Lets Talk About the Weather

That good old British tradition ....
I've had a few people enquire this morning if it's OK to let the bulldogs out in the snow. As a general rule, as long as you don't let them stay in it for too long they love playing in the snow. Having said that I know that some hate it and for those dogs I suggest you just don't even bother trying to get them out for a walk as it could lead to problems walking them once the snow has cleared - remember dogs learn by association, they may not put two and two together when the the cold wet stuff has disappeared and as there are many bulldogs out there that will use every excuse under the sun to get out of a walk, you don't want to be adding to their reasons LOL.
Obviously if your dogs are kennelled ensure you have heating because living in these sub zero temperatures can be detrimental to his health and well being but when it comes to just a good old fashioned run about in the snow for 20 minutes isn't going to do them any harm as long as they have somewhere warm to go to afterwards.
And if you don't feel like trudging through it then I'm sure your bulldog will forgive you a few days off as this doesn't look like it's going to melt any time soon which leaves me without a kennel maid today but as everything round here is frozen solid I'm sure it really isn't going to make much difference to the smooth running of things.
Have fun out there and stay safe

Touch wood ...

.... I don't have a headache. I'm almost scared to say it as Tuesday AND Wednesday I had full blown migraines which were the last thing I needed and not only put me out of action but has put me a long way behind on my work. But so far today we're doing OK. The weather is amazing though and everything is under 3 foot of snow. Cleaning the kennels this morning was near on impossible - even the mop is hiding somewhere under all that snow, but the dogs didn't mind as they got to play in the snow for an hour - in fact if Cooper had his way he'd still be out in it now!!!!


Cooper is loving it loving it loving it

Baxter says: Who wants to play football ?

The three new arrivals wondering what on earth has happened

Teddy soon works out it's all good fun though

Revolving Doors

Three dogs left for their new home on Saturday and Sunday saw three new arrivals, as I said, it's all just one big revolving door. It's very strange saying goodbye to a dog that's leaving for his new home, part of you is convinced that no one could possibly look after him properly but the other part of you is so happy to see him leave the kennel knowing he's destined for someones sofa. All three dogs that moved on Saturday all seem to be doing really really well and I'm sure that I'm already a dim and distant memory. The three that arrived however all speak Welsh and I'm sure they think that Annie and I are talking strange because we've had a few growls this morning, but it must be so overwhelming for them to suddenly find themselves in a kennel, although one gave me a bit of fright as all night he's not moved from his bed, every time I woke in the night I quickly checked the camera and he was in exactly the same place as the last time I checked - turns out the heat lamp is just too much of a temptation and bed is where he want to sit and do his sulking.
There were quite a few comings and goings over the weekend, another new arrival in Lancashire and the very sad case of the dog that moved from his foster home on Friday to sadly die shortly after arriving home. The highs and lows of rescue can really be stressful at times and Diz finally convinced me that I needed to see the doctor about the headache that I've had for the last 8 days. Apparently it's a tension headache and they won't do anything until I've had it for 3 weeks - goodness I hope I don't get it for that long, it's starting to get on my nerves now.

Reggie is feeling poorly

Keep dear little Reggie in your thoughts for the next few days. We are now just over a week since his meds stopped and this morning he crashed. So sad to see such a live wire so still and quiet. A trip to the vet has sadly got him back on anti biotics but the vet did agree that it's not his lungs that are the problem but his throat which has been my thoughts all along. We know he only has a size 6 trachea, but thankfully he shows no signs of suffering a soft palate problem so there is a chance that he may improve has his head develops. Only time will tell - but lets hope there is light at the end of his tunnel. The vet trip got us into a very interesting conversation about corporate vets and at which point does a young vet enter veterinary college as an animal lover and leave as a business man? Something I didn't realise is the alleged fact that many receptionists and nurses working for corporate companies receive bonuses for getting clients to have certain treatments. It is incredibly worrying that you could be getting things done to your animals simply because the girl on reception needs to pay for her holiday. We have increasingly been aware that vets often refuse treatment because the owners cannot afford to pay for it, but by all accounts as long as they offer euthanasia as an alternative they are legally covered to refuse the treatment. This can't be right surely? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

And another roller coaster ride ....

The week started OK but steadily went down hill following a falling out with a neighbour over a dog that was off lead (don't ask). We then had a dog brought in for rehoming who's owner announced as I was about to say hello to him in the back of the car "oh by the way you can't touch him"!!!!!! To be fair to the dog I think there were possibly some underlying pain issues going on due to a serious spinal defect, but faced with no option but to leave him here ... to say I spent the rest of the day with a headache is probably all you lot need to know. However all was redeemed today with a mini reunion of some of the guys Dizzy was in the Spinal unit with in 1984. Four of them got together, some of which hadn't seen each other in over 20 years

This motley crew contain Dizzy, Dave Howard, Tim Claire and Geoff Holt MBE. Dave's wife cooked us a fabulous meal and it was so nice to relax and catch up with everyone, we even got to feed the fish in the lake at the bottom of the garden, about 20 trout that were more than happy to pop their heads up for some dog biscuits - just amazing.

SHIVER ME TIMBERS

What I want to know is, how come when it's Annie's shift in the kennel she gets glorious sunshine, when it's my shift it's blowing a bleeding gale and all I get is a row of big brown eyes looking at me with a look that say "if you think I'm coming out in this you can think again". In fact the wind is so strong this morning that it snapped the chain that holds the kennel door open!!! It's been such an awful week for them, what with the fireworks and now this gale force wind it's no wonder they are not all a bunch of quivering wrecks! Speaking of quivering wrecks, the new stray is finding her feet at last and enjoys a cuddle now instead of cowering away in the back of her run waiting for you to wallop her! However bad rescue can make you feel there is nothing quite like the feeling when a scared dog comes to you for reassurance for the first time.

It's a new dawn, It's a new day, It's a new week .....

.... and the difference is ..... well not much to be honest, everything is quite normal for a Monday morning except the weather is blowing a gale and if Annie gets any of them out for a walk today she'll be working a miracle!!!!! We seemed to have coped OK with the fireworks over the weekend, the calming meds they were given made a couple of them sick, but I'd rather be cleaning up sick than trying a calm a dog that's climbing the walls. Another stray arrived Saturday morning too and with it has come the dreaded kennel cough so she's in isolation, at least for the time being anyway. Very very skinny and a chip number that traces back to Manchester - but no one prepared to accept she belonged to them. Poor baby has been Christened Skinny Minnie - we'll keep you posted.
In the meantime, here's a story that hit the Sun newspaper over the weekend - sickening to say the least: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3214542/Al-Qaeda-use-dogs-as-bombs.html

RIP SIR WINSTON OF POOHTOWN

One year ago today I found Winnie Pooh had left us. He'd been with us for a few years after coming into rescue as a stray with serious spinal problems. He did well with us and we never did rehome him, choosing to live with the doubly incontinent grump box. Towards the end he became awfully senile but he was a big dog with a big personality and he's left a big hole in our lives.

