Seasons Greetings

Happy Christmas to all our supporters and thank you for your support, good wishes and of course the presents we've received recently for staff and dogs. It's all very much appreciated.

2009 has been another succesful year. Whilst there have no doubt been many collies we've been unable to help, by the end of this month almost 500 collies will have found new homes. This year we do seem to have seen a high number of collies with problems of all levels so to be able to find so many good homes is very rewarding.

Our Christmas Party in November was very busy (again) and raised just short of £2000 so well done to everyone who came along. Trustees realise that we may have now outgrown the Village Hall we've been using for many years and we will be considering this at our next meeting in early January. We have one very exciting idea in mind and subject to the agreement of all Trustees there will be more news on this soon.

2009 has also seen advances in giving staff a greater insight into dog behaviour and reviews of our rehoming and kennel practises have also resulted in changes for the better. This is always on going as we realise that we should always be looking to see how we can improve. Whilst not wishing to change for changes sake we never stop learning.

On a personal level it's been a pleasure speaking to so many of you, whether it be personally, on the phone, by email or on Facebook and Twitter. I know that the work we do helps so many unfortunate collies but also helps change the lives of many people for the better and we look forward to doing more of the same in 2010.

All the staff, Trustees and of course the collies who will share Christmas with us wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Bye for now

Ben

Christmas Party

A reminder our annual party is on 29th November at Little Haywood Village Hall from 11am to 3pm. All the usual activities and refreshments, fun dog show (weather permitting) and of course Santa will be calling in to give all the dogs a present.

Tracey has finally finished wrapping all the surprise parcels in the office and doesn't want to see any more wrapping paper for months - when you see how many she's wrapped you'll understand why !!

Still lots of dogs coming in but homing has kept pace this year. No doubt it will slow down now as we approach Christmas. You'll all be delighted to know that following his appearance on The Paul O'Grady Show last month, Bono found a new home and has settled in very well.

Don't forget there's lots of Christmas cards and presents on the website and still plenty of time to order.

If you prefer a more high tech Christmas card then do follow the link to Charity Greetings and when every card, cards or boxed set you buy means a donation comes direct to us if you choose us as your charity.

Bye for now

Ben

Exciting news

Can't believe it's 3 weeks since the last blog. Twitter and Facebook followers will already be aware but do make sure you tune into Paul O'Grady Show on Channel 4 Thursday 22nd October.

We were approached last week to see if we had any suitable dogs for featuring on the show and Bono, a deaf chap who came to us from another rescue was the lucky one. The show has been recorded today so we're looking forward to seeing him with his celebrity guest handler on Thursday.

Otherwise it's still busy, plenty of dogs finding homes and we're able to help many individual owners as a result as well as the rescues that ask us.

Cbristmas orders have also been coming in thick and fast. With the potential postal strike we would recommend getting your order in sooner rather than later. We will watch the situation and if necessary use alternative postal services to get parcels to our customers.

Finally don't forget our Christmas Party is on 29th November, usual venue (will soon be here!!)

Bye for now

Ben

Colour Coding review

Regular visitors to the website and the centre will no doubt be well aware of our colour coding system which helps potential new owners identify suitable dogs for their needs, experience and capabilities as well as for use in the kennels by staff and volunteers.

After being in use for 18 months we felt is was time to take a fresh look and as a result we've made some slight changes. The defination of the colours has changed slightly and is in more detail, more importantly we've reduced the colours from four to three as we found it was sometimes difficult to decide between blue and purple and there was some concern that perhaps people were being put off purple dogs before they knew a little more about the reasons for this classification.

Rehoming still continues to keep us busy and of course that means we can call more dogs in that need our help.

