30th November

Well I spoke too soon about the drier weather! I was quite surprised how wet the snow was after such cold and this morning we all felt a bit disappointed, not real snow, but we need not have worried, we certainly have real snow now and it's still falling.

How do your dogs react? Most love it. I still remember John Noakes on Blue Peter gambolling in the snow with his dog.

Riley was the most excited out of ours, he is the youngest after all, plenty of youthful enthusiasm. He did get spooked later on however and bolt back from his walk at the ponies. I am not quite sure what it was but one minute he was there the next gone! Jade and I followed his paw prints in the snow, he had gone right back to the yard but managed to be enticed back out for a rough and tumble game with Jade. I think he may have been upset yesterday by the cows as their calves have been weaned and there was a lot of bellowing and agitation, and to think I worried he might attack them. It is a very safe area, with no roads nearby so he was not in any danger.

Sandy quite liked the snow and was not desperate to get out of it. She is still doing well with her toileting in the garden and playing with her ball. She found a toy in the kitchen, a sort of Kong material toy with a squeak. She had great fun shaking and chewing it and pushing it into shoes and piles of newspapers and other stuff on the kitchen floor, making a terrible mess but enjoying herself, I noticed she only chewed the toy leaving everything else. So good to see her happy.
Well the snow is still falling here, let's see what tomorrow will bring.........

Sandy playing with her ball in the snow

29th November

Hi there! Apologies for missing a few days. Cold weather, new technology and a family birthday are my excuses! I hope you have enjoyed our guest bloggers my thanks to them for stepping in.

It certainly is cold but, for the moment at least, it is dry, making dog walking much easier than in the rain. The dogs seem to like it too dashing round with lots of energy after all the scents, they do not seem bothered by it when they are out but I am pleased we do not have any dogs in kennels at the moment.

Sandy has recovered remarkably well from her operation. On Friday I walked her with my dogs Khan and Sprite assisted by a friend. She had to stay on the extending lead because of her spay but the walk was an hour long (the longest she has ever walked?) maybe. She certainly didn't have any problems with it, however she really does not know how to behave in most situations and did not really relate to the other dogs and sometimes got far too close my friend and myself treading on our heels.

We have been giving her time out in the kitchen and only fussing her when she is quiet but she still becomes very excited when someone new walks into the room. She is though eating and drinking well and yesterday I played ball with her in the garden. She really enjoyed it batting at the ball with her front paws and showing a degree of staffie obsessiveness. It was the first time I have seen her behave like a true dog and really look as if she was enjoying herself. When I took her down the garden last night before bed she did a wee which was a first........it will take a while but we are getting there!

28th November 2010

Looking out of the window to a white glistening sheen over the gardens and rooftops, winter has truly arrived early . Daisy, Honey, Oscar and Doris are oblivious, fast asleep snuggled together on the bed.

.They hear their bowls rattle for breakfast. Doris makes her way down slowly, followed by Oscar in an all out charge. Daisy now pacing back and forth in anticipation. Honey the last to surface from the warm bed. Breakfast over, a quick turn in the garden and a mad rush back to secure their place on the bed with the exception of Doris who wants her special time for cuddles.

All are rescue Staffies happily living together, all with their own personality and needs. Ages ranging from 3yrs to 13+ yrs.

Shopping the next requirement of the day. Dogs safely in their own areas of the house, radios synchronised to the same channel ready for the Tesco marathon. Having run the gauntlet in Tesco's I bravely decided the garden centre was the next port of call.
I spied a rather plump middle aged Staffie bitch with her owners in tow. Never being able to walk past a Staffie I bent down to stroke her. I heard the owners say that they would like another one, to the couple standing next to them. Never one to let an opportunity pass, I accosted the owners, thinking this could be a chance for Bullseye or Riley. Sadly they also had a handsome Boxer with them but would have taken another Staffie had the circumstances been different.