I hope you are having fun at the bridge Winston!

So, today is November 5th - a dog owners worst date on the calendar. I am hoping that as this year it falls on a Friday all the fireworks will go off either tonight or tomorrow night. The kennel dogs are now being dosed up on Calming liquid in the hope they sleep through it. If any of you have a dog that really doesn't cope with fireworks it's worth giving them some form of calmer such as Rescue Remedy, Natural Calm or use the DAP diffuser or collar. A trick I was told many years ago which seems to work well is to put a t-shirt on your dog, the closeness of the garment makes them feel a little safer. The worst thing you can do is fuss, no matter how stressed your dog appears to be getting, don't fuel it by going over board with the comfort - it actually makes them realise that there's something to be scared of, so have the TV a notch louder, draw the curtains as soon as it gets dark and carry on about your evening as normal. Try not to walk your dog after dark over the next few nights as I know of many that have run of in a blind panic because a firework went off, it's better they are walked before dark or not at all tonight and tomorrow night rather than risk them bolting in fear. Above all, whatever you are doing, stay safe.

OMG!

Oh My God! I passed my exams, not only did I pass but the one I was a bit unsure about I only went and got a bloody A !!!!!! That means I am now a C-SQP (http://www.amtra.org.uk/sqp.html) so the next stage is to get Reggie's Den registered as a retail premises and it should be all systems go come 2011 !!!!
I can't beleive I actually passed - Base Unit:B Companion Animal Unit:A Viva:Passed

Happy Monday

I must be the only person on the world that looks forward to the clocks going back. My body clock is far more comfortable with GMT and it's nice to wake up in the morning and not feel like I need more sleep, yes I know it's dark early but that's what Bulldogs were invented for so you've got something warm and cosy to snuggle up on the sofa with!! Every year they start on about not doing this clock change, I hope they never get their way.

Another beauty arrived over the weekend, little Reggie has pneumonia and is now on a long course of treatment, at only 7 months old he is a real live wire and it's hard to accept how poorly he is. Once again the veterinary practice made it impossible for the owner to afford his treatment, and £2,000 down the line she's run out of money and can no longer keep her precious bulldog. I must say though the breeder has been amazing, offering them another pup and asking us to take the sick one. Be aware though, he's in the house as Hilda's new bestest friend so in a months time when his meds are finishing and we have to decide to if we are going to find him a new home I can see it being a very difficult decision!

Apologise for the disappearing blog entry, there was a problem with the video on it and for some reason it's disappeared.

That Friday Feeling

A week that started out on such an awful low is ending a little better with the arrival of the sweetest little bulldog I've ever met called Daisy. Her daughter, Petal, came through a little while back via the RSPCA who since managing to get Petal have been working on the owners to get them to sign Daisy over also. She's finally here and boy was she worth the wait. I can't tell you how much love this little girl has to offer but for now she's going into a foster home so we can work on building up her weight and her confidence before throwing her out into the big wide world which right now is the most scariest place ever as far as she's concerned. Those big brown eyes are going to melt someone's heart that much I do know, but she won't be listed for a week or two so keep an eye on the rehoming page for further details.
One thing this week has taught me is that you really do never know what tomorrow will bring, I know there are a number of people out there who don't agree with everything we do and I appreciate that, but on days like today I wouldn't change this life for the world.

Rollercoasters

There is no getting away from the fact that a life involved in rescue is certainly one hell of a rollercoaster ride, the joys of the success stories and the despair when there's one you can't help often merges when a dog you thought was a sweetheart decides she's not quite to nice AFTER she's been rehomed and that's exactly the news I was woken with this morning; that one of the dogs that was rehomed over the weekend wasn't quite the angel she'd led us to believe and the heart breaking decision now has to be made as to if we can risk rehoming her a second time. The news came after what had been an exceptionally fantastic weekend for me when a reunion a few of us had organised went off far far better than any of us good have ever imagined. Back in the day when we were a bunch 16/17 year old scooterist, Friday night at the Grange was about all we had to keep us entertained and every week we'd dress up in our best clothes and dance the night away to the sounds of 60s soul and 70/80s mod revival. Recent news that the Grange is to be knocked down and rebuilt prompted us to recreate the night one last time and pretty much every 40 something in Midhurst turned out to show the youth of today that we can still party 25 years on! We even got one of the original bands that used to play to reform especially for the night!!! I paid for it yesterday mind you, dancing the night away was probably not the best idea when you get to my age.

The end of the week and some thoughts of wisdom

From April next year I will have been at the helm of Bulldog Rescue for 10 years, it’s been an emotional 10 years I must admit, I’ve seen sights I never thought I’d see and I’ve met people who really do make the world a better place. I’ve watched things grow from a “one man band” to a successful charity and I am very proud of what we have achieved during this time. The one thing that has never changed is the simple fact that Bulldogs will always need a rescue and despite the numbers that consistently come through I still very often hear people mutter “what do we need a rescue for”. My entire life now revolves around it so that in itself tells me that we are needed, and yet there are still breeders out there who recoil in horror at the thought of anything they’ve bred every ending up in rescue.

For those people I’d like to put the following scenario to you:

You sell a pup on a back to breeder contract, having not heard from them for several years you assume that all is well because you haven’t been asked to take the dog back at any time. Meanwhile, five or six years down the line the family suddenly find themselves in a situation that means they can no longer keep the dog and they have either forgotten, or have no intention of abiding by the clause in the contract – which of the following scenarios would you prefer happen to your pup?

a) They advertise him as “free to good home” on ePupz and he ends up with goodness knows who, goodness knows where and no one ever hears from them again
Or
b) They ask rescue to find a new home. At best we would contact the breeder and let them know based on the fact they are registered on our back to breeder scheme, or at worst find him a vetted pet home where someone is keeping a close eye on him for the rest of his life

Having something you bred land here really isn’t something to be ashamed of because faced with the two options I know exactly where I’d like my pup to be.

Like a lamb to the slaughter

Well I did it, I stood up in front of almost 40 people and spoke aload!! For the first time in my life I was a speaker at a seminar instead of a guest. Six months ago I thought it was a great idea to accept the invitation, I had the exams in between so gave it very little thought after the powerpoint presentation had been created, but driving up to Coventry on Saturday morning I did utter the words "what on earth am I doing" on more than one occassion. The event was put on by an organisation called SNAG (Southern Newfoundland Action Group) and it was very well organised and turned into a very enjoyable day. Although it was a case of preaching to the converted as the event titled "Rescue and Rehoming - The challenge to find a permanant home for every dog" saw almost everyone in the audience from a rescue society of some form or another but what I really liked was the fact that we all discussed how we ran our individual organisations with each other and I'm sure that all of us went away feeling we'd learnt something from another rescue group. It's certainly something that would benefit from being done again at some point in the future I'm sure and face it there's nothing quite so wonderful as a day spent in the company of animal lovers that dedicate their entire lives to helping dogs across the country.