Have you noticed the dark nights now drawing in? Soon comes around doesn't it, beofer you know about it we'll be talking about Christmas!! Speaking of which advance warning of our Christmas Party on Sunday 29th November :-)

Bye for now

Ben

Holiday time

Those of you who follow us elsewhere will know Sir Reilly and his humans are taking their annual holiday during September and arrived at our first weeks base today. A lovely log cabin near Melrose. Next week we move onto the Isle of Skye for a week. Reilly will be posting photos and updates through Facebook and Twitter.

Back at the centre homing has continued to be busy, 7 new guests came in on Friday and there's chance we may have the patter of tiny feet in a few weeks - watch this space!!

Bye for now

Ben

Happy Days

It's a really busy time at the moment. Plenty of dogs are still finding new homes and as a result we are able to call in lots as well. In addition our new computer software is coming along nicely. It's a steep learning curve for us all but we're enjoying the experience, even if it doesn't always go according to plan.

As part of this we had to improve our internet access so it was available in Reception and I managed to avoid the showers on Saturday to get this sorted giving a good signal throughout the Reception area. Along with other computer improvements, I'm certainly living up to my unofficial title as our IT expert (but believe you me it's very much with a small e!!)

We've now recovered from all the tiling work and hopefully after the building improvements we've made over the last few years we can have a bit of a rest now, although maintenance jobs are always cropping up. I've just come back from replacing a tap washer in the Boarding block !!

Plenty of shows being attended as well. I shall be a Catton Park with the Collie Shop on Sunday for an agility show, and we have a big show in Northamptonshire the following weekend.

And then in September I get to escape for two weeks - lucky aren't I :-)

Bye for now

Ben

Tiling finsihed

Well the tiling is finished and all the kennels look really wonderful. With their new beds the dogs have real clean and comfortable rooms now.

It won't take long to fill up to our normal capacity now that the work is finished so this week will be busy arranging dogs coming in no doubt.

With 150 following us on Facebook and 139 on Twitter they continue to attract interest in our work and it might just be coincidence but visits to the website and especially the Collie Shop have also increased.

If you will be using the motorways this summer and looking for somewhere other than a service area to take a break and exercise your dog then do take a look at the new book in The Collie Shop - Motorway Walks - short walks for drivers and dogs. It's certainly become a very popular item already.

The BBQ summer they forecast hasn't quite made much of an appearance here at Colton and our new water butts have shown just how much rainwater falls on the house roof and the special needs kennel block !!

Bye for now

Ben

Tiling

Two wings now completed and dogs enjoying not only the tiled kennel but also new beds.

Sponsor Dog Jess enjoying his new accomodation

Bye for now

Ben

It ain't half hot Mom

Never happy with the weather are we? Well gives us something to talk about I suppose.


Work on the tiling is well underway and they are now working their way through the second block of kennels. And what a difference, I might move in myself :-)


After a slow start to June homing caught up and 33 dogs found new homes. Unfortunatly after our waiting list was reduced so well only a few weeks ago it has quickly grown back to normal and we've had to close it for a short while to see if we can catch up.


Social networking is a popular phrase and seeing how some other rescues used sites like Facebook and Twitter to promote rescue work, dog ownership and in fact anything that comes to mind got me thinking.


So for the last couple of weeks we've been found on Facebook and Twitter (sounds like a firm of solicitors in a Charles Dickens novel doesn't it?). We already have 68 "friends" on Facebook and 43 "followers" on Twitter so people must be interested !! Facebook has already developed it's first interest in rehoming a collie from us. I'm sure supporters do like to know what's going on and this is just an extension of our quarterly magazine and the website. To find out more follow the links from the website, even if you don't want to get involved with Twitter you can follow the updates on the website homepage.


Finally a new addition to our Collie Shop is entitled Motorway Walks, offering ideas for short walks and facilities close to motorway junctions the book has been published by Driving With Dogs an website featuring the same information. We are grateful to Lezli and David from Driving With Dogs who are supporting us with a donation from every copy sold. The book is available in our Collie Shop for £9.99 (+p&p). For those who do use the motorways and take their dogs with them, the book will be a very useful reference and remember - every purchase from our Collie Shop helps collies in need.


