they are doing it, really does give you a great sense of satisfaction.

During the working week our dogs are walked around the local park, approximately three miles round trip. John and I take it in turns, a week about depending on John’s shift. At the weekend we both try to walk together and it generally includes a trip to the beach. After a good run along the beach and home for breakfast, it’s a good time to allow the dogs to rest and we take a couple of hours for voluntary work.

Snoop is always very interested in having a good sniff of our clothes on our return but she never misses out on a big love and a few treats. Bryn doesn’t seem to be too interested in the smells, but is very pleased to have a treats and play with his toys.

The volunteer’s walks are an excellent opportunity to take the dogs off site for a few hours, find somewhere different to walk and have a chat with our fellow volunteers. The dogs are very good and seem to be more interested in the new smells than the other dogs. Of course we are always guided by the staff as to which dogs are suitable for off site walking.

July

On the 4th of July I headed over to block 4 and asked Jenny which dogs she would like me to walk. After walking Sam and Scrappy, she handed me Jacob, an eight year old cross that people walk past, me included, as he barks and jumps around. One of the members of staff, Jenny said that he would love a nice walk and he did. In fact, it was a little sad really as Jacob seemed distant and there wasn’t much interaction from him, he just had a mission of walking. ‘Well,’ I thought, ‘there is a challenge if I ever had one.’

All of my visits to the centre now include walking Jacob. Once out and walking he knows we go off site and he is very excited, showing me the way. We have our little rituals, but every walk is slightly different. He loves wading through puddles and ploughing through snow, and he definitely has a great personality. Jacob also loves other dogs; whenever he sees a dog out on a walk he will have a little cry as if to say ‘can I go and say hello?’, but is then always happy to continue his walk. Jacob proudly sits and says please for a treat. He also loves a fuss, in fact he is a real big softy and when you get to know him, he is a gentle giant. I would absolutely love Jacob to find a forever home, but I would miss him dearly.

August

We had a fantastic time helping out at the Summer Open Day. It was great to work with all the staff in a different way. We were helping out on the Doggie Run; John was walking around advertising the run and I was helping the two Jenny’s whilst they were timing the dogs as I was writing the dogs’ names and details of the owners. We were very busy all afternoon and it was great fun, yet quite competitive at times!

Keep your eyes peeled for the final installment of Helen's diary to see what happens in the final few months of their first year of volunteering.

Read part 1: http://bit.ly/DT_Vol1
Read part 3: http://bit.ly/DT_Vol3

Diary of a Volunteer - Part 1/3

2011-02-02T15:33:00.007Z

Helen, a volunteer at our Merseyside centre, has kept a diary of her experiences over the past year. Helen and her husband, John decided to get involved with the centre after the passing of their dog in September 2009.

Here, Helen shares her thoughts of the first few months with the centre.

December

A most terrible thing happened at the end of September 2009. Some people say, “I’ll never have another dog, I don’t want to go through that heartache again”, and others pick themselves back up again and find a new friend. John and I were sort of in between; we both knew that we would love to have another dog, but with certain commitments over the next 12 months, it was not fair to adopt from Dogs Trust straight away. So we took a trip to our local centre and completed a volunteer application form.

Not knowing anything about being a volunteer we knew that we would have to ask about what sort of commitment we would be required to give. We were delighted to hear that the voluntary work was whenever we could make it. We didn’t have to let anyone know when we would be available, which suited us down to the ground.

We went along to the induction on Sunday 20th December 2009. The weather was terrible, it was cold and icy. We arrived at the centre just before 11am and joined the other newly recruited volunteers in the reception area awaiting the induction.

Clare, the Volunteer Co-ordinator, collected us from the reception and took all 10 of us up to the staff tearoom. She was so enthusiastic that the hour induction flew past and before we knew it we were walking around the blocks and becoming acquainted with the centre.

John and I had gone prepared in our walking clothes and raincoats so whatever the weather we decided to walk a little, even though Clare had given us full permission not to stay in this weather. I think we were both quite apprehensive as this was so different than walking your own dog. Clare jumped straight in and gave us Roxy and Billy, two Pomeranians. They were so sweet and loved being together. What a lovely feeling I got from giving them the opportunity to wander around the centre. We took them back and collected Rupert and Badger, eight year old JRT cross brothers. We weren’t sure which one was which, but they were quite funny! The weather got worse and started to snow so after walking for half an hour , we signed out and went home.

January

The next visit was on Saturday 2nd January 2010 – we decided that this would be our year for voluntary work. We decided to see how we could manage and wow many hours can we clock up by the end of the year. Now there was a challenge!

We arrived at 9.15 am and sort of made a beeline for Badger and Rupert in block 4, but we were intercepted on the way by block 2. We took Jackson (a seven month old collie) and Bobby (a 12 month old cross breed). Both had homes, which was great news. Then we went out on our own with John taking Jimmy a terrier who was very nervous and I had Elsa (a resident staffie). John had done two laps before I’d even done one!

