Chronicle Wish Tokens Campaign Results.....

I have to say on behalf of everyone connected to our charity that we are absolutely blown away by the results of this year' Chronicle Wish Tokens Campaign.....

Out of 123 charitable organisations that were part of the campaign, we finished as the highest ranking animal charity in 5th place!! We were only beaten by some huge organisations (congratulations to them all) and our recognition and support from you guys makes us both very proud and thankful.

Thank you all and a special thank you to Joan and Marga who gave up their time to stick 40,940 tokens onto the sheets. I really am lost for words!

Help Us Help Yoshi.....

I've mentioned on here a few times now about Brad and Amy taking dogs home for a night or 2 of respite and how valuable this is in allowing us to assess how the dog will cope in a home and with the outside world. However whilst I'm sure they are all enjoying every minute, this next lodger came under more difficult circumstances. I'll let Amy take over.....

It has been one busy week for us here at SHAK, vet trips which seem never ending. On Monday it was Yoshi who needed our help. Yoshi has been with us for over a year now and has always had a clean bill of health which is why his illness has come as such a shock to us all.

Yoshi started shaking and his left eye became droopy and enlarged last Monday, we knew something was wrong and got him to the vet immediately, who, after a thorough health check, then sent us as an emergency referral to the main hospital in order for him to see an ophthalmologist.

The expert opinion confirmed Yoshi has developed a condition called Uveitis which can effect his vision and sadly lead to a secondary condition called glaucoma which in turn can lead to blindness. There seems to be no explanation as to why this condition has developed, but it is clear it is very serious.

So with their two days off arranged to start the next day, Yoshi packed his bags and headed to his temporary home with Brad and Amy.

I'm pleased top say that the break seems to have done him good and he is currently on a course of steroid eye drops & some antibiotics to help with the pain at the moment. We are back to see the ophthalmologist tomorrow, so hopefully he too will see an improvement. He has all our support, but we know we have a long road to go down yet.

As you can imagine this is very traumatic for Yoshi but given the circumstances he has been a real superstar. We want to give him the best chance at keeping as much vision as possible and of course will do all we can no matter of cost. We can only do that of course with your help. If you would like to contribute to Yoshi's existing vets bill and ongoing treatment then you can do by the following ways:

Paypal www.paypal.com to shak@shak.org.uk (Please state Yoshi when making a payment)

Or by sending a cheque made payable to SHAK to:

SHAK HQ
Greenwell Road
Alnwick
Northumberland
NE66 1HB

Thank you in advance for helping us give this beautiful boy the best treatment possible when he needs it the most and also to Brad and Amy for being there for him.

A First Date.....

We'e been doing a little bit of work with Roxy since her weekend away and I'm pleased to say she is working towards a potential home after another successful home trial last weekend.

Her only minor issue seems to be sometimes being a little reactive to passing other dogs on a walk. That is where the work comes in and she is quickly getting the hang of it.

This afternoon I got Dude out for a walk and he gave Roxy a little kiss as he passed her kennel. It gave me an idea.....

They walked together with me on my own perfectly, and I have to say they were both impeccable.  In fact Dude did nothing but kiss her all the way.....

Guv Wants More Of This.....

Another SHAK dog enjoying a well deserved break from the kennels was little Guv.

Guv is a boisterous, energetic bundle of joy who thoroughly enjoyed getting spoilt last weekend, especially loving the attention and long walks.

Little Guv is a typical young lad who loves to play with his toys and get made a fuss of. He spent a lot of his weekend off on the couch enjoying some down time, he truly is a gentle giant.

Guv came to SHAK from another rescue, having spent a lot of time with him the time is right to push forward and try to find Guv his forever family. He needs someone who can give him a lot of attention and love-he certainly has a lot of love to give in return. This beautiful brindle boy deserves his forever home and you could help him on his journey.

For more info contact foreverfoster@shak.org.uk

Roxy On Holiday.....

Another SHAK Dog enjoying a break this weekend was Roxy. I'm very grateful to Brad and Amy for giving her this opportunity, and of course it was also an opportunity to sneak a pint!...

Roxy had a well deserved break from the kennels this
weekend, spending her Saturday night in the local pub!

Roxy has been in kennels for over a year now and it was definitely the right time to house assess her and see how she coped outside the world she has not known for a while now. It's fair to say Roxy did absolutely amazing and it broke my heart taking her back to the kennels.

Roxy started off her break by visiting the local pub with a few SHAK regulars, as expected Roxy got a lot of attention from people in the pub, all amazed that she still hasn't found her forever home. The most amazing thing that happened that night for Roxy was meeting a 20 month old little girl who loved her and wanted to give her lots of attention, baring in mind Roxy has been in kennels for over a year we weren't quite sure how Roxy would cope with a little child giving her so much attention- she was outstanding. Roxy was very patient and enjoyed her cuddles, she especially enjoyed taking treats from the little girl.

Roxy did fantastically well and we are ever so proud of her, nothing at all seems to phase this wonderful girl. Roxy enjoyed many long walks, playing tug of war with her toys and loved getting spoilt with cuddles. This girl really deserves her forever home with a loving family.

If you'd like to know more about Roxy then please email foreverfoster@shak.org.uk

Friends.....

Dino has definately found a friend in Bandit in his mini break.....

Dino And Donnie.....

Rachel took the liberty of filming from the comfort and the warmth of the sitting room as I walked the boys this evening.  She managed to capture this amazing footage of Dino chasing and trying to get Donnie to play.

I keep saying you maybe need to know these boys to know how amazing these videos are, but believe me they are!!!

Working Task Completed!....

Thank you to everyone who contributed towards the worming appeal. Job is now done!

The Biggest Walk Ever For Dino.....

In appalling conditions tonight I managed to get some of the most amazing video footage ever.

Dino (brindle and white American Bulldog) came to us having suffered some horrendous abuse. His present state of anxiety means he is she.domg tonight with me.

Having met Bandit, Donnie and Henry he enjoyed a walk. Anyone who knows Dino will know just how amazing this footage is.....

Petplan Awards Nomination.....

If like to thank every body who has nominated us for this award. We're up against some very strong and worthwhile competition so we really don't expect to win, but the fact our work has been recognised by you lot means a lot. Thank you.

Dogs Monthly Magazine.....

There's a great piece in this month's Edition of Dogs Monthly magazine featuring our very good friend Phil Lyons John and our very special Lady.....

A Very Big Thank You.....

I'd like to say a huge thank you to the staff and customers of Pets at Home Cramlington for their amazing support through December's Santa Paws appeal. Customers were asked to donate towards buying a dog a Christmas dinner when they were buying goods. The customers were extremely generous and the staff showed amazing support to raise an incrdible £4,675.50p.

We are so grateful to everyone who made this possible as the fact the money was raised at the most difficult time of year means more than I can really put into words.

Caesar and Pyper very gratefully accepted the cheque!
Thank you so much.