I shall be at Dogs Trust, Roden, Open Day on Sunday and we've a number of other shows lined up as well to visit. Catton Park in July and August and Kelmarsh Hall, Northants for the Kennel Club Agility Show from 14th to 16th August


Bye for now - keep cool

Ben

Sunshine at last

Looks like summer has finally arrievd at Colton, suppose we better make the most of it though.

Facebook & Twitter are certainly attracting some interest and although we've not quite got as many followers on Twitter as Dogs Trust, it's growing slowly. Links from our website will take you to our pages on both these sites.

Work on tiling in the rescue block began on Monday. The walls are having to be lined first but the job is moving along quickly and already we can see one kennel half tiled - and very nice it looks too. It will make the kennel environment much easier to clean and offer as good a quality of accomodation I think you'll find anywhere (said modestly of course). Funding for this work was provided by a legacy, a donation from The Jean Sainsbury Animal Welfare Trust and Gift Aid.

Gift Aid is so vital to all charities so please make sure that if you give any donation, no matter how small, you do let us know if you are a tax payer. We do have computer software looking after the Gift Aid but always need to know of any changes, especially if you no longer pay tax and even more importantly if you now pay tax having been a non tax payer for a while.

Homing has been a little bit slower this month, but that's not unusual. There are still plenty of dogs needing our help so everyone homed is a welcome empty kennel to another needy collie.

Bye for now

Ben

Progress marches on

In 1992 we produced our first newsletter which grew to become Border Collie World, our quarterly magazine. For many years that was the only way to keep in touch with supporters and is still a big part of our public awareness.

Then along came the internet and from our early website we grew into the current format with over 300 hits a day. The came the blog, an email newsletter and now the two big internet crazes have been joined by BCT.

We signed up with Facebook a few weeks ago but only really started to progress with it in the last few days. Already we have 27 "friends" from people in the UK to Norway, Italy and Chile !! You can see us at http://en-gb.facebook.com/people/Border-Collie-Trust/1571534722 or follow the link from the website homepage

And you can now find us on Twitter, yes it does seems a strange phenomena but you can't ignore the success it's having, so if you can't beat 'em join 'em!! You can read our "twittering" (is that a proper word now?) at http://twitter.com/bctgb or simply follow the updates on the website homepage.

So we look forward to your company however you decide to follow us.

Bye for now

Ben

Summers back

Well what a weekend, don't know what the weather was like where you were - but it was certainly wet here!

Two Trustees, Bev & Ken were at an agility show over the weekend and despite the weather were very busy and in fact it was one of our most successful weekends, from a financial point of view ever.

We're getting ready for the tiling which starts in a week and half and looking forward to the improvement this will make.

Homing is still ticking along, it has been quieter than earlier this year but this is quite normal.

Not much else to report at the moment but it's certainly busy in many different ways :-)

Bye for now

Ben

A Generous Gesture

The Dogs Today blog has a story running at the moment about nominations for smaller registered charities to be considered for a share in a legacy being considered by an animal lover. No doubt there will be many well deserving causes and like all of them £25,000 would make a marvellous difference to the collies in our care.

So if you feel able could you follow the link and nominate us please? If you have a special reason to share in the blog then please don't be shy, thank you for any support you can give.

http://coldwetnose.blogspot.com/2009/05/30-most-deserving-dog-charities-in.html

Bye for now

Ben

Still busy, busy, busy

Another Bank Holiday over and another 9 lucky collies were off to new homes over the weekend. Homing still remains busy and what has been surprising is the number of mail orders in the last few weeks. It's been a very good month and we are very grateful for this support as always.

We've had some new (or perhaps read more) drainage installed in the paddock to try and help with our ongoing drainage problems and hopefully this will help - it certainly can't do any harm!!

Tiling of the rescue kennels starts next month so we will be running at slightly reduced capacity for a few weeks while the works done but the end result should be well worth it.