Keep everything crossed

The past 2 weeks has been an absolute whirlwind getting ready for my exams which were Friday, I guess what is done is done and although I won't say I found them particularly difficult but there were questions I couldn't answer so all I can do now is hope that the ones I did answer are right and that it was enough to get me the pass mark. I'm not going to hear how I've done for 8 weeks so I guess I need to just put it out of my head now and get on with my life. The most important aspect of which is to catch up on all the stuff that got neglected whilst I was cramming. I did manage to get some housework done over the weekend which has made me feel a whole better, but now I'm in the office I can see just how much stuff got put to one side so please bear with me this week whilst I chase my tail - at least it'll keep my mind off the exams!!!
Thank you to everyone that has made allowances for me over the past couple of weeks and especially my family who got used to me locking myself in the bedroom and only grunting at them when I did make an appearance.

Friend or Foe ..... who on earth knows.

I was sent a photo yesterday morning of supposed starving, neglected puppies via facebook (you know the one where everyone is "friends") and despite the hatred that was being spat at the owner of the pups I decided to find out the facts before joining in what eventually became nothing more than a witch hunt. The short version is that in speaking to the owner it appeared that her version of events was ever so slightly different - but to be sure and in an effort to appease the witch hunters I made the five hour round trip to check on the pups. I found a litter of three small pups that resembled typical hand reared pups that had been very ill during the first 2 weeks of their lives. However, not happy with these findings I then became the victim of the witch hunt which not only became very hurtful and very personal has made me think if rescue is really what I want to do after all. Having been told I must be blind and that I must be stupid by people that have not seen the pups or spoken to the owner my take on the human being right now is darn near zero. Especially as throughout the drive up there I was having to deal with the heartbreak from an owner who's old dog had reached the end and having called me from the vets had to say goodbye to their beautiful old man. He'd come from rescue after suffering a terrible life of numerous homes and he had had a life of neglect which in the end proved too much for his old body to cope with.
To put the record straight once and for all, the litter was not starved, nor were they neglected. They were taken 5/6 days early because the bitch was fitting. There were water pups that didn't survive (not drown in their food as someone said this morning) and the bitch had feaces in the uterus, the pups were all born full of infection and were subsequently rejected by the mother. The vet gave them only a few hours to live but the owner battled through thick and thin to save them and she did by hand rearing them on her own despite suffering MS. I have been appalled by the behaviour and the language of people who've been in the breed five minutes and assume they know it all. These same people are the future of this breed - gawd help us!
So on that note I'd better do some of the studying I should have been doing last night before I leave for my course tomorrow.

Kaboooooooooom !

I can't believe how busy rescue has suddenly got, I've said before that as soon as the kids go back to school after the Summer hols things go mad, but Monday alone was manic and I've actually lost track of who's been asked to do what - thank goodness for Georgia who is quite possible the most amazing thing that's happened in rescue for a long time. She takes so much pressure off of me organising home checks and pick ups and home visits but Monday was a particularly crazy day and it left me a little out of it come Tuesday. A lot of people I know with CFS/ME say that there's more bad days than good days, but yesterday was a particularly bad day to the point that I had to give in and take the day off - I've not been that bad in a very long time but Sunday's early start and Monday's rescue flurry certainly didn't help, on top of all of that the studying is really difficult. I have no idea how I am going to remember all of this stuff but did get alot of studying done yesterday much to Hilda's disgust as she had no idea that "PJ day" meant that I got the sofa! If nothing else I can now tell you the difference between a Viral infection and a bacterial infection - no idea why I need to know that in order to prescribe wormers but there you go.

Back to School

What a lovely weekend, there are so many bulldogs here and they are all so wonderful it's a real pleasure to spend time with them, shame really that we had to be away from the kennel all day Sunday but we had a fabulous day at the South of England Bulldog Club Champ show with the stall. We received some fantastic feed back on the Picnic too, so many who had been for the first time this year were eager to tell us just what a great time they'd had - makes it all worth while. The early start wasn't easy on a Sunday morning I can tell you, and creeping out without waking the kennel so they didn't bark the place down before Peter, Bev and Dawn arrived to see to them was fun - especially with a deisel engine - which incidentally is working fine following the enormous cock up in the week.


So now the countdown to my SQP exam begins. I have a one day course at MYF Vet Nurse Training on Friday and then next Friday is both the Base and the Companion Animal exam so the cramming has begun, despite the past 2 years of trying to learn this stuff I'm shocked at just how little has gone in! Wish me luck

Now it's a Hurricane!

In hindsight Wednesday evening was quite funny but at the time it was really scary - I've always said that the down side of owning a petrol car and a diesel van is that at some point the wrong fuel would go into one of them - and guess what!!! On our way up to London to collect a dog from the PDSA and a gift in we stopped for fuel - guess who started putting petrol in the diesel engine??? Thank fully I realised what I was doing at 99p and the garage assured me that as I had filled the tank to the brim with diesel all would be well. Well we made it to London and back without even a hiccup so I guess we got away with it, but didn't you just know that sooner or later that would be the inevitable cock up.
We had a lovely little girl come in via the RSPCA earlier on Wednesday and the 2 arrivals that night have brought us up to 6 at the kennel, there's 2 more coming tomorrow morning and the Battersea dog is due to land early next week and that's us full again, hard to imagine that this time last week we were scratching around for something to do!

The storm has hit

The weekend just gone we had just 2 bulldogs at our kennels in Midhurst and I joked about it being the Lull before the Storm. Well the storm has hit - with a new arrival Monday night and we have one due in at lunch time today and another due in tonight. Friday will also see the girls in Southampton come to the kennel as they have both come into season and the owners house move means we've run out of time. There is a probable home for one of them but we need to wait until the season is over before we move them now. A call from Battersea this morning also means another is pencilled in pending veterinary treatment. This is such a familiar pattern, as soon as the kids go back to school after the Summer hols the dogs literally land in their droves. The new kennel floor is fabulous though and I keep finding myself reasons to be out there LOL.
One of the dogs in our Oxford foster home was attacked by an off lead SBT at the end of last week, poor Paddy was due to go to his new home today but the vet has requested that we keep him in care until the treatment has finished - you can read the story in the Oxford Mail.

Lull Before the Storm

This weekend was certainly the perfect time to have the kennel floor done, already this morning I have had 5 new enquiries for dogs to be rehomed and 2 or 3 of them are going to need to come to the kennel. But the floor looks amazing and I thoroughly recommend this to anyone with a kennel - I never realised how much urine that concrete floor had absorbed over the past 12 years until he put the blow torch over it to make sure it was fully dry!!! and now everything is back in I am thrilled to bits with the outcome. What amazed me was how big the grooming/treatment room is without anything in it, and I did comment that he wasn't to let Diz see the floor without the pens, just in case he asked for his garage back! Sadly, now everything is back in place it doesn't look quite so massive any more but it was very theraputic to have a real good clear out. For more information about the company that laid this floor go to http://kennelflooring.co.uk/

FIVE MORE MINUTES .....

