Butch And Kane.....

The two new boys have had a steady first day at The Rescue Place, it must be such a stressfull time for them taking in so much so new. It is also a time that can be used to our advantage, as everything is also so exciting because it is new. It appears that food is definately the key with these two, they just need time.

I will get photos as soon as they are settled and trust me enough to take them, in the mean time, here is some that I recieved when I was asked to take them under SHAK's wing. How sad do they look? How could I refuse?

Sunday's At The Sluice.....

A rare Sunday off (Thank you Gregg and Andrea) meant that I was able to pop down to Seaton Sluice this morning for an Amaretto Coffee and to meet some of the loyal and wonderful people that turn up to support Derek and us.

It was great to be able to say thank you to a few of you in person, but to all of those I missed, THANK YOU.

And THANK YOU to Derek, you're flying the flag for SHAK literally.

Pepsi is Still Looking For A Home.....

Had an email from my friend to say that Pepsi is still looking for a new home, but that she is doing really well.

She doesn't need to go to the vets anymore, although she does still have a hole in her leg. It is healing slowly, but is getting there.

Can you offer Pepsi a new home after going through so much?

Email: shak@shak.org.uk

An Update on Lucas.....

"hi steve,

hope you are ok and the bad weather is'nt getting you and the girls and boys down(two and four legged ones).

I have just had Johnathan on the phone to say he got lucas's water sample results back and they are clear of any culture growing in it, which is brilliant news. He is on his anti-bio for another month,then he will go back for scans and if all is well they will go ahead with the snip. His weight is as it should be and his coat is beautiful and Johnathan is just so pleased at his progress as we are.

His character and personality is really comin out as he is feeling so much better in himself. The only problem he has still is being left alone.We leave him for 10mins at a time, I'm sure the more confident he becomes the more it will be easier for him to be a big brave boy and stay on his own. He doesn't damage anything or make a mess, he just gets so upset and barks and cry.As you know we are in no hurry we go at lucas's pace.

Thank you for the great but short time we had at the kennels,and the beautiful photo's of lucas. you and the rest of the team do a brilliant job, and you can see all the boys and girls are so safe and happy, keep up the great work, dogs like lucas and guardians like Andy and myself thank you, well that's it we'll keep in touch, all the best from Lucas, and his adopted parents Andy and gill

SHAK, SAFE HOMES AND KINDNESS = ADOPTED LUCAS THE BEST THING WE EVER DID"

What can I say, so proud of Lucas, and so pleased to of found the perfect parents for him.

A New Look For SHAK.....

A new focus, a new Blog and after a lot of hard work, a new Website for SHAK.

Thank you so much Amanda for all the time, hard work and patience, (yes, she has had to put up with me pestering her via email and phone) we are all delighted with it.

Not only did Amanda build the site, she also came up with some brilliant new pages, so keep your eyes peeled for pages such as an "Advice and Tips" section.

Amanda did all this from the goodness of her heart, and is her donation to SHAK. We can't thank her enough!

Saturday 27th February 2010.....

Sorry for the late post, but its been one of those days where time seems to go twice as fast. However, it has been time well spent as Butch and Kane, two black and tan crossbreeds, make the journey to The Rescue Place to become SHAK dogs all the way from Maidstone! These two brothers are visibly terrified and under socialised, but you can see in their eyes that they want to be friends. At this point I have to say Well done to our good friends Niall Lester and Lisa Clark for saving their lives and a MASSIVE THANK YOU to Dianne for driving from London to Maidstone, to Northumberland, to London. You truly are a star.

Well, its the weekend again, so just a quick reminder to pop down to Derek's at Seaton Sluice tomorrow for a cuppa, and remember EVERY PENNY RAISED goes to the SHAK Dogs.

Important Announcement From SHAK

2010 sees SHAK changing focus once more to concentrate our efforts on those dogs that need our help the most.

"Real Rescue" is an extension of our Retirement Scheme which provides sanctuary for those lost souls that have been so badly abused and neglected that the outside world is a traumatic place for them.

Concentrating our resources on the rehabilitation, environmental enrichment, physical and mental stimulation of dogs that would otherwise be left forgotten and often euthanized is a natural evolution for the charity. This means that as well as not taking dogs from the general public we NO LONGER rehome SHAK dogs to the public.