Next up John was with Sirus (a lurcher) and I had Lex (a three year old cross breed). After two laps we then went back to collect Rupert and Badger before the staff went for their break. We did a couple of laps and then sat in the summer house, as the rain got heavier. We put the boys on the seat and they took turns in sitting on our knees, this was a lovely moment and I’m not sure who was enjoying it the most! We did another turn around the centre and I managed to slip on some ice. Rupert looked at me as if to say, ‘what are you doing down there?’. This really made me chuckle!

‘Gosh, how great is this making me feel? I feel so invigorated I can’t wait to go back tomorrow’, I thought. It was also brilliant that John was there with me; it’s something that we can do together, but still have our own space. What a perfect pastime. Even though the volunteering was no replacement for Dylan, it was certainly helping us come to terms with our loss.

March

It’s early March and the weather isn’t much warmer, but we are starting to be recognised by the staff at the centre and by other volunteers. On our first few visits to the centre I was almost attempting to see how many dogs I could take out and help to give a little stretch of their legs, but now I’m finding myself giving a longer walk and more quality time to each one. It also means the staff aren’t constantly handling the dogs in and out of the kennels. It seems to work well by doing a couple of laps of the grounds to achieve that initial stretch, followed by lots of cuddles and sometimes kisses! Of course not all dogs want that sort of intimacy, but just to sit and watch the world go by is good enough.

I ventured out with Finn, a 4 year old trailhound. Finn is so handsome and has such a loving nature, but seemed quite nervous. We did a lap and I kept talking to allow him to get used to me. We then stopped in the middle of the grounds and just watched while I gently talked and stroked him. Finn started to relax a little and I gave him a few treats. We then had lots of big loves and fusses, and after another few laps we sat at the bench for more loves and treats. On the way back to his kennel Finn was so much more relaxed, I felt so satisfied that I had been able to give a little calm to him; it is such a wonderful feeling.

It’s very strange as I have mainly had Collies at home, but volunteering at the centre has opened my eyes to many other types of breeds. Who knows what our next canine companion will be?

I’ve asked my manager at work if my department will accommodate a change from my 9 - 5 job for 12 months to allow me an afternoon each week at the Dogs Trust. I’m so excited about this change as it will certainly help towards obtaining voluntary hours and commences in April 2010. It’s not always possible to volunteer at weekends so this way I can visit the centre at least once a week.

April

It’s Easter and the weather still isn’t that much better, but on Sunday and Monday, John and I spent a few hours each morning at the centre. This was quite exciting as we asked if we take the dogs off the grounds to the little park. The dogs really enjoyed themselves; different scenery, smells and longer walks. It was also the first time that we walked Snoop and Bryn (a mum and son) together; little did we know what was to follow.

April 11th, our first volunteer walk – the planned Formby Walk ended up being ‘the dream’ due to the weather. We congregated at 10am and Clare led the way. We took Snoop and Bryn. This was all very ironic as ‘the dream’ was quite poignant, this was the walk we tried to do with Dylan but never got the opportunity. So after a deep breath off we went with Snoop and Bryn. Halfway up the hill, we stopped for a fuss and waited for the others to catch up, Snoop, despite being 13, was definitely a front runner. As I gave Bryn a good fuss, I realised that he didn’t have his usual harness on, but this one had the name tag ‘Dylan’. John and I both looked at each other and smiled. Was this fate?

The following weekend after walking Snoop and Bryn, John and I talked about our expressing our interest in rehoming the pair. However, we had a camping week to look forward to in May and our holiday at the beginning of June. It wasn’t quite the right time, but we were prepared to wait.

Come back tomorrow to read Helen's summer entry, including helping out at the popular Summer Fun Day!

Read part 2: http://bit.ly/DT_Vol2
Read part 3: http://bit.ly/DT_Vol3

Love walking and live in Yorkshire? Read on, we have just the thing for you!

2011-01-31T15:31:00.003Z

Two artists are looking for volunteers to walk in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, recording their progress on tiny head-mounted cameras. So if you regularly walk your dog in the area or even just love a ramble, then this could be for you!

The project is called Meander and has been created by artist duo Shanaz Gulzar and Steve Manthorp, who work together as ADEPT.

They are looking for at least two volunteers for each walk, and each pair of recordings will be edited together into a synchronised, split-screen film showing where the wearers were looking and what engaged their interest at every moment.

All films will be made available online so that anyone can enjoy any part of the walk from the participants’ perspective, building up an online video archive of creative walks and interesting places.

So if you want an excuse to get out and fancy being part of this unusual project then - please contact the artists directly at info@adeptprojects.co.uk, or call Shanaz Gulzar on 07816 526121 / Steve Manthorp on 07507 400489.

