30th March

A brief blog tonight as I am suffering from "man-flu", given me by the men in my family, namely my husband and son. I am sure you are aware of the implications of me, a mere woman, having "man-flu".



Sandy



Well,it's all gone a bit quiet now Monty and Dave have been homed.

Feeling lousy as I do it was a struggle today to walk the dogs when all I wanted to do was  lie down.

We are always getting calls and emails from people wanting to re home their Stafford and they say, "We just can't give him what he needs, anymore." If I had a pound for every time I have heard that we would have covered the cost of Cleo's operation several times over!

The reality is the rescue dogs in our care are exactly that, rescues.

We try to give them as comfortable a time as possible and it is ten times better than kennels, but we are not their home and we have to live with that tension all the time, we cannot give them all that they need.

Spare a thought for those rescues in our care. Sapphire who will have been with us for a year next month.



Sapphire still waiting



Sandy who has now been here since October last year, still waiting for a home of their own.

29th March

Cleo operation Appeal    Only £99    left to raise.  If 20 people give £5.00 each we will reach it........Go on start the ball rolling  give your £5.00 today!

This was forwarded to me recently described as the best email ever.

An older, tired-looking dog wandered into my yard.

I could tell from his collar and well-fed belly that he had a home and was well taken care of.

He calmly came over to me, I gave him a few pats on his head. He then followed me into my house, slowly walked down the hall, curled up in the corner and fell asleep.

An hour later, he went to the door, and I let him out.

The next day he was back, greeted me in my yard, walked inside and resumed his spot in the hall and again slept for about an hour. This continued off and on for several weeks.

Curious I pinned a note to his collar: 'I would like to find out who the owner of this wonderful sweet dog is and ask if you are aware that almost every afternoon your dog comes to my house for a nap.'

The next day he arrived for his nap, with a different note pinned to his collar:

'He lives in a home with 6 children, 2 under the age of 3 - he's trying to catch up on his sleep.

Can I come with him tomorrow?

28th march

Cleo Operation Appeal

Things seem to have come to a standstill on our appeal for Cleo......so I have something to encourage you.

Do you remember I mentioned Reuben's Fund, this was a fund we started to raise money for Reuben's op and people were so generous we had some left over, this was to be used when a dog needed an urgent operation. At the moment we have £195.43 in the account. If I transfer £150 over towards Cleo it will bring our total to £401  leaving us £99  left to raise!

That's a far more reachable amount, let's GO FOR IT!

Lush a shop in Guildford have chosen us as a charity they want to support during Animal Awareness Month

We have been asked to do a presentation in store on Saturday 16th April, more details when I have them. 

Cleo is progressing really well and using her leg more and more, her scar is healed and hardly visible.

We get her out for 5 to 10 mins a minimum of three times a day, not including the last trip down the garden at night.

During Lexus's walk today he ate grass and threw up then he and Khan were moved to one side to allow an elderly gentleman with a Poodle to pass, when they went to walk on Lexus managed to fall off the bank and lay like a stranded beetle flailing his legs in the air! I guess it's tricky when you have a solid body and such short legs! Let's hope the Poodle didn't see.

27th March



Lexus and his ball



A bleary eyed blog on the morning the clocks go forward!

I love this time of year and always think it will be ok to lose an hours sleep, after all, it is spring! However, when it comes to it it's so hard. I think the winter takes it toll on you and we are all feeling pretty low this time of year. Not to mention the effect on babies and young children and of course our pets!

The dogs have been out of routine here this week already. It started when Spryte had a flea treatment applied so we swapped her with Lexus to sleep in the crate overnight. Despite reminding my husband to close the kitchen door, he forgot and we were woken by whining and barking at 6am. I think we ignored it, to our cost, and when we eventually gave in and came down we found they had messed in the living room and tipped the dog food bin ( which was on a chair ) all over the kitchen floor! This was right next to poor Sapphire, one can only imagine what she thought!

The next morning we were woken again at 6am by Lexus making his unique cries. This time I leapt out of bed and took them down the garden to avert disaster, which turned out to be not a moment too soon as Lex was still feeling the over indulgence of the previous morning!

Saturday morning it was only me who had to be up early but there was Lexus again before the alarm had gone off. I dragged myself up and took our three out to the garden. Back in and it's breakfast, the rest of the family were still sleeping but this is when Lexus launches himself forward barking furiously in anticipation of food, as I have spoken of before. We have tried to break him of this habit ( incidentally he never does it on holiday so it's definitely learnt behaviour ) but it is easier to stop him when there are more people around, but this morning I was alone. Due to the lay out of our kitchen you have to weave between work surfaces and table to get to the dog food by which time Lexus has launched himself from the place he was told to "Sit and wait," and is barking furiously in front of Sandy who now thinks this is what happens in the morning and joins in!