I can honestly say that during each day somewhere in the background my thoughts are never far away from those Staffies needing our help. Whether it is finding homes, raising funds, educating people on the breed or raising awareness of their plight. Of which I have recently emailed Lord Hattersley, he owned a Staffie X called Buster, because of his relationship with Buster Lord Hattersley wrote a book called Buster's Secret Diaries. The antics of  Buster made me laugh relating many of them to my own dogs. Sadly Buster died last year. On behalf of Stafford Welfare I have asked  for help albeit in a small way, also would he consider becoming Patron to Stafford Welfare. As yet there has been no reply. 

Home at last welcomed by 4 enthusiastic dogs all descending on the bags to see what goodies the humans have bought home. Daisy decides a DVD is food and runs off with it. Thankfully no harm was done only a chewed box!
Time to check the emails, 2! A smile spreads across my face, an adoption and a foster enquiry. My heart sinks and I slump back in the chair.
10 year old bitch owner is going away in December she offers £100 for us to re home  the dog to a good home!
2 year old dog, has bitten owner on several occasions, the last time the dog had come over for his belly to be
rubbed and then gone for the owner. The owner is now frightened of the dog. Could we take him and re home him otherwise he would have him put down on Monday. Sadly we had to advise the owner that the dog was not suitable for re homing and what he proposed was the kindest thing for the dog.

Alison and I talk on the phone trying to bolster one another up. Tomorrow is another day maybe just maybe a suitable home will come up for one of the dogs.This is what keeps us going.   Valerie

Friday 26th November

Welcome to our guest blogger :-

MONTY’S Blog Nov 22. 2010
Just turned seven and there’s a curtain of greasy rain falling as Monty and I head out for our morning muddy trudge through theWiltshire countryside. We live close to Salisbury city centre, yet, quite amazingly, it takes only six minutes to be crossing the first field that opens up to hundreds of miles of public and permissive footpaths.
But first we must pass maybe a dozen houses where two things are happening; there’s a blue glow in the front window - the TV is already on and in the back garden there’s a dog barking mad in the darkness,. It has heard the tinkle of Monty’s collar medal as we pass. That dog won’t be going anywhere today or tomorrow or any another day. Yet he is captive within a minutes of dog-walk paradise.
It’s said that we Brits enjoy a long-standing love affair with their dogs. This month celebrates the 150 years since Battersea opened its doors to cast-aside dogs (and cats) and in that time they’ve rescued 3 million animals. The other voluntary rescues are desperately over-loaded. So surely something has gone very wrong with that love affair.
We daily walk for between two and three hours in beautiful countryside. Yes, even in the rain. Yet - and I’m quite specific about this - we rarely meet more than one dog (a Jack Russell) and his owner.
Last year, I regularly encountered a woman who was clearly keen on fitness and walking. Articulate and intelligent, she admired Monty and asked me about Staffies. “Intelligent, robust, great fun and best friends,” I said. “They are not dangerous dogs"
She explained her husband was about to retire and wanted a dog. “Lots and lots of them waiting in rescues for the right home,” I said.
Weeks went by and then I met the retired couple by the Avon . They were throwing sticks for a young labradoodle, the designer mongrels which cost up to £1,000
Rescue dog? “No,” she said. “Got him in south Wales. Pretty expensive, but a lovely little dog. Very nice, helpful breeder too. Met us in a car park to save us getting lost in the Welsh hills. He’s sending on the papers...”

25th November

Sorry for no entry yesterday,still grappling with the new technology!
Sandy is fine after her spay and showing no ill effects. She is eating and toileting and rolling on her back to show us how beautifully her wound is healing!
I cannot believe she has been with us over a week now or that we did actually manage to achieve our goal and take her in. It did not happen as I expected and it was not really until Monday evening when I heard from Sally how well Bullseye had settled, that we could really relax.

Sally and Simon have kindly taken Bullseye as a foster to go with Saffy whom they adopted from us in summer last year. Bullseye is having a lovely time with lots of cuddles and also playing happily with Sally's mothers dog, an entire male, which just shows what a lovely temperament he is. Our thanks to Sally and Simon for their help without which we could not have taken Sandy in.
Also thanks to Glenn and Anna for rehoming Piglet(an extraordinary little dog who leaves a BIG impression on all she meets)

Heard from Tara,Sandy's dog warden this morning and apparently Sandy's former owners have been calling the tenancy officer saying what a horrible person she is for taking Sandy away. It was down to Tara's determination and efforts that Sandy was rescued so maybe you would like to comment to encourage Tara.

