Happy Dog Stories: Chris and 'oldies' Dixie and Missy

Chris McGrath had vowed not to get another dog after the last one died at the end of 2007. Here she explains how she broke that vow to get two 'oldies' who have filled the house with love:

"When our last dog died at the end of last year we said ‘no more dogs’. We are both now pensioners so have to think about our life span as well as that of a dog*. Morbid? Maybe, but necessary!

"But … the house seemed very empty - we had had at least one dog around for the last 35 years - and there wasn’t any real reason to ‘just go for a walk’. Our daughter, who works in Dogs Trust HQ, finally persuaded us that we needed a dog!

"I first saw Dixie, a crossbreed, on the Oldies website, where Dogs Trust Merseyside had posted details of her. She was 13 years old, which was possibly the reason why she was overlooked, so we travelled down to the Centre to meet her. It didn’t take very long to decide that she was The One and a couple of days later we brought her home. She settled in very well. Poppy The Cat looked a bit confused when they first met but there were no problems at all.

"A couple of weeks later we heard about another old lady, a 14 year old Labrador, who needed a new home. However she was very poorly and we had to wait until we could meet her. A week later we travelled back down to Merseyside to introduce Dixie to Missy. They took no notice of each other! Missy had a very bad skin condition which had made her tummy hairless and very very smelly. Previously she had been living in a garage because of her bad smell. She was also scratching a lot.

"We took her home (with the car windows open because she really was smelly) and it was her turn to meet Poppy The Cat. Again, no problems. In fact the cat didn’t seem at all surprised that another dog had suddenly appeared. With ongoing monthly injections and medicated baths Missy is now a lovely sweet smelling dog and her skin condition is improving. She actually runs (she wasn’t very keen on walking, let alone running and playing ball when we first had her), and both dogs enjoy the beach and going for a swim. We discovered that Missy is also deaf, but she has learnt a bit of very basic sign language.

"We don’t know how long Dixie and Missy will be around, hopefully for a while yet, but they’ve brought so much pleasure to us. Another plus for us personally – Poppy The Cat has stopped waking us up by letting out blood curdling yowls in the middle of the night because she was pining for our previous dog. Her life must have seemed to missing something as well as ours as she had lived all of her 16 years with a dog around.

"So – if anyone is thinking of adopting an Oldie – do it!"

If you have a happy story about your rescue dogs (whether they came from Dogs Trust or not), please email me with a photo and your tale and it could appear here soon! If you're interested in adopting a dog, please visit our website for more information.

Previous Happy Dog Stories: Jo and Daisy| Kim and Jake

*The Dogs Trust Canine Care Card scheme is a special FREE service that give you peace of mind, knowing that Dogs Trust will look after your dog in the event of your death.

Happy Dog Stories: Judith and Buffy (and Angel and Fred...)

Judith Statham is very proud of her extended family (and clearly quite a fan of Joss Whedon!). Here she shares her story about why she's never looked back after adopting Buffy:

"I adopted Humbug - now Buffy! - when I came to help out with the Dog Training Club from Fleetwood in Lancashire this time last year. I was not looking for a dog as I had two Jack Russells, Angel and Fred, and a rescue cat already! However, she simply stole my heart as she has one of those faces. She had four puppies while in your care and although one died the other three were thankfully also adopted on the same day as Buffy. The staff were fantastic on all three visits we made and fortunately Angel and Fred loved Buffy from day one, as if she had always been with us.

"She didn't know she was allowed in the house for the first hour or so and was very timid. It took a few hours before she realised that this was home. I have never had a single moment's worry or regret in adopting Buffy; she is simply a superstar. Her recall is perfect, she loves cuddling up on the sofa and if I didn't know better would say someone had trained her once. I have since insisted to everyone I know that rescue dogs are worth every minute of your time and attention.

"Buffy enjoys her walks in our local country park and adores the river on a warm day ! She loves other dogs, kids, cats - she is happy to accept anything or anyone that comes across her path. I love her to bits and will definitely bring her back to Dogs Trust Merseyside soon for a visit. Sh is looking really well as you can see from the photo, although we have to watch her weight as she does have a weakness for food of any kind.

"Thanks so much for bringing Buffy into your centre and letting me take her home!"

If you have a happy story about your rescue dogs (whether they came from Dogs Trust or not), please email me with a photo and your tale and it could appear here soon! If you're interested in adopting a dog, please visit our website for more information.

Previous Happy Dog Stories: Sarah and Alfie | Jennie, Lex and Sassie

Dog(s) of the Week: Jess and Brinkley @ Dogs Trust Shoreham

Introducing... Jess & Brinkley!

Breed: Golden Retriever Cross (Brinkley) and Crossbreed (Jess)

Age: Jess is 5 and Brinkey is 2

Likes: Both of us are shy and nervous types, so what we like best are patient people who will take the time to get to know us and wait until we trust them at which point we hugely enjoy cuddles.

Dislikes:

Jess - I am not keen on cats and although I can get on with other dogs I am very nervous so I need time to get used to the idea.

Brinkley - I haven't tried hanging out with cats yet, but Dogs Trust say they'll introduce me if a new owner really needs me to. I've had a rough start in life so I am not keen on too much pressure but will show a lot of love if I'm given time to adjust.

Needs: Both of us need houses with children over 12 where we are preferably the only dogs.

Contact: Call Dogs Trust Shoreham on 01273 452576 or visit Shoreham's rehoming gallery on Dogs Trust's website.

Christian the Lion YouTube video

Although the events in this video took place in the 70s, the story of a captive lion released back into the wild only to recognise its prior rescuers is clearly still tugging at the heartstrings. Since this video was added in June, over 7 million people have viewed this emotional reunion, which is certainly worth a few minutes of your day.

