Update On Bella And Lucy.....

A week after going home together here's a postcard from Bella and Lucy. As you can see the position hasn't changed!....

" Back from the beach made a new friend who's an Akita cross like us,,,knackered now! xx"

Mac Goes To The Village.....

Another long termer who enjoyed some winter sun yesterday was Mac. Found by the body of his dead owner who loved him dearly, Mac has found learning to trust again very hard. Still he loves playing Frisbee and enjoys a stroll into the village.....

Anja And Doyle.....

It's always great to see our dogs making friends and integrating with others, so many of our dogs have been helped by socialising with others. I had a great afternoon with Anja and Doyle today, and as you can see she was full of kisses and cuddles!

when you think that Doyle spent most of his life in a scrapyard and hated other dogs as he'd never been allowed anywhere near them.

Of course, there's more to Anja's story than a happy go lucky girl these photographs show. Here is her Change Lives appeal.....

A couple of weeks ago I told you about Anja. Left locked in a crate in the back garden of a deserted house. Anja is a real sweetheart, but as well as horrific ear infections, the amount of urine she was passing concerned me. Once her seven days as a stray were up I had her booked into the vets, where blood tests and then a scan confirmed my worst fears..... Anja has serious problems with her kidneys. The vets believe she is suffering from a condition called Juvenile Kidney Failure. An outline to her condition can be found here http://www.vetprof.com/clientinfo/juvenilerenal.html it also explains the heart break we are up against.

However, all in this story is not bad. We quickly put Anja on a renal diet as prescribed by the vets, and along with antibiotics for a Urinary Tract Infection, Anja's latest blood tests are showing that her phosphorus levels have reduced dramatically since she began on the special food, and she is gaining weight too. Its hard to believe at times that she is suffering from any disease at all.

So this is where we need your help..... Anja's prescription food cost just over £80 for a 14kg bag. Can you help us with our life long commitment to give Anja the only thing that can help her? 

If so you can contribute by the following methods:

Send a cheque (payable to SHAK) to Wildwood Cottage, 3a Stead Lane, Bedlington NE22 5LT.

Make a donation via PayPal to the email address shak@shak.org.uk (marking all donations the Anja Appeal)

Call Moorview Vets directly on 0191 256 6990 (please tell them it is for food for Anja at SHAK)

Hand in your donation to the SHAK stall at one of the events on the Events Page.

Or print off the Standing Order form below:

Of course, another way of helping is by offering Anja a Forever Foster home. It would be the very least she deserves if she was to spend her life with a family that loves her. If you are interested then please contact me via email foreverfoster@shak.org.uk

The information we have tells us Anja is only three years old. Her life hasn't even started yet. We are doing all we can to kick start it, and even save it. But we need your help.....

First Birthday For Bobby And Bree.....

Time flies and I can't believe it's been a year since Bobby and Bree went home with Melissa and David. Both these dogs were written off on arriving here with us, Bobby was simply a Rottweiler with issues,  Bree was absolutely terrified. 

Today they love their Mam and Dad, and enjoy all the simple things in life like a dog should do. In true big brother style,  here's their best bits.....

A Stroll With Zara.....

I probably should of known better than to say it was spring like the other day, but at least after the snow of last night the sun was shining again today and had melted a lot of it away. Not that Zara seemed to mind.....

Change Lives £5,000 Challenge Update.....

As we enter into the final month of our Change Lives £5,000 Challenge I thought I'd give you an update on the total that you have very kindly donated since the 9th of December.....

The on line page has raised a total of..... £3,009 whilst we've also received £1,874 in direct donations to us.
Meaning we have an amazing grand total so far of..... £4,883 

I really can't put into words how amazing the support has been, and because of such kindness the charity is still running.

However of course, we still need to raise £117 to reach the £5,000 target so please keep telling all your friends, family and work mates they can all donate at the link below.....

http://www.everyclick.com/shakchangelives

Very Proud Of Our Involvement In 25th Anniversary Great North Dog Walk.....

I'm really proud to announce that SHAK has been chosen as one of the beneficiaries of the 2015 Great North Dog Walk. This year is very special as this fantastic event reaches its silver anniversary..... its 25th event!

So what is the Great North Dog Walk.....

The GREAT NORTH DOG WALK is the worlds Largest dog walk ever held in 2011. The event is internationally recognised and holds the WORLD RECORD as the largest dog walk ever held (22,742 dogs ,represented by 182 breeds). Holder of 16 World Records. Last event was held on Sunday June 8th 2014, (24,542 dogs represented by 185 breeds).

Click here to view CBBC's Who Let the Dogs Out coverage of The Great North Dog walk 2012.

Walk Date: Sunday 7th June 2015

Start Time: Registration from 9am on the day itself or pre-register online. Staged Press/Media start at 10.30am.

