8th February

Our blog tonight is this excellent article sent us by Ali Taylor of Battersea.

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/227803/The-Staffordshire-bull-terrier-our-most-misunderstood-dog

We made agility and Sandy did brilliantly flying over the jumps and down the tunnels and across the dog walk. The course tonight included the dog walk twice. She was very fast and very bold a cuddle from Anna at the end is her reward! She really understands what is recquired of her and really seemed to be enjoying herself tonight. We hope to start a course of basic obedience training with her at the weekend.

7th February

Sorry if my recent blogs have not been up to standard, all due to the flu or whatever it was. I am still not one hundred percent so todays might be found wanting too! I am quite dismayed to find a bout of flu effects my inspiration so badly, even though being exhausted and struggling to keep my eyes open doesn't. I had always hoped, should I be struck with some debilitating disease, I would find comfort in writing down my daily struggles but now it seems that would not be case, I would lie dejectedly in bed unable to form the simplest sentence!

What news of the doggies?

Dolly has been homed. I have received reports of her lying on the sofa with her new owner in front of the fire! Lucky Dolly!

She was an absolute delight whilst she was with us, I dropped her off on Friday and it was hard letting her go. Had someone been with me on the drive home they may have noted,"Alison was unusually quiet."

It's great to hear she is having such a wonderful time she is of course much better off in a home of her own.

With one less it means the other dogs get more attention.

 Sandy and Spryte have recently been having a run in a huge Kale field. Sandy is beginning to relate to Spryte although she will chase her away from me on occasions. Sandy is still good, returning to me for a pat before charging off again. Two high energy girls tearing round the field (Sandy and Spryte I mean, certainly not me at the moment) I managed to take them to the field on most days last week before collapsing back into bed. We will hopefully make agility tomorrow if energy levels allow.

5th February

Someone said I sounded fed up in my blog yesterday, I am not sure I was, just pointing out whatever you do you seem to get it wrong as far as someone is concerned and it is pretty thankless!

Just a few thoughts tonight on homes and following what I said the other night, that there is no perfect home.

Even amongst the helpers we all do things differently.

However, we have seen something that has occurred several times when, a home comes along for a certain dog and it is such a perfect match it is as if you have fed the details into a computer and it has matched it up for you. I suppose the dogs in question all had specific needs, which is why they needed special homes, also why it is so important to assess them and identify their particular needs.

The dogs that come to mind are :- Hippo, Reuben, Poppy and Saffy but it is true to a certain extent with all of them. And a few I feel it is very generous by those who have taken them on and I remain very grateful to them.

So tonights blog is dedicated to all Guildford Stafford Owners.......thank you for opening your home to one (or two) of our dogs. We salute you!

4th February

Mark aired his frustrations with trying to adopt a dog from Battersea, but you know, this rescue "lark" is a pretty thankless task!

We are still receiving a high number of requests to take dogs in. These come from email  but also by phone despite the caller listening to a message saying we have no spaces and only to leave a message if they are calling about something else!

People who leave a message are dog wardens or other rescues, someone acting as a third party for someone who needs a dog rehomed, people who "I know you don't have any spaces but can you give me anyone else to try or some advice." People who just ignore it anyway!

One message this week was from someone who said he had found a dog running around the estate, had taken it in but couldn't keep it as he had two dogs of his own. I rang him back about to tell him to contact his local dog warden but maybe he had forgotten who he gave what message to as he answered the phone and said "Yeah it's my dog I need to rehome him!"

Another lady had given the "I know you are full, is there another number....."one. When I suggested Battersea she launched into criticism after criticism and said "I don't know how often you get there?" When I said I had been there that week and had found it fine she said I was obviously more with them than her and put the phone down!

Then I cannot tell you the number of times I have agreed to take a dog, only for them to change their mind or just not show up. This week I agreed to take a dog having heard about it for the second time only for the apparently "desperate" family to change their mind yet again.

"Are" I hear you say,"It is different for those wanting a dog." Not so! In fact hearing from someone wanting a dog I consider unsuitable, I find the hardest part of the job. Then there are the ones who do sound suitable, you get your hopes up and never hear from them again. Or the ones who want the perfect dog so every dog you suggest they reject despite wasting hours of your time. Or the ones who sound perfect but then they start stalling and then you find out it's not all so perfect after all....

And you start to think of all the things you could/should have been doing instead of wasting your time doing this..............but then every now and then it all works out..........happy people, happy dog..........happy ending! That's what makes it all worthwhile.

3rd February

Thanks to Valerie for writing the blog this week and telling the stories of some of our dogs, I hope you have enjoyed hearing about the happy endings and sharing with us the satisfaction of seeing a dog taken from kennels or an unsuitable situation into a loving home.