Needless to say I failed miserably and the rest of the house, and possibly half the street were disturbed yet again. Though I couldn't help admire the amount of energy he puts into this performance and the amount of belligerence displayed in not waiting quietly!

This morning however, we beat them to it, but though officially late morning it still feels like the crack of dawn."Yawn!"

25th March



Sandy by the river



What a lovely week of weather!

I hope you have enjoyed walking your dogs in it. It really doesn't get much better than this as it's not too hot yet, just perfect.



Three Reds Spryte,Sandy and Khan



Cleo enjoying the sunshine on one of her physio walks



I walked Sandy, Spryte and Khan with my friend this morning. We took them down to the Tillingbourne to cool off. Khan loves the water and goes in most days this gave Sandy the confidence to try it and she went in several times obviously a new experience for her.

Cleo is still doing well on her 10 minute walks, learning to use her leg again, the lovely weather certainly helps ( just what the doctor, or vet,ordered.)

23rd March

Cleo Operation Appeal

Target £500           Amount Raised So Far  £251 

Cleo is doing really well, so nice to have the buster collar off. It has been very pleasant getting her out for her ten minute walks in this warm dry weather. I try to slow her down so she uses her leg instead of hopping and she is using it more and more. It's like dog physiotherapy!



Dolly



I am sure you are all desperate to hear how my "dog poo pit" is getting on. If you remember I was putting in a base of stones to a depth of about 6 inches. This took quite a long time as I collected the stones from various places, but it was ready at the end of last week. Then in went the poo! Quite a lot as it has built up over time ( not a pleasant job ) then it is sluiced down with buckets of water, or the hose and the biodegradable chemical added. I am quite pleased with the way it is going and once we get the back log breaking down it should be easy with the smaller amounts. It has used a lot of the chemical which is quite costly, and it still needs more water added and it is a bit smelly but I am confident it is going to work well and be environmentally friendly.

Some pics of a very grown up looking Dolly in her new home.

22nd March

Cleo Operation Appeal

Target £500        Amount raised so far  £251  

Please help us reach our target, even if you can only give a few pounds it all helps.



Simon and Bullseye



Thank you to all those who have donated so far.

For months now I have been saying to people who ask us if we can rehome their Stafford that "The homes just aren't out there anymore." But it seems I was wrong! Since we have had Monty and Dave on the website coupled with a warm, sunny weekend we have had no end of enquiries.......only one problem though when we tell them Monty is reserved but would they be interested in one of our other dogs, the answer is always......."not really."



Sandy



 So, there are plenty of homes out there, just not for the real rescue dogs like Sandy and Sapphire,  Bullseye and Syd....just fair weather owners browsing on a sunny afternoon.

How do I feel about this? Let's not go there, not on a warm spring day............thank goodness for people like Alfies owners ( blog 19th March ) else you really would be looking for someone else to run GDSBTR!



Syd



Sapphire



21st March

Cleo Operation Appeal

 Thanks to Gareth Parry for donating £6.00

Target £500           Amount Raised  £251      Over  Halfway!!

Brilliant Gareth!  We like your style!

Cleo had her stitches out today!

It was a bit of an anti-climax as these things often are. Ralph Abercromby watched her walk outside, she tends to carry her bad leg especially when she wants to go faster, but she is beginning to use her leg when she slows down and walks. He then removed her stitches, and she was very good. He then said he wanted to see her in 4 weeks time and that she had to remain on the lead but could go out for 5-10 minutes as often as we wanted. And that was it!

However, I think I know what to do and keep her walking slowly and using her leg.

There was lovely spring sunshine for her first walk beyond the garden and she was very good. This was repeated this evening.

Best of all she no longer has to wear the Buster collar. Her wound has healed beautifully, it would have been nice for Ralph to have remarked as much as it has been quite tricky and I think we have done really well but we will just have to congratulate ourselves!

Roll on the next 4 weeks!

19th March

Cleo operation Appeal 

Thanks to Rob Brown for donating £40

Target  £500           Amount raised so far  £245       Almost halfway!

Thanks to all who have donated so far. Remember it doesn't have to be much..Every little helps!

Here is a cheery email I received today!
This lovely couple had lost their rescue Stafford and contacted us.  They were very experienced Stafford owners.It was when we were advertising the Staffs in our local pound kennels. They wanted the most desperate case and drove all the way from Hastings and chose Hooch, who was pretty big and I thought quite scary. They never had  a moments trouble from him which I think is down to them being so wonderful.
Look at him now!

