Hillheads Dog Training Club Fun Day In Aid Of SHAK.....

Sunday 11th July, and is looking like a fantastic day. Thank you to everyone who has put this together, we are so grateful and amazed by your support.

http://www.hillheadsdogclub.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=51&Itemid=61

A Few Thank You's.....

On behalf of everyone connected with SHAK, I'd just like to thank a few people for wonderful support over the last few days.

This weekend alone, has been a great one for fundraising ( despite some football interupting it) so special thanks to Nicola, Jude and her son, Derek and Sandra for giving up valuable time and effort to support our cause.

I'd also like to thank everyone who has donated food of late, as things were getting pretty low again. So thanks to everyone who puts things in the Pets At Home bin (including the store itself) Jollyes of both West Denton and Blyth, Carlton Bros and our pals at Pawz For Thought.

It would be hard for us to do what we do without your kind support, thank you all.

Kennel Girls Take A Break.....

.....Between kennlels. (Sorry Karen and Andrea, couldn't resist.)

Another Weekend Of Fund Raising.....

A quick reminder that the girls are at Wylam Fair tomorrow with the SHAK Tombola. Should be yet another family fun day out, so why not pop down and say hello. I know a lot of work has gone into preparing for this event, so thanks to Carol, Nicola et all.

Derek will be open for coffee, tea and scones as usual from 7.30am on Sunday. Thanks to your support and all of Derek's hard work, the money raised last week (the best stand alone Sunday yet!) has allowed us to by a new kennel and run, which I am collecting from Scotland next week. Thank you all so much, just shows all your support really does make a difference.

SHAK Winter Walk.....

I'm pleased to announce that after the success of the recent sponsored walk, the SHAK Winter Walk will take place on Sunday November 7th. We have already been approached about possible sponsorship for the event, so please mark the date in your diary now.

Thanks also to everyone who took part or sponsored someone in the last walk. Money is still rolling in, I promise I will give a final figure soon.

The Marvelous Girl That Is Krysta.....

Here she is looking very settled and happy. I really don't think words are enough when it comes to describe how tough this little girl is.

Jonesy At The World Cup.....

Got to love this, I very own little Jonesy (formerly Bones) getting ready for the game today at The World Cup.

Dangerous Breeds - Dog Bite Claims

Not sure if I'm fully behind this survey, as it doesn't really go into a great deal of detail for example taking into consideration what a breed of dog was actually bred to do. For example, terriers were bred to work and bite whilst Rottweilers were bred to pull carts!

However, it does make interesting reading.....


http://www.dogbiteclaims.co.uk/dangerous-breeds.html

Isaac Returns.....

I had a companion on the road to the kennels today, as Isaac came back to us. The old timer was a joy on my back seat, and is only back with us because of a change in his owners circumstances.

We are looking for a foster home as soon as possible, although the new foster procedure is required, so if you are interested please email shak@shak.org.uk or call 07931 702345 and leave a message stating you are interested in Isaac.

Here's some pictures of him enjoying the sun and a tennis ball this afternoon.

Fantastic Support.....

Just want to thank everyone who has handed in/sent their sponsorship money from last weeks dog walk.

I will give you a final figure once it is all collected, but the figure we have already is way beyond our wildest dreams.

Once again people, you have done us proud.

June 19th. Four Years On.....

Today marks the fourth anniversary of the day that changed my life for ever. June 19th 2006 was the day Shak died, and well, I guess you could say the rest is history.

Losing Zac this week brought a lot home, as the shock and pain of losing your best friend in such unexpected circumstances once again raised its ugly head.

Shak, I miss you everyday. You were my inspiration for doing this. Thank you. x

Time For "The Duke".....

Duke is another SHAK dog that has had a terrible life. He was tormented and abused and was eventually picked up living on a traffic island. He has issues trusting people, and is only beginning to learn how to play with toys. He cheered me up today, but I'm not sure who had the biggest smile, me or him.

And More.....

Bring Out The Big Guns.....

Everyone at SHAK is still hurting. Losing Zac was a big shock and one that we will probably never get over. We will always be the family he didn't have, and he will always be a SHAK dog. I for one, miss you "Z Dog."

In saying all that, we still have another 39 dogs at The Rescue Place that need care and attention. Gunnar gave me a great buzz today as we played in the sunshine. You have to remember this dog came to us as a working dog, I'll let you picture what as. It took 4 of us to carry him to his kennel in a cage when he arrived at Easter, he really did not like any of us.

And no comment on the Steve Irwin look I have going on ha ha.

Time To Say Goodbye To Zac.....

