Time For Kisses.....

Talking of the little guy from yesterdays post, he was really excited to see us this morning and even more so when it came around to walk time!

There was no need for a rigid lead today, simply open the kennel door, slip the lead on and then off we went.

Once outside, what happened next blew me away.....

 

Another LIFE SAVING Story.....

You all know the phrase about waiting for a bus..... two usually come at once, and the same is true with dogs! 24 hours before I was notified about the Malinois I told you about last night I was asked to help a big Akita in the same pound, showing aggression and facing the same fate..... destruction.

Like the Malinois this boy boy was still serving his 7 days as a stray, so the council who had brought him in had to give permission for him to be destroyed. You know how this goes..... that's when I received a phone call.....

Since he came to us we have seen no sign of aggression just sheer strength and determination if he wanted to go somewhere, or more to the point determination if he didn't want to go somewhere! That coupled with his weight of 45kg + we've been working with him using the 'Rigid Lead' again.

Today I felt I knew him well enough to use a normal lead.....

Walking him like a normal dog after he had been so close to death was an incredible feeling. He even allowed me to cut off the scraggy piece of twine he had for a collar! A week ago to day he was due to destroyed..... so much progress in such short time.
 

A Real LIFE SAVING Story.....

Last week was manic in all sorts of ways, too many tales to mention just now and others that are still works in progress, but one LIFE SAVING story I can tell you involves the handsome boy (we are still coming up with a name that suits him!)  below.....

Last Monday I was made aware of a Malinois in a shelter that had been handed in as a 'stray' the previous day. The shelter reported the dog was behaving in an extremely aggressive manner and contacted the council from where the dog was found and requested permission to destroy it. That's where we come in.....

After 48 hours of phone calls and emails permission was granted by the council (as the dog was within its 7 days) for myself to collect the dog along with the dog warden from that council. What greeted me was a very fear aggressive youngster whose world had clearly been turned upside down.

The move from the kennel to  the van wasn't pleasant. Catch poles had to be used, and whilst I'm not proud to say it, no matter what it took we had to get that dog into my van. It was a matter of life and death.....

On arrival at The Rescue Place, his fear was clear to see, look at his body shape but more so his eyes.....

Even just touching him sent shock waves down his whole body, and you could see the fear in his eyes.A Malinois has a hellish bite, I just couldn't afford to rush him or take any risks. I continued using a pole as a 'Rigid Lead' for the next couple of days, but very quickly a bond was beginning to form.....

Saturday proved to be a good day, as my new pal met Rich and Rachel and incredibly he showed us he knew a few tricks. Sit, paw and down were all water off a ducks back to him, and despite the obvious caution that we had to take, he was quickly becoming a firm favourite.....

Then today something amazing happened. I went to get him out on the rigid lead as normal, but he wasn't having it..... in desperation I showed him a normal lead and he put his head straight into it and off we went. I think the pictures below show just how much that walk meant to him, myself and Melissa.....

So an incredible turn around within 5 DAYS..... This young boy was looking at a vets needle, instead his life began today.....

(To continue saving the lives of dogs like the handsome boy above we need your help. If you'd like to donate towards the cost of helping these dogs you can by: PayPal to shak@shak.org.uk or by sending a cheque made payable to SHAK to SHAK HQ. Greenwell Road, Alnwick, Northumberland NE66 1HB. Thank you.)

The Waiting Is Over.....

I'm delighted to announce that this weekends huge fundraiser at Alnwick Food Festival was also the eager awaited official launch of the 2017 SHAK Calendar.....

Featuring Laser on the cover and the month of December, it just felt right such a special boy should take centre stage.

You can order your's now from the SHAK Shop via the link below, and to avoid disappointment and to make sure you get yours in time for..... Christmas!

http://www.shakshop.co.uk/SHAK_2017_CALENDAR/p168627_1592854.aspx

Oscar Has His Blood Tests.....

Had Oscar down to Moorview yesterday for his blood tests, so now it's just a waiting game for his results. Once again apart from the couple of minutes in the consult room he was brilliant, and he really enjoys the days out. We even had a game of football when he got back.....

Thanks to the fantastic support of you guys I am also delighted to say that we have received a fantastic £580 so far of the initial £600 target. Obviously the results of the bloods will determine the route we go down next, but there will be a second phase of funding needed.....

You can donate via paypal (shak@shak.org.uk) Pay direct to the vets by calling Moorview on 0191 2566990 stating Oscar's bill on the SHAK account or by sending a cheque made payable to SHAK to:

SHAK HQ
Greenwell Road,
Alnwick,
Northumberland
NE66 1HB

Thank you all again for your support.

Another Great Night At HQ.....

I'd just like to say a HUGE THANKYOU to Darren, Frankie and star of the show Rook, for  providing us with a brilliant presentation about dog blood donor's last night.