Location: . Sat. Nav: NE33 2JH, coast road A183. Our start is exactly where the Great North Run finishes on the Leas, opposite the Bamburgh Public House.

Upon successful registration for the event you will receive in reply a sponsor form. Please ensure you bring this along on the day as proof of registration/entry. Please select one of the nominated beneficiaries then make your payment payable to that Charity and send directly to them. The link/address of your chosen Charity is listed on the sponsor page in red.

We count paws. Dog Control Orders in South Tyneside requires no more than 4 dogs per person.

It's never too late to register as you can enter online but you can also register on the day itself.

You can register or see more details at http://www.greatnorthdogwalk.co.uk so please get behind a fantastic event, and raise funds for us to help save more Dogs On Death Row!

Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves.....

It's funny how things turn out, all the weeks we had Bella and Lucy and were looking for homes, then on Saturday something amazing happened.

Lucy had been in a home for several weeks after being offered a space at our good friend Alexa's Animals, Bella in the meantime has moved into a kennel with her boyfriend Oliver. It seems crazy now but both of these girls were so good with dogs that we used them to help others.  Not once did we think of placing them together!

So anyway when Lucy's mam and dad decided that they wanted a friend for her,  they came up with the great plan of offering a home to her suspected sister! As you can see from the photos I took when they were first reunited, it looks as if they've been together all their lives,  and given the fact that they were picked up not too far away from each other with just a couple of weeks in between,  and how incredibly similar they are (even in the way they play and run) my money is on them being litter mates.

It's so fantastic to see them like this, and seeing them settled in a home together.  Thanks to Shane and Claire for giving them a home and us the idea!  What do they say about not seeing the wood for the trees?

Hobo Has A spring In His Step.....

Here's Hobo enjoying (dare I say it) spring like conditions this afternoon. You may remember Hobo's story..... dumped at the side of the road to die, one back leg totally shattered. I wonder if he ever thought he'd enjoy a walk in the fresh air again.....

A Day In The Life.....

It's been another manic day and one that typifies the work we do completely.  The day started with Chris the Transporter (and his good lady Karen) collecting 4 Lurchers from us to take to our contact down south. It's always a bitter sweet moment when the dogs move on, but like in the previous post about Kelsey you have to put the dogs first, even if they have won a place in your heart.

Then just after I'd pulled myself together from that and started to try and work on placements for the dogs I mentioned we'd saved last week, I got another phone call for a stray so frightened that nobody could get near him. A quick meeting with my two deputies and the decision was made.....

There will be more on the latest SHAK dog soon, but once again today just shows how quickly a space is taken and how desperate it all is out there.

Great To See Kelsey.....

It's photos like the ones below that make all the negative stuff so worthwhile. Kelsey was very close to being destroyed before we stepped in and got her, she came on so well our good friend Jane took her into her rescue and..... well here she is in her new home with her new brother.....

Thank you Jane, and so proud of you Kelsey!

Two Years On For Nina.....

Yesterday turned into quite a manic day, of which I'm sure you'll read about on here at some point. However it didn't stop me having a few special moments to remember a special girl that we lost two years previously. Nina was very much my dog at the kennels,there was a love there from the very first morning she was with us after she'd burst out of her kennel during the night. A love that is still there now.....

"Words can't describe how we're all feeling today, as we discovered the beautiful Nina had passed away in her sleep. She looked peaceful, but it shard to believe that she has gone. Nina was a brave girl, you'll remember she survived a massive pyometra in the summer, so if there was anything sinister happening she never let on.

Used and abused before coming to us, she was another Daddy's girl who would deliberately misbehave so I'd go and carry her home to her kennel. She helped so many dogs in her time with us, and shared kennels with George, Wilf and right to the end with Bobby. In fact in the 6 weeks or so she lived with him, Bobby was the happiest I've ever seen. Below are her playing with Jetta who was due to be destroyed for being dog aggressive.

 We're all going to miss her, perhaps me more than most, and we'll all never forget her that's for sure. Nina had been badly abused, but allowed us into her life and with it came love and trust..... from both sides.

Sky, Brookes, Dusty and now Nina all in two weeks. I think my heart is beyond repair.

Here's how we will all remember an amazing dog, and an amazing friend."

If I Stare Long Enough.....

I love these photos I took of Doyle today just as the sun was  beginning to sink. Having spent a while barking at the boomer ball telling it to get out of the tyre, he went for the silent stare routine..... that didn't work either!

Spinning Plates.....

So the last 24 hours in the life of dog rescue..... One Staffordshire Bull Terrier booked into be destroyed at the vets, one American Bulldogs booked into the vets to be destroyed and a stray Akita.....

Managed to get all 3 safe, now just need to work out where to put them. I think the term is spinning plates.....

Guess What Ben Got For Christmas.....

I love the look on the dogs faces on some of these.....

I think it's clear to guess what Ben's favourite Christmas present was..... his selfie stick!