Update.....

The weather, illness and the festive season has resulted in not many hands on deck over the last week or so, so sorry for the lack of updates on here. Thank you too, to everyone who has made it to The Rescue Place recently, I know that as well as me, the dogs really appreciate it and have enjoyed their Christmas.

There has been progress made, especially with Chance, and even a budding romance.

Chance is now walking alot better, although he still needs encouraged to get up. However once he is up he manages fine, and seems to be beginning to enjoy the scenery and the smell of the Northumberland countryside. He still has along way to go, but his eyes tell you that he wants to get there. Although he has bitten badly, everything must of been such a shock for him. He is beginning to trust, and I must admit I was touched in more ways than one when sitting talking to him by his kennel door he planted a huge paw on my shoulder, almost as if too say "actually, you're ok."

Summer is another dog that has serious issues, although hers are a different nature to Chance. She's recently been walking with Storm, and I have never seen her so happy. The attraction was instant, and she never takes her eyes off him. Maybe this is the way for her to get her life back, watching and learning from a dog who was very nervous himself when he arrived.

Finally I'd like to wish all of supporters a very Happy New Year, and from all the dogs and people at SHAK thank you all for the wonderful support you gave us during 2010.

A True Shepherd.....

Merry Christmas x

Giving A Chance.....

After the stress and jubilation of last night's planning meeting, it was back to the real business of dog rescue as I travelled in the snow to pick up a dog that was destined to be destroyed. I collected Chance (new start, new name) the Bernese Mountain Dog at 7.30 this morning, and after an hour where he simply refused to move we finally got him in the back of my Landrover.

Chance had operations to replace his cruciate ligament just three weeks ago, and he is clearly in serious pain. Unfortunately he has bitten his owner badly, an action that is totally out of character, and just before Christmas they felt they had no option but to put him to sleep. The vets contacted me, and we agreed to carry on his recovery.

It is going to be a hard slog, as with the operation so recent he has real problems standing and walking. He has time, he has every chance. It is all such a sad story.

Success At The Planning Meeting.....

I have just returned from the planning meeting regarding Derek's fundraising, and I'm pleased to say it was a little success. The planning department of Northumberland Council wanted to restrict his activities to only the first Sunday in every month. However after hearing the arguments for and against (in which I myself was put on the stand) the councilors decided that the planning terms were unacceptable.

It was therefore decided that Derek can open the first and third Sunday in every month, which obviously doubles what we were expecting the outcome to be. It does mean we lose two weeks per month, but I'm sure the people who support us will help us come up with other ways of making up those lost funds.

I think there will be a full report in the Journal tomorrow.

Thanks for all the well wishes and support both today and throughout this exhausting campaign, and maybes an old pensioner like Derek will be allowed to get some sleep tonight.

Food Parcels.....

The weather up here isn't quite that bad yet, but I'd just like to thank everyone who has donated food over the last couple of weeks. I came home tonight to a passage full of dog food and toys, so thank you to everyone who has donated to our collection bins at Pets At Home or Carltons, dropped it off at Derek's, or at my house.

Special mentions for Hillheads Dog Training Club for their weekly collection and to Andrew and his family for filling my LandRover with food they'd saved for months. Such amazing support from you all never ceases to amaze me. Thank you.

Some Day.....

The weather really has made things difficult the last few weeks, and today was no exception. A journey that would normally take 40 minutes took 3 and a half hours to get to there today, and I have to say thanks to Angelo and Jill for sticking with me and putting in a real hard days graft. Late start meant late finish but we got there, and it was all so worth while.

Denbar and Tara came back to us recently after two years in a home. Tara has always been a little tortured soul, and has found the return to kennels a little bit more difficult to accept than her big pal. She was clearly beaten badly before arriving at SHAK originally, but in Jill and Angelo she made two new friends today.

Tomorrow sees the planning meeting regarding the fundraising at Derek's. From the planning departments report it looks like we're in for a tough time, all we can do is fight our corner. Thanks for all the letters, emails and phone calls of support, I speak on behalf of Derek and everyone at SHAK when I say it's greatly appreciated.