The picnic is a lot of fun but boy does it wipe me out! I noticed at the beginning of the week that ME/CFS has received some media coverage in so far as there's been a little more research to suggest that it's actually not all in the mind - wow, tell me something I don't know because I really could do with an energy boost right now but as the old saying goes there's no rest for the wicked. The kennels are thankfully very quiet and it looks like both Meghan and Tank are away soon which will just leave us with lovable - but very naughty Alfie. The new kennel maid, Annie has been doing a lot of work with Alfie and he's calming down a little on his walks, since the recent incident he's having to be walked on a double lead and a muzzle which he's not at all happy about but it allows us to actually work with the behaviour as opposed to worrying about him eating a passing poodle for breakfast. Being a young dog, he is very eager to please but bear in mind this wee chap has already had 4 homes and his dog aggression is almost definitely the result of being attacked by a PitBull as a pup and by all account it took 20 minutes to free him, so when you look at life from Alfies perspective hating male dogs is a justifiable reaction but it really doesn't do our rescue's (or the breeds) reputation much kudos !!!
At the beginning of the year we were giving a lovely donation in memory of Mrs Shirley Yap from her daughter, it was requested that some of the money be spent on improving the kennels and as we are currently unusually very quiet we're taking the opportunity to have the indoor kennel floor done. We tend to use the 3 pens inside as hospital pens so on Sunday the floor of all three pens and the grooming/treatment room will be laid with a purpose made resin via a company in Essex (Specialised Flooring Solutions Ltd). However, the down side is that the kennel has to be emptied and the grooming/treatment room contains a grooming table/scales, a fridge/freezer, kitchen units, feed station and quite possibly something horrendously yuk behind each one! Thankfully Dawn, Peter and Bev have kindly agreed to help out on Saturday so if you hear any of us squealing you know we've found something very unsavoury and hopefully very dead!
As the countdown begins for my SQP exam next month so do the preparations for the conference I've been asked to speak at. Under the Heading "RESCUE & REHOMING: The challenge to find a loving home for every dog" sees 5 speakers from different aspects of Rescue and Rehoming and you can read all about it via the face book page. There are 10 tickets reserved for bulldog people and a couple of them have already gone so if you want to witness my first ever attempt at public speaking feel free to come along for the laugh.

ARE WE THERE YET?

Well, what can I say, the 13th Annual Bulldog Picnic was quite possibly the best bulldog picnic EVER!!! Yes, I know I say that every year but OMG we lost count after 500 people had come through the gate! The additional parking this year was a godsend and my dad and one of our volunteers; Joanne coped admirably with the 100s of cars that needed to be placed in a way that didn't upset the residents of Pook Lane. Thanks also to everyone that followed directions and parked where they were supposed to.

The afternoon raised £3,000 for Bulldog Rescue and for the first time we started 2 hours earlier and asked a couple of speakers to talk. I wasn't sure how well this would be received, but Sue Phillips' Grooming demonstration and Steve Battens Behaviour talk were both very well attended and both received really good feedback with most people reporting that the talks were very helpful.

The entire event was this year filmed by Sky TV as part of a forthcoming documentary ("Dogumentary") due to be aired in November. They were there mainly to film the fancy dress competition as the documentary is following the 2 judges around different canine events, I did undertake an very awkward interview which I hope isn't used as I felt very uncomfortable talking to a camera in the middle of a field, but they have assured me that none of the footage will be used in a way that brings any more bad press to the breed and the director actually commented on what a fantastic breed the bulldog is. "Rambo" won this year and I must admit he looked absolutely fantastic - bearing in mind part of the documentary will be putting voices to some of the dogs it's going to be hillarious to hear what he has to say about his afternoon.

As usual the Rescue Parade bought in the crowd and as this is the highlight of my day too it was just so wonderful to see some of the dogs come back to see us, all looking so well and happy. After which we showed off 2 dogs from the Kennel that were looking for homes, Mo and Meghan had a fantastic afternoon, and both were absolutely shattered when they got back to the kennel.

Sadly, Mo didn't wake up the next morning, but I'd like to think that she died in the middle of a lovely dream remembering her day out as she really did seem to enjoy her afternoon out. Ironically, Mo arrived in rescue at last year's picnic so exactly a year to the day she decided it was time to leave, a big shock for me I can tell you, but she looked so peaceful in her bed fast asleep that I just hope she had fun on her last day and that she has fond memories of me and the rest of kennel crew that have helped to care for her this last year. Run free Mo, thank you for chosing us to wait for.

So, now that everything is finally put away for another year and we go back to the usual day to day stuff we are already looking forward to next years picnic - the 14th Annual Bulldog Picnic takes place on Saturday 3rd September - put it in your diary NOW

Tears and Joy

The weekend was a series of tears and joy, helping a young family with the horror of buying a bulldog on line only to find that he had a nasty streak that resulted in the husband having to be taken to hospital by ambulance was eased a little when I invited them to bring the children for a visit to help them see that not all bulldogs were like that. The result was that little Daisy who'd only been in rescue less than a week and was struggling dreadfully with the surroundings of the kennel made such an impression on them that they were back the next morning to take her home. I can't tell you how wonderful it was to see her interacting with the children and there's no doubt they've helped each other through what could have been a terrible point in all their lives.
The worst part though of the entire weekend was an incident in the woods when one of the rescues decided that the border terrier coming towards him was fair game, the poor dog walker lost her footing in the mud and the result was carnage. Thankfully the little dog is fine and the owners, despite being understandably shocked, have been marvelous. Being neighbours I was able to visit the little dog today and despite his grand old age of 13 is recovering well and milking the extra attention for everything it's worth.
Then on Sunday I had a paw print added to the new tattoo for Maggie, losing Maggie has been one of the hardest deaths I've had to deal with in a very long time and by marking her alongside the other 10 paw prints on the tattoo was very therapeutic. Rest in Peace my sweet baby, I hope we made your awful life a little more bearable in your final years.

WANNA BE ON THE TELLY?

With all the bad publicity surrounding bulldogs (pedigree dogs, vets, dog owners) etc recently it should be a refreshing change to have this years Bulldog Picnic featured as part of Sky1's forthcoming programme "Dogumentary". The fancy dress competition will be the focus, so make sure you dress to impress!
Yesterday saw our new kennel maid start at the kennels in Midhurst, she insists we havn't frightened her off with all those wrinkly faces, so here's to a long and happy relationship with Annie and we welcome you on board.