To select your walk visit the Meander website www.adeptprojects.co.uk.
This project is part of the SLOW ART movement being pioneered by Chrysalis Arts, a public arts company based in North Yorkshire.

Let us know if you take part – we’d love to hear your story and see your pics!

Blue Peter and Dogs Trust team up!

2011-01-21T15:54:00.014Z

This week saw the unveiling of an exciting new addition to our Harefield West London rehoming centre - a Sensory Garden for our four-legged friends!

Former Dogs Trust and current Blue Peter dog Barney, who was rehomed from the centre in 2009 by presenter Helen Skelton, had the honour of being the first dog to 'test out' the garden and the film was shown during the show's Tuesday episode.

Helen and Barney spent the day getting their hands (and paws) dirty by helping to complete the Sensory Garden, which will provide a rich source of entertainment for the dogs cared for at the centre.

Our CEO, Clarissa Baldwin said:

“At Dogs Trust, we strive to make life for the dogs in our care as enjoyable as possible and already they benefit from exceptional facilities and incredibly loving staff.

"We are continually improving exercise facilities at our rehoming centres and the Sensory Garden takes this to another level. It provides an area packed with sensory and mental stimulation, with alternatives to the exercise and entertainment opportunities currently available. Here dogs can indulge in normal behaviour, reducing kennel related stress and improving their overall quality of life.”

All dogs being cared for at the rehoming centre will benefit from this exciting new play area. But for those that have been deprived or even neglected in some way it will be especially important, because stimulation of the senses is a vital part of any rehabilitation programme.

The 550 square metre garden, which was masterminded by Blue Peter TV gardener Chris Collins and Harefield Manager Richard Moore, includes:

A dog paw sensory area featuring a range of different materials and textures for the dogs to explore, including sand, pebbles, bark and water.
A hilly grass maze containing tunnels and wooden pontoons for the dogs to run over and explore.
Interactive games where dogs can seek out toys and treats.
Several bedded areas with colourful and scented plants to delight the dogs' senses.
A grass bank with logs embedded into it so that when balls are thrown into it, a giant pin ball style game is formed.

The Sensory Garden has been funded entirely by donations from kind-hearted animal lovers. We plan to continue raising funds which will be used to install a variety of water features and hope to have this completed in time for summer 2011, so that the doggy residents can enjoy playing in the water during hot weather.

We would like to thank the following for their assistance with the project.

Crescent Building Supplies in Ruislip donated materials
Future Buildings provided services and equipment free of charge
Interserve and Thames Water donated several large concrete pipes with free delivery
Rolawn provided a generous discount on all turf

Head to BBC iPlayer and you can check out the programme free online for the next few days!

Fundraising from a supporter's point of view

2011-01-20T16:52:00.006Z

We often have supporters fundraise on our behalf as they undertake a challenge or sporting event. Assaf came to us with his story and we wanted to share it with you. It is a lovely thing that have such supportive... supporters! I guess that's why we call them that, eh?

Take it away, Assaf:

My dog is a Border-Collie / Great Dane Cross, saved from a rescue shelter when he was 6 months old. In the 7 years since, I’ve regularly donated to the shelter, and after relocating to the UK, I wanted to do the same for a local shelter. When I heard about the London to Paris challenge, I knew I wanted to raise money for a dog charity and I chose the Dogs Trust. This event embodies two passions of mine: helping stop animal abuse and cycling.

During the months of training, I found raising donations for the Dogs Trust to be the hardest part of getting ready. Sadly the horror stories we read in the papers almost every day are not enough to push people to help. Not a lot of people understand how big an impact a dog can have on a family’s life. Caring for a dog is just like adopting a child only it’s four-legged, furry and licks instead of kisses.

This is where the Dogs Trust comes in, to help these lost children find a safe and happy home, and this is why I decided to dedicate this ride to this cause.

Please help by sponsoring me at: www.justgiving.com/assaf-flatto. Or just read up on my progress at: http://blog.flatto.net/.

Good luck, Assaf!

Could you spare any stamps?

2011-01-18T16:15:00.006Z

We're always eager to find interesting and creative ways to collect donations. For instance, last year we raised over £5000 from used stamps! Well, in 2011, we hope to beat that figure. Can you help us?

We can raise money from both British and overseas stamps. Here is the best bit, it doesn't matter if they have already been used. Stamps are mostly sold by weight but if we can identify any valuable stamps, they can be sold for a higher price.

Sadly, we only get 20p per kilogram for standard first (gold) and second class (blue) stamps so we need a lot of these to make it worthwhile!

What we can raise money from is:

Collections and albums
First day covers
All foreign stamps including Channel isles and Isle of Man
British pictorial stamps including Christmas
Regional issue e.g lions dragons flags etc
Any stamp over 30p in value
Anything pre decimal, old or interesting

Do encourage your friends and family, at home and abroad, to save their stamps for us. Also, if possible, please cut the stamp off the envelope leaving a quarter inch surrounding (this will save hours of work).