A quick word on Sandy's toileting behaviour. She has not had any accidents in the house and seems to understand that she should do it outside. She will go in the garden first thing in the morning and during a walk later on. She is quite conservative, and does not go a lot of times. She does not go however when I take her out to the garden in the evening or at night and becomes agitated and lies down! I am not sure what this tells us and sorry if this is "too much detail" but hey ,"welcome to my world," as these observations are how I get to know each dog in my care and work out the what sort of needs they have and what sort of home they will require!

Caption Competition Winner

This is an email from our Caption Competition winner:

Thank you so much for the gift box.  I thought I would send you a picture of Bingo surveying his prize.  Bingo came from staffierescue's Gatwick Kennels, you are probably aware of Lynne and Sharon (Rescue Remedies), our dog was called Mr Bing on their site, he is Bingo to us and a lovely stafford, looked just like the one in the caption compeition!!!

I am happy to say he is a typical in your face, walk through the door and he acts as if he has never seen you before in his life, happy, loves the kids would do anything for them (except stop pulling on the lead). 

23rd November:

Sandy has been spayed which was routine and went well. She is quiet and sleepy tonight and refused food but is comfortable in her bed next to the radiator. We also have her medical history which Tara managed to track down from the vets. It makes interesting reading and shows her owners were struggling to cope quite early on but she was up to date with her vaccinations and had seen the vet regularly. Most importantly it gives us an age for her. She was born in May 07 making her 3 and a half.

A few comments about neutering, or at least care after the op. We are very lucky in that our vet is, in my opinion, a genius at neutering ops! She is to operations what Nigella is to cooking! There appears to be a little magic involved! She does these very clever internal stitches so that the biggest problem we have is keeping the dog quiet! We also like to keep them active. Sandy has already been a short walk on the lead, allowing her to do her "business". Tomorrow she will go out for 15 to 20 mins, on the lead, at a nice steady pace. This I believe keeps everything moving and aids healing, far better than molly coddling and keeping the dog in.

22nd November:

Sorry to have missed two days.

It was all a bit of a rush last week with lots of uncertainties but WE HAVE DONE IT! Sandy is here, Bullseye has now gone to a foster home, thanks to Sally and Simon, Piggy has possibly got a permanent home thanks to Glenn.

So we can concentrate on Sandy and working through her issues. She is now used to our routine, and beginning to play a bit in the garden and sniff on walks. She gets a little agitated when you take her into the garden and will not toilet every time. She is now eating well and becoming calmer in the house but she can become very excited and panic on occasions. Spay tomorrow.

Riley is doing well now very good off lead and meeting other dogs and coming away, after saying "Hello" not always appreciated, and passing livestock, also off lead with a pony on a ride.

We have a guest Blogger writing for us on Friday, Gareth Parry, ex Guardian journalist and owner of Monty. I can't wait to see what he has to say so watch this space!

19th November:

Sandy is improving each day. She has been clean in her bed apart from the first few hours here. She had a longer walk in the woods today and is very good on the extending lead and beginning to sniff and show an interest.We met a fluffy Dachsund and a greyhound, she was quite interested in the Dachsund. She had her first vaccination and was very good at the vets, she is booked in to have her spay next Tuesday.

I collected Bullseye from Glenn after a very eventful walk. Bullseye (on long line) ran off twice to investigate Guildford Research Park despite the efforts of Glenn's Shepherd (Nico) to keep him in line and bring him back. He goes to foster home tomorrow. Tonight we are full to bursting thankfully it's only for one night!

18th November:

A day on and Sandy is really beginning to settle. She was good overnight. She gets a bit stressed going in the garden but walks quite well on a lead, surprisingly. She has not reacted aggressively to any of the dogs but much prefers people. She has still not eaten anything but did at last do a poo, outside and on a walk! Result! And lots of praise! This afternoon we met up with Sandi and her dog Kassi and took them for a walk together before having something to eat at the cafe.

17th November Evening:

She is HERE and she is beautiful!

