Books On The Tyne.....

It was a real pleasure to be invited to Newcastle Library this morning with Rob McGowan to promote both Its A Dog's Life and Worthy of Such Devotion as part of the wonderful Books On Tyne book festival!

A big thank you to Rob for giving up his time, every one in the audience who listened, bought the books and to David Hepworth from the library for making it all happen!

The rest of the festival looks amazing, and I'm very proud to of been part of it!

Both books available at www.shakshop.co.uk

Looking For Somewhere For Oscar.....

Following our series of appeals for homes for some of our older boys, today we are asking for help with another very special boy who has been here a long time. I think it's fair to say that when he joined us, Oscar was a real handful. He'd been seperated from his mother too early and I think the socialisation he missed from his mother in those couple of weeks really effected his behaviour later in life.

Having recently turned 11 he has really settled down and, although age is definately begin to show itself, he is still a very active and strong boy.

So we are looking for somebody that MUST have German Shepherd experience and to make things easier for Oscar we would like a home with no other dogs or children.

The appeals for Bully and Rusty didn't attract a single enquiry, which is very disheartening, but we know that if we keep trying something will come up for one of our fantastic boys.

If you'd like to express an interest in Oscar, Bully or Rusty please email foreverfoster@shak.org.uk for an application form.

Oscar

Bully

Rusty

An Unexpected Guest.....

I had an unexpected house guest last night, after Paul and I had to rush Duke to the vets with a very 'delicate' condition!

Duke has been with us a very long time after being severely abused. He was neutered about eight years ago, so for him to suddenly suffer what is known as Paraphimosis was a big shock. Rather than going into too much detail I'll let you Google it, but basically he had an erection that wouldn't go down!

Any way, he didn't take too kindly to being at the vets, and the swelling was so bad that he need a full anaesthetic so the vet could successfully reverse what was going on! Problem being that due to his stressed behaviour he couldn't be hospitalised and clearly couldn't go back into kennels.

So after half past eleven last night, Paul kindly returned to the vets and collected a very sleepy Duke and brought him up to mine. I set him up a nice bed in the utility room and, at 1am, after a little bit of food he settled down for the night.

He was amazing considering he possibly has never ever spent a night in a house, from the history we know he was locked in a yard before we got him, I like to think he enjoyed the break. This morning we had a nice walk in the rain, where he took in all the smells.

It was great to see him so relaxed in such a different environment, especially after such a traumatic start. I'd like to say huge thank you's to Paul and to Helena at Moorview Vets for helping Duke so expertly and being so understanding.

All I Want For Christmas.....

I reintroduced you to Bully a little while ago, especially his ability to hide Teddy Bears! Today I'm hoping somebody out there can find a place for him.

Bully has been with us  a long time now and despite being a bit of a villian when he arrived, he has always been everyone's favourite.

However,  time catches up with us all and Bully is no exception. So for Christmas this year we are looking to find him a home with someone who has experience and understands how difficult the transition from kennel life to the outside world can be.

To make this transition easier for Bully we insist on an environment with no other dogs, animals or children.

If you'd like an application form them please email foreverfoster@shak.org.uk

Instagram.....

Just a reminder that you can meet some of our dogs and see snippets of their daily life on our official Instagram account..... shak_sanctuary_official

Introducing Rusty.....

Left abandoned in an empty house, was how Rusty was found before arriving with us last year. No dog deserves that.

He didn't originally like men, which I guess tells his own story,  but over time he has grown to trust no the males and females. He really is a loving little Staffy, who does react to other dogs when put, but with an experienced handler it isn't too much trouble.

We are looking for an experienced foster home for Rusty, after having spent time away from the kennels earlier in the summer with Brad and Amy. He really did blossom into a lovely loyal companion, and as the winter approaches we'd love to see him settled in a permanent home.

So if you have experience with Staffys, no other animals and no young children and would like to know more about Rusty  or ask for an application form, then please contact amy@shak.org.uk

Can You Help Us Help Enzo.....

I briefly mentioned Enzo a couple of weeks ago after arriving in a horrendous state. Skin and bone and riddled with fleas,  he really was a mess physically. However, the minute he arrived and I looked in his eyes I knew there was an amazing boy just waiting to come out.

Fast forward a few weeks Enzo has lost the parasites that were living on him and made a whole bunch of new friends in both the SHAK Team and the dogs. In fact I think when introduced correctly he loves other dogs.

His days here are spent sharing a kennel with Kiki, inbetween going out to play with her, Bren and Rex. He is still underweight but I think that is mainly down to being so under nourished on arrival and adjusting to kennel life.

That is where you can step in and help him. We are looking for an experienced foster home to help Enzo get his life back on track. He is still young enough to learn, with so much love to give back.

If you want to know more, or for an application form please email foreverfoster@shak.org.uk

The Official SHAK Instagram....

Some might say I'm finally catching up with the rest of the world, but today I am launching the official SHAK Instagram account on a trial basis.

The idea being that you get to see more of the dogs and what they get up to on they're daily routines and hopefully capture some of the special moments that we are fortunate enough to witness first hand.

So let's see how it goes..... shak_sanctuary_official