'All You Need Is Blood' was so informative and interesting and delivered so well that it really did capture everyone's imagination and attention. 

Speaking of 'everyone,' it was another sell out and I'd like to thank everyone who once again showed us fantastic support by turning out, even one of our most recent success stories, little Jack, made an appearance.

I am already in negotiations with Frankie to book Darren again, so if anybody would like to suggest a topic then please email your suggestions to shak@shak.org.uk

Bruce Comes Home.....

It's also been a really big weekend for Bruce. Having arrived as a stray at the start of the summer I think it's safe to say that he has really struggled in kennels. When I received a call out for a German Shepherd that was tied to a tree on some wasteland I have to admit I prepared myself for a battle..... The truth is he was a sweetheart from that moment on and my heart was won by him.

Yesterday I decided to say enough was enough having tried every angle I could to place him. I have to thank Rachel for once again understanding the downside of my work and welcoming him into our home with arms spread wide.....

I think these photo's will probably be more appreciated by anyone who witnessed Bruce in kennels. They cover last night and today. He has been amazing & so have the rest of our guys.

With Lennox 

Lennox and Pinky say Hi

Sky does too!

With the guys

Home in the background

What a weekend

The HUGE Season Starts Tomorrow.....

Just a reminder about a really exciting night tomorrow at SHAK HQ....

Darren is someone I have a great deal of respect for having been in some precarious situations with some of the more challenging SHAK dogs. In fact, myself and my family got an extra three months with Oskar because he was so quick to diagnose a spleen tumour, it's a real honour to have him as our guest tomorrow.....

It's a really scary thought, but I guess I have to accept defeat and say summer has gone. Autumn and winter is really hard for us to survive as people's lives are taken over with dark damp conditions and Christmas.

The Official fundraising team work so hard to make sure we have  a regular income during these months, and despite being a difficult year, as we say goodbye to summer here are the HUGE events we have lined up.....

September  17th&18th    Alnwick Food Festival
  "                    24th         Alnwick Market

October    8th & 9th    Pets at Home Cramlington
  "          22nd & 23rd  Pets at Home Alnwick
  "                29th         Alnwick Market

November   5th          Wilkinsons Alnwick
  "                13th         Dobbies Christmas Market, Ponteland
  "                19th         Azure  Christmas Market,Cramlington
  "                26th         Glendale Christmas Market, Wooler
  "                27th         Howick Tea Rooms Christmas Fayre,Howick Gardens

December   3rd          Alnwick Christmas Market
  "          10th&11th    Pets at Home Alnwick Santa Paws Dogs Dinner Appeal
  "          17th&18th    Pets at Home Alnwick Santa Paws Dogs Dinner Appeal

I'm sure we will add to events with various appeals (Oscar springs to mind) and of course we have the launch of the OFFICIAL SHAK 2017 CALENDAR in the very near future.....

So as the year winds towards its end, we need you guys more than ever to support some really big things..... The nights are drawing in, its getting colder but the dogs still need your loyalty. In fact given the tough year we've had, WE NEED YOU MORE THAN EVER.

Update On Oscar.....

An update on Oscar as his story is one that has certainly grabbed a lot of people's attention and tugged on their heart strings.....

I received a phone call from Hannah at Moorview Vets today to say that the kit they needed for his blood tests had arrived. Earliest we were able to get him down is Monday, so we have an appointment to get the blood taken on Monday morning.

Some really good news is that biopsy's taken from his Liver and Spleen have both come back clear, ruling out several cancers.

On behalf of the team, I'd like to thank everyone who has donated so quickly towards his vets bill so far. The total we have currently had donated is £160 of the original £600 that has been run up so far, and with surgery still expected to come we still need more.....

You can donate via paypal (shak@shak.org.uk) Pay direct to the vets by calling Moorview on 0191 2566990 stating Oscar's bill on the SHAK account or by sending a cheque made payable to SHAK to:

SHAK HQ
Greenwell Road,
Alnwick,
Northumberland
NE66 1HB

A BIG Thank You from Oscar and me.

Big Donnie Now.....

You may remember me telling you about Donnie a long time ago and how he came home after his operation to remove his tail.

He never really left, and for a dog that was deemed as dog aggressive when he arrived, to live with as many as he does now is incredible.

I love these photos of him tonight,  patiently waiting for a treat before bedtime.....

Urgent Appeal For Funds For Oscar's Operation.....

It's been both a hectic and worrying time the last couple of weeks for Oscar, after I noticed his kennel was constantly wet. It appeared he was drinking more than normal and urinating more too, neither of which was a good sign. It has to be said however apart from the wet kennel he is in perfect shape and fully fit with no other signs of illness.

