Remember It's A Dog's Life.....

So all the way back in 2013 I accidentally wrote a book called It's A Dogs Life. A project that started off with a phone conversation with a lady who was looking to get rid of a dog she had just rescued.

I tried to explain what the dog may have been through before he ended up with her. I was able to draw on my experience of working in a pound, to explain just what a shock to the system being discarded and losing your home is.

After convincing her to stick with him, I came home and thought I would write a piece for our website. Nothing too much, just straight to the point…..

That piece developed into my first book, but it also gave a voice to some of the wonderful dogs I met whilst working in that environment.

I had never thought of writing before, but the satisfaction and the feeling of creativity it gave me manifested the confidence to carry on with my new found hobby, to produce two other darker and more sinister books on mental health called Only Human and The Castle.

The development of self publishing, meant I was able to put my money where my mouth was and turn my manuscript into a paperback. Having worked so hard on it, the urge to see the finished article in print meant I covered the publishing and printing costs myself.

Seen through the eyes of a Rottweiler who finds himself abandoned but not knowing why, It's A Dog's Life, chronicles his time in the pound. It tells the story of how he deals with his new life and the friends he meets along the way.

Fast forward now to the present day and my accidental first book seems to have been well received judging by the reviews on Amazon. With the big vet's bill we have just recieved for Taz and it being a difficult time of year, I thought it might be time to let our new supporters know that the book exists and try and get even more people to realise how bleak life can be for a stray.

I recently saw copies of it advertised on line for an incredible £74! I think the seller clearly just didn't have a clue what they had haha. It is available on Amazon and Ebay, but both take commissions and sell from book dealers.

So…. Trying to help us raise much needed funds, 50% of all copies bought from my own online store www.stephenwylie.com will be donated back to the dogs. That's £3.50 per book going to SHAK. Unfortunately, my writing isn't good enough that I am able to write off the production costs.

You can buy a copy and help our dogs from the link below:

https://stephen-wylie.my-online.store/Its_A_Dogs_Life/p5936357_19208140.aspx

Thanks for taking the time to read this, hopefully it hasn't put you off the book!

Great News On Taz.....

A bit of good news today as the vets have just called to say the results from Taz's spleen biopsy have come back benign! Such fantastic results that mean now having recovered from his stomach torsion we can concentrate on giving him as full a life as possible.

The response to his appeal has been amazing, with the total of £1862 of the target of £2800 been very generously donated so far.

Obviously we still have a way to go so please keep donating and sharing, but the news today means it has all been worthwhile.

Just a reminder that you can donate via the following ways:

A cheque made payable to SHAK and posted to SHAK HQ, Greenwell Road, Alnwick,  NE66 1HB

Dropping a donation into our shop at 12 Bowes

Street, Blyth, NE24 1BD

Or of  course by the PayPal link below (Please mark your donation Taz)

paypal.me/shaksanctuary

Thank you in advance. We really need your help on this 

Life Or Death For Taz.....

I think its fair to say that the start of 2020 has been difficult for us on every level, but just recently we had another turn of bad luck that nearly cost one dog his life.

Despite a very checkered past and a stubborn streak that matches no other in the kennels, Taz has always been a firm favourite. There is always a race to get him and his girlfriend, Solo, out for a walk.

It was on a walk that one of our volunteers,  Paul, noticed that Taz didn't seem himself. He looked lethargic and refused a piece of cooked chicken, so clearly something serious was going on. It was blizzarding down with snow, so maybe it was just the weather, but to be sure Paul told Rachel after returning him to his kennel.

I didnt like the sound of it and rushed to see him immediately.  Taz was lying in his bed, all around him was frothy vomit, nothing more than saliva and something I have seen before. I knew instantly he was suffering a stomach torsion (twisted stomach) the froth rather than sick was because the stomach had flipped and the entrance was twisted so any food couldn't make an exit.

I rushed him straight into my van and made the journey to the vets. Rachel rang ahead to make them aware, whilst the rest of the team stepped up to make sure all the other dogs got out for their second walk. All anxiously keeping an eye on their phones.

Taz looking so flat as we get ready to leave for the vets.

The vets rushed him straight in and my worst suspicions were proved correct. Taz's stomach had indeed twisted. He needed emergency surgery.

Nobody knows why it happens, but German Shepherds are prone to the twist. That along with CDRM and splenic tumours have taken so many of our the wonderful Shepherds over the years. The fact we caught it so early was a huge advantage.

I'm happy to say that the emergency surgery went well, but there was also another horror waiting to be discovered. Taz had a 5cm mass on his spleen. I agreed with the vets that it would be best to take the spleen out during the same operation. I couldn't believe that he was suffering two out of the three killers we all dread.

The hope is that the mass is benign, in which case Taz will just adapt and live a normal life. If it is malignant then we have to make the best of the very short time we have him for. As the spleen filters the blood, it will mean that secondary tumours could be anywhere in his body. It is also a very aggressive form of cancer.