Pet Dog Put In Bucket Of Acid.....

Forget student riots, a joke of a government, and pathetic royal weddings that cost the tax payer millions, this is a perfect example of how bitter and disturbed the not so "Great" Britain is. The evil that now roams this country is truly sickening:

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/850202-pet-dog-put-into-bucket-full-of-acid

http://www.eveningstar.co.uk/news/essex_horror_as_dog_killed_in_acid_attack_1_751116

Barking At Winston And SHAK On Radio Newcastle.....

There was a great interview with author and SHAK supporter Barry Stone on BBC Radio Newcastle last night. It was to promote to his book "Barking At Winston" which if bought from our website or Derek's, Barry will kindly donate half the money to SHAK.

Here's a link, the interview is quite long and gives a good insight into the author and the story, and also Barry gives ourselves and Derek a great mention. Listen from 30 minutes in:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p00ckfpk/Paddy_MacDee_13_12_2010/

If anyone would like to buy the book, you can from our shop here:

http://www.shakshop.co.uk/Barking+At+Winston/p168627_2248612.aspx

Thank You To The Fundraisers.....

I would just like to thank everyone of the valuable SHAK Fundraising Team, for braving thee elements all weekend to raise funds.

Thanks to the girls (and Trevor for playing taxi to the tombola) for another fantastic weekend at Pets At Home in Cramlington. Between them, they covered both days and raised a whopping £345. Thanks of course to the management and staff of Pets at Home for inviting us.

Derek too braved the elements down at Seaton Sluice for another atrocious day weather wise.

Thanks to you all, everyone at SHAK with both 2 legs and 4 legs appreciate all your hard work.

The Importance Of Keeping The Faith.....

The progress Faith has made over the past few months really has surprised us all. To see her running and playing with me in the snow on a visit to the kennnels the other day really was a surreal but beautiful experience. Here she is in her garden at the home I wasn't sure she'd ever have. Well done Faith (and of course Karen.)

A Hectic Week For Storm.....

Thanks to Ameri, Taylor, Flint and Kenya for giving Storm a bed for a couple of days as he recovered from being neutered. He won over all 4 hearts, and gave us a valuable insight into how he would find home life.

More Disgusting Abuse.....

Yet another horrendous tale of sheer neglect and needless suffering..... Right on our doorstep too.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-11969100

Today's Journal.....

In Today's Journal.....

http://www.journallive.co.uk/northumberland-sites/seaton-delaval-northumberland/seaton-delaval-news/2010/12/09/author-barry-stone-gives-boost-to-dog-charity-61634-27795698/

Thank You.....

I would just like to say Thank You to Sue and Peter for their wonderful Christmas present to the SHAK dogs at the weekend. Derek was presented on Sunday with an envelope containing a huge donation towards the dogs of SHAK. Thank you both so much, it gave both Derek and I a wonderful surprise.

Speaking of Derek, he is running another of his famous "Hamper Raffle's" this Christmas. Anyone wishing to donate a tasty Christmas treat or a bottle of plonk please drop it down to Pebbles one Sunday before Christmas. Thank you.

Season's Greetings From Tess.....

At Home With Tess.....

Just thought I'd share these wonderful pictures of Tess enjoying life with her family. As you can see, its a"Dog's Life."

SHAK Calendars Selling Fast.....

We are now down to the last box of 2011 Calendars, please order yours quickly to avoid disappointment:

http://www.shakshop.co.uk/SHAK+2011+CALENDAR/p168627_1592854.aspx

SHAK Christmas Package.....

I've received several requests and enquiries from people asking how they can support SHAK as a friend or relatives Christmas box.

So here it is, for a donation of £20 plus £1.50 p&p you can buy your friends a SHAK Christmas Gift Certificate and Calendar. Personalised with "Merry Christmas (Your Friends Name) and also from which ever SHAK dog you wish, the person receiving the gift can enjoy Christmas knowing that your money has gone to a good cause instead of on a 3 pack of socks! Please note that the real certificates are hand made and have a glitter effect.