Of course the grass is growing faster than I can cut it at the moment - especially with the combination of warmth and rain.

Regular visitors will of course have heard of my own latest addition and I'm delighted to say Reilly continues to impress. I've never had a dog who I feel so comfortable about taking into other peoples houses and even meeting young childen. We went to a friends house on Sunday and her daughter is only two but a bit wary of "big" dogs. By the end of the afternoon they were sharing the sand pit and the best of friends !!

Having missed out on a holiday last year Sue and I were determined to manage one this year, it won't be our normal motorbike touring abroad but we've booked two cottages for one week each in Scotland later this year (if anyone wants a good website with lots of choice in Scotland do ask me) and of course Reilly will be coming along to meet the midges :-)

The new feature on the website showing pictures of recently homed dogs is proving very popular so thank you to all of you who pop in most days to see the lucky ones. Glad it's such a hit.

Bye for now

Ben

Anyone need a lifeboat!!

Don't you just love summer. The last few days have been "mixed" to say the least and we seem to be in a monsoon moment as I type.

The weather is putting back some extra drainage work we're having done which will hopefully alievate some of the problems we have around the paddock, especially during heavy periods of rain. Unfortunately we'll never cure it completely as we are surrounded by clay but this will certainly help.

Thanks to a generous donation from The Jean Sainsbury Animal Welfare Trust work will begin next month on tiling the rescue kennels. This will be the culmination of the dreams from over 12 years ago and bring the kennels to a high standard. Careful housekeeping during the last few years and the donation mena we are now in a position to have the work done which is expected to take about 4 weeks. The kennels will continue to operate of course but at a slightly reduced capacity for a while.

Bye for now

Ben

Photos of dogs who've found a new home

Whilst we don't show photos of dogs looking for new homes (but will send a photo if really needed) we did discuss at a recent Trustees meeting that would look into showing photos of some of the lucky collies who've found a new home.

After some searching of the internet we found a solution to not only the use of photos in-house but also having photos on the website. So instead of having to do a job 3 or 4 times it's now very easy to use photos for different purposes with a minimum of time and effort (thanks Google!!).

You can find a link to the new section on the homepage of the website and also a link via the Dogs for Rehoming page and this will be updated automatically as new dogs find their new homes.

We hope you enjoy a brief look at the lucky ones.

Bye for now

Ben

Some better news for a change

Thank you to all those who've emailed and even rung the office to offer condolences after losing Taffy - it's much appreciated.

Homing is still going well - we even have quite a few empty kennels at the moment, not that it'll stay like that for long with up to 16 dogs arranged to come in by the end of next week. We're also getting into the "show" season and I'm at Cannock Chase on Saturday (9th) for a Canine Awareness Day.

I also have some good news to share for a change. After our sad personal loss recently I'm delighted to introduce a new addition to the Wilkes household. It's quite a story of fate really. We'd arranged to help a collie in Ireland by bringing him back with us from the recent conference. The arrangements had been made a couple of weeks before we went so I had no way of knowing that on the very day Taff left us I'd meet Reilly (Freddy as he was known then) within a couple of hours of that happening.

There was just some strange spark as I saw him waiting outside the hotel in Dublin and after a couple of days thinking about it Sue and I decided to give him a home with us.

So meet Reilly, as you can see he's a handsome chap and settled into his new home very quickly.

It's always strange having a new dog come into your life but he's certainly doing his bit to help and we can't ask for more can we?

Whilst Taffy would never go out of his way to look for trouble with other dogs he was certainly not one who liked to interact with them - except for Sheba of course so the biggest change is getting used to a dog who just wants to say hello to every dog he meets.

We're hoping the weather stays fine on Friday because it could be his first trip to Formby Sands, a place that's just ideal for dogs.

Can I just remind everyone of the various fundraising links on the website like Buy At and EasyFundraising as they will certainly help with fundraising due the current economic situation.