After all that waiting she has at last arrived.I was not expecting such a beauty, though she is a bit bigger than I thought. Apparently her owners were upset, they did love her but were misguided, feeding her all the wrong things(I saw what she brought up in the back of the van!) and of course not walking her. She is healthy though and very clean. She went straight out on a walk and was very good, I thought I might need to build things up gradually but she was fine and walked well on the lead she was a little disconcerted by mud and a large horse but not unduly. She was rudely accosted by Ollie, a tiny miniature Dachsund who thinks he is a Rottweiller, and she seemed unfazed though a little surprised! She is finding it quite hard to adjust to a housefull of dogs though and a different routine so she is a bit stressed tonight poor thing. We keep making visits to the garden but the dark and the rain do not make it easy.

She has not reacted aggressively to the other dogs and Lexus introduced himself very nicely.

Thank you to all who have supported our appeal and thanks to Tara who was determined to get her out, do keep following to see how she gets on.

Photos: Arriving, In the garden, Tara says goodbye

17th November:

The day has arrived at last!

Have just spoken to Tara the dog warden and she is heading over to collect Sandy now...I am preparing things here very soon she will be on her way and we will be able to meet her. Tara said she had been waiting for this day to come! Photos of her arriving next installment.

15th November Day -7

STOP PRESS! Breaking News!

Sandy is being collected on Wednesday morning 17th November and then travelling down to us, where hopefully we will have a space waiting for her! The plan is not foolproof and lots of things could go wrong, already complicated by problems with my car, but we have determined to do it and do it we shall! Only 9 days past our goal.

Keep reading, keep supporting, look out for the first photos and see how she finds it all. Watch her progress, even consider if YOU could be the one to offer her a home.

14th November day -6

Discover Dogs! I was way out of my comfort zones driving up to Earls Court! Thanks to Sandi and Kassi for coming with me I couldn't have done it without them. Thanks to, to my husband Dave who managed to take each of the dogs a short walk at lunchtime despite having four church services to participate in (it being remembrance Sunday).

We joined John and Gwen Laker on the Welfare Stand shortly before the event started. The stand was in a good prominent position and we were busy from the word go. Kassi was a star greeting people young and old with Staffie enthusiasm. She was described by the Chairman of The Kennel Club Charitable Trust as a "wonderful ambassador for the breed".

By lunchtime she was exhausted, but wouldn't give up so we were very relieved when Val and Stuart with Daisy, Honey and Doris arrived to take over. They had a busy afternoon and Val was interviewed by the "dishy" Marc the vet for a film that will appear on Utube!! We will let you know when...

Below are some photos of Kassi greeting her public.

13th November day -5

Caption Competition Winner: Many thanks to all who joined in the caption competition or just donated. In all we raised a fantastic £35 !!!

The winner is Jane Sabine with "no, no, not the last Rolo" Who will be receiving Sandy's Staffie Gift Bag.

Other entries:

"Who ate all the pies?"

"I told you sprouts give me wind"

"What??! I go to all this effort to sit at the table nicely, and there's no ruddy food in my bowl!!!!"

Well done to all! Hopefully it will not be too long now and Sandy will be with us looking forward to a bright future

12th November Day -4

It is what my father would describe as "a filthy night". All the dogs are contentedly slumbering in their beds having had a good run at some point in the day. Riley is doing really well and can now be trusted to walk off the lead past a field of cows. He is such a lovely boy ,really no issues at all. He likes to bounce! Maybe we should change his name to Tigger.

Bullseye is feeling very well and would like a good run. I walked him with Sprite again he responds to another dog. He is gaining weight and now just looks lean rather than like a neglect case. His coat is still very harsh though. Glenn and Anna from Doghouse Training have offered to take him for a few days next week to work on his re-call, they walk in a pack which would help. It also means that we might be able to take Sandy in early next week! Nothing certain yet, I had hoped to speak to Tara but was unable to contact her.

We are off to Discover Dogs at Earls Court on Sunday assisting on the Welfare Stand no 5. Do come and see us if you are there.