15 Years .....

It was 15 years ago today that I moved into this house. It was damp, abandoned (had been empty for over a year) and over grown, but there was something about it. We couldn't afford it, despite the fact that the price had been very much reduced due to the fact that it had been empty for so long, but somehow we found the money to buy it. The gas board came out to service the heating and slapped condemned stickers on everything and left. There was a gas leak under the entire house by all accounts, they muttered something about it not being their job, turned the gas off at the mains and drove off!

Both Dizzy and I had not long been separated from our previous marriages, he had one cantankerous old bulldog called Bessie who hated children and I had two children aged 5 and 6!

Over the years this house has proved to be perfect for everything we've ever needed to do, as what started out as just needing room for a home office and storage for stock for the record business, became room for show dogs and litters, became room for rescue kennels, became room for stock storage for Reggie's Den and it all just seemed to fit into place perfectly.

We've done very little to the soul of the building and when the medium came out on my birthday she said that there was a lady attached to this house who approved of the fact that we'd not changed much. Apparently she acknowledged the fact that we'd built kennels and approved of the rescue, saying she liked the energy the dogs bought to the place.

Maggie's grave was bulldog number 14 in the little grave yard at the bottom of the garden, 11 of which have been our own pets and 3 rescues, of course there beach pebbles remember all the others.

15 years ago by life changed, I found Diz again, I left my marriage behind me, moved out of the horrible rented rabbit hutch my kids and I had been forced to live in and moved into the house that I plan to stay in for the rest of my life (and beyond). Today is a very special day and it also means there's only 10 years left on the mortgage!

The countdown to the Picnic has begun

There's less than a month until the infamous Bulldog Picnic holds it's 13th Event!! We've extended it this year for the first time and tried to make it a little more educational. We've got Sue from Sue's Animal Magic giving a grooming demo and she'll be able to tell you how to deal with those cute wrinkles and troublesome ears. Steve Batten - a behaviourist who often gives advice for Bulldog Rescue will also be giving a talk on some of the breeds more common behaviour issues and answering questions on specific problems. Tania is also making herself available for a while to advise on specific problems that you may need advice on so make sure you arrive nice and early to make the most of the additional events that are taking place.
For the first time too, we've been given additional parking space, regular visitors will be aware that the parking has become troublesome over the past few years so the local football club have given us permission to use the football field. This is the gate to the left right on the roundabout as you come off the main road.
The Picnic opens at 12 noon and continues through to 5pm and as usual we will have a fancy dress parade and the rescue parade. Be aware that Sky 1 will be filming the fancy dress as they are currently following Joanne Good (who has again agreed to judge the competition) and Anna Webb around some of the UKs more unusual doggy events for a "dogumentary" so make sure you bring the best fancy dress outfit - part of the programme will feature putting voices to the dogs so it should make very interesting viewing!!
For a complete guide to what's happening when, directions, weather and lists of places to stay go to the Picnic web site at www.bulldogrescue.co.uk/Picnic.htm
As you know at each years picnic we give someone in the breed an award for outstanding contribution to Bulldog Welfare. This is your last chance to nominate someone as the trustees will decide at the end of next week who gets it
Go to http://www.bulldogrescue.co.uk/award.htm to nominate
See you there!!!!

Back to Work - Day One

Up bright and early this morning, did loads of housework and was busy washing the floor in the living room when it dawned on me that Maggie had made no effort to say hello, not unusual for her to stay asleep, even when I'm hoovering but she was unusually still. Imagine my shock when I realised she'd gone and I'd been in that room cleaning for at least an hour and hadn't noticed. I felt so terrible, but she was definitely dead and had been for many hours as she was rigid, but fast a sleep and so very peaceful. She will take the last available space in the graveyard and already I need another paw print adding to the tattoo. We were called out on a rescue call yesterday afternoon, but she seemed her normal self and Peter and Beverly said there was nothing unusual about her when they left here early evening. She ate fine and Hilda had been cuddled up to her on the sofa as usual this morning so there was no real need to suspect anything untoward but I can't tell you the guilt I'm feeling right now.

Maggie had appeared on TV a couple of time, once on the Channel Five news and she appeared on the One Show next to Adam Sandler, but what kicked it all off was her appearance on the Paul O'grady show. She'd arrived in rescue several months earlier having been bought out of a violent household but a policeman. He had tried to keep her but she was terribly incontinent, very frightened and incredibly over bred so he gave her up to us. She was rehomed twice, but sadly returned twice due to her lack of house training so when we were asked to take a dog on the Homeless Dog's section, she seemed the perfect choice. A home was actually found from that TV appearance, but the new owners vet insisted she had cancer and should be put to sleep, thankfully I arrived at the vets before they had chance to go through with it and snatched her back deciding that enough was enough and that we'd keep her here. That was over 3 years ago, we had her boobs removed to stop her tripping over them any more and she had a complete hysterectomy which dealt with her internal infections from being so over bred and subsequently cured her incontinence. The operation lasted over 6 hours and it was touch and go if she'd survive, but she did and despite the scar that ran the full length of her underside, she recovered perfectly. She hated walking and would pretend to limp if you tried to get her to go for a walk, but had her own spot on the end of the sofa where she refused to budge - even when the floor was layed in the living room she stayed on the sofa as the workmen carried it from one side of the room to the other as they layed the floor around her.

So back to work this morning with lots of orders to wade through, so please bear with us, thankfully the phone is being unusually kind to me, even for the first day back when I expected it to not stop ringing so thank you everyone for giving me some space to get my head round this mornings events.

Holiday - Day One

The tattoo is finished, although I'm already making plans to extend it!!! Its sore again today but that'll soon pass I'm sure.

The first day of my holiday and Dizzy and I went to the sea side, had a lovely late lunch and a little stroll along the front - interrupted by one "urgent" call from someone who's new dog had made the cats leave home, after spending most of the evening trying to sort something out as I'm fairly near them tomorrow, they informed me at 9pm they'd found a home via the previous owner - lets hope this time it's permanent but I did tell them we were here if for any reason it didn't work out.

Following tonight's episode of Panorama, I'm sure that many people across the country are horrified at the number of dogs that are put to sleep every year due to aggressive behaviour. At Battersea, the figures disclosed showed that almost as many were put to sleep last year as they actually rehomed. This is an awful side to rescue and one that none of us ever ever get used to, but it is sadly a necessary evil in so far as putting a dog that is potentially dangerous back into the public domain is not only irresponsible but could land the rescue involved in court under the dangers dog law. What a lot of people don't realise is that you are held responsible for any behaviour your dog displays, especially if you knew the dog had behaved in that way before - so putting a known biter out for rehoming is not only putting people at risk but also incredibly irresponsible of the charity. Here at Bulldog Rescue we are lucky insofar as we don't see a vast number of situations where dogs are being put down because they are dangerous, but there are a handful that come through the system where it is our only option. One of the vets on the program summed things up perfectly by saying that putting them down was not the rescues responsibility - it was the owner who had failed the dog by not taking responsibility for the dog's behaviour and in most cases turn them out as strays or gifting them in with a watered down version of events. We see approximately 5-10 cases each year where the dog is deemed too dangerous to rehome (and we don't put anything down for being dog aggressive as sadly that's often a bulldog trait), but we receive fairly high number of calls from people who's reason for rehoming is due to a bite where the dogs never come into the system. We consistently see vets who refuse to put the dog to sleep and we even get calls from the vets themselves begging us to do something to save the dog when we simply cannot take the risk, not only to the general public but to the reputation of the breed.