Bye for now

Ben

End of an era - again

I'm afraid the bad luck continues. I'm currently in Dublin, having been to the annual conference of the ADCH. Myself, Sue and Lisa the Asst. Manager came over on Tuesday and first thing Wednesday morning came a phone call from Ken, our Chairman, who is staying at the centre in my abscence. Taffy our 14.5 year old collie had suffered a stroke and been rushed to the vets. Little I could do in Dublin but keep in constant contact with Rachel the kennel manager. Unfortunately, at 3.30pm today we made the decision that Taffy was unable to fight off the effects and so I've lost a true friend.

It is indeed the end of an era for me personally, Taffy was my introduction to Border Collie Trust in 1995 and there's no doubt that had fate not bought us together I'd still be retired but not as involved in something that can make so much difference to the lives of so many border collies.

It's only in the last 5 years that I've come to really appreciate how lucky we were with Taffy. I now see all the mistakes I made, that with many other dogs would have led to many problems. Yet despite my poor skills he taught me all that is good about collies. His intelligence was second to none. His trick with video tapes became a party piece he was delighted to perform until DVD took over. His ability to know toys by name never ceased to amaze me and even when he became deaf about 18 months ago he seemed to understand sign language straight away.

So having lost Sheba in November and now Taff, Sue and I are "dog less" for the first time in almost 15 years. It will seem very strange arriving home in the early hours of tomorrow and not see his happy face to welcome us. Of late old age had certainly crept up on him, his back legs were obviously beginning to reduce his mobility but fish oil, fish based food and other natural products had put a little bit of a spring in his step.

I'm grateful for his sake that his parting was fairly quick, I'm sad that I couldn't be there to say goodbye but as we had a telepathic link between us I know he'll have heard me. I don't suppose it'll take long before another collie moves into our home but as all of us who've been owned by a collie know, we can never forget each one who is so special in their own unique way.

I'm sure Sheba will be delighted to meet Taffy again and give her the opportunity to boss him about - but only when it's dark of course.

Despite this the conference was a wonderful event as always and we return with lots of ideas to consider.

If you're having a drink tonight please join me in raising a toast to the collies who have made our lives so special during the short time we're lucky enough to spend with them.

Bye for now

Ben

Easter Chain Saw Massacre

No I haven't had an enormous easter egg and needed a chain saw to get into it. But it's certainly been a busy day from a "gardening" point of view. While I put the chain saw to good effect in the paddock tyding up some overgrown and fallen branches, Sue was sorting out the memorial garden area. Feeling the effects of using a chain saw for five hours but it's one of those jobs I've been wanting to get done for ages. Haven't quite finished it but ran out of chain saw oil !!

Dogs wise it's been a quiet weekend. Friday was a busy day but it's been mainly dogs coming in over the weekend.

More gardening type work tomorrow then back in the office Tuesday for a rest !!

Bye for now

Ben

Change of luck needed

We seem to be going through one of those bad runs of luck at the moment. Patch and a young pup were taken from us at the beginning of the month. Then things seemed to brighten up when Shaun found a foster home. Unfortunately some of his behaviour was worrying the foster home and although, as far as we've seen, this behaviour has not progressed to anything serious we obviously couldn't take chances. So he came back to us. There are some positives to take from his time in a home as most of his life was spent in a barn having food thrown in now and again - so he can be forgiven for being a bit off now and again I suppose !!

Yesterday we homed a smashing young chap who had been with us almost two weeks. A few hours later his new owner rang to say he seemed really unwell. He'd been okay when he left and from the description it was obviously not just down to the stress of the move. Fortunately they were only 15 minutes away so having collected Rachel, the kennel manager, we visited and it was obvious he needed to see a vet. An hour or so after getting him to our vet he passed away and a post mortem revealed he'd most likely died from an internal bleed that was of natural causes. Although the worry of some infection going around was lifted it was still an upsetting end for all involved.