Fully assessed and rehabilitated dogs may be placed into a "Forever Foster Home" where the emphasis will be on providing the dog with a stable environment, appropriate diet, positive socialisation, good physical exercise and participation in training classes or a dog activity such as agility or flyball and offering comprehensive support and advice from our forever foster team.

Good News For Sassy.....

Just had a phone call from Jonathon at Moorview vets tonight after his surgery had finished, to say that he had the results back from Sassy's lump. I'm delighted to announce that she was suffering from a benine tumour, and has now been given the all clear from the vets!

I would just like to take this opportunity to thank all the people who have donated towards the cost of her operation, it has been a tremendous help. Once again the SHAK supporters have done us proud. I would also like to thank everyone at Moorview (http://www.moorviewvets.co.uk/) for all you did for this old girl. I really cannot recommend a better vet.

All that is left now, is to find her and Zak a new foster home. If you are interested in giving these two a new start (NE England only, sorry) please email: shak@shak.org.uk

An Email From Alfie (Now Vinny).....

"Hi Stephen
Thought I’d just send a quick update about Vinny. He’s doing really well – this week he really likes my Dad! Might be something to do with being fed duck & chicken off him & getting a nice ride out to the reservoir for a walk every day. He’s settled into a routine as well, and has even been left alone in the house for a few hours with no upset or problems. He’s got a bit of a thing for cats and sheep as well but we’ve been watching the dog whisperer & it’s me or the dog so we’re learning (slowly) how to distract him. He’s absolutely fine with other dogs and loves Bess, my sister’s greyhound. Gets a bit upset when she’s allowed a run round the field & he has to stay on the leash – obviously there’s no way I can keep up but he gets a bit of a ‘jog’. And I’ve lost about half a stone in 10 days so it’s all good! He does a really funny smile type thing when he gets up on a morning and I will keep trying until I get a photo of him doing that and will send it to you. I need to get some more outside pics as well but it’s nearly always dark when I have him out. In the mean time, I’ve attached a couple of him lazing around.
Hope you’re well – I’ve been reading your blog & it really must be hard for you at times – hope this comes as a bit of good news.
Thank you for letting me take Vinny home – we all love him loads already!
Joanne "

Top Tip.....

Not sure if this is politically correct, but.....

**Top Tip** Dog Owners - Never lose your TV remote control again. Simply sellotape it to the back of your dog, and hey presto!! Whistle, and the device is at your beck and call!!

Wednesday 24th February 2010.....

This week is turning into "one of those weeks" as the phone never stops ringing. For anyone who has ever listened to my Voicemail message, it states clearly that SHAK does not take any dogs from the public, yet I have now had messages regarding 5 dogs from members of the public all of which stated words along the lines of "if you don't take them, they will have to be put to sleep." I have tried my best to help, and pass dogs onto rescues that do deal with the public, but to be emotionally blackmailed so many times in 3 days is really beginning to take its toll.

SHAK is there as a sanctuary for the poundies that need it the most. We take the dogs that usually no one else will. That can include dogs with health issues (Sassy) behavioural issues (Miko) or human neglect (Bodie and Doyle). Therefore the people who own dogs have to take responsibility for the problems they have so often created. One of the dogs that I was called about was 7 months old for goodness sake. What is wrong with the world.

Thank You!

Just a quick THANK YOU to everyone who turned out in the snow to show "Support For Sassy" yesterday. Also a big THANK YOU to Derek for all of his marvelous effiorts, and of course Sandra too for those scones! In total a fantastic £160 was raised towards her vets bill and on going treatment for her sores. Thank you all so much.

Sunday 21st February 2010..... "Support Sassy Sunday"

The fantastic pair down at Seaton Sluice (Derek and Sandra) have kindly agreed to make this Sunday's Fundraising "Support Sassy Sunday."

Basically EVERY PENNY raised this week will go towards paying for Sassy's operation that she had on Wednesday. You can read the full extent of what she went through in a previous post on this blog, and I'm sure you'll agree it was quite an operation.

She is now back at the kennels resting with her old pal Zak, who missed her terribly.