I've already received emails this evening asking what we can do, once again I will get on my soap box and scream two words "DOG LICENCE". As the RSPCA chap pointed out, there are tighter rules in respect of owning a television and for some reason the government are so dead against any kind of licencing system that things can only get worse (and I never thought I'd actually agree with anything an RSPCA spokesman had to say!). You can read my thoughts here with regard to the need for a licence and for compulsory microchipping which would (in most cases) identify the person that callously abandoned their dog for whatever reason and like the number plate on a car would track ownership throughout the dogs life time. Status symbol dogs, breeding for money, breeding because "it's good for the bitch to have one litter" has to stop, they interviewed one SBT "breeder" (and I use the term lightly) who openly admitted his bitch was a rescue! She'd whelped six pups in the kitchen of his tower block flat.

All I can say at this point is thank goodness we are not Staffordshire Bull Terrier rescue because right now these poor people simply cannot cope with the number of dogs being abandoned after being trained to be dog aggressive - there is no future for these poor dogs and rescues across the UK will continue to have to kill healthy dogs because society made them into monsters. Until the laws are tightened up when it comes to dog ownership nothing will ever change I'm afraid and I can only see things getting worse and worse from this point on

A well deserved rest ...... ?

Well we will certainly see. During the course of the year we take two weeks off, one at Christmas and the first week in August. The plan is to do very little, take days out, sleep, garden and enjoy the sunshine (assuming it's still shining next week). Today is pretty much the day to get all those lose ends tied up and to be honest - it ain't gonna happen LOL but we will see, I can always sneak into the office at some point during the course of the week as it's much easier to get things done when you don't have to continuously answer the phone. Not many people know, as I've never really made it public, but I suffer a condition known as CFS, it's a mild form of ME so not quite so debilitating but it does mean that when I crash, I really crash. I've had it for quite a few years so have learned how to manage it but it's very easy to do too much without realising it, which is not too difficult when you have as much to do in a day as I do, it means though that I tend to pin everything on this week off in the hope that I will be fully charged and rearing to go at the end of it - the problem is that at the end of the week all the work has piled up and the first day back tends to wipe me out again which makes the rest pretty pointless which is one of the reasons why we don't actually go away on holiday, but it is really nice to wake up in the morning and not HAVE to actually get out of it LOL - there's nothing quite like watching day time telly in bed is there? I'm getting the tattoo finished on Sunday and have lots of plans for my garden so lets hope the nice weather holds out for just one more week - ppppplllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasssssssssssssssssseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee ;o)

Morning Peeps

Well I finally bit the bullet and had the big tattoo done on Saturday, it needs a little bit more work but after 4 hours I'd really had enough, it didn't hurt until the last half an hour but I am thrilled to bits with it. It depicts Rainbow Bridge, 10 paw prints for my own dogs that are waiting at the bridge and the pebbles are (as you know) representing rescue dogs that are waiting. There's a background to go in and the bulldog head that was already there needs going over again once it's all healed, it's a little sore today but no pain, no gain as they say

At the bottom of my garden I've got a magical fairy garden, yesterday I bought a solar fairy sitting on a globe that glows different colours - you should have seen Hilda trying to work it out, to say she was experiencing a combination of curiosity and total fear really summed her up - watching her stalking it was hilarious!

It shouldn't happen at a vets BBC1 22 July 2010

Well, what did you make of it? Personally it came across to me like another docu-hatchet job as apart from the inflated invoices which I've talked about before and will talk about again in a mo, the footage of cruelty appeared to be straw grabbing trying to sensensionalise the odd occassion when something went wrong. I'm not saying that spinning a cat round by it's scruff whilst giving an injection is right (and that vet was struck off), nor am I saying that the joking of the cat who was fighting back when his Pre-Med had worn off is acceptable. I'm certainly not saying that striking a dog after major surgery is normal, but nor is it common and the poor Red Setter fighting to catch his breath was very upsetting indeed but if that's the worst they can come up with then things really aren't that bad, I was expecting real cruelty on a major scale but what I saw was sensationalised errors made by trainee staff that should never have been in that situation in the first place.
However, when it comes to money the new "branded" vet "business" does have some serious let downs. It was pretty much admitted that if an animal was brought in limping, rather than go for the rest and anti inflammatories and see what happens they would jump straight in with thousands of pounds worth of tests - that has been going on for a while and we see a huge difference in the vet bills that come through rescue with those that have come from a rural old fashioned vet and those that come from the big "chains" such a MediVet and VetsNow. The new rule that you must pay BEFORE the animal receives treatment is also on the increase and I'm not at all suprised that insurance claims were being falsley lodged in order to gain as much money as possible from one single treatment.
The vet profession has certainly changed over the years, especially in the last 5 years as many of the rural vets have been taken over by big businesses and I've talked before about how animals are held to ransom pending full payment which is most definately wrong and bearing in mind all vets take an oath to treat all animals the money really shouldn't be the first priority, in fact I think it's illegal to do so under RCVS rules (maybe someone could clarify that for me).
So let me know your thoughts on the programme, if you missed it I guess it's on iPlayer so take a look at see what you think

Life, Death and Holidays

Our new arrivals story started yesterday morning with a phone call at 20 to 2 in the morning from a distraught owner who was frantically trying to arrange something for her bulldog when her friend who was looking after him told her he no longer wanted him. So after many hours of tears and conversations with the local volunteer, dear Alfie arrived, very bewildered but OK and pleased to be able to settle down in his bed with a bowl full of food.
Sunday sees our lodger move out and my daughter move back in. Mark has a new flat to move into but I can see it being a very long day and if you read the story in the paper about the boy killed on the M23 at the weekend, that was in fact his cousin so there's lot going on in his family right now and another house move is probably the last thing he needs.
As for me, well my annual week off looms ever closer - for the first week of August I will, as usual, be in hibernation, only contact me if you absolutely have to LOL

Calm Memories

What a lovely weekend, despite the fact that the pub we ate at on Saturday night caught fire and in true British tradition everyone ignored it and carried on eating, until someone shouted "the store rooms on fire" to the bar staff who then promptly disappeared leaving a customer to grab the fire extinguisher. Diz had only just said to me he could smell burning plastic but thought it was a vain attempt at starting a barbecue. Once the drama was over everyone carried on like it had never happened - God bless the Great British Public LOL

Sunday was peaceful, time spent between gardening and studying saw the beginnings of my pond area begin to take shape, can't say I'm looking forward to digging it though!!!!!