If you can help us, please send your stamps to our very kind volunteer stamp sorter:

Jenny Thomas
15 Wentworth Avenue
West Finchley
London
N3 1YA

Please clearly mark your envelope Dogs Trust and include your address if you require a reply.

Urgent rehoming appeal for precious puppy Ronnie

2011-01-11T15:57:00.008Z

As you'll easily see in the video below, Ronnie is a gorgeous 7 month old puppy. He has been at the centre for about a month and although he is your normal playful puppy, he has a condition called megaesophagus that means feeding and drinking is more difficult.

Megaesophagus is a condition where the muscles in the oesophagus aren’t working properly. Normally, the muscles would expand and contract to push the food down while eating, but having this condition means that as Ronnie eats, the food and drink he takes in doesn’t move down into his stomach and instead stays in his oesophagus. The longer the food stays there, the higher the volume and this in turn can trigger the regurgitation reflex. This means Ronnie isn’t getting any of the food and not putting on any weight.

Having this condition means Ronnie needs some special attention during feeding times. As shown in the video, he eats up in the chair and is left for a while afterwards because gravity helps to slide the food down and settle in his stomach. Having feeding time in this way stops aspiration pneumonia – when food or drink could go down into the trachea and into the lungs.

Ronnie needs regular feeding and in the centre, they are currently doing this four times a day: at 8am, midday, 4pm and finally, those who live on site come in at 8pm to give him his last feed. This attention means Ronnie needs a very special home to give him all of the care that he needs.

Despite his condition, Ronnie is still your average loveable pup – he likes the company of people, enjoys being with other dogs and loves his toys. He doesn’t require any special food, but the food does need to be ‘mushed up’ to help it go down better. Ronnie also can’t have normal water; it has to be in jelly form.

Because of his feeding routine, Ronnie needs to be the only dog in the home. He also needs an active family and would be more suitable with older children. Due to his condition, Ronnie will be a part of our foster scheme and his new owners will receive financial support for any veterinary treatment required throughout his life.

If you are interested in rehoming Ronnie, please contact our Leeds centre on 0113 281 4920.

For more information about any of the dogs currently in our care, please visit our website.

Flash and her puppies

2011-01-10T15:16:00.004Z

Every now and again we get wind of a really lovely, heart-warming, and blog-worthy story here at our head office. Well, today is one of those days! Samantha Davis, Supporter Relations Office for our Canterbury Centre, is going to tell you the touching story of Flash, the pooch in the spotlight with her 6 adorable puppies (picture above).

Take it away, Sam:

All dogs are amazing. We obviously think so… we do afterall work for Dogs Trust. However, sometimes a dog comes into our centre at Canterbury, with such an exceptional story, we have to share it.

On 9th December 2010 a very underweight black and white Collie approximately 3 years old was picked up in Northern Ireland by the dog warden and taken to a local veterinary clinic. She had been hit by a car and suffered several injuries as a result. She had a broken hind leg and a puncture wound to her abdomen. The Vets gave her all the necessary treatment for her injuries and cast up her leg. She had no microchip and nobody claimed her.

2 days after the accident she gave birth to 6 puppies and the clinic held onto her for just under 3 weeks. This was the best place for her in her condition and she gained weight and the puppies developed with few complications from the accident. In this time, the clinic tried desperately to find deserving homes for Mum and pups but struggled to find anyone suitable.

Their only option was to hand them over to a local animal organisation that in turn got in touch with us. An arrangement was made for Flash and pups to be brought over to us on 29th December so we could care for them and rehome them through our centre. Whilst a 20hour journey wasn’t ideal for the dogs, it meant that we could save them from an uncertain future, care for them whilst they were recovering and then rehome them to responsible new owners.

When Flash arrived we didn’t know what to expect. Having been through such an ordeal, we prepared for a dog that could be very nervous and apprehensive of new people and strange places. We thought particularly, around her puppies she could show signs of distress and maybe even aggression.

We couldn’t have been more wrong. She turned out to be the sweetest natured and most affectionate Mum we’ve ever had in. She has a wonderful temperament and copes amazingly well with her situation. Her leg is still in a cast and she continues to feed her pups. She can’t yet be separated from them; so much so that a trip to the vets for an X-ray and recast was a family affair and the puppies went along for the ride!

The puppies are now 4 weeks old and are doing well. We are slowly weaning them onto dry food and getting homes ready for when they can leave Flash at 8 weeks old. We already have a perfect home lined up for Flash where she can relax and enjoy herself.

Both Mum and Pups have captured the hearts of all the staff and volunteers at Canterbury. We shall be sorry to see them leave. We are confident however, that once rehomed, their ordeal will finally be over and they can enjoy their ‘forever’ homes, and be given all the love and care they deserve.