11th November Day -3

Today was day 10 for Bullseye after his op which meant he could officially go off lead. I walked him with Sprite (one of my own dogs) but did not let him off because I tried that the other day with alarming results as he just ran in a straight line oblivious of me and my calling, it was a miracle I got him back in one piece. Do you remember we said he needed boundaries. He is excellent with other dogs/cats but for the moment cannot go off-lead. Which made me think how each of our dogs needs different things in a home and how important it is to assess them and match them with the right home. I know many of you have found it hard with this appeal because what we are asking for is homes and you just feel you cannot offer that and that's fine because it has to be the RIGHT home else it's just not going to work. We especially don't want one of our dogs who has found a good home being upset.

The other night I had a call from Deb Fox who adopted Reuben (now Harley) Reuben was a very demanding dog when he was here and we despaired of ever finding him a home, then Deb came along and it was a match made in heaven! They are perfect for each other and Deb's lifestyle is perfect for him, they adore each other. It has to be the right home and we just have to wait.

Yesterday we received an email with 17 dogs all due to be pts if spaces could not be found for them. Amongst them were at least six who would pass muster as pure Staffs. It is heartbreaking and the sheer numbers so overwhelming, we can only help a few.

Lets just look at the options. If you had millions of pounds at your disposal what would you do? Build a big kennels like Dogs Trust but it would soon become full and Staffies hate kennels, if there were still no homes the dogs would soon become miserable. I do not know what the answer is we just have to take satisfaction from helping a few and doing that as well as we can.

I thought the news article yesterday about the theft from our vets was quite good, it's not every day you have a police officer describe you as a "worthy cause". Upwards and onwards perhaps tomorrow will bring some good news.

10th November Day -2:

We're in the news...but sadly not for the right reason...

Dog charity box stolen from vet's

9th November Day -1:

Some of you have started to send in entries for the caption competition and very good they are too! Keep them coming.

Bullseye is continuing to improve, his wound is looking good and he is obviously well in himself. Also we have had some good news which may mean Sandy does not have too much longer to wait! More on that when it is definite.

The blog has covered some of the day to day running of the rescue but I have not said much about the other side, the phone calls and emails, several a day, asking us for help with dogs whom their owners can no longer keep. The answerphone message says we have no spaces and only to leave a message if you are ringing about something else, it has been like that since March yet despite that we have taken in six dogs since then! Some people still leave a message despite our message. One lady last week said her mother was moving in with her and had mental health problems and was frightened of her daughters five year old SBT. The lady cried and said the dog would have to be put to sleep if it was still there, she begged me to ring back. Another man said his son had left his dog with him but due to work and health he couldn't walk him. The dog was left alone for hours in the house and had done lots of damage. It is heartbreaking not to be able to help but even worse when you hear of dogs in pounds whose time is running out. Tonight we had emails about three such dogs, one called Buster who is with the Reading dog warden and then Cracker and Charlotte who are in a pound in Lancashire. They all look really lovely dogs and it took away all my excitement about getting close to freeing Sandy, knowing that we cannot help them.

We are putting those emails on the blog to provide an example of the sort of requests we receive, and in the hope that somebody may be able to help...

---

Hi Alison

I spoke to a little while back asking for some help with some Staffords we had in the pound and at the time you couldn't help but I just wondered if things had changed at all. I am desperately trying to find a rescue to help with these two SBTs. We have 8 Stafford type dogs in at the moment (the pound is in Lancashire) but when I've asked which would be suitable to go to a breed rescue they have said just these two.

This is what the pound have said about them.

CRACKER

Cracker by name and Cracker by nature. He's described as a well adjusted young man who is great with people and dogs. His rehoming date is 13.11.


CHARLOTTE

Charlotte is a petite black and white staffie girl. She's a sweet little thing and her rehoming date is 14.11

If you think you can help them that would be amazing and thank you. We would get them neutered if it would help their cause. If you would like any more info on either of them then please just ask and I'll do my best to find out the answers.

I hope you are well and sorry to be asking again

Andrea, Homeless Hounds

---

Hello

I was wondering if there?s any chance at all you might have a space for 'Buster'? Our 11 month old SBT. We have picked him up as a stray already only a few weeks ago and he was restored to the owner. We have now picked him up again and the owner has made no attempt to come forward and claim him. His 7 days are up on Thursday and I wondered if you might be interested? He?s a lovely boy!

