Thanks to our friends at Teemill I'm delighted to say there is free postage on all our merchandise provided by them this weekend! It's a great opportunity for you to show your support, help us save more dogs on death row and not pay postage for the privilege! ....
I thought I'd show you just how much our little Malinois has come on in the two weeks that we've had him. Bren (as I have decided to call him and meaning Flame) is such a joy to work with, that it really is scary to think he was so close to being destroyed. Such a young life, and one we all simply adore.....
A terrified Bren on arrival two weeks ago.....
Bren today.....
And if those pictures don't show it to the full effect, maybe thes videos will.....
Above is our handsome boy absolutely terrified on his arrival. His whole body sensitive to even the slightest of my touches. Then today.....
(Please note those looking at this on Facebook may need to click on the post title to view the videos on www.shak.org.uk)
The first couple of days on social media have been incredible and its great to see so many familiar faces and names as well as seeing so much new support.
The aim of this new approach is to achieve exactly that..... new support and awareness. So..... I've had a discussion tonight that is really exciting if we can get more people on board the SHAK bus!!!
Basically if we can achieve 500 page likes on Facebook we have a really exciting prize to give away to one lucky supporter that will be announced once the 500 is reached.....
So if you haven't already liked SHAK The Sanctuary on Facebook please do so. Tell your friends and family to 'like' it too. Once we hit that magic 500 there will be a very lucky winner.....
I'm delighted to anounce that after being approached by Alnwick Co-op to continue our relationship with the stores in the Alnwick area, we have successfully been nominated to be one of the beneficiaries of the Co-op Membership Scheme!
The scheme has just been relaunched this month and is running until March 18th 2017.
To become a member of the Co-op and to raise money for us, please register via the link below and nominate SHAK as your charity.....
http://www.co-operative.coop/membership/
How it works
Every time members choose Co-op branded products and services and use their Co-op Membership card (subject to Membership T&Cs) 1% of what they spend will go to their chosen cause.
Members can change their choice at any time until the end of the giving period on 18th March 2017.
If members don't pick a cause during the giving period then their 1% is shared out equally between all the local causes in their community.
So if you live in the Alnwick area, & shop at Alnwick Co-op in Bondgate, Co-op Victoria Road, Co-op Petrol Stations, Co-op Longhoughton, or sadly need to use The
Funeralcare Alnwick. Your membership card can earn cash for SHAK and help us save even more dogs on death row.....
It's as simple as that! Thank you in advance for your support.
I'm delighted to say that just 10 days into being available the 2017 Calendar is selling fast, in fact it's broken all sales records from previous years.....
Featuring Laser on the cover and the month of December, it just felt right such a special boy should take centre stage.
You can order your's now from the SHAK Shop via the link below, and to avoid disappointment and to make sure you get yours in time for..... Christmas!
It has taken a great deal of persuasion..... but I have finally given in and allowed the launch of the official SHAK Facebook page. The idea behind the page is to create awareness and support, and for people to be able to spread the word about the work we do......
So to follow us on twitter search for @SHAKRescue and on Facebook look for SHAK The Sanctuary
For the charity to survive we really need support, we need people to get behind our events and promotions, hopefully this move will help us reach a bigger audience.....
Just wanted to share this video of two boys who met for the first time today..... Corbyn (the Lurcher) and little Red have both spent time with other dogs from the histories we know know about them, today I thought it would be nice if they could spend some doggy time together.....
As you can see they had great fun and it was great to see them both enjoying themselves despite this very difficult time in their life.
We would love to find Forever Foster homes for both of these guys..... if your interested then please email foreverfoster@shak.org.uk for an application form.
Two other boys that are doing incredibly well are the Malinois and Akita we saved last week. Once again I think that pictures say more than words, and as you can see it's not only myself that's been accepted by these two fantastic dogs, but David is making great friends too.....
I've had a few people ask how Bruce is getting on and how he is settling with his new pals..... Well I'll let you see for yourself.....
He really is brilliant and I think anyone who kniws the other dogs in this video (Lennox, Donnie, Bandit etc) will be amazed to see them all play together.
Big Donnie (big brindle mastiff type) is one that never does cease to amaze me. A life written off for being dog aggressive.....
With all the big arrivals last week another handsome boy sneaked through the door almost unannounced.
Sam was picked up as a stray and is microchipped, but it appears his owner has disappeared off the face of the earth. I guess now isn't the time for me to point out the obvious flaws in the law, but one thing him being microchipped did do was tell us that he is 11.