Hope Project Christmas Hampers

2011-01-06T11:04:00.009Z

Dogs Trust made Christmas 2010 a more festive and cosy time for homeless dogs across the UK by providing them with canine Christmas hampers of collars, leads, coats, treats and toys.

We set up the unique Hope Project in 1994 and offer free and subsidised veterinary treatment to dogs whose owners are homeless or living in temporary accommodation.

Clare Kivlehan, Hope Project Manager, explains:

“The bond between any dog and owner is a strong one but for homeless people their dog is often their only friend and comfort. Alongside offering subsidised veterinary treatments and doggy Christmas hampers the Hope Project also encourages homelessness hostels and day centres to accept clients with dogs and helps them put in place practical guidelines. We’ve found that if a hostel does not accept dogs, then the owner will stay on the streets in order to keep their companion."

A record number of 600 dogs belonging to owners in housing crisis received special hampers this Christmas, almost double the 2009 total of 350 dogs. We supplied doggie coats for all of the dogs that stayed in the shelter over Christmas and although the weather may have tried to ‘hamper’ our efforts, deliveries did arrive in time for the festive period.

It’s always great to hear our work is appreciated and the Hope inbox has started to fill up with thank you emails from the various projects we support:

“I would just like to say thank you so much from the staff and residents at John Baker House and Denis House for the Christmas parcels which we received for the residents who own dogs. It makes all the difference! We all feel the Dogs Trust is a fantastic organisation and we all wish you a very happy Christmas, and a happy new year. Thanks again for all your work.”

We also had a big bonus this week – a £500 donation from a company in Cambridge who saw a newspaper article about our work. Thank you all for your wonderful support!

For more information about the project, please check out the video above. Homelessness organisations or veterinary surgeries interested in finding out more information about the scheme should call Dogs Trust on 020 7837 0006 or email hopeproject@dogstrust.org.uk

2011 starts out terribly for Evesham and Frosty

2011-01-04T15:53:00.007Z

Staff at the Dogs Trust Rehoming Centre in Evesham arrived at work this morning to find there had been a break-in and a dog named Frosty had been stolen - a two-year-old cream male Lurcher described as a leggy lad and quite distinctive.

Frosty has been microchipped and reported as stolen, so any vet or dog warden who scans him in the future will be able to identify him and return him to Dogs Trust.

Canine carers believe Frosty will be moved quickly out of the area so have asked local people to be particularly vigilant in looking out for him in the next few days. Anyone with information about the break in or with suspected sightings of the Lurcher should call the Rehoming Centre directly on: 01386 830613

Chris Slight, Manager at the Rehoming Centre said:

“Frosty came to us as a stray three weeks ago and is an affectionate lovely lad; this is terribly sad as the thieves have taken away Frosty’s second chance of finding a new home. We are urging other dog owners and members of the public to keep an eye out for Frosty as we want to see him returned as soon as possible.”

Dogged Devotion and Determination

2010-12-22T11:45:00.008Z

As the year draws to a close our Chief Executive, Clarissa Baldwin OBE, has written a special message for all those who have helped Dogs Trust in some way in 2010.

This Arctic weather has been playing havoc with our rehoming centres. We’ve had burst pipes, boiler problems, flooded work areas. Transport is a nightmare, causing us huge difficulties in getting dogs into homes. And, of course, many would-be adopters haven’t been able to get to our centres.

But despite the mayhem brought by the wintry weather, I have a very warm glow inside. And that glow is the result of the daily reports I receive of our staff and volunteers triumphing over adversity. We’ve had staff members walking up to 10 miles to get into work, others struggling for hours driving through blizzards to get dogs into our centres. Not all our staff or volunteers have been able to get in to the centres, which inevitably means that extra effort is needed from those who make it in.

So well done Team! I’m extremely proud of you and incredibly grateful for your dedication.

As 2010 draws to a close, I’d also like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all the donors who make our work possible. These are not the best of economic times and we feared that we may start to lose supporters over the course of this year. But our donors didn’t let us down (as if you would!) and our income has actually grown this year.

Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we were able to care for nearly 16,000 dogs this year – and, of course, no healthy dog was destroyed. We’ve also started work on our 19th rehoming centre (Loughborough) which will help us save even more dogs in the future. My huge thanks go to everyone who made a contribution this year – you are all life-savers.

Dogs Trust is fortunate to have many friends who play many roles in saving dogs’ lives – dog adopters, trustees, staff, volunteers, donors, journalists, dog trainers, politicians, vets & vet nurses, celebrities, teachers, dog wardens, other welfare groups. I do hope that every one of you has a very wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year.

Clarissa

Canine Care Card brings sparky couple into centre

2010-12-09T15:39:00.005Z

Many dog owners worry about where their canine companion would end up if the worse were to happen to them. Dogs Trust created the Canine Care Card for this very reason. The free service ensures peace of mind that if you were to pass away first, your dog would be cared for at one of our 17 rehoming centres around the UK and given the chance to find a new loving home.