Please get yourself down to "Pebbles" 6 Marive View, Seaton Sluice NE26 4JY on Sunday between the hours of 7.30 - 5 and have a cuppa and a chat with Derek. Remember EVERY PENNY goes towards helping us pay for making this beautiful little girl better.

Miko and Grace.....

Miko and Grace

After the introductions and playtimes of recent times, Miko and Grace now share a kennel, and as you can see the playing has really progressed to fun. Typical woman though, Miko does all the hard work to find the toys in the tyres, and then Grace pinches them!

Sassy Update.

I'm pleased to say that Sassy has been through her operation, and is resting at the vets over night. She has had quite a lot done.....chest x-rays, her leg x-rayed, her lump removed, her nails clipped, a scale and polish and 4 rotten teeth removed (at no extra cost from the vets. Thank you Jonathon at Moorview.) A sample from the lump is being sent away for analysis, but her chest x-rays showed up clear for any masses in her lungs.

Apart from being a little stressed last night, possibly the first night she has ever spent away from Zak, she has been fine and won the hearts of everyone at Moorview Vets.

Zak meanwhile has clearly missed his girl, but I have to say he has been VERY clean in his kennel. Maybes now the fact he can get out to the toilet is a major factor in this positive find.

Watch out for details of "Support Sassy Sunday" later this week.....

A Year On We Still Miss You Bruno.

Its a year ago today that we lost our fight to save Bruno. A lots gone on in those 12 months, but I still think about him. Run free Bruno.....

Bruno came to us all the way from Southampton, looking for a new start due to no fault of his own. He had a history of a poorly stomach, but that was put down to a food allergy, and we tried to combat it with various specialist diets, although it turned out to be something a lot worse. On February 17th 2009 we had to give up the fight, and let him move on to a better place. Bruno gave us so many ups and downs in the time we had him. He was such a loving, yet grumpy big guy. I for one don’t regret trying to help him, and right to the end, he was a gentleman and a calming influence on the other dogs. Below is brief description of his illness, written by volunteer Sharon Ness who was with him right to the end. Run free Bruno, God bless you.

“His blood tests showed a significantly low level of protein which the vets say was obvious given his emaciated state. The scan showed nothing and they felt an x ray would yield no valuable information as they could feel the whole of his intestines when examining him. Several of the vets reviewed him, his results and his history during the time they had cared for him. The consensus of opinion was that it was inflammatory bowel disease as debilitating as cancer, if not that then a diffuse lymphoma causing multiple small tumours throughout the bowel. Definite diagnosis would have required surgery to take biopsies but this was something that they felt was too much for him to cope with in his very poor state of health. Basically his immune system was attacking his own gut and causing an absorption problem and profuse diarrhoea. It would be untreatable and progressively worsening. The vets felt that they could not offer any interventions and the best thing for Bruno was to be put to sleep. The whole illness would have occurred regardless of where he was living and was not contributed to by "kennel stress". Bruno very quietly and peacefully was put to sleep 4pm this afternoon while I cradled his head and told him to go off and have a great run after some rabbits.......run free at Rainbow Bridge little man xxxxxx”

Please Pray For Little Sassy.

I dropped little Sassy off at the vets tonight for her operation tomorrow. I really hope that it is nothing sinister, and once we're through this we can get her and Zak into a nice foster home. They are both such friendly little dogs, who are loving being with the big boys and girls. They've already made friends with Benson, George and Gema.

Please say a little prayer for Sassy tonight.

A New Romance.....

A New Romance is budding at The Rescue Place, as a couple of weeks of pairing up is beginning to pay off. Miko and Grace are both such worriers, and it is great now that they have been able to redirect that energy into playing with each other. These photos aren't the best, but I think that they still capture "the moment."

For anyone who knew Miko before he came to us, or anyone who has followed his story on the forum (http://shak.myfreeforum.org/about108.html) I never ever thought I'd see this.

Who Said Dogs Are Daft.....

You want me to do what??

Little Sassy.....

This is the horror that this beautiful old lady has suffered.

