The Sun Is In The Sky.....

Brodie isn't the only one enjoying the sunshine. Check out little Sky who recently came into our care. Not only did Serena give Brodie a tidy up, but she also fell in love with a skinny, lump ridden old Staffy that arrived the morning of the day she dropped Brodie back off at the kennels. Sky could hardly stand up that morning, but has really found her feet and a second wind since going into a home. I will try and post some photo's of the state she is/was in at a later date, but in the meantime I think she deserves to be left to bask in the sunshine.

Brodie Gets A SHAK Cut.....

The warmer weather has been greatly appreciated at The Rescue Place. One dog that was definately feeling the heat in his winter coat was Brodie. Thanks to Serena at Woof Cutz for helping out and giving him a proper "SHAK Cut" just like my own!

Hope's Weigh In.....

It was weigh day for Hope today, and I'm delighted to announce the she weighed in at a marvelous 16.6kg. Incredible considering she was only 12.3kg when I picked her up. Once again Sheena, thank you so much.

SHAK Goes PINK.....

I am delighted to announce the launch of the first product in our PINK range.Get ready for the summer with this hot pink SHAK Logo T Shirt. Available for Children and Adults alike, stand out in the sunshine and help us save even more dogs on death row.

YOU CAN ORDER YOURS FROM THE SHAK SHOP HERE:

Please state childs age when ordering a childrens size.
http://www.shakshop.co.uk/-PINK_SHAK_T_Shirt_Children___Adults/p168627_6165081.aspx

Support Us At Waitrose.....

Charity food tokens from Waitrose Newcastle. SHAK is a sponsored charity for the
month of March.

There are a few days left, so why not go & get your groceries there & help SHAK to become the charity with the most tokens & receive the money raised.

A New Hope.....

If you scan back through a few posts and compare these photos to the ones taken two weeks ago, you can see the fantastic progress being made by Hope. Thanks once again to Sheena and Roger for being there for this girl, you can see all your hard work is paying off. Another update after weigh day on Monday.

Roman And Chance, True Legends.....

I can't believe how the time flies, and this week has seen the anniversaries of the loss of two very special SHAK boys.

Wed saw it being 3 years since we had to say goodbye to Roman one of the bravest boys SHAK has ever had. Roman suffered from CDRM and paved the way for us to take dogs on such as Dudley and Spirit. He was an inspirational character who found the perfect family to love him till the end. One thing is for sure, we will never forget you.

Then Thursday was a year since we had to let Chance go. I'm sure you'll all remember big Chance, the Bernese Mountain Dog who won the hearts of so many with his sheer determination too. His body gave way under him, but his spirit never died. And it lives on in all of us who try and help these dogs with the ailments.

These two are just a couple that have given us the strength and inspiration to help dogs such as the one that will be arriving shortly.....

Hope Update And Awesome Support.....

A great bit of news today, as Sheena took Hope into the vets to be weighed. Last Monday Hope weighed a measly 12.3kg, today she was 14.4kg! Once again the support from the SHAK Team has been amazing in giving a dog a chance when others may not. More to come as 3 others have moved into Foster recently.....

The Fundraising Team once again pulled it out of the bag this weekend. Thanks to Joan, Sheila, Sonia, Mike, Derek and Sandra for giving up so much on Mothers Day weekend to raise much needed funds for us, and also thanks to the customers, management and staff at Pets At Home in Cramlington for making us so welcome.

If There's Hope In Your Heart, It Will Flow To Every Part.....

This is what waiting for me one morning last week, when I was called out to a very distressed lady who had found a dog in a horrendous state. I think its fair to say that even Harry wasn't quite as bad as this, although Hope (as we have called her) certainly has that spark of wanting to live. Thanks to Sheena for providing Hope with a warm place to stay, and TLC that is second to none.

A vets check up showed that apart from the serious neglect she has been subjected too, that Hope is all working so we just need to try and get her back to the weight that she should be. She's in the best hands now, and I just hope that we can start to rebuild her faith in the very species that caused this to happen in the first place.

More Hope.....

Even More Hope.....

SHAK Supporters 200 Club Draw.....

The results of the March SHAK Supporters 200 Club draw are as follows:

1st Prize: 68 - Chris Armstrong

2nd Prize: 179 - Kathleen Heywood

3rd Prize: 94 - Toby Morgan

Thank you all for your support. Anybody wishing to join for Aprils draw can do by sending a completed form available on the "You Can Help" page.

The Dogs Garden.....

Its hard to believe how long we have been based at our own kennels, and its mad to think how many dogs we have helped in the 2 and 1/2 years of providing day to day rehabilitation. One area where a lot of this work goes on is the outside run. Thanks to some outstanding generosity of two wonderful people, the dog's garden is now starting to take shape. Thank you so much to Jim Douglas of Blackwater North East Limited for providing a brilliant soft surface for the dogs to run on, and thank you so much to the person who wishes to remain anonymous that provided the funds and the builder to build our new fence. And of course, thank you to Dom and the team for building it!

This area means so much to the dogs, and as you can see with Oliver and Judy in the pictures above it provides the dogs with someone to run that they can call their own. Thank you so much.

Time Travels On.....

I'm still trying to come to terms with losing Dudley. My day seems pretty empty without him constantly by my side, or taken him for the little walks we shared everyday, and of course there is the huge gap left from taking him swimming. Life does go on though, and there are others that need SHAK just as much. One such dog arrived on Saturday, and although I cannot post any photos or details on here quite just yet, I can confirm it is the most shocking state we have ever taken in.

It's not all doom and gloom though, and I thought I'd add some photo's so you can see how Luka the emaciated Rottweiler is coming on. He is finding his feet, and has fallen in love with the ball. The weight is gradually sneaking on him, and he is beginning to look better as you can see.

I've also added some photo's of the beautiful newbie Holly. A stunning German Shepherd, we are actively looking for a Forever Foster home for her. She is very friendly and playful despite her 9 years, and loves the company of other dogs. Anybody in the Northumberland/Tyne and Wear/Newcastle area please contact shak@shak.org.uk

We Lose An Inspiration, And My Best Friend.....

I've just had to say goodbye to the bravest and strongest dog in the world. My best friend Dudley lost his battle today, and although he was very much my dog, everyone that had the privelege to meet him in the 5 or so months he was here, has lost a true inspiration. We found a lump which the vet thinks was a tumour on his neck and would explain the rapid decline in the last 48 hours, and also would perhaps be the cause of all his neurological problems. This morning I knew the time was right, and the look in his beautiful eyes told me he knew it too. The big guy insisted on walking into the vets room, and leaves me behind having taught me so much not only about his condition, but also on how to be brave and strong. Run free Duds, I love you so much. The back of my Landrover will never be the same without you sitting in it.