We’ve just had two great friends, Rocket and Sparkle come into our Canterbury centre. Their owner had registered for the Canine Care Card and this meant we were on hand to care for them.

Rocket, a six year old male Labrador, and Sparkle, a four year old female Cavalier, are beautiful dogs that came in together after their owner sadly passed away and are looking to be rehomed as a pair.

They are looking for a home together as they’ve always been a pair and would like to be the only pets in the home so they can get all the fuss they deserve. They’ve had a troublesome few months so are looking for a quiet home where they won’t be left for longer than 3 hours so they can rebuild their confidence in a new environment. Any children in the home should be 14 years plus as they’ve been used to older, calmer owners in the past.

The youngest of the doggy duo, Sparkle loves being out and about and often gets into mischief! Rocket, the older gentleman prefers a calmer approach and loves to plod through the woods. Rocket is quite nervous of other dogs but once settled this can be worked on and managed. Both dogs would benefit from some basic training to keep their brains active.

Rocket is incredibly soppy and loves a calm walk in any weather. He enjoys treats and gets excited whenever he sees one in your hand. He is so affectionate and tries getting as much of himself on your lap as possible. Rocket is a little shy of new people but when he knows them, he greets them excitedly.

Sparkle is a real character. Her carers say she can be as mad as a hatter, but loves attention and a cuddle on your lap. Sparkle loves her walks and the minute you pick up her lead, she gets incredibly excited and is out of the door quicker than you could imagine! Sparkle is affectionate, loyal and adores Rocket.

If you think you could offer this lovely pair a home together, please contact our Canterbury Rehoming Centre on 01227 792 505 or visit them at: Radfall Road, Chestfield, Nr Whitstable, Kent, CT5 3ER.

For more information about the Canine Care Card please visit our website.

The Canine Care Card service is currently only available for residents of the UK, Ireland, Channel Islands & the Isle of Man.

Duo delight at Darlington

2010-12-07T13:47:00.002Z

Our Darlington centre has recently been seeing double as they have had a number of doggy duos in need of new homes. It's rare that we have so many duos in the same centre at once, let alone be able to find brilliant forever homes for all of them so quickly! Luckily though, the team have so far managed to find homes for four pairs of dogs.

The breeds the centre have rehomed are:

two Huskies
two Labradors
two Dalmatians
a Yorkie and a Border Collie (the odd couple, no?)

It can be hard to rehome two dogs to the same home, so we’re really pleased so many of these friends have been kept together. However, we're hoping to surpass this fantastic feat and be able to find a home for a tremendous fifth – two Boxers called Henry and Tyrell. Here is a video of the gorgeous pair:

They are 7 year old brothers and are inseparable, so will need to be rehomed together. They are looking for a family home and would be suitable living with children over the age of 14 years old.

Henry and Tyrell can be quite shy chaps initially, but do have bags of energy and will be a great addition to any loving home.

For more information on the beautiful boxers, please contact the Darlington centre on 01325 333 114.

Just in time for Christmas: book competition!

2010-11-26T13:42:00.008Z

Oh, the Christmas season is upon us. While that traditionally means mince pies, mulled wine, festive music, and holiday cheer, it also means sales, raffles, prize draws, and competitions aplenty! It really is the most wonderful time of the year...

We have the pleasure of giving away two fantastic books to three lucky Dogs Trust supporters just in time for the holidays, Doggerel by Angela Patmore and Poppy's Puppies by Sophia Fergus. See below, a summary of each book and read closely to answer the questions and enter the competition:

Doggerel by Angela Patmore

Doggerel is being sold in aid of the Association of Dogs' and Cats' Homes, which embraces many of the UK's animal charities large and small.

In this book, you will find portraits and true stories of discarded dogs that were not afraid to love again. These wonderful characters, fifty out of over 100,000 dogs a year that are unwanted and abandoned by their owners in this dog-loving nation, have sad stories of abuse, neglect and dereliction to tell. Often rescue dogs have been thrown out by owners who could no longer afford them, or who found them inconvenient or naughty, or who simply could not be bothered with them any more. Many have just seven miserable days behind bars before they are put to permanent sleep by council-appointed agencies. Unwanted dogs are desperate. They yelp and whine and cry out for someone to love and save them. These lucky fifty have emerged triumphant and wagging, often against apparently insurmountable odds, to make their new owners very happy.

The rescue charities are at crisis point. They need kind people to come forward and give these dogs a chance. Rescuing a dog can change not only the dog's life but yours, if you are willing to give it a try. This book explains how. It also tells you everything you need to know about finding the right dog at a shelter near you, and getting him or her used to you and your home. There are lots of other books about dogs. This one is about the ultimately lucky ones that were in dire need of help and love, and who got both.