We rescued Hooch  Now Alfie a few years ago
Although he loved Hastings and the beach we have moved to the Algarve
I think his smile says it all
Thanks Alison

18th March

Cleo Operation Appeal    Target  £500         Amount Raised so far  £205 

Thank you to Sally Clark for donating £40

It is red nose day and the fund raising is in full force as I write this. However passionate I am about the dogs I would never put animals above human need. I am however, trying to pick up some of their ideas to encourage people to donate.

Guildford SBT Rescue relies on money from people like yourselves, it has no other funding.

Stafford Welfare support us but all their money also comes from donations.

We neuter all our dogs before re-homing. With discount this costs £140 for a spay. £115 for a castrate

Most of our dogs need vaccinating which is £40 with discount.

If we microchip it is a further £20

You don't have to be great at maths to realise that by asking for a donation of £150 to adopt a dog we are already running at a loss without taking into account the cost of food and care whilst it is with us.

Apart from donations when someone adopts a dog we have to raise the rest of the money ourselves by collecting or running stalls.

I hope this helps to explain things.

Gareth's comment on yesterdays blog asked me to explain something else......what I meant by Sandy's  Mrs Silly Knickers bit. Anna, at training, gave her the title. What she does when we meet someone on a walk is go into convulsions, try and jump up to say hello and squirm around their feet! She has been known to tangle people in leads in seconds. If there is a dog as well she does a similar thing to the dog. No aggression but lots of wriggling and squirming that is what I mean by her Mrs Silly Knickers bit.

Cleo is being a very good girl and recovering well. She is having her stitches out on Monday morning at Anderson Abercromby Referrals.

I picked Batley up this evening to take him for his 2nd vacc It is great to see him so happy and settled,he gets on really well with Boris and Meg and everyone thinks the world of him.

We wish all the best to Paul, Sue and the girls and hope they have many happy years with him.

17th March

I am still walking all the dogs and decided to walk Khan and Sandy together today. There is no problem with them together but Khan is very strong and I was not sure if I could hold them both if we met another dog and Sandy did her "Mrs Silly Knickers"bit, as Anna calls it.

 Khan is six this month, we got him from Dogs in Need, he was 4 months old and was supposed to be a Stafford but he is too big, the wrong shape and his head is wrong. We are still not sure quite what he is but he is a handsome chap. We still had Joshua my first Staff when he came plus two other dogs and he has always been fine with all the dogs in the house but not so good with other  dogs when out, especially when on the lead. Thinking about it I think we never socialised him properly when he was younger but a lot of it was due to other peoples attitude to him based purely on the way he looks!

 Not far into the walk we met two labradors whom we have a problem with but everyone was under control and we walked past on a short lead without any problems. I must ask Anna what is the best thing to do in this situation.

Once into the field and they could have a good run. Sandy tries to get him to play and licks at his mouth but he just ignores her. The sun broke through and it was surprisingly hot so we went through the woods to the river, as Khan loves the water, he had a paddle and a drink.

 At one time we used to cross the river from the other side on a log that had formed a bridge and walk in the field that way, but when the landowner realised he removed the log as he was worried people were stealing his fish from the river! So now we have to walk the half mile or so round.

The dogs had a good run and the return journey was uneventful.

Then I took Lexus out for a game of football. He was as enthusiastic as ever, getting out of breath and collapsing in the long grass to recover.



Khan and Lexus, best mates!



I thought again how glad I was that we had adopted him, what an honour it is that he is ours. I remember playing football with him when he was in kennels and I vow with a fierce passion that he will never again be left in those kennels. What a great dog he is. The best!

                                                                                

16th March

We still need money towards Cleo's operation.  Please help if you can.

Thanks to Val for a great report on Battersea. (Blog 15th March)  Didn't they do well? I love the photo of Val and John!

For anyone who doesn't know the gentleman Val is "giving some verbal to" is the chairman of SBT Welfare John Laker.

An update on Sandy.

We attended 5 sessions of Doghouse Foundation Training course with Sandy.

She is not food orientated at all but does like toys so we were shown how to use the toy to get her to respond.

We learnt Recall, sit and stay, down, lead work and leave it. All the methods worked with many new and innovative ideas and alternatives if the first thing you tried didn't work.

Sandy is doing really well and seems a happier dog for it.

We still attend Agility with her when we can.

15th March

Getting up at 5.30am for Crufts was no easy task. I was late in getting ready, but then I thought that this was a woman's privilege. Stuart moaned that we would catch all the traffic and that he could have laid in bed longer! Still that all aside Crufts was certainly an enjoyable day, although my poor feet did not agree with my head. The Welfare stand was positioned right next to one of the Stafford showing rings, enabling a front row view of the judging. It was at this stage I realised I had left my camara in the car but after walking from the car park to what seemed like walking to Birmingham none of us were prepared to go back for it. so I am sorry if the photos are not up to standard but they were taken with my phone.