Sassy and Zak..... Arrive at SHAK

This was the email I got a coupleof days ago, both dogs arrived yesterday on Valentines day:

"Urgent rescue placements are needed for 2 dogs in the Birmingham area. They currently live together but could be seperated if need be. The owner of Sassy and Zak is disabled, basically he is having to move into sheltered accomodation next week and cannot take the dogs with him. The only alternative is for the owner to pts as there are no local rescue placements available.

However, nothing is ever simple.......Sassy, who is reported to be 9 years old, has mammary growth which is around the size of a tennis ball which has not been seen by a vet. Also she has some sores of her front leg. Pictures attached show Sassy, despite all these problems, she is a lovely girl that really needs some TLC.

Zak, health wise appears ok and is quite active considering hes approx 10 years old.

They have no vaccinations.
They are NOT house trained......owner allows them to toilet indoors.
Neither have been outside the home for over 5 years

Early signs show that they are sociable little dogs. Sassy is at the vets on Wednesday. Please pray that we can get her through this.

Saturday 13th February 2010.....

Another day that just seems to disappear before your eyes up at The Rescue Place. They say time flies when you are having fun, but up there its the company of the dogs that give you that buzz, and despite all the hard work you can't believe the time when you look at your watch. One disappointing thing today though is that we had no volunteers to share the work load and give the dogs some one on one time, I can understand how things are tight during the week, but on a Saturday........ (Anyone who has anytime to spare, lives in the Alnwick area and is interested in helping clean kennels etc please get in touch shak@shak.org.uk or 07931 702345)

One handsome boy who didn't need any one on one time was Alfie. Who after the homecheck and the two visits last weekend, went on home trial with his new Mam. It's easy to love Alfie, but please say a little prayer for him, as he is due a bit of happiness in his life.

I'd also like to say A BIG THANK YOU to Susan at Jollyes in Blyth for a big donation of food yesterday. I think everyone is aware how tight things have been recently, but this takes the pressure of for a little while. THANK YOU.

Despite this, please keep your donations coming, as we have the two very badly neglected dogs arriving tomorrow, and you would be surprised how quickly we go through food. I keep saying we couldn't do what we do without your help, and I really do mean it.

Oh and tomorrow is Sunday, don't forget coffee at Derek's!

Time For A Coffee.....

Just a reminder to take time out for a Coffee with the dog tomorrow. We had a great response down at Derek's at Seaton Sluice last Sunday. Please feel free to drop of any food or bedding donations there again this week.

You can't miss the caravans opposite Fountainhead Car Park on the sea front at Seaton Sluice. Open 7.30 - 5.

Thanks for your support.

Thursday 11th February 2010.....

Managed to take a little time out to finally take some photo's of the newest two latest SHAK recruits, Murphy and Laser. Murphy is the bigger of the two boys, whilst Laser is the little cross. Both dogs came to us with a little bit of a reputation, but I have to say they are both such good dogs. As yet we are not actively looking for a home for them as they are still under evaluation, but I have to be honest and say that they are already making friends at SHAK.

Grace enjoyed her day today too, as she was chosen as "Dog of the Day." She spent the afternoon in the cabin with me and Gregg, before going for a nice stroll with Miko. She was very interested in him, and he behaved like the perfect Gentleman. It was nice to see both dogs enjoy each others company, and enjoy a nice walk in the sunshine (although bitterly cold.) Although it has to be said, Grace you are a total flirt.

A Touch Of Poetry.....

Saw this is the latest edition of Homer (The Retired Greyhound Trust Magazine.)

The Perfect Dog - Judy Zatonski

They came to find the perfect dog

To join their family

Altho' they had a massive choice

The one they picked was me

BUT...

I didn't match the sofa

I wee'd upon the floor

They said I took up to much space

And that I scratched the door

They claimed I was aggressive

That I didn't heed my name

It seems I was their 'whipping boy'

For everyone to blame

I "didn't meet requirements"

Was the phrase they used

So I was taken back again

Frightened and confused

A day was all it took them

To turn this hound away

How could this boy have learned the ropes

In just one single day?

And so once more I waited

As the visitors passed by

I felt somewhat despondent

As I tried to catch their eye

Then someone stopped to stroke me

My ears and chin they scratched

Could this be my lucky day?

(Their sofa would I match??)

And on that day they chose me....

