Welcome to the Poplar Farm Kennels newsletter. If you wish to be removed from the mailing list please email us at poplarfarm.kennels@tiscali.co.uk and we will deal with it. For up to date information on available dogs and re-homing please do check the main web site at www.poplarfarmkennels.org.uk 

 We hope you enjoy reading this.

 Dave & Rachel

 

Christmas Greetings and apologies

  I would like to start with a couple of apologies. Firstly an apology for the length of time between newsletters. We have been extremely busy and this is one job that has been put off a number of times. I hope you will all forgive me. Secondly, this year we have been unable to send out individual Christmas cards to all our adopting families. Unfortunately the numbers are now just too big and the costs would have been prohibitive, to say nothing of the time it would have taken. I hope you will all understand our decision to channel the time and money back into helping the dogs instead.

 So, in lieu of a Christmas card……

 

Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year to all our friends

From Dave, Rachel and all the team here at PFK

On with the news……………………

RVC Blood Donor session

Tuesday 19^th July saw a very interesting event at PFK. Organised by Ted Wolfenden, one of our supporters, we hosted a dog blood donor session for the Royal Veterinary College, North Mymms, Hertfordshire. The number of blood transfusions performed on critically ill dogs is increasing each year and this means that the amount of donated blood required increases too. Ted had explained to us that the RVC could send out a team to do some collections and we agreed to take part.

 We were a little unsure what to expect but we set up a marquee out on the front lawn to give a quiet area away from the other dogs. A press release detailing the event had been sent out and we were delighted to find that both BBC Radio Cambridge and BBC Look East wanted to cover the event. Dave did a radio interview but we never did hear if it was featured as we were tied up all day but we had a film crew out from Look East. They arrived before the vet team so did some preliminary filming and an interview with Ted and Jagger.

 At last the vet team arrived and we could set everything up for them. The vet and both the nurses from the RVC were very nice and friendly and they explained everything to us in great detail. They wanted dogs of 20kg plus in weight who were fairly laid back.  The blood is taken from the jugular vein in the neck and takes around 20 minutes to take. They explained that as the collection bags were sealed units containing a set amount of anti-coagulant they needed to take an exact amount of blood from each dog otherwise it would not be suitable. Each dog was to donate between 400 and 450 ml of blood.

Each donor would be given a health check and a sample of blood would be taken for tests. If everything was OK the dog would then go on and donate the unit. Each donated unit would be taken back to the RVC and split into two separate components which meant that it would be used to help 2 dogs.

 Alfie the Greyhound was wheeled out first but as we explained to the vet, we were not 100% convinced he would be suitable so they agreed to give him a health check and take a sample of blood for a full screen back at the RVC. If the results were OK then he would be used for the next session. As it turned out they felt afterwards that Alfie would probably not be suitable so he is off the hook.

 Rossi, our Rottie x, was next on the list. The film crew took a lot of footage of Rossi and he actually did feature quite heavily in the piece that they eventually screened. Rossi was an absolute angel and sat like a rock for the examination and blood test. He was also very well behave for the actual donating but unfortunately due to lack of suction on the equipment they did not get quite a full unit. The film crew did, however, get some good shots of Rossi getting his tin of dog food afterwards (the doggie equivalent of tea and biscuits).

 Magnum was next and again was a complete star but unfortunately he also fell just short of a complete unit. At this point the film crew left and we had a tea break. We talked to the vet and the nurses and decided to install a platform in the marquee and try taking the blood with the dogs lying down to see if that helped with the flow.

 Wally the Weimaraner was the next on the list and we were a little worried that he might be a bit too lively but he behaved impeccably. He lay there perfectly happy with four people making a big fuss of him as the blood was taken and finally we were successful. A FULL unit. Boss the Greyhound and Tige the Lab both also managed to give full units before we called it a day.

 The team from the RVC were happy with the results of the day and we were also very pleased that it had been successful. All the dogs later received certificates to say that they had been donors, which is great for their files.

 All in all it was a busy but very rewarding day and one that we will hopefully be repeating on a regular basis without the film crew.

 Butch

Most of you will already be aware of the tragic loss of Butch in Ashton pound. If any of you have missed it, the full story can be found on our website www.poplarfarmkennels.org.uk The press release and subsequent email and letter campaign generated quite a lot of feedback. Two Dublin newspapers carried a version of the article and it certainly raised public awareness in Dublin, if nothing else. We were told that the number of people visiting the pound to look for or rehome dogs increased dramatically after the articles ran. Dave also did a radio interview with an Irish station which focused mainly on the lack of neutering in Ireland so hopefully Dave managed to get a bit of a message across there.

 Over here several of the dog papers carried the story as did the Irish Post. We had several offers of donations over the next couple of weeks from people who saw the piece and wanted to help.  We have now forwarded those donations to Dogs in Distress to help with their work.

 The current situation seems to be improving. Although no firm agreement has been reached regarding the conditions imposed on the rescue, the pound is working hard to give the dogs enough time for the rescue to arrange places for them and nothing has been put to sleep unnecessarily since the campaign started. Hopefully this will continue.