I've attached a couple of pictures of him just in case! Any help you can offer would be hugely appreciated.

Thanks so much

Suzanne Webb
Dog Warden Service
Housing and Public Health (Level 15)
Reading Borough Council

---

8th November Day 0:

Well today should have been D day or S day the day we got Sandy out to start a new life! Sadly it did not happen but we press on to make it happen soon. We will count down from today to see how quickly we can make it happen! It has been a rather 0 day too. Raining and cold, then when it did finally stop raining, it got dark!

However, good opportunity to discuss Staffies and the rain! Riley was the first to go out this morning, sniffing excitedly at the door, then when I opened it, the brakes went on! He couldn't do his business quick enough and ran back inside! Bullseye was even worse, I had to put a lead on him and drag him down the garden to make sure he did what he should! Staffies really don't do rain! For tough dogs they sure can be "Wussy". They always seem to think it's my fault too, when they see the weather it's like "What have you given me this for?"

When it cleared later I took Bullseye for a longer walk than usual, though still on the lead, day 7 for him after his op only three more days he can go off lead. He is certainly feeling a lot better. We met men on the Railway line wearing fluorescent orange jackets and carrying shovels, he was unfazed. Then we met a postman, though very dog friendly, that was fine. Then two small spaniels and a Dandy dinmont.

7th November Day 1:

Bullseye has started to pick up and is eating well he has settled into our routine. Fostering dogs is a difficult thing. Although we try to give them a pleasant life we cannot give them what they would get in their own home and we have to live with that tension. A year ago dogs were only staying with us for weeks or 3 months at the most but re-homing has slowed down so much many are here for 6 months and some more, so we have to re-think how we keep them and give them a better quality of life which all takes time and effort.

Foster homes are better than kennels and provide an opportunity to assess the dogs, but they are not as good as a proper home. All our dogs deserve to be a number one lying in front of the fire or stretched out on the settee surrounded by their own family.

These dogs need homes.

6th November Day 2:

Lots of fireworks tonight and Jade became upset. She wanted to stay close to me out of the crate. We are normally a very noisy household so the fireworks do not have much impact. I do feel sorry for any dogs (and their owners) who really suffer at this time of year, my thoughts are with you all.

We are waiting for your entries to the caption competition I forgot to say to send your entries to our email address guildfordstaffords@googlemail.com in addition to making your donation using Paypal (the entry is £1, but please feel free to donate more if you are feeling generous!). The prize is Sandy's Staffie Gift Bag which is full of goodies such as a Jumbo Ball Rope Tugger, a pet blanket, a Staffie car disc holder, fridge magnet, keyring, Staffie tea towel, Staffie greetings card with peel off stickers and some chews (shown in the photo).

5th November Day 3:

I hope your dogs are ok with the fireworks, it is quite bad here tonight but none of the dogs seem bothered, I have spoken to some people whose dogs hate it and they have sensibly made a den.Thankfully we have no-one in kennels. I have spoken with Tara the dog warden and the people who offered us a foster home and between us we have decided to postpone taking Sandy for another week at least. Tara feels that things have gone on so long for her that a bit longer won't make much difference.

The foster home is a long way away and they have one of our dogs who had lots of issues, they have done a brilliant job with her but we do not want her upset. We have decided this would not be right for Riley but could be right for Bullseye, however Bullseye still needs to recover from his op and is not due his second vaccination until 16th November therefore we have decided to postpone things for a while. If nothing else comes up Bullseye will go to the foster home after 16th November. It would not be responsible to let Bullseye go out until he is in better condition. I hope you are not too disappointed, we WILL get Sandy out so she can enjoy Autumn walks and find a new loving home but it is going to take a little longer unless we can find homes for some of our dogs, which is where you can help, tell your friends get the word out there.

Bullseye seemed well in himself today but I thought his wound may have become infected, he had his follow up appointment at the vets this afternoon. Jane said his wound was not infected as such but that he had had a reaction and she gave him some antibiotics to cover him anyway. Apparently it is a "pig of an operation".