Anyone who knows Oscar will know that a trip to the vets isn't a 'walk in the park' but after a urine sample proved his urine was very dilute, that was the next step.

Having wrestled in the consult room blood was taken and had shown that he had high calcium levels. A week later I had him there again to have his anal glands and prostate checked (even more fun!) and another blood test confirmed once again the high calcium levels.

Having been down this road so many times with German Shepherds, the fear was a Splenic Tumour or Lymphoma, a fear that was confirmed to me last Thursday when I took Oscar down for an ultra sound scan.

I'm pleased to say that there were no signs of either hideous cancer, but it did still leave the question of what was causing his body to produce so much calcium. It was decided that whilst he was still under sedation Moorview would up that to a full anaesthetic and give Oscar a full CT scan to try and get right to the bottom of his condition.

It was whilst looking at the results of the CT scan that a potential cause was found. Just under his voicebox there is a little gland called the Parathyroid gland. It appeared that there is a growth on one side. I was reassured that the majority of these are benign and that removal of the gland should solve the issue if that is indeed the cause, but as the gland controls calcium and hormones it is a major part of the body's operating system.

So the decision was made to find out for sure the cause of the extra calcium which is done via further blood screening in a special ordered frozen kit which we are waiting for. It doesn't come cheap though with the test itself costing us around £200.Likewise though without getting to the bottom of the matter the future could hold kidney failure and cardiac issues. It really could be a matter of life and death.

Oscar stayed at my house the night before the operation, and as you can see from  the photo's below with him and Star, he was impeccably behaved. For a dog with such a big reputation I saw a softer side that I had only ever seen in glimpses before. He is such a special boy.

So far with all the blood tests (including the specialist one) and the CT scan, Oscar's vets bill is about £600. This is before we have any surgery done or after care. This is where OSCAR NEEDS YOUR HELP. If you can donate towards his on going costs it would make things so much easier for us to concentrate on the most important part, getting him better, as well as relieving a huge financial worry.

You can donate via paypal (shak@shak.org.uk) Pay direct to the vets by calling Moorview on 0191 2566990 stating Oscar's bill on the SHAK account or by sending a cheque made payable to SHAK to:

SHAK HQ
Greenwell Road,
Alnwick,
Northumberland
NE66 1HB

I'll leave you with a little insight into how special Oscar is with these photo's of his game with Star on his sleepover, although I have to say I don't think he knew he was even in a game.....

"Hey Star..... Look what I found"

"It's all mine though"

"What you looking at?"
"Oh nothing Oscar"

"Can you do this?"

"Or this?"

"Whats over here?"

" Now's my chance....."

"Where did that stick go???"

Just 48 Hours To 'Throw It Away'.....

There is just 48 hours for anyone to buy the 'Throw It Away' range of SHAK merchandise.

Released for just a month 'Throw It Away' takes inspiration from so many of our dogs that have been discarded like rubbish and written off by people when they need them the most.

Displayed through the faces of Gema and Haden, hopefully this design will make you think about what these dogs go through before finding us.....

Buy yours at:

https://shak.teemill.co.uk/category/throw-it-away-1168/

An Appeal For Chappie.....

Due to a change in diet for a few of our dogs, we are now using a lot more of the Chappie dry food. If you are thinking of making a food donation, then if you could possibly buy this it would be a big help.

You can purchase it easily so it is sent directly to us via our Amazon Wish List:

Amazon SHAK Wishlist

Or you can also use one of the drop off points listed below. Thanks again in advance for your fantastic support!

The collection bin at SHAK HQ Greenwell Road, Alnwick NE66 1HB.
Pets At  Home, Cramlington.
Pets At Home, Alnwick.
Taylor's Newsagents, Alnwick.
Moorview Vets, Backworth.
Sainsburys, Alnwick.
Carlton's Feed Merchants, Seaton Delaval.
Wilkinsons, Alnwick
Carlton's Feed Merchants, Benton.
St Clair's Vets, Blyth.

Carrying On Our Series Of Talks By Vets At SHAK Club.....

Goodbye To A Very Brave Girl.....

We had more very sad news on Friday as the SHAK family lost a gorgeous girl who'd battled so long against illness. Lexi had fought epilepsy for some time, but more recently had been diagnosed with Cushing's Disease too. Never one to give up, Lexi battled on and continued to love her life.

Friday morning it was found that Lexi had passed away in her sleep, very fitting as she was in her favourite spot. She's left behind a family who all loved her dearly (2 & 4 legged) and one who never gave up on her despite huge vets bills and medication costs. Our thoughts are with them, but with so many fantastic memories of holidays and pubs, beaches and pubs, I'd like to thank them for giving her so much.....

Coming Soon.....

Just finished working on the official 2017 SHAK Calendar. Your copy will be available very soon.....