Sad News and new arrivals

Today is one of those sad days when you don't really want to share the news but know that lots of friends will want to know.

Buddy, a sponsor dog for a number of years, has passed away. During the last few days he become noticably frail and reluctant not only to go out for a walk but also to eat. So over the weekend he's been spoilt with some special chicken and today we had to make the decision that all pet owners dread.

Buddy came to us many years ago and found a home with a caring older couple. His dislike of other dogs was never a problem for them and despite his little tantrums they gave him a loving home. After losing his wife, Buddys owner continued to care for him until his own ill health meant he had to move to sheltered accommodation where he could not take Buddy.

As always with any of our dogs, we quickly arranged for Buddy to come back to us. His age even back in 2002 and his little ways made it difficult to find a new home and as he quickly settled into kennel life his future always seemed to rest with us. I spoke to Buddys owner shortly before he passed away in 2003 and at least he knew that Buddy would always be safe with us. His contribution to the Trust will always be remembered as in his will Buddys owner left a generous donation which helped make the Puppy and Special Needs Block a reality in 2005.

In the last 6 years Buddy has been a firm favourite with all the staff and even mellowed towards other dogs over time. He asked for very little and enjoyed the many treats and visits he received from all his supporters. All our dogs are special to us but the Sponsor Dogs are of course extra special and we will certainly all miss Buddy.

If Buddy did have any "doggy friends" in the kennels his best friend was certainly Jess, who has been with us for 3 years and I know Buddy would be delighted that Jess will be the latest Sponsor Dog.

We will be writing to all Buddys supporters but if you are one of his sponsors please accept our
sincere thanks for allowing us to care for Buddy on your behalf and we hope you will continue to support us, do let us know if you would like to move your sponsorship to Jess or any of the other sponsor dogs.

To happier news - the patter of tiny feet is definitely in the air at the moment. With two young litters to care for we now have another pregnant collie with us who was left tied to the owners ex-husbands car at the weekend (bad enough? But made worse by the fact she chewed through her lead and it wasn't for some time that the man realised and then had to find her at this time of year.) No I'm not going to share with you our thoughts on this one !!

Lots of more dogs needing our help on the horizon at the moment, I've got two trips out this week and we've lots arranged to come in during the next few weeks.

Yep in rescue - life goes on, sleep well Buddy.

Bye for now

Ben