Caption Competition

We are running a caption competition (picture right).

Send in your suggestions £1.00 a go (payable through paypal) Starting Saturday 6th - Saturday 13th November and show your support for Sandy's Appeal.

Prize: A Staffie jamboree bag. Judge still to be decided!

4th November Day 4:

Bullseye is recovering well from his op and seems to have coped with the anaesthetic and change of diet on his tum. He also had a bath in epi-soothe shampoo. He is still thin but James from the vets said to keep his food the same as his metabolism would slow now he was castrated so he would be fine in a month! I don't feel quite as calm about it, but vets are always more worried by overweight dogs than thin ones. James rang to say the veterinary surgery had been broken into last night and our collection box stolen, so they would need another.

I had a lovely time with Jade, Sapphire (pictured) and Riley at the farm today, they were each able to have a lovely run while I got on with jobs. Riley did find a football which he played with and would not come back I had to fetch him, I didn't realise he liked footballs!

My family and I watched the 2005 film of Oliver Twist the other night and it struck me that dogs as weapons are nothing new. When they put up the notice for Bill Sykes it said he was "accompanied by a fierce dog" yet Bullseye was docile with Nancy and Fagin's boys and loyal to his master to the end. Must read the book again.

I didn't manage to speak to Tara the Dog Warden today hopefully tomorrow.

3rd November Day 5:

Have just read through blog entries of last two days and I do apologise! I was rather thrown by my pony being ill, now thankfully recovered. Have included some photos to cheer things up a bit. We are on day 5 so not much time left but I am encouraged with our progress, we have Bullseye neutered and recovering, Piglet in a foster home and an offer of another foster place. I can see a plan emerging, but more of that tomorrow... Don't forget we do need donations too as this is costing us money and if the funds dry up we will not be able to do anything! I don't know about you but I can't wait to see what Sandy looks like!

Bullseye is recovering well from his op and settling into our routine, we are getting a good idea of his temperament and he is a lovely boy, good with all dogs, lovely with people, quiet in the house. He is slightly stressy and likes to be with you, has a tendency towards separation anxiety but not severe. He is however, very thin and his coat is awful and thin too. I spoke to the kennels today and they said he was always on the move up and down in his run so that is probably what has happened he has run off his weight, he has always had a tendency to leanness, he used to be a frequent visitor to the kennels when his owner let him stray. We need to ascertain the reason why he is so thin and see him gaining weight before he moves on. He had a 20 minute lead walk today and is obviously rather sore from his op still.

Riley is doing really well and I now walk him off the lead, although still do not trust him completely with horses and cattle, both of whom we encounter. I enclose a photo of him after his Autumn walk today. Also one of Bullseye where you can see his lovely face and unusual markings on his ears!

 

2nd November Day 6:

Bullseye settled and was quiet through the night though he makes a noise like a demented canary a lot of the time. We were thinking about him in the night, and how strange it must be - with new noises and smells. He did not react to the milkman coming down the road and does not seem particularly "spooky" but fairly streetwise. They rang me from the vets to collect him early as he was "quite vocal" but I couldn't get there until later. His operation was more complicated than usual because of his undescended testicle which was in his abdomen so he has to be careful jumping up and needs to stay on the lead for at least ten days. He has a follow up appointment on Friday afternoon. He has eaten some special post op food and had some free time in the kitchen when we came back, he was very good in the house and likes his ears rubbed.Now he is snoozing on his special bed, made especially for ill, young or old pets it reflects their body heat back and keeps them warm. Just about to take him down the garden then settle him for the night.

1st November day 7:

We managed to keep on track, despite one of my ponies having colic( a potentially serious and sometimes fatal condition) which changed the shape of the day. Piglet went to her foster home and Bullseye came out of kennels this afternoon. He is still looking rather thin and whinges in the car. He does not like being crated but has settled down in the house. He did not get as long a walk as I had intended but again he was no trouble. Did not eat all his dinner and he is off to the vets in the morning. Riley does not think much of him but Bullseye seems a lovely good tempered chap.