Just turn the sound down if you're in a public place (unless you're really fond of Whitney Houston and all the people around you are too).



It certainly stretches the definition of what we consider a pet... Now imagine getting that every day from a pet dog, grateful that you'd given him a forever home. Alright, perhaps not a fair comparison but certainly a good bit less unpredictable!

Microchipping: the Kennel Club urges the public to update their Petlog information

The UK Kennel Club's Petlog is the largest reunification scheme in the country, and it supports the details of 3.5 million pet owners, with 40,000 joining a month.

Having handled over 89,000 calls in 2007, the service is responsible for helping thousands of owners be reunited with their lost or stolen dogs. Unfortunately, some of these reunions are made far more difficult by the fact that pet owners move house and forget to update their details. Sometimes a dog changes hands and the new owners also fail to

It is vitally important that there is always a current, working telephone number at which you can be contacted on Petlog's database. It could be the difference between getting your dog back or having him processed as a stray by the Local Authority. When apparent strays are not claimed within the week, the LA has the choice of handing them on to a rehoming charity but some are ultimately humanely euthanised.

Microchipping can help prevent a lot of heartbreak and an unncessarily lengthy stay in the kennels for your dog. Since a microchip is embedded in the skin, it cannot fall or be taken off like the statutory collar and tag.

All dogs that pass through Dogs Trust's care are microchipped. It costs around £20-30 at a vets, but some of our Rehoming Centres offer the service at a reduced price. Just give your local centre a call to find out more.

If you've moved home recently and haven't yet updated your microchip details, you can update your records online. To record a Change of Ownership, just call Petlog on 0870 606 6751 for assistance.

Happy Dog Stories: Paula and Flossy

A while back I asked any readers of our various social networking sites to send me happy rehoming tales (whether through Dogs Trust or not). I'll be posting the stories from time to time, and here is the first, from Paula Abbot about her 'Newfie', Flossy.

“About four months ago, I had a phone call late in the evening informing me about a Newfoundland that had been handed into the kennel.

“The following day as soon as the kennel was open, I was on the phone; then I went down to see her.

“It was a horrible rainy day, but we still made our way to check her out. When we got there the lady was a little concerned about what we might think as the dog was so obese. And she was ridiculously fat! Luckily the vet assured us her heart was fine considering her weight and there were no obvious signs of poor health, thank goodness.

“My heart went out to her as she was so adorable but so fat with badly matted fur.

“Since Flossy was handed in rather than found, she was already neutered. We collected her the following day and introduced her to our baby Newfie, Nala, and the other dogs in our home. She spotted the paddling pool, sat her large behind in the water and was very happy! My other dogs are well socialised and friends and family come to socialise their pups with my pets so it’s a little like a crèche sometimes…

“The reason for Flossy’s weight gain was that she’d never eaten dog food, only sausages and the like. She was so fat that getting up was an effort. She ate only gradually, and after a while she was even weaned from one commercial dog food to another. She had to be bribed with food just to go on her first walk! She would stop dead and I’d have to drop her lead and walk away before she’d start walking and catch up. Her pads went sore very quickly because she was unused to walking on hard surfaces. Her owners must have paid around £1000 for her and then neglected her.

“By the time of her first injection and checkup after coming home, Flossy had lost two stone and, with the help of some joint supplements and being careful not to overexercise, she plays happily with seven month old Nala, running along the beach and sand dunes. She’s even won an amateur dog contest at a retirement home which Dogs Trust attended.

“I couldn’t be happier with how well Flossy’s settled in after just three months.I’m now known as the lady who walks her two bears down the street!”

We wish Paula and Flossy all the luck in the world. Remember that you don’t have to be punishing a dog to be hurting her – overfeeding, lack of exercise and little attention can be just as hurtful.

If you have a Happy Dog Story to send in, just email me!

National Microchipping Month: have you microchipped your pet yet?

One in three lost dog reunions happens thanks to microchips.

In a call-to-action marking the beginning of National Microchipping Month (June 1-30), Dogs Trust is urging those owners who have not microchipped their dog to make it their number one priority.

A tiny chip coded with a unique reference number is implanted via injection just under the skin between the shoulder blades. A hand-held scanner held over the area can identify the number which corresponds to a database of owner contact details.

As painless and brief as a normal jab, this procedure now accounts for 32% of dogs being reunited with their owners, a massive rise from 7% in 1999. Microchipping overtook the ID disc in effectiveness five years ago!*

This only represents a proportion of the lost dogs that were returned home, and does not reflect the overall numbers of strays in the UK. According to the last survey the total number has, sadly, increased.

Dogs Trust Chief Executive Clarissa Baldwin comments:

“Of the hundreds of stray dogs that come to our centres, it is heartbreaking to think that many once had loving homes.

“More and more dog owners are aware that microchipping is the most effective and proactive means of ensuring a lost pooch will be returned.

“If you haven’t had your pet microchipped, make this the month to do it. Dogs go missing all the time, for all sorts of reasons, and microchipping is by far the best precaution you can take to ensure your furry friend doesn’t end up on the streets, or even being put to sleep.”

Owners can expect to pay £20-£30 for microchipping at their local vets’ or £10 at our 17 Dogs Trust Rehoming Centres. You can find your nearest Centre by calling us on 020 8837 0006 or visiting www.dogstrust.org.uk.

All dogs adopted from our Centres are microchipped, neutered, vaccinated and health-checked before being released to their new owners.

*Please note that a collar and ID tag are required for dogs out in public under UK law.