The joys of rescue work bring such highs and lows and you have to go with the punches at times but please keep your fingers crossed for some good luck from now on !!

Bye for now

Ben

End of an era

A sad day today - Patch a long standing sponsor dog has passed away. We received a phone call from his foster home today, he'd been less mobile for some time and over the weekend was even more reluctant to get up and go outside and so following the vets advice he was peacefully released from his pain.

Patch came to us in November 1997 from Wales and although he found a home he was returned and it did seem that Patch was going to be one of those dogs who would just never take to life in a home. He had serious problems with other dogs in the early days and staff who remember him found walking him hard work!! He did though love the kennels and so soon became the "original" BCT Sponsor Dog.

Over the years his temperament mellowed and he really grew to love people and I'm sure those sponsors who used to visit him will remember his cheeky looks.

We never really knew his age, when he came to us it was estimated to be about 5 to 7 years so even at the lower figure he reached a grand age.

In 2006 he went to stay for a weekend with a then member of staff Ann, and never came back. His behaviour towards other dogs seemed to change overnight and he lived the last two and a half years quite happily with two other dogs and six cats - and that's what you call mellowed !!

Our grateful thanks go to Ann for giving him some home comforts in the autumn of his life and for caring for him through his recent ill health. We will of course be writing to all Patch's sponsors in due course.

Rest easy Patch.

Sad news apart it's been a busy week as it's the end of our financial year so I've got all that side to deal with and of course the stock taking. Dogs are still finding homes but we did have more upset when a litter of pups came to us from another rescue recently and two seemed to go downhill within hours of being here. They were rushed to our vet and kept in but unfortunately one passed away two days later, the second seems to have made a full recovery and will be back with us today.

Bye for now

Ben

Pedigree Walk

I couldn't have asked for better weather could I? For our leg of The Pedigree Tag Team Walk from Lands End to John O'Groats we had probably the warmest day of the year, but not too hot.

Freya who came with me on the walk really enjoyed herself and certainly made lots of new admirers on the way.

My wife, Sue came as back up (in other words to drive our van from start to finish) and a good day was had by all. Some photos can be found on the website following the link to The Pedigree page.

Bye for now

Ben

Pedigree Adoption Drive - Tag Team Walk

If you haven't followed the link on the site to The Pedigree Dog Tag Team 2009 Lands End to John O'Groats walk do take a look

The Trust is doing its bit and I'll be walking on Friday from Hampton Lucy to Ashorne in Warwickshire. One of the dogs from the centre will be with me so lets hope the weather stays good !! I would have taken Taffy but his back legs have been playing him up recently and although it's not very far I think it might be just too much for him.

The Adoption Drive benefits many rescues and indeed we were fortunate to receive a welcome grant from last years Drive which is helping to fund our neutering scheme so we thought it important to at least show our support by taking part in this unique event.

Please do consider making a donation however small as it all helps rescue dogs throughout the UK.

I'll let you know how it went later !!

Bye for now

Ben

Crufts

So it's over for another year and after lots of speculation about how successful this years Crufts would be I can only say that from our view point it was a very successful show.

Financially sales were as good as last year and with the bonus of a rescue stand by The Kennel Club area on Sunday we certainly were able to get our message across to lots of visitors. I'm sure we'll hear all about the number of visitors in due course - but a good event for us and thank you to all who supported us.

Homing remains very busy and this is helping us really keep on top of our waiting list at the moment. I've just got back from Wales with three more and we're waiting for several others from their own homes as well.

Bye for now

Ben

Another good news day

So first day at Crufts - been quite busy - but that was all overshadowed when we received a call to say that the dog who went missing before Christmas and who I spend hours tracking around the village had been found safe and well.

She was found having been seen hiding in an old vehicle on a farm between Uttoxeter and Stoke, which for those who know the area is quite a jaunt from us. We'll never know where she's been in the ten weeks she's been missing but she looks none the worse for wear and we are of course delighted and relieved that she's back with us. Another good advert for microchipping though !!