Diz sorted through some old paperwork that he found in a box in the cupboard and in amongst piles of pedigrees dating back to the early 1970s was some old rescue paperwork. A letter from Liz Heslop dated May 1980 welcoming a new volunteer to the fold and the original sign over forms and home check form - to be honest they are not that much different to what we use now and to me was really fascinating to see how things were at the very beginning. You can take a look at the memorabilia which is listed on ebay (the money will go to Bulldog Rescue, Diz listed it under the wrong account) and see full size copies of the letter and the forms.

YOU GOT THAT FRIDAY FEELING?

It's Friday already, my day sick has thrown me into confusion (not that I usually have any idea what day of the week it is anyway). I've got 3 days off in the kennel now with help coming in today, Saturday and Sunday and the inflatable Gerbil that is fondly known as Blossom has gone in to a foster home in an attempt to house train her. There's a few new dogs waiting to be listed which I will try and do this afternoon or tomorrow so if you are a regular to our Homes Needed page make sure you check it out.
If you are not yet a member of Reggie's Den Face Book club be sure to join, we are running a series of special offers just for our Face Book members to check it out, you can find the link at www.reggies-den.co.uk
Have a great weekend, it's meant to get warmer again so keep an eye on those bulldogs

What a difference a day makes

Where's the Summer gone? It's blowing a gale force wind here today!!!!! Thankfully all is still standing and I had the forthought yesterday to get Jason to take the Gazebo down before it decided to visit the land of Oz!!
Yesterday was a bit of a time waster, I didn't feel right Tuesday night and woke yesterday to the most horrendous stomach ache, the initial plan was just to take the morning off but I didn't feel better all day so spent most of yesterday sleeping - I know I often wish for a day in bed, but it just goes to show that you have to be careful what you wish for LOL as today is going to be spent chasing my tail trying to catch up. It was nice, but I am sorry to anyone that couldn't reach me yesterday, there's a number of messages for me to sort through so please bear with me as I work my way through them

Lets hope the St Swithin's theory is wrong or we are in for a pretty rough Summer.

St Swithin's Day, if thou dost rain,
For forty days it will remain:
St. Swithin's Day, if thou be fair,
For forty days 'twill rain nae mair.'

Much is written on the threory of St Swithin's day, most notably that

"St. Swithin, bishop of Winchester, was a man equally noted for his uprightness and humility. So far did he carry the latter quality, that, on his death-bed, he requested to be buried, not within the church, but outside in the churchyard, on the north of the sacred building, where his corpse might receive the eaves-droppings from the roof, and his grave be trodden by the feet of the passers-by. His lowly request was complied with, and in this neglected spot his remains reposed till about a hundred years afterwards, when a fit of indignation seized the clergy at the body of so pious a member of their order being allowed to occupy such a position; and on an appointed day they all assembled to convey it with great pomp into the adjoining cathedral of Winchester. When they were about to commence the ceremony, a heavy rain burst forth, and continued without intermission for the forty succeeding days. The monks interpreted this tempest as a warning from Heaven of the blasphemous nature of their attempt to contravene the directions of St. Swithin, and, instead of disturbing his remains, they erected a chapel over his grave"
How, then, did the popular notion about St. Swithin's Day arise? "Most probably, it was derived from some primeval pagan belief regarding the meteorologically prophetic character of some day about the same period of the year as St. Swithin's. Such adaptations, it is well known, were very frequent on the supplanting throughout Europe of heathenism by Christianity. Many of our popular customs and beliefs can indeed be only satisfactorily explained by tracing them to such a source."

So Pagan or Christian, looks like we are in for a rough ride LOL



Source:http://www.thebookofdays.com/months/july/15.htm

The holidays are coming .....

And with it comes the deluge of calls from people who need their dogs picking up urgently because they are going away, like, now!!! There will be a rush of foster cases during the last couple of weeks of July and then come August things start to settle a little as the kids are off school and looking after the dog becomes a little easier. The phone hasn't stopped yet this morning, there certainly is no rest for the wicked LOL
I've had confirmation of the Seminar in October, there will be a maximum of 10 tickets reserved for bulldog people that will be on a first come first served basis so if you are hoping to come it might be an idea to let me know, I should have an idea of the ticket price within the next few days.

New Week, New Start

Not only is it a new week but it's a new moon so it's an excellent day to draw a line under any bad stuff and start completely afresh. Bad stuff certainly became the theme of the weekend following the tragic death of a bulldog in transit to her new home on Saturday afternoon. What made it so upsetting for all involved was that the dog wasn't hot or distressed she simply died in her sleep. It was very difficult for all concerned to come to terms with and many hours has been spent on the phone trying to make sense of it. In reality, there is no sense to be made; it's a risk we all take, but I just wanted to use this tragidy to relay some basic rules when transporting dogs, especially bulldogs, especially in the Summer months.

If you have air conditioning, keep it at a constant cool temperature and keep the windows shut, if you don't have air conditioning then please do not travel any dog on a hot day unless you absolutely have too - waiting until later in the day when it is much cooler and safer. Open windows are fine until you get stuck in traffic and that when you can no longer control the interior temperature of the car and an overheating situation could occur.

One of the biggest misconceptions when travelling dogs is that you need to stop frequently, you don't! I can't stress this enough because each time you stop, get the dog out of the car, walk it around in the sun and put it back in the car you are unsettling the dog all over again. If you need to stop for a wee or a coffee feel free to offer your dog a drink but don't feel the need to take him out for a wee too unless he really needs to go and if he's settled then just leave him alone.

The following was written for rescue volunteers transporting dogs to foster care, but it may be useful for the general public to have access to it also - please feel free to read it here

The evening became a little less stressful though as my daughter's birthday brought about a small party in the garden, and as the night drew on and the bottle of wine I was drinking grew lighter the awful events of the day were finally fading into a blur. The party went ahead with no hitches or hiccups and as someone had brought some chinse lanterns we had great fun letting them go and watching them travel for miles in the skies above Midhurst - sorry to anyone that found one Sunday morning with the ravings of a group of kids scrawled over them - well I say kids, Katie was 22 on Saturday but I guess when you reach my age anyone under the age of 30 is a child LOL

My PowerPoint presentation is finished and I'm actually rather pleased with it, I've never used PowerPoint before and was suprised at how much fun it was. So Sunday I sat in the sun for most of the day studying from my AMTRA training manual and hoping enough of this information stays in my brain for me to actually pass the exam in October.

Have a great week and please look after your bulldog.