You can order via the SHAK Shop below, and please don't forget to include the name of the recipient and the dog you wish it to be from.

http://www.shakshop.co.uk/SHAK_Christmas_Gift_Certificate___Calendar_Package/p168627_1733389.aspx

Lewis In The Snow.....

Lewis just wondering where the snow ends???

Run Free Becky......

Some sombre news tonight too, as this morning I found out that a SHAK Oldie had passed away last night. Becky was a wonderful Rottie girl, who's years caught up with her in the end. You made your Mam very happy Becks, proud of you girl.

"I wish the Rainbow Bridge had a phone..so I could hear your barks again. I thought of you guys today...but that's nothing new. I thought of you guys yesterday and days before that too. I think of you guys in silence and often speak your names. All I have are memories and pictures.. in a frame."

Delighted To Confirm A Link Up With The Region's Newest Radio Station.....

I am delighted and honoured to announce today the link up between the region's newest Radio Station, Koast Radio, and SHAK. Thank you to everyone who has made this possible, and please tune in to here about some massive events in 2011.

http://www.koastradio.co.uk/?page_id=407

Barking At Winston Update.....

A BIG THANK YOU to author Barry Stone who has kindly offered to donate £3.49 to SHAK for every copy we sell! Please note we have a LIMITED SUPPLY SIGNED BY BARRY HIMSELF!

Order yours from the link below:

http://www.shakshop.co.uk/Barking_At_Winston/p168627_2248612.aspx

It's the boiling summer of 1976 and one year old collie-cross Brucie expects to be offed by the vet at the kennels where the RSPCA placed him after he was removed from his first human. Except that at the eleventh hour a red-haired fifty five year old artist called Ginger comes to the rescue, and even before he is released from his cage by the gay-spirited Kennel Lad, Brucie has tumbled into love with her and her two sets of quirky boy-girl teenage twins. The family's worn but comfy seaside house looks onto a recently unveiled statue of Winston Churchill that Ginger claims to dislike because it blocks her view of the sea; a half-truth which stirs the detective within Brucie as he sets out to understand the grief which fuels the increasingly wild antics of his new humans. To which end - and despite a fever that's making him so hot he could grow the coat of a red setter - he uses his powerful second sight to access the memories of fifteen year olds Rachel and Craig, and sixteen year olds Vanessa and Jack: thereby taking us on a series of connected journeys that see a ladybird lost up Vanessa's nose, a rebuke of a bodging dentist who wears a wig that's called 'the rug', and Jack's coming of age as he defends his well and truly battered mum against further domestic violence. Having returned to 1976, Brucie is left puzzled as to why car-loving Craig is the one most affected by the recent suicide of their war-traumatised father, Raymond. A line of enquiry that leads back to the 1940s when twenty-five year old Raymond's ship was torpedoed by the Germans and he left a crewmate with a big similarity to his youngest son Craig - as yet unborn of course - to die in the burning sea. Having gained an understanding of the complex relationship between Raymond and Craig an exhausted Brucie is now dangerously hot. Will he die? Or will he live and help save his beloved 'kid' from the self-hate that Raymond's bullying of him has caused? Even more so, will he be able to nudge young Craig into returning the beautiful love which the Kennel Lad has to give?

Postage Cost: £2.50

A Real Duke.....

Duke didn't know how to play in the snow. Not for long though.

Otto (Number 1).....

Otto number 1 showing what a stunning boy he is.

Otto (Number 2).....

Meg's other half Otto (2) showing how nimble he is.

Meg.....

Meg loved the snow!

Rise Like A Salmon.....

Truly amazing big man.

King.....

The GIANT that is King.

Tara.....

Tara was one of the first really abused dogs we took in.

Tara And Denbar.....

Tara and Denbar telling Andrew it's not too bad to be back at SHAK.