I rarely get ill and maybe I am not very good at it, but whatever I had this week certainly laid me low. After such a busy week the week before I was looking forward to catching up with things, but ended up doing only the essentials each day before crawling back into bed. I also lost all inspiration for writing the blog too.

 It's good to be feeling well again.

Yesterday I bumped into Jim who adopted  Buster. Buster was the first dog I took in when starting the rescue and the first dog I homed. He was ten when he came in, from a chap whose marriage had ended and  he had then lost his home.

I had been wondering just the day before whether he was still with us, as he must be pretty old by now and I knew he had health issues. Jim positively glowed as he told me that despite an enlarged heart diagnosed over a year ago, and back legs giving way plus sight and hearing fading Buster was definitely still with us! He told me what a joy he was and how happy he was, still greeting his master in the morning and that as long as he still enjoyed life they would keep him going. His love for his dog was apparent. But, Jim and his family were not the most conventional home when I checked them which reminded me of Lucy who went to Gareth a local Farrier. A friend in church told me recently that Gareth shoes a horse at her yard and Lucy plays with the Spaniel puppy.

It is great to hear of these dogs still doing well as they were very early days for the rescue and neither home quite complied with the rules but they were obviously the right homes for these dogs and then there is never the "perfect" home......a theme I will pick up tomorrow.

2nd January

After telling the reasons why Daisy, Honey, Oscar and Doris were in rescue, my mind went back  to May 2008 and a very special Stafford called Percy. Percy was a stray in Treetops, Alison had noticed him and her heart went out to him, he was finding life in kennels stressful, he was entire, had broken teeth, a poor gait and only a stump for a tail. Most nights when we talked Percy would come into our conversation. Although I had not seen Percy something that I cannot explain touched me about him. Alison and I agreed that if Treetops would sign him over to Guildford & District SBTR I would pay for his veterinary treatment to make him more re homeable. Treetops agreed and to Alison's Percy went, it soon became apparent that he was not over keen on other dogs to say the least. Alison took him to Jane the vet and it was decided that he would be castrated, bad teeth taken out vaccinated and put on a joint supplement, with this done in June 2008 Percy went up on the website, including The Oldies Club website for re homing.

Also at this time Alison had taken a call from an owner who was expecting her first child and felt that she could no longer keep her dog and could we re home him. Alison explained that there was not any available spaces, instead offering her placement of him on the website. Although she would have to keep him until a home was found, she agreed. As the dog was in inner London I went to assess him for his suitability for re homing. Knowing the area from driving through it to one of my customers I found the address without any problems. The area is densely populated with hoodies and their Staffords in tow on large thick chains as leads, not the best place to try and re home a Stafford without the help of a rescue!  As the door opened I was greeted by the owner and a beautiful red male Stafford called Blaze. Observing Blaze in the home I listened intently on Blaze's life and his character. Blaze had been attacked in the local park as a puppy whilst on the lead by another Stafford running loose. The attack was so intense it was reported in the local paper and had left Blaze with a damaged tear duct. My assessment of him was a good all round 18 month old Stafford. You may be thinking how does Percy come into Blaze's life? Well on 19th July 2008 an adoption enquiry was received from Luci for Percy, it was a  perfect application but not for Percy as Luci already had a Stafford called Tara and a horse called Goose. The lifestyle would be to much for Percy but not for Blaze! Blaze was put forward as a more suitable dog for the Luci and Tara. A meeting ensued  between Tara and Blaze on neutral ground. Tara and Blaze were great together both accepting one another, it was the best a meeting could be. Luci agreed to adopt Blaze and Blaze was taken back to his owner with agreement that the handover would take place the following weekend.

Stuart and I collected Blaze the following rather eventful Saturday. We had just got out the car to be greeted with a hoodie and a Stafford with a large chain around its neck also acting as a lead, the chain must have at least 3ft of it being dragged on the floor behind the owner, it was unbearable and I wanted to say something but just looked at Stuart who shrugged his shoulders knowing there was nothing we could do. Blaze was ready and waiting and quite frankly I could not wait to get Blaze and get out of the area. Blaze's owner handed over bedding, toys etc to help settle Blaze into his new home. The owner handed me a carrier bag which contained photos of Blaze including the newspaper article for Luci. Blaze did not turn back for a second glance when we left but happily got in the car. Petrol  required then we would be on our way, but as we got to the petrol station  opposite where Blaze had lived Police cars descended from every direction there had been a robbery just a few minutes before. We arranged to meet Luci with Tara again on neutral territory all was fine, now to Blaze's new home and life, he happily jumped out of  the car following Tara into the house. I handed over the carrier bag and went through the photos with Luci when I stared with disbelief at a photo of  Blaze with an electric collar on!!! This was obviously used when the owner walked him as she was unable to stop him from pulling and had used this method as opposed to correct training.