Bye for now

Ben

We're ready for Crufts

Well it was set-up day today and the stall is ready and waiting for all the friends and supporters we'll (hopefully) see over the next few days.

It's a hectic four days for us and I've managed to work a day off this year for the first time for about six or seven years. Mind you I'm only having a day off so I can keep up to date with the usual office/admin stuff at the centre so that next Monday I don't look at the van to empty, the Crufts sales to work out and four days worth of paperwork to keep me busy !!

Been a busy few days at the centre with 11 admissions on Tuesday and two today.

Just a brief update today, I'm afraid I now need to relax with a glass of wine, a home made mince pie and watch TV - it's all good preparation for Crufts :-)

Bye for now

Ben

A question

But before the question - an update on Tia. She'd doing fine and enjoying the scambled egg Sue keeps cooking for her each morning !!

Her owners will be repairing the fence and putting up watch towers and alarms to ensure she can't under any circumstances escape again and hopefully she'll be going back to them on Sunday.

So - the question, well there's two actually.

Some of you may already have been asked in the email newsletter that goes out, if so - return to the Sheep Game again :-)

But if not and you subscribe to Border Collie World would you prefer a printed copy or would you be happy to receive an email copy - or download one?

Secondly - for many years we've not shown photos generally on the website for dogs that are looking for a new home. The reason? We feel that on occasions people may be influenced in a positive, or negative way in respect of a particular dog, simply based on it's looks. Often we find that having discussed with staff a particular dog, a visitor may find it is just the right one for them, despite not initially meeting the looks they would consider. We've always said that if it is vital that a photo is needed we will try to help by emailing one.

But we're always open to comments from our supporters and those interested in our work - so what do you think. Does not having photos make you less likely - or even more likely to come to us? Do our reasons for not showing photos seem reasonable? Your views on these and anything else you feel relevant on this subject would be gratefully receieved so please do email us on info@bordercollietrustgb.org.uk

Bye for now

Ben

A Good News Day

Tia is safe and back with us!!

Rachel and Lisa went out today when we learned she had been spotted yesterday afternoon (after I'd left - typical) not that far from home. Armed with our trap, net, dogs and assorted paraphernalia they set off in pursuit. After a couple of hours she was spotted in the same field she had been seen yesterday and with the aid of some cheese and gentle persuasion she eventually surrended to Lisa.

Another happy ending

Ben

Busy, busy, busy

Once again, sorry it's been a while but I can't believe where the time goes. One minute it's early February, next it's almost over.

Of course getting ready for the NEC Boat, Caravan and Outdoor Show and then quickly followed by Crufts tends to keep us occupied, apart from all the usual stuff. The NEC show went very well and overall we saw a good attendance and quite some interest in our work which is exactly why we go.

At the kennels it's been a roller coaster of emotions recently. Still lots of dogs finding homes and plenty of dogs coming in from our waiting list but with the loss of another dog only shortly after homing it's dealt us a bit of a body blow. Tia was the last of 6 very shy and almost feral dogs we rescued last March and we were delighted when she found a home at the weekend with a couple who'd already rehomed a blind dog from us. We knew it would take a while for Tia to bond in anyway with them so they were fully aware of her issues.Unfortunately within a short time of arriving home she managed to slip past them into the rear garden and apparantly simply threw herself through the fence before disappearing into open countryside.

All the usual avenues have been dealt with and I've been out for a few hours today looking for any signs but without success. It's upsetting but when we look at the nature of some of the dogs we've taken in over the last two or three years and the success we've had with the majority I suppose we have to accept the ones where things like this happen and just try to ensure that we do everything we can to reduce the chances. All we can do know is keep our fingers crossed.