But I was quite concerned

My confidence was shaken

In case I was returned

BUT...

I didn't have to worry

And very soon I found

That they love me 'warts and all'

I was their 'perfect hound'

Update.....Wednesday 10th February.....Update

I have just recieved an urgent email regarding two dogs that are in desperate need for a rescue place or there will be no option but to have them put to sleep. They live together, and are about 9 and 10. They aren't house trained, and haven't been out the house for 5 years! The bitch has a mammary growth which is around the size of a tennis ball, and which has not been seen by a vet.

One phonecall later, both are on the way to SHAK once transport can be arranged.

Photos and more details once transport has been confirmed.

Can Anyone Help And Adopt Pepsi?

I am posting this on behalf of a friend who has asked me to try and help find a home for Pepsi a beautiful Greyhound girl:

"Meet Pepsi, a black Greyhound bitch. We think she is about 7 years old, and is fully vacc and micro chipped, but as yet not spayed (However we can help with that if needed.) Pepsi was attacked by anotehr dog who took a lump out of her back leg. Although its on the mend now, shes still having her leg dressed twice a week by the vet, but they have said she is well enough to look for a new home. Pepsi is a very lazy dog, fab in house, fully house trained, and despite her attack is great with other dogs."

Pepsi is currently in a foster home, but can't stay there for ever. If you are interested in giving her a forever home, please contact me via email shak@shak.org.uk or by phone 07931 702345 (Please leave a message stating you are interested in Pepsi.)

Wednesday 10th February 2010.....

Tess had a trip to the vets today, as she had poorly eyes. After our track record of Rottweilers needing Entropian operations, I feared the worst. Pleased to say though, it appears to be an eye infection that had caused inflamation and swelling of the eyelids, so with a dose of drops she should be fine.

I have to say that Tess was an absoloute start all day, and made friends with every dog that came in regardless of size. I can say nothing better than the vet himself..... "What a perfect advert for the breed."

There has been some new faces up at The Rescue Place this week, and for once they were human and not k9! Thank you to Justine, Kenny, Karen and Andrea (well, Andrea its so long since you've been your like a new face ha ha) for giving up a few hours of your spare time to help me out.

Can I just also clear one thing up from a previous post. Krysta HASN'T had puppies, she just decided to mother some whilst they were in foster at her home.

Quick Update on Krysta.....

Had an email from Lynn at GSD Rescue who asked me to pass on the following update on Krysta. She really is a special girl:

"Krysta is just amazing, had 3 puppies (in foster) in a few weeks ago, and she mothered them, she was crying everytime they moved!She has burst every football my son had!!! She has her off days, where she gets quite tired and wont eat, but apart from that no symptoms. She will live forever!!! We can hope cant we."

You can read her story at http://shak.myfreeforum.org/about190.html

Can Anyone Help Save These Staffi's? (Posted on behalf of Niall Lester)

Posting this on behalf of our good friend Niall Lester:

PLEASE APPEAL/CROSSPOST. URGENT DOGS AT RISK OF PTS. IN KENT BUT TRANSPORT CAN BE ORGANISED. RESCUE SPACES ONLY, MUST NEUTER AND HOMECHECK SEE EMAIL I RECIEVED FROM POUND BELOW
Hi Niall

I hope you can help we are getting to a point of breaking with our stray dogs, I desperately need to move 10 stray dogs to give the remaining 21 a chance can you see if any of your contacts can help as I have tried all my links.

I have attached photos of the following
1.Tank - male staff lives by himself adult 4 yrs old
2.Bailey - male staff x EBT lives by himself adult 1-2 yrs old
3.Butch - male staff lives by himself adult 4 yrs old
4.Neill - male staff lives by himself adult 2 yrs old
5.Archie - male staff only 12 months old - chipped
6.George - male staff chipped will live with some females 3 yrs old
7.Rio - male staff lives by himself adult 3 yrs old
8. Bobby - male mastiff type lives by himself - young adult
9 Rosie - female staff lives by herself adult 8 yrs old
10. Fudge - brown male staff lives with a young dog at the moment 2 yrs old

Let me know if you can help or need more info - these dogs are being held to give the others I have a chance.