Stuart, Mel and I did not have time to watch the majority of the judging as our aim was to get out and relief as many people as possible of their money for the raffle! The consensus between Stuart and Mel was that I was the best person to go up to people as they felt awkward in approaching people. Well one good thing came out of my upbringing  of working on a market stall with my father, was to approach people and sell, sell, sell!!!

On the whole those who were showing their Stafford's were pleasant and generous buying tickets to support Welfare. There were a few who made excuses one who said he had no money only his bank card.Not to be out manoeuvred I offered to go to the cash point machine with his card and PIN number and withdraw an appropriate amount, this did fall on deaf ears sadly. Even those Stafford owners from Ireland, Holland, Germany, and Hungary gave generously. 

Walking down the  aisles of Staffords waiting to be judged, I noted most were crated and covered to avoid stress, many were panting but the majority were laying down as if it was all to much for them. Whilst their owners were socialising, eating and drinking having a great day out.

The majority of Staffords were black and so small that they could be deemed miniatures. Interestingly of all the dogs there was not a blue in sight. There were a few whites, reds, red and white and brindle's.

I talked with Bob Evans, a gentle elderly man in his eighties who's perseverance and determination with others have opened The Staffordshire Bull Terrier Heritage Museum. Bob explained to me that the reason 90% of the Staffords were black was due to the show judges picking blacks as opposed to other colours and therefore breeders turned to black as these were more likely to win. So well done the little red bitch, Hubbels The Promise who excelled herself against a black male to be best in breed and third in the terrier group. Many of the Stafford owners showing in the male category were unhappy as the judge picked out his final three Stafford's who were all black and 19inches tall, there may be hope that this could spark a trend from the squat dogs being displayed back to its original form. I was shocked to hear that  people within rescue did not want a Stafford to win the terrier group or best in show for fear that this could trigger more problems for the breed, being a must have dog. During our conversation Bob retorted that the Staffords in the show ring were not happy dogs and if they were given the choice would not be there but it was their owners who enjoyed the limelight. Looking at them I must say I agree him, after all what dog wants to have their head  pulled up high, feet and body being constantly placed in the correct position to catch the judges eye. One woman walking out of the show ring carrying her white bitch, who had not made it through to the next round said when Helen from Leicester group and I said she was lovely replied "You can have her". 

We by chance met a young girl with her mother who had made it into the Junior Handler, Obedience semi final with her dog a Stafford! She explained how people were amazed and shocked that she was handling a Stafford let alone in obedience.we congratulated her and thanked her for flying the flag. Unfortunately we have no idea how they got on but we wish her luck now and in the future.

Battersea Dogs & Cats Home put together a team of dogs to battle it out with another rescue (sorry but not sure who it was) on temptation alley. The team included a couple of Staffords but they succumbed to the fatal bowl of food and Battersea lost.

Next to the Staffords were the English Bull Terriers here I witnessed an owner  putting chalk onto the paws and nose of his dog before it went to be judged. He explained that this was normal practice although the owner of the dog to the right of  him had been reprimanded for such action. My attention was drawn to the next crate which had a second place rosette over the crate. In the crate was an elderly dog but I was shocked to see that the dog had a problem with its right eye, it looked as if it was blind and his feet were swollen. 'Chalkie' must have seen the look on my face and he retorted "Yes. How did that dog get a second place with an eye like that?"

There are trade stand galore selling everything you could think of many I would class as 'toot' but I did buy some vet bed that was enough for three crates at a bargain price of £22. Another purchase was Urine Off for the patio as Doris ventures as far as the patio to pee and although I scrub with a solution of bleach the smell can still be detected. This product claims to eliminate urine and its odour. I tried it on Sunday and so far so good.

Going to Crufts is an experience I would recommend to everyone and remember the terrier group is on Sunday next year so the added bonus of the final. Who knows you may even see Alison and I there.
Author Valerie

14th March

Cleo Operation Appeal   Target  £500            Amount raised so far £185 

Please help us to reach our target of £500  you can donate on line via paypal.

Valerie's account of her day at Crufts will be on the blog soon. Welfare's report is on Stafford Welfare site under News.

Pictures of Cleo's scar as promised, you can see it is pretty impressive but healing beautifully and no longer hurting her. She will have the stitches removed a week tomorrow.

Dave, my husband, is on a course tomorrow for the rest of the week. Since he has not been working he walks our three dogs but for the rest of the week it is down to me to do everyone so the Forth bridge scenario will be even more apt. Luckily I have a fairly quiet week.

Dave also heard today he has an interview for a job. This will be the first interview in 18 months so we are very excited. Maybe I will be walking the dogs myself for a while!