SHAK lost one of it's old gents this morning as I arrived at The Rescue Place this morning to find Zac collapsed in his kennel. I tried to get him up, and had to carry him to my jeep to take him to the vets, but he passed away in my arms.

We are not sure the cause, possibly a mass in his stomach or even a twisted stomach, and it was decided that the money it would cost for an autopsy would be put towards saving more lives. Nothing is going to bring Zac back.

Zac arrived with us because nobody else would take him. Despite being a handsome old boy, he wasn't Rotti enough or German Shepherd enough for a breed rescue to take him. I was called 2 hours before the pound he was in were going to take him to the vets to be destroyed. Thanks to Peter (you know who you are) he travelled north to us instead.

Zac had the deepest bark you have ever heard. He was a real old fashioned crossbreed in my eyes. Big, black and tan and just loved the simple things in life. Seeing him half heartily running up the fence barking at another old timer, his kennel neighbour Smokey, is something that will always bring a smile to my face. He was young at heart, just his body didn't quite have the same spirit.

Run free at the bridge Zac, I'm sure you'll be cocking your leg on everything you can. I will miss you, as will all of SHAK, but I know Smokey will miss his sparing partner.

And More.....

More Pics From The Dog Walk.....

Thanks to Kim Hand for some more photo's from yesterdays dog walk, and of course for her support.

How To Keep A Rottie Occupied.....

I have to say well done to Gregg for another brilliant idea on giving the dogs a job to do. We try and use everything we can at The Rescue Place with the pop bottle pool etc, but even i was unsure when Gregg took a cardboard box off me on Saturday. He then went on to stuff it full of crumpled newspaper and treats and stuffed kongs, before ripping a hole in one of the corners. Well, you can see the result from the pictures of Bobby above.....

A Brilliant Day In The Rain.....

Well today was a great day, so thank you to everyone who supported both the dog walk and Morpeth Fair. A massive THANK YOU to Carol and Nicola for standing in the rain at Morpeth on the famous SHAK Tombola. I popped along after the dog walk, and it was a brilliant event, so thanks to everyone else who braved the weather to see the girls.

The dog walk this morning was also a brilliant event. Thank you to everyone who turned up in what was really heavy drizzle at 11 o'clock. It was brilliant to see so many dogs of all ages and sizes and breeds walking side by side. Including the little lady pictured above, who struggled but managed to do the entire walk even at the grand old age of 14. Of course, a huge thank you to Derek and Sandra, who without this would of never happened. Derek puts so much work in during the week to get everything ready for a Sunday, and he was rushed of his feet when 30 or so dog walkers all turned up at once. Thanks Long John, we are so honoured to have you as part of the SHAK Team.

We are already planning the SHAK Winter Walk, and also maybes a SHAK Fun Walk on New Years Day (No sponsorship just a get to together and a coffee at Derek's) so please keep an eye out for future dates.

THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR SUCH WONDERFUL SUPPORT.

More Drenched Supporters.....

More rain soaked doggys and their owners who all gave up time to raise funds today. Thank you so much for your support.

A Great Day Out For George And Daisy.....

Thanks to Adelene and her Rhiannon for bring George and Daisy on the walk too. It was great for them to get away from the kennels for the day, and as you can see they made loads of new friends. Here's Daisy meeting my very own Sky.

These two had a great walk back to the car along the beach, and George found a ball as a souvenir. Thanks Adelene and Rhiannon.

Great To See Ralphy.....

Ralphy came to us a couple of years ago, in grave danger of be destroyed. Today he joined us on the dog walk with his Mam and Dad and his Girlfriend, and it was great to see him looking so well.

This Sunday.....

Just a reminder that it is this Sunday (13th) 11am meet at the car park at the promenade at Blyth. Don't worry if its too late to get sponsors, as people can take part by giving a donation on the day. There could be a special appearance from a couple of the SHAK dogs, as well as a chance to chat about the work we do.

There is also the Morpeth Fair on Sunday, and I know the girls would love to see you there. It promises to be a fun day out for the whole family, and SHAK is proud to be part of it.

Another Week And Another BIG Day Sunday.....

Another week sees a little bit more progress with project "Socialise Doyle." The big guy now goes into the runs next to Butch and Kane, and is very happy playing football with them with the fence in between. Next step has to be letting them play together.....

Faith has also made a little progress this week, as she ventured out in the jeep with me when we went on an errand. She is still very scared of the outside world, but letting her see it from the safety of the car seemed to make her feel a little bit more comfortable with it all.

Sunday of course is a massive day of fundraising for us, as we have the dog walk at Seaton Sluice (followed by coffee at Derek's so bring your purse) whilst the girls take their Tombola on the road again to Morpeth Fair. This event should be a brilliant family day out, so why not do the walk in the morning, grab a cuppa at Derek's and then head up to Morpeth ha ha.

