A Massive Day For The Amazing Sadie.....

A couple of weeks ago, I introduced you to a wonderful little dog we'd called Sadie.  Abandoned locally, she was found covered in lumps and bumps but most alarmingly she had a growth bigger than a tennis ball on her neck.

She is such a happy little soul, loves to meet people and has made friends wherever she has been.
Once she served her seven days as a stray, we took her straight to the vets to get biopsies taken.

Unfortunately though the results came back inconclusive and the lab advised the huge lump was removed but with wide margins around it and, also underneath to try and cut away any potentially cancerous cells.

The problem with that however, was it was so big that we couldn't say for certain how deep the growth went or whether it was attached to muscle or any other part of Sadie's anatomy.

Wanting to make sure she got the best treatment she could, there was only one thing we could do, get a CT scan.

So last Wednesday I took her down for what was probably the biggest day of her life so far.

I'm pleased to say that the growth wasn't attached to anything, so it could be fully removed. It has been sent away to try and find out exactly what it was. She also had a few other of her lumps taken off, so she has certainly been put through the mill and had a full makeover!

When I picked her up on Wednesday night she was still very drowsy and just collapsed in a heap and snored!

Obviously the cost of going to such lengths to help her as much as we can doesn't come cheap. Currently her vet bill stands at £1,321.94. Once again this is where I have to ask you to help us help Sadie.

You can donate in various ways.

Via PayPal:

please mark your donation SADIE.
https://www.paypal.me/shaksanctuary
Or via cheque (made payable to SHAK with SADIE on the back) to SHAK. Greenwell Road, Alnwick NE66 1HB.

Or by popping into our SHAK Shop at 12 Bowes Street  Blyth NE24 1BD.

As I write this, I am delighted to say that we are working with a new home for Sadie to get her new life up and running. I have learnt so much about her in the few nights she has stayed with me, from her guest appearance at Warkworth show to her recovery, that I know she will make her new owner a fantastic companion.

It is amazing to think just how much more comfortable she must be and how much her life has turned around in the last couple of weeks.

Goodnight Best Friend.....

You may remember earlier this year I told you that one of the SHAK dogs I was very proud to foster had been diagnosed with cancer.

Bruce, an older German Shepherd, that had  been left abandoned on wasteland and tied to a tree before finding his way to us and then ultimately to my house, had been diagnosed with a splenic tumour that was malignant.

You may also remember how I told you he was being so brave and had made a miraculous recovery from the surgery to remove his spleen.

I'm finding it very hard to write this, but on Saturday evening even all the fight and courage he had shown wasnt enough, and we lost the sweetest of boys.

German Shepherds are prone to this type of cancer, I have lost a lot to it over the years.

It effects the spleen, which of course acts as a filter for blood as part of the immune system. This in turn means that the cancer invades the blood cells and is then transported all around the body. The spleen can be removed, but secondary tumours could be anywhere and the prognosis of extended life is very short.

Since his operation, Bruce was my shadow, companion and best friend. We had the memorable trip up Simonside that I told you about in a previous column, but he also went everywhere with me. He came to work, he went shopping, he even helped me with all the other dogs and putting the hens away on a night time. Such was our bond and trust he was never on lead and always stayed close enough to be able to keep an eye on me.

He slept on the floor at my side of the bed, always between me and the bedroom door. There was no way I was going to sneak past him, and I never ever wanted too.

Friday night I posted a video of Sadie on our Instagram page (shak_sanctuary_official) as she was staying over before her big day at Warkworth show.  Right at the end you can see Bruce making sure she is ok. That's just how he was.

He looks so well on that clip, running and playing, even hunting for fallen apples as he always did. It's hard to believe that when we woke up the next morning he was dying.

I knew he wasnt right at breakfast time. He was just lethargic and didnt want to eat. We took him with us to the show and kept a constant eye on him, as did the vets from Moorview. By the evening he was no better and both myself and Rachel knew it was time.

The vets confirmed there was fluid in his abdomen and that it was probably blood from another tumour that had ruptured on another organ. He was fading in front of our eyes.

Bruce passed away with his head pressed against mine. As close as we could possibly get.

The expected life span of a dog with his disease is three months after surgery to remove the spleen. It is testament to his courage and determination that Bruce did just short of five months.

I am lost without him, but so proud to have been able to share that much time with an amazing friend and one we miss so much.

Six Years On From It's A Dogs Life.....

So six years after I wrote a book called It's A Dogs Life and, after my own published books Only Human and The Castle, it's time to go back to where it all started..... 

Vets And Warkworth Show.....

Emily, Keiser and Tom.

One thing that I am very proud of is, that despite suffering horrendous abuse in the past, and the resulting issues caused by it, we still manage to treat our dogs to a lifestyle that is as near to a home life as is possible in a kennel environment.

Two walks a day, breakfast and dinner and of course a load of love and attention.

I think there is one aspect of life that the majority dogs,  if not all, don't embrace, is a trip to the vets. Even on that side of things our dogs don't miss out. Much to their disgust!

We have been working with Moorview Vets for as long as the charity has been running. We've seen some incredible happy times together, but sadly shared a whole lot more heartbreak.

They fully understand the work we do and never judge our dogs. They know that through helping us, they are all they have.

However, sometimes a trip to the vets though is quite a stressful experience, and would just cause too much upset. So to make sure all of our dogs get treated the same, Moorview very kindly come to examine all of our dogs twice a year.

It's great to be able to say they've been checked over, but also amazing watching them interact with people they don't know and trusting.

We had a visit just recently, our usual vet and great friend Emily brought a newer vet Tom with her for his first visit. He seemed to enjoy himself and was very impressed with both the dogs and our facilities judging by his report.

The rapport doesn't finish there, and this Saturday we are working together again at the Warkworth Show. For the last 5 years or so we've done the show together as a fundraiser for us, and every year it gets bigger and more successful.

The vets kindly organise a fun dog show, of which I have the honour of judging. It's a very difficult job, but one I really enjoy and people put so much effort into it. Plus I get to meet some incredible dogs.

The show itself is a fantastic day out, it will be great to see you there.

EXCLUSIVE!!!!!

I'm delighted to say our special little girl Sadie will be joining me at the show as we start the long road to getting her a home. She was amazing on her vets visit,  and as predicted biopsies were taken. We are awaiting the results.

Why not come and give her a cuddle on Saturday.

Does Anyone Know Sadie?....

It's great to be able to open this week with a little bit of good news. As I'm delighted to say that little Jack has settled extremely well in his new home. We had quite a few options and a lot of interest in him, but along with our good friends at Brysons animal rescue, we found him a home where he has doggy company. He is very happy and has fitted in straight away with his new family. We are all so delighted for him.
We took him to the vets on the way for a check over, and they confirmed our suspicions of arthritis in his back hips. He  now has medication to help him, so hopefully that in itself will improve his quality of life.
It's such an amazing turn around for a dog that was due to be destroyed, we are all so pleased we could help give him somewhere to see out his days.

The revolving door just never stops though and today we have taken in another oldie who will have a story to tell. Sadie (as I have decided to call her) was found wondering locally as a stray at the weekend. She is full of life, but as you can see, physically she isn't in great condition.

She has lumps and bumps all over her, mammary tumours, and a huge growth on the side of her neck the size of tennis ball. We do no not know where she has come from, but whilst it's easy to jump to the conclusion that she has been dumped, it maybe something like an older person has lost her and does not know how to go about reporting it? If anyone does know who she belongs to then please contact us via email foreverfoster@shak.org.uk.

If Sadie isn't claimed we have to start all over again and try and turn her life around like we did Jack's. First up will be a trip to the vets to see exactly what is going on with the lumps. Tests and biopsies aren't cheap, so if anyone would like to help us with the cost of doing them, donations can be made via paypal to https://www.paypal.me/shaksanctuary
Once we know the results of those, we can then start to look at finding her a place somewhere.
Sadie is such a lively and loveable soul, it is heartbreaking to think she has ended up in rescue with everything else she has to contend with. Whether it be her original home or a new one, we are determined to get her a sofa to lie on, just like we did Jack.

Canine First Aid Course A Huge Success.....

Well it looks as if the Canine First Aid course run by our friend Tina from the PDSA was a big success yesterday!

Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and the consensus seems to be there was some very useful tips on how to keep your dog safe in emergency situations.

Even our very own SHAK Legend Bully made an appearance!

Thanks to Tina and Rachel for putting the course on and to everyone who supported it.

It was great to see HQ being used for something that we haven't done before. We are planning more of the same so if you were unable to attend yesterday, please keep an eye out for future dates.

We are currently in negotiations to put on more events, and are always looking for different and interesting subjects. If you would like to explore the opportunity of holding an event at HQ to tell us about your work (Canine, Animal or Vegan) then please drop us an email to office@shak.org.uk 

Want To Know What's Been Going On?....

Remember you can see all the adventures of our dogs on our Instagram page shak_sanctuary_official

Its easy to set up an account if you don't already have one, and you'll be able to see just what Molly has been upto.....