12th March

Cleo Operation Appeal     Target  £500          Total raised so far  £185 



Lexus on holiday August 2010



Cleo is improving each day, she is eating well and using her leg a little more. Her bandage is now off revealing a very impressive scar, I will try and take photos tomorrow.

Heard from Val briefly on her way home from Crufts, she said it had been very busy and she and Stuart's feet were aching but they had sold £500 + worth of raffle tickets. She left her camera in the car which was some distance from the centre so only able to take photos with her phone.

I know she will be pleased to get home to her dogs as it is a big sacrifice for her to leave them all day like that (her daughter is dog-sitting ) So a big thank you to Val and Stuart for giving up their time to do this.

For all fans of my loveable rogue Lexus, he went for his vaccinnation and annual check up last Saturday.

Jane, the vet, remarked how well he looked for his eight years. We have managed to keep him from scrounging food recently but his morning bounding in and barking for breakfast routine has not diminished and Sandy has learnt to join in as if it is the norm.......oops!

11th March

Cleo operation appeal.    Target  £500         Total so far  £185   

With such terrible news of the earthquake in Japan it seems rather trivial to be writing about dogs, but here is our news.

Cleo is feeling very well and eating well, her leg is looking good. We did however notice a swelling around her neck this morning which turns out to be a reaction to an injection. She was checked by my vet Jane and has a course of antibiotics but it really is not bothering her at all.

It is of course Crufts. Stafford Welfare are there tomorrow and Val and Stuart are our representatives. They will be selling raffle tickets all day and Val has had her hair cut in case she gets filmed again with Marc the vet! We look forward to the report and pics!

10th March

Late writing this tonight so I will be quick.

Cleo is much improved, far less post op and eating well no more vomiting. I have to ring A.A. Referrals tomorrow to give a progress report.

I attended the funeral of a friend's husband this afternoon which turned out to be a very emotional time.

My younger daughter bought me a book entitled Oogy, the dog only a family could love, for my birthday. It is American and Oogy is a white dog who was used as bait by a dog fighting gang, I have yet to find out what breed he is and it is very "American" and intense so far but it says he shows how both animals and people can overcome the greatest of odds, which sounds like my sort of book. I will let you know.

The story of the soldier shot in Afganistan and his dog dying later, possibly from a broken heart, can't fail to touch you as a dog lover. I include the link: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1365000/Final-journey-soldier-loyal-dog-died-hours-apart-Afghanistan-bodies-flown-home.html

9th March

Thanks to Colin Wood for a donation of £20 towards Cleo's op

Our total now is a Brilliant £185   YOU CAN STILL DONATE! We actually paid £677.07 more than our target figure of £500  Please, please help us to raise this money as we have very little left in our funds and it is going to stop us helping those Staffords that desperately need us if we run out of money.

Cleo has now been with us just over 24 hours and she is beginning to settle down and find a routine. She was vomiting to start with but appears to be over that now. She is quiet and was very good over night.

I picked Batley up and took him to be chipped this evening ( we could not do it before as he had only just had his vaccination ) Although he came with me quite happily I have never seen a dog so at home. He was sporting a new collar and couldn't wait to find his "master" once we arrived back!

With Cleo we are a full house again here and it is noticeable, a bit like painting the Forth Bridge  by the time you have finished walking them all it is time to start again!

So now it's a quick trip down the garden for everyone before bed!

8th March

TODAY IS A VERY MEMORABLE DAY FOR ALISON!!!!!!!
ITS HER BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!
SHE IS -- YEARS YOUNG!! NOW WOULD I GIVE HER AGE AWAY?
MAY THIS DAY BRING TO YOU ALL THAT MAKES YOU SMILE. YOUR BEST YEARS ARE STILL AHEAD OF YOU .
                                  HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Daisy, Honey, Oscar, Doris and our humans Valerie and Stuart XXXXX

Thanks Val & co for birthday greetings.
Yes, it's my birthday and for all the anticipation of yesterday and it turning out to be an anti climax, today has been the opposite! I had a text from Val at 3 am to say her daughter in law had had a baby girl, Isabel, at 2.30 am this morning, so on my birthday! Congratulations to all involved especially grandma and grandpa!
By 7.30 am I had already had six texts and so it continued.

Eventually we made it out for a very pleasant birthday lunch and then went to pick Cleo up. The drive through Holmbury-st- Mary was stunning, a real birthday treat.

Cleo's surgery was successful, though quite involved, including cutting the muscle. She has a wound that spirals round her hind leg. She can only go for trips out to toilet on the lead for the next two weeks, when she will return to Anderson Abercromby for a follow up visit and to have her sutures removed.
She seems to remember us and she is in the same place ( we had her back here for her spay ) she is quite sleepy but seems relaxed and happy. Paul is missing her terribly and says it is very quiet without her.