On a more sombre note, we had another new arrival this week that had been waiting a while to get a kennel space. More details after full assessment, but he appears to be a nice old boy.

I'll leave you with a picture of Bobby enjoying a rare piece of sunshine this week.

Dog Walk In Aid Of SHAK.....

Just a reminder that it is this Sunday (13th) 11am meet at the car park at the promenade at Blyth. Don't worry if its too late to get sponsors, as people can take part by giving a donation on the day.

Mountains Of Bedding.....

Thank you to everyone who has donated bedding over the last few months. Unfortunatley due to storage space we are unable to accept any more until further notice.

Thank you again for such wonderful support.

An Easy Way To Help Us Raise Funds.....

There is now an easy way to help us raise funds from the comfort of your own home. Easyfundraising a great website where you can raise funds for SHAK simply by shopping and searching online.

You can shop online with 2000+ well known retailers at www.easyfundraising.org.uk, including Argos, Boden, Amazon, John Lewis, Boots, Vodafone, M&S, Play.com, Debenhams, eBay and many more. Just use the links provided on the easyfundraising site whenever you make a purchase and up to 15% of the price will be donated to SHAK- at no additional cost to you!

easyfundraising also features www.easysearch.org.uk, a search engine with a difference. Search the Web with easysearch instead of Google or any other search engine and you'll raise funds for your chosen cause with every search you make. Make just 10 searches a day and you could raise around £20 a year - just by searching the Web. easysearch is powered by Yahoo!, Ask.com, Bing and several other well-known search engines.

Plus, if you sign up before 30th June 2010, they will enter you into their FREE PRIZE DRAW to win a 32in LED Samsung HD TV complete with Freeview worth £800 from Viking.

easyfundraising and easysearch are both completely FREE to use and if you select SHAK - Safe Homes And Kindness when you register as the cause you wish to support, you'll help us raise much needed funds.

Just follow the link below, and help us save even more "Dogs On Death Row."

http://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/

Foster Home Needed For Isaac.....

Due to a change in his owners circumstances, I'm sorry to have to say we are looking for a new foster home for Isaac. Having been in a home for about 16 months, we are trying to get him into a home rather than back in kennels. Usual terms of foster apply, but if you are interested in giving this old guy a new start please email shak@shak.org.uk or call 07931 702345 and leave a message stating clearly that you are interested in Isaac.

Isaac has been waiting for a while to come back to us, as we have struggled for kennel space, but we now have about ten days until he will have to come to The Rescue Place. Can you help?

Proud Of Some Of The Gang.....

Well, I'm actually proud of every single one of them, but over the last few days 4 in particulair have excelled and jogged my memory as to why I put myself through hell on a daily basis.

First up, CONGRATULATIONS to Tess and her brilliant family on Tess's achievement of the Bronze Kennel Club Good Citizen Award! One of the terms of her foster is that she was to attend one of our approved training classes, she has been, and now has this award. We at SHAK are so proud of her going from a dog no one wanted to being "a good citizen" and also very proud of her family for working so much with her.

I mentioned last week that Doyle had made massive progress in making friends after never seeing another dog other than Bodie. Well, today he and Butch ventured out on a short walk together, and I have to say it was beautiful seeing them both together. Doyle was a little curious, but also quite shy, Butch on the other hand is such a sociable guy that he just got on with his walk. The most interesting thing though was watching them trying to play football with each other with a fence inbetween when they got back to the runs.

With the weather improving (although you wouldn't think so today) today was time for Bodie to lose his dreadlocks. It took two of us, but between Ameri and I we managed the first steps towards stripping this big handsome guy of tats that he has probably had for most of his 8 years. Bodie was a perfect gent, and let us snip away. Both him and Doyle are such a pleasure to be around, and today both proved what stars they actually are.

Thank You's.....

Just want to say THANK YOU to everyone who gave up part of their weekend to raise funds for SHAK. We all appreciate the work you do, and the dogs send a big Thank You Woof too.

Coffee On Sunday.....

I love the latest addition to the wide range of drinks at Pebbles at Seaton Sluice..... the SHAK Cappuccino! Derek puts a lot of work into making sure he serves only the best products, but has excelled himself by spending the week making the SHAK chocolate template.

He is open from 7.30 as usual on Sunday, so why not try a SHAK Cappuccino and see how yummy they are. Just look for the black flags on the sea front at Seaton Sluice.

Also it is the last chance to pick up a sponsorship form for the Dog Walk in aid of SHAK a week on Sunday (13th June.)