Another Scorcher

Today is goig to be hotter than ever so please be extra careful with your bulldogs. Page 81 of the Bulldog Bible tells you what to do if your bulldog overheats and there's info here too but it's best to play it safe and keep him inside with the curtains closed and the fans running, I've not had any calls yet from anyone losing their bulldog to the heat please don't let your's be the first victim of the Summer.
I spent most of yesterday learning how to use PowerPoint - oh it's so much fun LOL. I've been asked to do a 20 minute presentation in October about Bulldog Rescue for the Southern Newfoundland Activies Group alongside Labrador Rescue, Newfoundland Rescue and a general all breed rescue. Tickets will go on sale soon and there's hopefully going to be about 20 reserved for Bulldog Pet Owners so keep an eye on this blog and I'll let you know when they go on general sale (I could really do with the support too LOL). It's going to be in one of the Kennel Club Meeting Rooms in Warwickshire on Saturday 9th October so pencil that in your diary now!
And if you're wondering why on earth I'm putting that together now when I've got until October to get it sorted, it's because I've finally booked my SQP exam for the beginning of October so I need all the spare time I can get between now and then to cram as much swatting in as I possibly can.
Stay safe

Rise but no shine

Well the weekend had to catch up with me soon or later, yes I overslept this morning - I really couldn't get up and now I am up, feel like shite. Every night so far this week has been a late one, home check Monday, dog introduction Tuesday and a home check last night I don't feel like I've slept for a year. Both homechecks were very successful though so that's two more dogs with a forever home and poor old Oscar who arrived here on Monday looking very sad and sorry for himself met his new girlfriend Tuesday and will be set to leave once he's recovered from his neglect issues later next month. I'll try and keep a diary for him once I've got some photos and bring you up to date with his story.
Lots of you have asked after Mabel, well, she's still very pale but eating normally and back to her old grumpy self. My gut feeling is that there's a problem somewhere but I think it's going to be a while before we find out what that is. She's looking very thin but now her appetite is back hopefully that will rectify.
Well, I'd better get a rocket under me and get to work, ho hum - another busy day I'm sure as I plan to get some rehoming done today

Sun, grass and sores

Hilda's latest favourite past time is to rub herself upside down on the short brown grass until she's bleeding! She's been doing his now for about 3 weeks and is a series of healed, creamed and bleeding sores all around her neck and shoulders. This time of year often sees an increase in skin problems, some of it's allergies to the grass, some of it is scratching from being so hot and if your dog only ever suffers problems in the Summer it can usually be kept under control by treating each sore spot as it arises. I do know that many people give anti histamines during the Summer but unless your dog is really suffering I do worry about that. Bathe each sore spot with salt water, pat dry and then apply sudocrem - if you see the area has healed or is starting to heal after 48 hours than this will work for your dog, if the areas start to spread and you find that you can pull chunks of fur out like you were plucking a chicken then a short course of anti biotics may help as this is a sign that the area has become infected. I know that many vets love to prescribe steroids for skin problems and I can't stress enough that this really should be a last case resort because long term use of steroids can lead to other problems, one of the dogs we recently rehomed has just suffered a bout of pancreaitis which the vet has presumed is due to the long term use of steroids.

Food can be a great contributor to skin problems, anything with a lot of colouring or a protein level of more than 24% is a definite no for dogs with sensitive skin, feed something along the lines of James Wellbeloved, Arden Grange or Burns as these foods tend to have less fillers (ie: crap off the abatoire floor), for some dogs feeding a fish based food such as James Wellbeloved White fish and rice or Burns Fish and Potato is helpful, but be wary of allergy test - they will simply tell you your dog is allergic to pollen and dust mites - neither of which you can do anything about and are usually a total waste of time, effort and money.

Malaseb is another vet fave, I just noticed that's being sold at £20 a bottle!!!! The big problem I have with baths as a treatment for skin is the simple fact that bathing dries the skin, makes it flaky which makes it itchy - try not to over bath your dog it can often prove to be counter productive and for what it's worth Medichems Sporal D shampoo (available from http://www.reggies-den.co.uk/) is just as good, if not better.

I think one of the main issues is the fact that vets not only feel the need to make money out of every dog that walks through the door (especially the pedigrees) but also that they have to be seen to be doing something. You really don't always need the pills and potions they prescribe, salt water, sudocrem and decent diet is often all you need to get you through the summer and an anti histamine reserved for really bad days or for dogs with a genuine allergy to pollen.

Earth, here I come ... with a thump

Monday morning, my pet Bristolian, as she became fondly known, is back in Bristol, the alarm sounded again this morning and there's dogs to feed and shite to clear ... my 48 hour holiday is officially over!!! To be fair I had 12 hours more than last year as I stayed over night this year, thanks so much to Peter and Bev and Dawn who made that possible, especially Peter who's recovering from surgery and probably could have done without my problems this weekend! Dizzy coped very well on his own and did tell me that Jason was an absolute star - thanks to them too for allowing me to disappear for a couple of days, it was just what the doctor ordered.

It is strange though being back in surroundings that were normal for you when you were 17 but not quite so normal aged 43, when someone asks if you've seen their husband/boyfriend/friend and they are described as fat, bald and tattooed - it narrows it down to most of the men on the site as most of the people there are in their 40s now.

We spent Saturday catching up with old friends, Ali from our scooter club was having her hen do at Camber and they looked like they were having a fantastic time, complete with cardboard Elvis. We spent most of the evening in the Soul room and even entered the dancing competition, we didn't win (or come anywhere near winning) but i did get further than Debbie, dressing up as we would have done all those years ago - complete with false eyelashes was the funniest thing I've done in a long time, our chalet was stroon with make up and clothes just as it would have been back in 1982 when were there for the first time on holiday with our parents. Camber Sands formed a very special friendship and all these years later we are still good friends, Godmothers to each others eldest daughters and despite the miles between us have remained increadibly good friends over the years. Our annual pilgrimage to Camber Sands scooter rally looks like it's going to be a regular event so that leave 364 days until my next day off.

Midhurst 2 Bristol 0

The Bristolian landed safely and my living room now resembles a teenagers bedroom! I've just popped into the office whilst she's in the shower (she'll be in there for hours) to get things up todate before we head off to Camber Sands tomorrow. Thanks to everyone that sent Mabel get well wishes, she has proved to be a real mystery - despite still being increadibly pale, all her blood tests have come back normal. She has eaten today though and seems a lot perkier so we have absolutely no idea what is wrong with her, time will tell no doubt, but for today she's fine and currently fast asleep on the sofa bed making the most of it being empty no doubt.

Good news and Bad News all in the space of an hour

Today sees the launch of the annual calendar competition. You have 20 days to get your photos in so pop yourself along to the competition web site and get snapping!

Do you remember Claire? Here's a little reminder

Well I had a little visiter this morning .... Guess who this is ...

Can you beleive it's the same dog????????????? Sadly the visit was breif as I was on my way out to the vet with Mabel who's not been very well, nothing I can put my finger on but she's lost a lot of weight recently and her appetite over the past few days has been zero. Her colour is appaulling and she's taken to hiding in the corner so they've taken some bloods and the vet has warned me to be prepared for the worst, keep your fingers crossed but she is 9½ - of course I'll keep you posted.

So back to work as I eagerly await the arrival of the whirlwind that is called Debbie.