You can still donate towards her operation, we have paid but it has pretty much cleared out our funds so we will keep the appeal going until we reach our target of £500

Thank you for your support.

7th March

Thanks to all who have donated to Cleo's operation.

Thanks to Tracey Harrop for £20

The total so far is a fantastic £165    With more promised, thank you!  

Today started with a feeling of anticipation, it was a big day with lots happening, Cleo's op, of course, and quite a few other bits. With my mind buzzing with ideas and things to be done I had to concentrate on where I was driving to and what was happening next. I arrived at the ponies and brought them in for their hay, the tap was frozen but the sun was already over the hill with the promise of the day to come. "Wasn't there something else I should be doing?" The first thing due to happen was the lovely Luke was to start the much needed fencing today, no sign yet. Then at 10 am George was supposed to deliver the hay, 10 am came and went, no sign, he did eventually come just before 11am. By then the sun was warming things up and all those tasks that have been such an effort of late became easy, no rush, a friend came down for coffee and a natter and we sat in the yard in the sun playing ball with Saffy.

Instead of the  extreme day I had anticipated it became a beautiful, quiet, pottering sort of a day and what a sense of well being.

Sandy had an hours walk on her own as Spryte's paw infection has returned, a month of antibiotics (ouch!)

Sandy was calmer than usual and sniffed at things instead of just running in a straight line, she seemed really happy.

Still no news of Cleo, then when Paul did ring I missed it as I was stuck in Sainsbury's with them trying to unblock a card (their problem, not mine )

Eventually spoke to Paul who had been worrying all day desperate to hear and then the vet rang his old phone so he too had missed it only getting a message!

The message said the operation had gone well and Cleo was fine but we will have to wait until the morning for more details.

I never did see if Luke came or not!

It did turn out to be a significant day for someone though! Val's daughter in law went into labour!

Hopefully tomorrow we will have plenty to tell!

6th March

Many thanks to all who have donated towards Cleo's operation.

Total raised so far is a fantastic £145   

On the eve of her op I thought I would provide a few more details and also respond to some of your comments.

We took Cleo in two years ago when she was just under a year. She came from a south London home. The reason they wanted her rehomed was the mother was working and the grown up children did not help and Cleo was messing in the house.

I had her with me for a few weeks, there was no problem with her toileting as long as you went down the garden with her and made sure she did what she should.

We homed her to Paul who works in a garden centre and lives on site.

We had not heard from Paul for sometime but he contacted us to tell us about cleo's op and to ask for money towards it, as he did not have her insured.

The problem with her knee had started from a knock and initially her vet thought it could be treated by rest.

When it became apparent she would need an operation the vet reffered her to Anderson Abercromby for a second opinion but said she might be able to do the operation herself which would work out much cheaper.

The original price we were quoted by A.A. was £2500 !! We were also told they were expensive but the best, and on our first approach we were told they did not give discount.

After the consultation with A.A. they found a further complication in her hip but on hearing SBT Welfare and others were paying they reduced the fee to £1607.20

On seeing the report Cleo's vet felt they were the best people to do it as it was more complicated than she would like to tackle and felt  staying with them would cost less in the long run.

However, when we approached SBT Welfare they felt it was too much money and that we should find a cheaper option. They gave us the number of a vet fairly close who could do the standard operation much cheaper ( not taking into account the complication .)

I spoke with him and he turned out to be very lovely and honest and straightforward. He thought the price we had been given by A.A. very good and explained he was not an orthopaedic surgeon and could not do any better than Cleo's original vet and in Cleo's best interest we were better to stick with the referral.

So that is what we did, with SBT Welfare contributing and us finding the rest.

Phew! No wonder I felt weary last week. I hope hearing how we reached this decision may help you decide if you want to support us in this.

The other point is insurance. It is reasonable to ask why she was not insured. We do not insist that people insure their dog when they adopt from us and we have discussed whether we should start to do this. (several of our dogs have had similar operations paid by their insurance.)

We have decided to suggest, not insist, that new owners take out insurance and will amend our adoption forms to include this and the name and address of their vet which is not currently on our forms.

We are committed to every dog we have ever homed and we are willing to help or take a dog back however long it has been and we are very pleased to be able to help Cleo and see her back to full health, I cannot state how strongly I feel about this. Whenever we agree to take a dog in we do not do it lightly or without it affecting us in some way and we remain committed for the rest of the dogs life!

Cleo's rehabilitation is not going to be easy and will take a lot of time and effort from me as well as taking up a much needed space, but I am happy to do this, I hope you will feel moved to support us too.

5th March

Alison is busy mending fencing as her ponies got out last night and she still has to take the dogs for a walk I dare say that she will be glad that I am doing the blog for today. Although once home she can get on with those wifely chores and then put up her feet for the evening!

Many thanks to Gareth for his generous donation of £25 and David Bennett for his generous donation of £20 to Cleo's fund, it is really appreciated when we are all finding things so hard. As they say on the advert for a specific supermarket chain 'every little helps' no matter how small even if it is only £1. Cleo is hopefully having a special weekend ready for her operation on Monday, which I am sure we will all be thinking of her.

For me this week has been one of ups and downs. I home checked a couple for S.E Rescue which I must say passed with flying colours but sadly they re homed a dog from Battersea today, happily it was a Stafford called Minnie. I wish them a long and happy life together, their life will never be the same again.

It's strange how something happens and it evokes memories. I remembered when Percy died I kept looking on all the rescue sites for an elderly Stafford who would fit into a household with Daisy, Honey and Oscar. We put our name down with Battersea should they have an oldie come in and went to see a seven year old male at Battersea Old Windsor, some how it was not right so we declined him. During those searches my eyes were always drawn to a Percy look alike, yet I knew he could not be replaced. My husband and I arranged to see a male Stafford at Foal Farm who was 13+  but when meeting our three, the dog decided he wanted to mount all three of them poor Oscar was shocked and startled, Daisy and Honey was not under any circumstances tolerating that sort of behaviour! So again we came away with just our three. Both of us decided that we would let things just take there course. Then some weeks later Doris was advertised on the Oldies website she was being re homed by Animal Helpline in Lincolnshire, good with dogs aged 13+years. She had been a stray in the pounds with a put to sleep date on her. Animal Helpline stepped in and she was currently in a foster home. We filled in the neccessary application form with all the details they required and contact references for our suitability. We were accepted and early one Saturday morning we drove to Lincolnshire with our three to meet Doris. Doris would not win a beauty contest she was small with a two lumps one quite large on her back leg and a smaller one on her front leg her gait was slightly unsteady, she had lost her muscle mass due to her age and was overweight. her breathing was noisy to say the least which I was concerned about.

Doris was not phased by meeting our three and our three in turn sniffed her and walked along side her as if she was not there.  It had all gone so well that we decided to adopt her but would have to drive back to Lincolnshire the following week to collect her as she had an appointment with the local vets.

We collected Doris on  Friday, 31st July 2010 with Daisy. Daisy, Doris and I sat in the back of the car, with Doris, farting all the way home and her breath smelling as bad as her bottom. Poor Daisy looked at me as if to say 'What the hell is this' looking back and forth from me to Doris. I exclaimed that I was being gased to death and not sure that I or Daisy could cope with the constant smell. To which Stuart laughed.

 We arrived home about 11.30pm, to late to take the dogs out to meet Doris on neutral territoy before taking her into our home so it was a quick walk up the road for the meeting, then to bed.

Our neighbour eagar to see Doris exclaimed that she though Doris was at deaths door and what had we taken on? "They must of seen you coming!"

During the early days Doris could only make it to the local park or else her breathing became laboured.  During one walk her breathing became so bad Stuart had to carry her home for fear of her collapsing and we had to put her in a cold bath.We accepted that Doris would probably never be able to go on the walks with the others as it would be to much for her. Doris was not happy to settle anywhere in the living room preferring to lay in the kitchen. She would shake with fear when we took her into the living room or if we lifted her onto the furniture. In a panic she would go back to the kitchen and lay down. When we would take her out into the garden she was unsure and reluctant to come back in laying down as if she was not allowed into the house. Doris would shake if we tried to get her upstairs and never barked. Where ever Doris laid Daisy, Honey and Oscar refused to be.

We took Doris to our vet for a check up, he told us that she had a heart murmur but was unsure of the grade due to her breathing. The lumps were possibly benign tumours, Scleriosis due to age, slight arthritis, enlarged soft palate due to excessive weight, excessive plaque and teeth worn down and Cushings disease, hence her pot belly.

We were unfazed by it all as we always felt that we would have her for TLC for however long she was with us, giving her the best we could in a loving environment.

