[Yorkie]

Aww, definite Sheltie head - the colouring on the rest of the body is definitely not Sheltie though!  :blink:

We had a Sheltie when I was a teenager.

[Oliveview]

Belle, as the new owner is going to call her, is settled well, from being a quiet scared dog she is now a mischievous puppy!!

Pamela

[Oliveview]

Good news for a change, a charity is donating food, medication, toys etc to our refuge 
The dogs will be thrilled with the balls!!!

Pamela

[yaxley]

Thats great news people like yourself deserve to get help with all the good work you do for those poor unwanted and neglected dogs ..Good to hear they will enjoy the balls and the food and medication will help out with the amount of dogs you get dumped on your door step .....

[Oliveview]

I was back at the refuge this morning- been off for a week because of sons visit and then 2 and a bit weeks because I hurt my back.  Boy did I notice a difference in the puppies!  They are huge!!  The new dogs, 2 Dalmatians and a small dog are great.  The male dalmatian will not stop trying to mate with the female, although she is not in season, so he is on his own, so getting really stressed. They are both lovely dogs, not great big ones like the other dalmatian we had before, he was huge, these are controlable!!  The small dog that was thrown over the fence  with them is so cute, I want her!    The two ´pups´ are being looked after away from the refuge as the girl dalmatian was attacking them, even though they were all thrown over the fence at the same time, we assumed they were all living  together.
It was hard work cleaning today, not so much the sweeping, the mopping hurt my back, even though I was wearing a very un-sexy support corset! Tomorrow we are at an all day market, so hopefully people will donate money and buy the books etc we have there. Trouble is, the books are my books, so we need Brits or English speakers to come along!! 

Pamela

[Oliveview]

The free food, blankets etc arrived this morning, lots of blankets, collars, food medications etc. The little puppy wore one. Of the dogs coats today, it was freezing at the market! We had a table there, selling stuff for the refuge. We took just over 35€ not a lot, but enough for 2 sacks of food, or almost a castration!
Our table was in the shade all day, I was wearing a t-shirt, a cardigan, a thin fleece jacket, a thicker jacket over that and then a fleece over that, I was still cold!!
I have hardly warmed up yet!

Pamela

PS I cried when I saw the free stuff, 20 boxes!!

[Springlands]

Pamela - what a generous donation. No wonder you felt like crying.

[Oliveview]

It was not all brand new, but almost new, there was old curtains and material for bedding. There are a few soft beds, knowing some of our dogs they will last 5minutes they will love the balls to play with and there are lots of treat biscuits too!! There was even a muzzle suitable for the tiniest of chihuahua!!   hopefully all the dogs will get a collar . They will be so posh!

[Springlands]

A friend of mine used to collect old towels, blankets etc and forward them to the local animal shelter - they were really grateful. Much better than the stuff going to landfill. I wonder would your local paper do a piece about your refuge needing stuff like food, bedding and so on.

Just remembered something else - the shelter also got local primary schools and youth groups like the cubs and scouts involved - they would do food collections for the shelter.

[Oliveview]

We have had reports in the local papers and the local tv stations did bits about us, but nothing came of it, folk just do not want to be bothered with dogs here.
Our refuge is in a coucnil owned stables- today a snotty president of the local horse society, who thinks he is head and shoulders better than us grotty peasants, told the refuge President that he wants to take over the stables for his horses    The stables are for horses and not for dogs he said. 
Just hope the council do not agree with him!
He really is a bad example of a ´gentleman´ 

Pamela

[Springlands]

Oh Pamela - more worries for you - hope he gets told to sling his hook. 

[devonbarmygardener]

Our ward always collects food, toys, bedding material for one of the cats and dogs homes in Plymouth.
I have the responsibility for it and take it out in the new year.
They always ask me if I want to look around but I always decline as i'd go home with a kitten or a puppy!!

[Oliveview]

The horse people have been turning up at the refuge trying to get in- so we now cannot let anyone into the refuge.  It is really worrying.  Where will we go with almost 50 dogs if the council chuck us off?  If we were given land somewhere else we do not have the funds to build kennels or fence it off.
Most of the ´horse´ people are wealthy land owners with friends in the right place.  If the Mayor turns them down what is to stop the next Mayor giving the refuge to them?  It was originally built as a riding school, so perfect for the horse crowd.  More sleepless nights ahead for us all.

Pamela

[snowdrops]

That is a big worry for you all. Could you get the TV/newspaper people  involved?

[Oliveview]

Lots to update....
The little girl we were fostering arrives any time now at her new home, I hope they all get on!!  Life is quiet without Belle here. I am watching the tracker of her progress, almost there (Blacktoft)
Today we were at a market with refuge stuff, a very quiet day, we took just 17-18€  There is another market in Moron next month, supposed to be much better, so we will go there. 
This afternoon 5 pups, a few days old were abandoned in a bucket, so we have them here and a lady will take them tomorrow morning, she lives 2.5-3 hours away, so we will meet half way.  She is used to hand rearing puppies.  They are very fat and feisty, so I am hopeful.  I am sleeping on the sofa tonight, so I can feed them every few hours!

Pamela