Poppy's Puppies by Sophia Fergus

In this book, you will find the stories of just a few of the puppies (dogs under 12 months) helped by Dogs Trust in the last few years, including Barney the Blue Peter dog; Harry the hearing assistance dog; Snowy the deaf puppy who had to learn sign language; and many more puppy tales to tug the heartstrings.

There's also lots of useful puppy information in this book: choosing your puppy; caring for it, including feeding and training your puppy. Also, for the folks that purchase it online or in-store, 50% of royalties go to Dogs Trust!

Doggerel and Poppy's Puppies are both available from Amazon, but three lucky Dogs Trust supporters can win a copy of BOTH books by answering the questions below:

What percentage of royalties will go to Dogs Trust from the sale of Poppy's Puppies?

Doggerel is being sold in aid of what organisation?

Please e-mail your answers to feedback@dogstrust.org.uk along with your name and address by 11.59pm on Sunday 28th November. Please note, only e-mailed responses will be accepted (answers left as a comment on Facebook, Twitter, or this blog are NOT valid). Good luck!

The winners will be chosen at random after 5pm on Monday 29th November. Please note that only UK residents can enter. Winners will be notified on Tuesday 30th November.

Beagle 'brothers' have a reunion bash!

2010-11-24T16:13:00.006Z

In a post from this summer, Looking for Beagle 'brothers', we mentioned that we were searching for any surviving Beagles who had been rehomed via Dogs Trust (then NCDL) following the closure of Consort Kennels near the Forest of Dean in 1997. Well, Wag! editor Deana organised a big get together for all the living Beagles that came forward. Here is her recap of the day:

I was delighted to meet 11 elderly but beautiful Beagles as they gathered for the Beagle Reunion at Dogs Trust Evesham.

All of the dogs had been rescued when Consort Labs in Hereford had closed down in 1997, and thanks to the generosity of the late Linda McCartney, all 126 dogs had been rescued and rehomed. 50 of the dogs had been taken to Dogs Trust centres at Evesham, Kenilworth and Newbury. Consort had bred the dogs to be used for chemical testing in laboratories.

The dogs’ owners chatted and compared notes over a cup of tea and slice of Beagle shaped cake, while the Beagles did what Beagles do best: sniff and wag. They were all impeccably behaved, and most were grey in the muzzle and a bit wobbly on their legs, but at 14 years old that’s hardly surprising.

Annette Chinn of Dogs Trust Evesham made a moving speech about the day of the rescue. She’d been among the first people allowed into Consort to remove the dogs. Willow, owned by Mr and Mrs Young, decided he’d really like a slice of cake, thanks, and sang a little song.

For Mark and Deb Eavers, who’d originally suggested holding the reunion, the event was bittersweet, as their beloved Beagle, Grommit, was unable to be there, having passed away just a few weeks ago. Their younger Beagle, Snoopy, attended on behalf of his late pal.

The beautifully behaved dogs then lined up for a group photo, much like any other school reunion, and posed for the camera. Email addresses and phone numbers were exchanged, and with that, all the owners said a fond farewell and headed back home, Beagles and all.

Some photos from the day:

Easy Fundraising, it's really THAT easy!

2010-11-19T14:51:00.005Z

Ok, by a show of mouse clicks, how many of you plan to do some Christmas shopping online. I'd say that a fair few of us do this. In fact, I know we do! Eighty-five percent of all internet users are also internet shoppers, according to a May 2010 survey.

So, how can you continue to do your shopping AND raise funds for Dogs Trust as the same time for no extra cost to you? How, you ask? With Easy Fundraising!

Easy Fundraising provide a FREE service where you can shop with your favourite online stores and at no extra cost raise funds for any charity, good cause or group you choose to support. You still shop directly with each retailer as you would normally, but simply by using the links from the Easy Fundraising site first, each purchase you make will generate a cashback donation to the cause you wish to support. They explain:

"For example, spend £25 with WH Smith and 3.5% will be donated. You will have raised £0.88, at no extra cost to your purchase. Make any purchase from Amazon and 2.5% will be donated. Insure your car with Direct Line and raise £35.00, or purchase a mobile phone from O2 and earn £17.50, and so on."

The site is great because you can shop with 2000+ brand name retailers and to raise funds you just use the links from their site first - it's that simple! It just serves as a portal, so if you ALREADY shop online, why not help Dogs Trust at no extra cost from purchases you would make anyway.

Go on, at least check it out! I promise it won't exhaust you as much as that little guy in the photo!

Of course, if you're looking for Dogs Trust items from our cataloge you can see all those products online by going to http://www.dogstrustgifts.com/.

International Companion Animal Welfare Conference (ICAWC) 2010 Recap

2010-11-13T09:35:00.005Z

Whew! What a week! Just winding down and recovering from a busy week in lovely Prague at the International Companion Animal Welfare Conference (ICAWC). This year, ICAWC returned to the stunning Czech capital for the first time since 2002 and approximately 250 delegates and speakers attended (wow)! Now in its 12th year, ICAWC has developed a reputation as the foremost companion animal welfare conference in the world, welcoming thousands of animal welfare workers from around the globe, helping them to share, learn and build relationships. This year was certainly no different!