Blaze now lives a charmed life with Luci, Tara and Goose and has a new friend Chico the Jack Russell. I cannot thank Luci enough for adopting Blaze and giving him such a great life. Luci has been so much help supporting GDSBTR at Battersea D&CH reunion event every year raising funds. I feel blessed that she has also become a friend  and wish Luci, Tara and Blaze a long and happy life together.

As for Percy he inadvertently found homes for 4 dogs including Blaze whilst looking for a home. Eventually we adopted him, surprisingly he was fine with Daisy, Honey and Oscar. Daisy was forever licking his face and he would stand there allowing her to do it, at times I thought his head would come off! Honey would snuggle up and sleep with him whilst Percy was Oscar's best friend having their own form of chase. Sadly Percy died on the 3rd June 2010, after drowning in our fish pond, he had never taken an interest in the pond during the 22 months he was ours. How and why it happened will always remain a mystery. Although no longer with us he still promotes adopting older Staffords with his picture on the banners for the rescue stand. When not in use a banner hangs at the side of our bed and Stuart wishes him Good Night before going to sleep.

1st February

Peace reigns at last! My daughter and grandson Charlie who is 6 years old, arrived for dinner this evening with a  cacophony of noise from Daisy, Honey and Oscar with Doris quietly waiting at the rear for some attention. Charlie gently strokes Doris and gives her a kiss on her head, respectful of her age, she licks him in return. Once they have greeted one another Doris lays in her bed. Charlie and Honey have a special affinity, she absolutely adores him and is never far away from his side. Oscar once he has had some attention will lay down and get on with dozing on the sofa. Daisy on the other hand treats Charlie like a naughty puppy, gently mouthing him if she thinks he is getting to boisterous. Charlie and the dogs are never left on their own together a practice that we have always done and is recommended at all times.

Daisy, Honey, Oscar and Doris are all rescues, each are different, varying ages and reasons why they where in rescue.

Daisy adopted from Battersea Dogs & Cats Home (BDCH) age approx 1 year. She had just had a litter of pups, when the puppies were 6 weeks old and all sold, Daisy was handed into BDCH the owner stating she had killed two kittens aged 3 weeks from a litter they had bred. Daisy is now 10.

Honey, BDCH aged 16 weeks reason for re homing:- She bit, chewed and jumped up. Honey is now 7.

Oscar, Guildford & District SBTR aged 16 weeks, reason for re homing:- Relationship break up, the owner had a young child,  she moved back in with parents, dog being neglected and mistreated. Oscar is now 3.5years.

Doris, from a pound with a put to sleep date, rescued by Animal Helpline Peterborough aged 13+ years, reason:- was a stray. Doris could not walk far due to breathing difficulties when we got her and would not have been able to walk far we therefore assume that she was dumped somewhere as she would not have been able to walk far from where she lived.

Sadly there are many myths that people perceive about re homing  a rescue dog.  Many think that rescue dogs are unwanted because they are problematic. Most dogs are given to rescue centres through no fault of their own, common reasons are relationship break-ups, moving abroad, moving home, allergies and the arrival of a new baby. Some owners cannot cope with the dog. This is rarely down to the dog but usually because the owners have chosen a breed on looks alone and not done their research on what the specific breed of dog needs to be happy.

You can't train a rescue dog! All dogs have the potential to be trained but they are also individuals with different motivations and will learn at different speeds. Poppy was a problem dog but with Mark and Cats devotion Poppy is a credit to them and a testimony to what can be achieved see blog for 22nd and 23rd January. This takes commitment, time and effort on the part of an owner, which many do not want to undertake. Many are misguided to think a dog instinctively knows what is required of them, they should walk without pulling, come when called, sit and stay. These all have to be taught with consistency, all members of the household following the same training routine using the same commands to avoid confusing the dog.

All rescue dogs have medical problems. Not all rescue dogs have medical problems, the majority are young and healthy, those that come in with a medical problem are treated and are not re homed until they have made a full recovery or the prospective owner is informed about the treatment the dog requires.

Rescue dogs are not damaged goods and not all have been cruelly treated either. Rescue dogs go on to make loving loyal companions. Which is why we now have four Staffords of our own.

After our German Shepherd Max and  Jack Russell, Sally passed away, Stuart and I had vowed we would never have another dog, finding it to difficult to make the decision to have them put to sleep through ill health and subsequently the loss. For 9 years we enjoyed  the good life, travelling to the far parts of the world, which are all now a distant memory. Instead we have a life filled daily with laughter, frustration, joy and love thanks to Daisy, Honey, Oscar and Doris. We have come to terms that everything has its lifespan, although it does not stop us shedding a tear and the pain so unbearable when they die. With so many dogs needing homes we will continue adopting a rescue dog.   Valerie