Sam is such a gentle soul and although we don't know his cicumstances or how he has been living, it's clear to see that he hasn't seen a great deal of the world.
Due to the big boys arriving last week we made the decision for him to come to the kennels at our home where it would be quieter for him to adjust to his new surroundings, I think the hustle and bustle of the main kennels really would of blown his brain. At 11 does he need that, or to be looking to start over??
The truth is he has too, hence we're doing all we can to find him somewhere he can call home. If your interested or would like to know more about how you can help Sam then please email:
You all know the phrase about waiting for a bus..... two usually come at once, and the same is true with dogs! 24 hours before I was notified about the Malinois I told you about last night I was asked to help a big Akita in the same pound, showing aggression and facing the same fate..... destruction.
Like the Malinois this boy boy was still serving his 7 days as a stray, so the council who had brought him in had to give permission for him to be destroyed. You know how this goes..... that's when I received a phone call.....
Since he came to us we have seen no sign of aggression just sheer strength and determination if he wanted to go somewhere, or more to the point determination if he didn't want to go somewhere! That coupled with his weight of 45kg + we've been working with him using the 'Rigid Lead' again.
Today I felt I knew him well enough to use a normal lead.....
Walking him like a normal dog after he had been so close to death was an incredible feeling. He even allowed me to cut off the scraggy piece of twine he had for a collar! A week ago to day he was due to destroyed..... so much progress in such short time.
Last week was manic in all sorts of ways, too many tales to mention just now and others that are still works in progress, but one LIFE SAVING story I can tell you involves the handsome boy (we are still coming up with a name that suits him!) below.....
Last Monday I was made aware of a Malinois in a shelter that had been handed in as a 'stray' the previous day. The shelter reported the dog was behaving in an extremely aggressive manner and contacted the council from where the dog was found and requested permission to destroy it. That's where we come in.....
After 48 hours of phone calls and emails permission was granted by the council (as the dog was within its 7 days) for myself to collect the dog along with the dog warden from that council. What greeted me was a very fear aggressive youngster whose world had clearly been turned upside down.
The move from the kennel to the van wasn't pleasant. Catch poles had to be used, and whilst I'm not proud to say it, no matter what it took we had to get that dog into my van. It was a matter of life and death.....
On arrival at The Rescue Place, his fear was clear to see, look at his body shape but more so his eyes.....
Even just touching him sent shock waves down his whole body, and you could see the fear in his eyes.A Malinois has a hellish bite, I just couldn't afford to rush him or take any risks. I continued using a pole as a 'Rigid Lead' for the next couple of days, but very quickly a bond was beginning to form.....
Saturday proved to be a good day, as my new pal met Rich and Rachel and incredibly he showed us he knew a few tricks. Sit, paw and down were all water off a ducks back to him, and despite the obvious caution that we had to take, he was quickly becoming a firm favourite.....
Then today something amazing happened. I went to get him out on the rigid lead as normal, but he wasn't having it..... in desperation I showed him a normal lead and he put his head straight into it and off we went. I think the pictures below show just how much that walk meant to him, myself and Melissa.....
So an incredible turn around within 5 DAYS..... This young boy was looking at a vets needle, instead his life began today..... (To continue saving the lives of dogs like the handsome boy above we need your help. If you'd like to donate towards the cost of helping these dogs you can by: PayPal to shak@shak.org.uk or by sending a cheque made payable to SHAK to SHAK HQ. Greenwell Road, Alnwick, Northumberland NE66 1HB. Thank you.)
I'm delighted to announce that this weekends huge fundraiser at Alnwick Food Festival was also the eager awaited official launch of the 2017 SHAK Calendar.....
Featuring Laser on the cover and the month of December, it just felt right such a special boy should take centre stage.
You can order your's now from the SHAK Shop via the link below, and to avoid disappointment and to make sure you get yours in time for..... Christmas!
Had Oscar down to Moorview yesterday for his blood tests, so now it's just a waiting game for his results. Once again apart from the couple of minutes in the consult room he was brilliant, and he really enjoys the days out. We even had a game of football when he got back.....
Thanks to the fantastic support of you guys I am also delighted to say that we have received a fantastic £580 so far of the initial £600 target. Obviously the results of the bloods will determine the route we go down next, but there will be a second phase of funding needed.....
You can donate via paypal (shak@shak.org.uk) Pay direct to the vets by calling Moorview on 0191 2566990 stating Oscar's bill on the SHAK account or by sending a cheque made payable to SHAK to:
