27th January

Thanks to Val for sharing some thoughts on the meeting yesterday. I actually had another, unrelated meeting, in the evening, just in case you thought it had all been too much and I had to lie down in a darkened room!

Sounds like we both found travelling there challenging but as you can hear, very worthwhile. The things we do for these dogs!

It was actually very fitting that Val should report on the meeting, as she is a great supporter of Battersea and two of her dogs are from there.

I think it excellent that a start has been made and that the breed clubs are involved.

I actually viewed the dogs alongside "the person" and I think he was visibly moved by the undeniable fact that the majority were Staffords or had a large chunk of Stafford in them. Also I realised that he did not face the dilemma as we do, almost daily, of being asked to take in a dog and having to decide if it really looks enough of a Stafford or not.If we say "No" what happens to the dog then?

Sometimes there will be a perfectly pleasant young dog which is obviously not pure but you know would be easy to home but you still have to refuse.

I would also like to clarify a point I tried to make on Monday's blog 24th January. When speaking about training classes it sounded as if I was being negative about them. I apologise, that is not what I meant, I thoroughly endorse them.What I was trying to say was, if a Stafford is dog aggressive, I do not think you can train it out of them, although all training helps in controlling them, I do not believe that taking a puppy to training classes will ensure it does not become dog aggressive, and when a dog is, then the only way forward is with an owner who keeps the dog under control at all times. Mark is not the only Stafford owner who walks early in the morning and late at night!

Lastly today, we ran a caption competition at our vets like the one we ran online. Despite extending the entry date we only had three entries and one of those was the vet! Even so despite it being £1.00 a go we received £10.00.

I sent first prize (a £20 gift card donated by Pets At Home) to the first entrant and a 10% off voucher to the second (poor Jane the vet got nothing as I know she was only trying to help )

When I arrived home from the Battersea meeting there was a hand written envelope awaiting me. Inside was a card with a photo of a Staffie on and the message thanked me for the Pets At Home gift card and enclosed was a £20 donation!

The winner of the competition was a devoted Staffie owner who just gave her winnings back to us!