The first three days are critical after a stomach twist, as if the stomach has been damaged in anyway, it will die off and all the digestive acids leak into the abdomen, poisoning the dog from the inside. I felt that before we took things any further with the spleen we had to get him through the next 72 hours first.

Step forward another volunteer, Gillian, who collected Taz with me on day 2 and offered him a foster home to go to for a week or so, so she could keep a very close eye on him. A huge thing to take on, but also a huge change for Taz.

Taz helping Gillian with the washing up

I'm delighted to say that Taz has been signed off from the vets today regarding his stomach. The operation only has a 50-50 chance of survival, so it is such a relief. We now need to make a decision on whether we do further tests on the spleen, but that will all cost even more money and wont change any prognosis.

The bill for Taz's surgery is below. February is the worst month of the year for donations as everyone is still recovering from Christmas and the pre Christmas donations have been spent. It really couldn't have come at a worse time and I have to be honest and say that finding the £2,800 is going to be a real struggle. We had to try all we could to save Taz, that is what we do and seeing him living and breathing today is proof that we did the right thing.

The whole team has pulled together on this, it has been quite incredible to be part of, but having helped Taz, we now need you to help us and be part of that team.

If you can donate anything towards Taz's vets bill, then you can do by the following ways:

A cheque made payable to SHAK and posted to SHAK HQ, Greenwell Road, Alnwick,  NE66 1HB

Dropping a donation into our shop at 12 Bowes

Street, Blyth, NE24 1BD

Or of  course by the PayPal link below (Please mark your donation Taz)

paypal.me/shaksanctuary

Thank you in advance. We really need your help on this one.

Farewell To Sally.....

You may remember at the end of november I told you Sally's story and how we were desperately looking to try and find her a retirement home to call her own. You may also remember that I followed it up by saying that I was delighted to say that the appeal had worked, Sally had found a new home by the seaside.

I'm afraid that this update is a lot sadder. Just a couple of weeks ago, Sally became ill.  She was very lethargic and off her food, which was a huge alarm bell when it came to Sally. A trip to the vets resulted in medication, but none really made much of a difference. After four days she was just the same.

Sally's devoted mam, Dot, cannot drive so one of our volunteers Mick picked Sally up and I met them at the vets so they could have a deeper look.

Ultrasounds showed a large balloon of fluid around her lungs which could have been an infection or something more sinister. As always I wanted to give her the best possible chance and treatment, so authorised a CT scan to delve further. It was then we discovered that her lungs were riddled with tumours, the vets were surprised she could even breath. We were left with no choice but to say goodbye.
I think her contentment at being home, made her fight so hard to stay alive, but eventually it was a battle she couldn't win. Sally slipped away being cuddled by Dot, myself and volunteers Mick and Lesley. Not bad for a dog that nobody wanted.

We all miss her, but no one more than Dot. Sally adored her and followed her everywhere, which for me is where this can be looked on as equally a happy ending as it a huge loss.

Sally was able to find love and a home thanks to a wonderful lady who gave her probably the best months of her life.  Dot will say she got as much love back from Sally as she gave, that in itself is a magical thing. They have memories of fun and laughter, of snuggling together on the sofa, and of cuddling each other in bed during the cold winter nights. As a rescue we couldn't ask for anymore.

I'd like to thank Dot, Mick and Lesley for doing so much to make an old girl very happy.

Sally leaves behind a legacy, proof that there are amazing people out there willing to offer homes to even more amazing older dogs. Of course, Sally isn't the only one we have, there is still a few more with us that would benefit from just being given the chance of such love and devotion. 

If you would like to learn a little more about becoming a fosterer for an oldie, then please get in touch foreverfoster@shak.org.uk

People Asking What We Need.....

I've been asked quite a lot recently if there is anything that we need donated for the kennels. Such is the generosity of our supporters that we still have things left from Christmas.

However, it is the daily consumables that we always need top ups of. Things such as Laundry Liquid/Powder, Dishwasher Tablets, and Thick Bin Liners are used so regularly every day that we soon go through our stocks.

Likewise the supplements for the dogs also get used daily, so things like Coconut Oil, Cod Liver Oil, Evening Primrose Oil are always useful.  As are fleece blankets.

If anyone does want to donate they can by taking stuff to our shop in Bowes Street, Blyth, NE24 1BD.

Another thing I often get asked is if we have an Amazon Wishlist, which we do. Below is a link to it, and it contains all the items I've mentioned above.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/378KO9YKHAI9D?ref_=wl_share


Thank you all again for the wonderful support you give us, it all helps improve the lives of dogs that were used to having nothing.

SHAK On Sky One?.....

Not sure if our bit will make the final edit, but really looking forward to watching the start of The Heist series 2 on Sky One tonight with @alecia_louise

Big thanks to the Angel's of North for their donation and for getting us involved in such an exciting project!

#shak #SHAK #angelsofthenorth #theheist #skyone