Thanks everyone.... Really need help with these guys.....

ANYONE THAT CAN HELP PLEASE GET IN TOUCH WITH NIALL, nialllester@hotmail.com

Sunday 7th February 2010.....

Wow, following on from a busy day yesterday, sounds like Seaton Sluice was the place to be today! THANK YOU to everyone who ventured down with books, food, bedding, toys, homemade cards and everything else we are so grateful to get. I had an elated Derek on the phone tonight, over whelmed by the amount of support he had turn up today. Both him and Sandra put so much into these Sundays, so on behalf of me and everyone Thank You for supporting them, and of course, Thank Them for supporting us. (I hope that makes sense.)

In a day that sounds fantastic it is hard to single out people to support, but I'd like to thank Lucas and his Mam and Dad for travelling all that way with all those gifts, Vicki and Debs for popping down to try and get rid of their hangovers, and the people who travelled from around the corner from me at Bedlington to drop stuff off. A MASSIVE THANK YOU though, to everyone else who turned up, your efforts have helped save lives.

It was busy at The Rescue Place too, but then it always is. The dog who met his new Mam yesterday had a visit from her again today, and if all goes well he'll be going home next Saturday.

And just look at the pictures of little Jonesy (Formerly Bones) settling into his family life. He loves his Mam, as I think you can see in the picture when she wasn't well.

Last week started with horrendous news, dogs lost their lives before they were even born. This weekend has helped show me why I do it. Thank you to every single person (you all know who you are) who has helped restore a little bit of faith.

Saturday 6th February 2010.....

Well, what a day at The Rescue Place. Thanks to Vicki, BIG Stephen and Karen who all joined Gregg and I in looking after the dogs. Your efforts and commitments meant I was able to see to the stream of visitors!

As you can probably see from the pictures, an old friend came to visit today. Lucas looks fantastic, and its hard to believe he is the same dog. Andy and Gilly have done a fantastic job, and clearly love him so much. The last time I saw Lucas was three days befor Christmas, when I took him to the vets and knew something wasn't right. After all the tests he needed, he was diagnosed with Kidney problems, but as you can see he has come on leaps and bounds with treatment and a Mam and Dad who adore him. To cap the visit off, I'm delighted to say Lucas is also now fully adopted. For those of you who can't remember what Lucas was like when he came to us, please have a look at his page on the forum:

http://shak.myfreeforum.org/about196.html

Next up was an old friend of mine, Alan who had arranged a food collection for us over Christmas. Thank you to everyone who donated, and thank you to Alan for putting it all together. Really appreciate it Bud.

Oh and on top of that, one of the dogs met a potential new Mam today, after a homecheck last week. As usual, more once news once we have it.

A Reminder For Sunday Morning.

Just a reminder to pop down to Derek and Sandra's tomorrow (Sunday Morning) for a stroll on the beach a then a nice Cuppa. Derek has offered to take in any food and bedding donations (the food situation is still grim) so please feel free to drop anything you may have for us down there. Remember, EVERY PENNY raised goes to help the dogs at SHAK.

Derek's is situated right on the sea front at Seaton Sluice, opposite Fountainhead Car Park, you can't miss the two caravans and all the signs!

Dog For Sale!

Whether you own a dog or not, you must appreciate the efforts of this owner to sell her dog. Read the sales pitch!!!

Dog For Sale
Free to good home. Excellent guard dog.
Owner cannot afford to feed him anymore, as there are no more drug pushers, thieves, murderers, or molesters left in the neighbourhood for him to eat.
Most of them knew him as 'Holy Shit.'

Friday 5th February 2010

Welcome to the new look Blog page, "It's A Dogs Life."

I have changed to this better format, as just one of the changes you will be seeing at http://www.shak.org.uk/ in the near future. I hope you like it, and find it a bit easier to follow. Speaking of changes, I was lucky enough to get a sneak preview of the new website last night, and I have to say Amanda is doing a fantastic job, THANK YOU so much. Again it is easier to use and a lot better presented than my self taught model, and I guess it is a sign of how far things have come that the need to improve both the blog and the website has arisen. Thank you for helping us get this far.