On Tuesday, we had some optional workshops and group visits to a local shelter for early registrants. These activities proved very popular and kept everyone busy until our group welcome dinner at the Velka Klaserni restraurant located just by the stunning Strahov Monastery. With the ice broken and the delegates familiar, the next two days went by in a flash!

We would like to thank our speakers, Luke Gamble (Worldwide Veterinary Service), Scott Spencer (Dogs Trust), Mike Radford & Chris Laurence (Dogs Trust), Ian MacFarlaine (Cats Protection), Mike Arms (Helen Woodward Animal Center), Ray Butcher (Veterinarian), Sara Turetta (Save the Dogs), Sarah Fisher (Tellington Touch), Adam Kirtley (Hand Made Productions), Joy Lee & Elli Hiby & Harry Eckman (WSPA), David Newall (Dogs Trust), Trevor Cooper (solicitor), Maggie Roberts (Cats Protection), Jeff Young (veterinarian), Charlotte Speedy & Laurier Nicas (Dogs Trust), Roger Mugford (The Company of Animals), Carolyn Menteith (behaviourist), and Liz Teal. Such a wide array of topics and backgrounds, and they were all absolutely fantastic and inspiring. Thank you for your wisdom and your words!

We would also like to thank our attendees who travelled from far and wide! Thank you so much for making your way to Prague and we truly hope that we were able to offer you the insight and knowledge you were hoping for.

If anyone is interested in attending next year's ICAWC, keep checking the ICAWC website for updates on 2011! Also, you can e-mail for more details or with any questions.

Now, did you attend this year? Can you see yourself in any of the snaps below? We'll have more photos on Flickr soon!

Did you know?

2010-11-09T12:03:00.010Z

Dogs Trust is the largest dog charity in the UK, but also assists overseas through international work. One of the latest projects to receive help from Dogs Trust is a new International Training Centre (ITC) set up by the charity, Worldwide Veterinary Service.

Watch the video to find out more information about WVS and the ITC.

WVS, a charity founded by Dorest vet, Luke Gamble, is run from a small office at the back of a second-hand book shop in Cranborne on the edge of the New Forest. The charity provides aid and assistance to animal charities and non-profit organisations around the world.

The opening of the ITC marked World Rabies Day (Tuesday 28th September), an international campaign that has led to the vaccination of three million dogs since 2007.

The ITC, which WVS has set up with the India Project for Animals and Nature, has received sponsorship and expertise from Dogs Trust and will cut the number of young lives lost through a mass dog vaccination programme.

India has the highest prevalence of rabies in the world. On average, 30,000 people a year die from being bitten by a rabid dog and 60 per cent of those bitten are children under the age of 15.

Through widespread vaccination campaigns and working with the Indian Government, WVS has pledged to reduce the number of deaths by five per cent over the next three years – the equivalent of a child’s life every day.

Luke, who has recently appeared in TV series Vet Adventures, said:

"For around the cost of a pint of beer each month you could help save a child’s life. It’s as simple and stark as that. It costs just £3 a month or £30 a year to become a member of WVS and every person who signs up makes a difference to the many animals and communities we help.

“Rabies is one of the oldest diseases known to man. Yet today it is still needlessly killing tens of thousands of people across the world every year. These deaths are preventable with a simple vaccination. Children are more likely to get bitten or scratched on their heads and faces, which carries a higher risk of contracting the disease. They may also be unaware of the dangers and consequently not tell their parents when they have been bitten, scratched or licked by an infected dog. We can help save their lives with your help.”

For further details on WVS, please visit www.wvs.org.uk

Oakfield Old Dogs Home need you!

2010-11-04T13:03:00.005Z

The Oldies need your help! Oakfield Old Dogs Home is a unique building situated at our Roden Rehoming Centre.

Just like people older dogs are not as resilient as the younger generation and it can be a lot harder for them to bounce back. Older dogs can find it hard to adjust to kennel life after living in a family home.

Please DONATE ONLINE today!
Oakfield is a house like any other except for its residents. Up to 12 older dogs will live here and see out their old age and get the extra care and attention they need in a home environment. The dogs are free to wander round where they want, when they want and lovely carers always nearby; there really is no other place like it.

The old Oakfield has recently been refurbished and rebuilt as part of the overall rebuild of our Roden centre. And is due to reopen on November 15th 2010.

Oakfield is run like a normal house with all the fixtures and fittings of your own home. We have furnished the house with the basics but need a little extra help to buy the extra comforts an older dog enjoys.

We are looking to raise £2000 to help ensure these older dogs see out there days in comfort. Can you help?

Please DONATE ONLINE today!