Seven months on and Doris is a different dog. Doris after breakfast goes out into the garden, then eagerly waits for the living room door to be opened when she will get up on the settee and lay there waiting for her morning cuddle. She goes with Daisy Honey and Oscar for her walk on the common where it is normal practice for her to have her ball straight away, this she refuses to give up untill she is back home and the ball is replaced by a treat. Whilst on the common she runs in circles back and forth with Honey and Oscar whilst they run for their balls. She has lost weight and her breathing is better, Doris will now walk upstair at night to go to bed and on very odd occasions during the day. Doris has found her voice in the last month and will bark 4 times a day, breakfast, going for a walk, dinner and pudding time!!!! You cannot imagine the delight and laughter when we first heard this little squeek of a bark which is now getting stronger. It is like hearing a child talk for the first time. It seems as though she is just discovering she is a dog and what life is about. Daisy, Honey and Oscar will lay beside her and snuggle up with Honey allowing her to take over her crate. My grandson loves her, Doris lays there with a grin on her face whilst he rubs her tummy. Her breath does not smell and her 'botty burbs' as my grandson calls them are far less and tolerable. She wags her tail so much that you think its going to fly off!

Our neighbour cannot believe she is the same dog and is amazed at her stamina on the common, although she does believe that Doris must have lived in a round house due to her persistance in running in circles.

We know that we will not have Doris for years but the joy in seeing her blossom is like watching apple blossom unfold in the Spring albeit briefly. Its a sight and elation never to be forgotton.
Author and Edited by Valerie

4th March

I have spoken with Anderson Abercromby Referrals today and they are ready for Cleo's op on Monday, we sorted out who was paying for what and they understand we are trying to raise the extra needed by donations.

We have £100 pledged by Staffiezone so far..........£400 to go!

I am to ring up after 9.30am on Tuesday 8th March to arrange a time to collect her.

News of other dogs :-

Dolly has had her post op check and Jane the vet is very pleased with her progress, she is taking things easy and lying by the fire.(Dolly I mean, not Jane...though she would probably like to be lying by the fire too, as we all would!)

Batley's first night at the pub seems to have gone well with Boris the grumpy terrier not too put out by him being there. He slept in the basket next to the bed.

Apparently he sniffed out the sandwiches for the pool match and found his way down to where they had been placed for the players, luckily they saw what he was up to and swept them from under his nose just in time!

3rd March

Thank you so much Staffiezone for your generous donation towards Cleo's operation, what a wonderful encouraging start!

I feel "battle weary" tonight, it has been quite a day!

Batley has gone to a new home, which hopefully will work out, with a friend of mine who runs a pub in a nearby village. He is to be her husband's dog, accompanying him to work at his job as a builder. We thought Batley would enjoy that as he likes to be with you. They seem besotted with each other which is a good start.

My husband is out so I have allowed Jade upstairs whilst I write this. She is lying on the floor snoring which is not helping me in my struggle to stay awake. "Yawn," Sorry I will have to join her!

2nd March

Cleo Appeal.

Today we are starting an appeal to raise money towards an operation for Cleo.

Cleo is 3 years old and we homed her two years ago. The home has been a success but now Cleo needs an operation on her leg for a luxating patella (dislocating knee cap) with a complication in her hip.

The operation is booked for 9.30am on 7th March with Anderson Abercromby Referrals. Who have negotiated with us a very good price with 10% discount.

Staffordshire Bull Terrier Welfare and Cleo's owner are paying towards the cost but we are trying to raise a further £500

If YOU CAN HELP by making a donation   however small we would be very grateful.

You can make a donation via our Paypal account, earmarked Cleo or Reuben Fund which is a fund we started originally for Reuben's op but which is for any dog requiring medical treatment and already has just under £200 remaining in it.

We will follow Cleo's progress and the fund raising on the blog.

Cleo will be coming to us for her six week rehabilitation after the operation.

1st March

Gosh it's cold! The first of March and signs of spring and it's so cold you can't enjoy it, but at least spring is on it's way.

Thank you Gareth for your comment, I appreciate yesterdays blog was rather controversial and may spark less favourable comments than we have been used to thus far.

Dolly went in for her spay today, I understand all went well and she is now tucked up in bed under a blanket.

I was answering emails at lunchtime today when the phone rang. A girl's voice at the other end asked if we had any spaces for a 4 month old puppy. I asked what the story was only to be told she was ringing for her friend, who I was then passed to. She said she was in a second floor flat and had a baby and could not look after the pup. She had only had him a week and before that he was with a man who also lived in a second floor flat and that was why he couldn't keep him! I asked how big he was, this seemed to cause some problems as she just repeated the question back to me, so then I asked if he was a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, this caused even more problems and she had to confer with her friend, who reassured her he was! She then said he wasn't very big and was very good with kids. I then realised she couldn't confirm he was a SBT because she was not familiar with the name, to her he was a Staff or a Staffie, it has reached the stage when some young people do not realise what a Staffie is short for.

She then told me they had driven to the local RSPCA centre that morning expecting to be able to just drop him off! She was adamant she could not keep him.

Can you imagine how I felt telling her that we were not able to help either.............that poor little dog.