Everyone must be on their guard ...

In 2010 there were a total of 6 bulldogs taken - only 2 of which were returned. Already in 2011 there have been 8 bulldog reported as lost or stolen and 3 of these have turned up dead (2 drowned) as the breed continues to be popular I can only see this figure rising and despite the many many pleas to get puppies microchipped before they are sold, so many still are not - it's a small additional expense to help ensure stolen dogs are reunited with their owners and we can do it for you here at the kennel or at a show we are attending, if we are there in the van we will have equipment with us so please find me and ask me if your dog still isn't microchipped I will do it for a tenner!!
In the meantime follow some simple rules:
DON'T WALK SAME ROUTE, SAME TIME EVERY DAY
Anyone that is targeting a breed will watch for routine activity
MAKE SURE YOUR GARDEN IS SECURE
Several of the dogs taken so far this year have gone from secure gardens so make a point now of walking the perimeter fence and make sure there's no where an intruder can get in. Make sure all external gates are locked at all times and try and avoid having anything at the front of your property such as statues and window stickers that advertise the fact that there are bulldogs on the premises. It certainly won't hurt to fix up a CCTV camera, they can be purchased very cheaply and either rigged up to your TV or to the computer.
BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU SAY
In today's Internet culture it's very easy to forget that a face book status can easily advertise that you are not at home!!

So what have we been up to this week? A fantastic little puppy is just about to finish his 5 days isolation and move to a foster home, arriving with Giardia - a highly contagious dioreah causing stomach parasite he's not loved me very much for keeping him separate from everyone and everything and only touching him in gloves, aprons and shoe covers (which are pointless because by the time you come out you look like you've been attacked by a tiger). He's shown no symptoms all week and although the pooh test done this morning gave a positive result his new foster mum is happy to take the risk. Although easily treated it's a bugger to get rid of so lets hope that his 5 days quarantine will soon be a dim and distant memory and if we can prise him away from his foster mum he may go up for adoption soon (but don't hold your breath because something tells me he's already going to his permanent home) Little Cooper is only 11 weeks old and for all you breeders out there - refusing to take a pup back because it has Giardia is not, in my opinion, a good enough reason - thank fully he landed here!

Another little girl here at the moment is Betsy, also on long term antibiotic treatment for severe neglect, she's finally finding her personality and really coming out of her self. She'll look as good as new in no time I'm sure - watch for the web site as no doubt she'll be looking for her forever home very soon.

And of course the news arrived Thursday night that Dizzy and I have been invited to a Buckingham palace garden party in honour of the work we do for rescue - so do I hide the tattoos and buy a posh frock and a hat? Can you really see me in a posh frock and a hat? Although I did dream last night that one of the Corgi's poohed on the lawn and I whipped out a pooh bag from my hand bag and picked it up much to the disgust of the other guests.

Finally, I just want to draw your attention to the work of an organisation called PETA. Probably one of the most dangerous animal rights groups in the world. My background lies in animal rights but not even I ever went this far. Their annual attack on Crufts is comparing the KC to the BNP in that they promote "pure blood". There's a link through to the kennel club list of breed rescues so I guess we all need to batten down the hatches and wait for the car bombs? What do you think? Is this freedom of speech - sharing information that is already in the public domain - or down right dangerous? Please let me know: http://www.bnpcrufts.co.uk/page2.html