More massive news is the new arrival at The Rescue Place yestereday. No it isn't another furry lost soul, but I'm delighted to announce that Trustee No. 2 Gregg is now working along me part time up there. Gregg often says that I do the rescue with my heart, whilst he does it with his head, I tend to translate that as I'm the one who gets bitten, and then he tells me why! Good team work I guess. Welcome aboard bud.

The requests for help still come thick and fast with another two German Shepherd crosses in need yesterday, I'm pleased to say another rescue has come forward to help these two, but there is still many more out there in desperate need.

Wednesday 3rd February 2010…..

I think I have calmed down enough to write this entry without getting myself into trouble. On Monday I lost the battle to save the pregnant German Shepherd Cross Bitch I’d been trying to save for the last week or so. To add insult to injury, a young male German Shepherd I had been asked to help by the same people was also destroyed. I will never understand the reason people call upon experienced help, and then do the exact opposite of what they originally set out to achieve.

Run free boy, and run with your babies at Rainbow Bridge girl, you are all probably better off without human interference.

Not wanting to put you in a sad mood (leave that to me) I’d just like to thank Derek and Sandra for another fantastic day of Fundraising on Sunday. Sandra dragged herself out of her sick bed as they pulled themselves through the £1,000 mark for 2010 already. An unbelievable achievement, thank you both so much, and everyone that goes down on a Sunday to support them. Speaking of which, it was great to hear that Lucas had made quite a journey to come and do his bit for SHAK. I know Derek was delighted to meet him, and if ever there was a dog that was an advert for what we try to achieve at SHAK, then Lucas is it.

Speaking of advertising SHAK and the charity itself, there are hopefully going to be some progress made in several areas very soon. Watch out for a new look website soon, and also a brand new Foster Program ran by Gregg so we can give dogs the chance to take the next step and begin life in a home environment. We obviously need a dedicated and understanding band of foster homes, so if you are interested please email shak@shak.org.uk

One dog that could benefit from such a scheme is little Daisy the young lurcher who returned to us on Sunday because of a change in circumstances in the home. Daisy is wonderful, but so playful and mischievous she needs a home with patience and probably another dog, as she loves wrestling with Bouncer.

Thank you also to everyone who has provided us with food donations recently, it is so greatly appreciated. I know the dogs love seeing me carry in those big bags! Also, thank you to everyone who has bought a SHAK Calendar lately. We still have a few left, please get in touch if anyone wants one. Every penny goes straight back to the dogs.

Friday 29th January 2010…..

Things have been busy behind the scenes this week, as progress has been made with the four new arrivals as well as existing dogs.

Laser and Murphy are such a loveable pair, having been used as guard dogs I was expecting something totally different, but these two are nice sociable dogs who both need each other.

Bodie and Doyle went for a walk with me and Debs too, and despite being well behaved it was so upsetting seeing how much the outside world blew their minds. They were both very stressed, although Doyle did seem to settle on the way home.

There are some new budding romances at The Rescue Place too. We now have Lola and Max, Meg and Otto2, Bouncer and Grace, Tess and Bobby and the wild ones Oliver and Judy. It is so nice when you look at the runs and see them all playing. The games seem to pass down from run to run as they all copy what the next pair is doing.

I’ve been busy all week trying to rescue a pregnant bitch. For legal reasons I can’t say anymore than that. I find out on Monday if she is to be destroyed or not. As you can imagine it is a very sensitive subject. More if or as it develops.

One dog that is settling into a new way of life is Bones (now called Jones or Jonesy when you get to know him). This little man was the dog that went on Home Trial recently, and as you can see from this photograph he has found a new best friend.

Also Birthday wishes to Harlie, who is 3 today. This beautiful girl has been through so much already in her short life. She is looking well, and seems to be happy, so lets hope she can enjoy a change in fortunes. Happy Birthday Baby, I’m so proud of you.

Well its nearly the weekend, so just a quick reminder to pop down to see Derek at Seaton Sluice on Sunday for a cuppa. Which reminds me, a special thank you to a special lady. Thank you Margaret who trailed around local supermarkets to get a “top brand” cheese that was on special offer, for Sandra’s scones. Ten packets later, it means those wonderful scones should be even cheesier on Sunday ha ha.