On a happier note there's a few new lines appearing in the collie shop and after the success of our showerproof fleeces over the last few years we hope the soft shell jacket we have on sale at Crufts (and on the website soon) will be as big a hit.

Don't forget if you are at Crufts do come and see us Hall 2 Stand 28

Bye for now

Ben

Another landmark - almost there

You might remember I recently mentioned that visits to the website were approaching 500,000. Well it's probably only 3 or 4 days away !!

As of this morning just 1039 visitors are needed to clock up the half million. The website in its current guise was first launched on 10th July 2002 and clocked up 16,000 visits that year, last year it was 102,000.

So I'll be keeping a close watch over the next few days and whilst I can't identify the person who hits the magic number, I'll be able to give you lots of information which you might just recognise as you :-)

The snow has just about left us now but the effect will be a round for a while as everywhere is so water logged. With the possibility of more snow tonight and continued low temperatures it looks like we'll be having the heating on for quite a while yet !!

Bye for now

Ben

Snow joke

So - soon be spring then eh? That's why the entire country has ground to halt then?

We had quite a settling of snow overnight but fortunately most staff managed to get to work. The problems came later on, after more snow and especially after the skip emptying wagon had been on our car park and turned all the snow into an ice rink.

So at 12 noon as I glanced out the office window, all I could see where two BT vans and a couriers van doing their own version of Dancing On Ice.

Never one to miss an opportunity to play with my Mitsubishi 4 wheel drive I was out like a shot and three vans and two cars later everyone was on their way!! Don't get to need 4 wheel drive and all its fancy gearboxes very often but it left the drivers impressed with its capability.

Helped another car this afternoon and yes I'm like a big kid playing with his toys - but I don't care :-)

Well what a busy month during January. 61 dogs found new homes which is our best ever month and very welcome in light of the number of dogs we've been asked to help recently and also in light of the current economic situation.

Plans are underway not only for Crufts next month but for our stand at The Boat, Caravan and Outdoor Show at the NEC in a couple of weeks.

Right I'm off to polish the tow rope again as I'm sure it hasn't seen its last outing this winter!!

Bye for now

Ben

Happy New Year

Yes, happy 2009 to all our visitors and I hope that despite the current gloom - and bad weather - everyone enjoys the year to come.

It's certainly been an eventful few weeks since the last entry. You will no doubt have read Punkys story and I hoped that would be the last of those sort of events for a while, but it wasn't to be.

A few days before Christmas a volunteer at the centre had the misfortune to lose one of our dogs. A shy and nervous dog, she managed to get out of her collar before he realised what was happening. We immediately began searching and for the next few days I got to know Colton as well as if I'd lived here all my life!! Despite a number of sightings we just couldn't get near her. I was out late at night and spotted her most nights.

On Boxing Day afternoon we came as close as ever to catching her when she was corned in a garden but unfortunately a passing car frightened her and she bolted yet again.

Unfortunately after a few days the sightings stopped and despite posters, leaflets and a press appeal we've heard nothing since. It was most upsetting and only the second time in 12 years that we've lost a dog in this way.

Then a week or so ago another dog who had been homed managed to make a bid for freedom in the Telford area - I'm glad to say that after a couple of days he surrended to a passer by and is now safe and well at his new home.

So I hope that as things come in threes - that's our lot for now !!

It's been a very busy few days this week with 21 dogs being admitted, 14 of which are pups about 3 months old. Homing still remains very busy which is vital if we are to be able to call this number of dogs in.

The website is certainly attracting some attention as well and has seen well over 300 visits every day this year so far. Speaking of which, this year will see the website reach a small milestone with its 500,000 visitor and I'm expecting that to happen either in February or March. There's no doubt the website and of course the internet plays a great part in bringing awareness and thats shown in the "viewing" figures - 16,000 in 2002, 70,000 in 2005 and a 102,000 last year. Long may in continue and thank you to all those who keep popping into the site to keep up to date with what's happening.

Well that's me done for now

Bye

Ben