 Photo Competition

Our first photo competition has been and gone. Our judges undertook the unenviable task of picking a winner and runner up from each class and finally came to a decision.

 In the PFK Rescue dog class the winner was Bella, an elderly American Cocker who is in long term foster care with our Web Mistress Hazel. The runner up was Megan, a Sheltie cross now owned by Mr & Mrs Plummer.

In the open class the winner was Scooby, a Chocolate Labrador rescue dog owned by the Walmsley family from Leicestershire. The runner up was Yakima owned by Asa Werner from Sweden.

All the entries can be viewed on our website and we would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who entered. The standard was very high and it was lovely to see all the pictures, particularly all the ones of our dogs looking so happy in their new homes. Every single picture deserved to win and I am very glad that we did not have to make the choice.

 We would also like to say a huge thank you to Kirsten and Martin for organising and managing the competition and for donating the prizes. We could never have run it without your help.

 Workshop to kennel conversion

The conversion of the old workshop into kennels is progressing nicely. We have found a source of old garage doors which will be used to make the partitions and the first ones were installed a few weeks ago thanks to Dave and Ted. After some great painting by Katrina and Jennifer it was finished and Missy and Tige are now installed. Work is now in progress on the second one which should be ready for occupation soon. Once completed this project will give us 6 new double kennels with individual outdoor runs.

 Fundraising items

We will be shortly offering a new line of items on our website shop to raise funds. Mel Singlehurst, one of our volunteers, is a very talented animal portrait painter who recently had a stand at the Wag and bone show. She has kindly offered to paint a number of our long stay dogs for us and the first to be completed was Sian our snappy Collie. The painting is stunning and we had produced prints and greetings cards from this original which we will be selling to raise funds. The prints will be sold at £10 including a cream mount and the greetings cards, which are blank inside, will be priced at £1.50. Mel has also offered to donate a percentage of the proceeds from any commissions she receives through our site to us, so if you fancy having your pet immortalised in a portrait please contact us for details or check out the website shop (which will be updated soon).

 

Thank you

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Alan’s Ark at Soham and also Amberlea Boarding Kennels for their recent generous donations of dog food. This was arranged by one of our volunteers, Catherine, who has been a great help in organising collecting and delivering this food. Also Scampers at Soham, who have also donated a quantity of food. This was organised by Maria and collected by Jennifer.

 

Long Term Foster or Permanent home needed

Max and Tricks need an angel. These two old guys have not had much luck in their lives and with winter approaching fast we would love to get them out of the kennels and into a proper home. Max and Tricks came to us in April from Retford pound where they ended up after being surrendered to the dog warden when their elderly owner became terminally ill.  We took them on to save them from being put to sleep and sorted out their health problems.

 Max and Tricks are a couple of really nice, easy going dogs. They are both in fairly good shape for their age (8 – 10 years) and would be very undemanding, wanting nothing more than a comfy bed and a bit of fuss. They would be great for someone with a fair size garden who wanted a couple of uncomplicated dogs who didn’t need too much walking. Max is now in relatively good health for age apart from slightly stiff joints which he takes a supplement for. Tricks is not quite so easy. He is pretty much blind and deaf but it doesn’t bother him. The only thing you need to remember with Tricks is that you cant move furniture around as he walks into things if he forgets where they are but he has a tough head so it doesn’t bother him too much. Tricks is not particularly good with strange dogs as he cant read body language so he needs to be kept on a lead when out walking. Tricks also has one other problem………..he is not the most attractive dog in the world but it does give him a certain quirky charm and his personality is great.

 If anyone can help these two boys or knows someone who could take them on, we would love to hear from you. With a foster home, we would require it to be local to us so that we could continue to use our own vet.

 Aramis

Aramis, the epileptic white GSD mentioned in the last newsletter is still with us. He is now on medication for his fits although he is continuing to have the occasional episode. We are currently researching the effects of diet on epilepsy to try and help control his fits. Aramis is well and happy in himself and follows Dave everywhere.

 Aramis now has a new friend. Last week we took on a Springer Spaniel from Ireland who was also epileptic. Harry is a young lad who had been taken on as a working dog by his previous owner. He had a couple of quite severe fits one day and his vet put him on medication. His owner felt that he could no longer keep him so Jacqui from Cork Animal Friends started looking for a new home for him. Because of our experience with Aramis we offered to take him on and Harry was booked to travel to us. In the meantime Jacqui found him a home in Ireland so we thought we were off the hook. About a week later a post went up on the board saying that Harry’s home had not worked out and he needed somewhere to go. Again we stepped in and offered to take him on here and this time Harry travelled and arrived here last week. He is a lovely, lively, happy dog who seems totally unconcerned by all the changes he has had in his life over the last few weeks. We will keep everyone updated on his progress as we go on.

 Improvements

We have another project on the go at the moment. November should see an extension to the paddock and new fencing all round. This will give us a much larger exercise area for the dogs and also the option to split the area into two. It will also be much more secure then it is currently which will make it better for the escape artists as they will be able to play out without supervision as the fencing should hold them. Because of the scale of the job and the type of fencing we need, we are having a professional in to do the job. It is likely to cost around £3,500 but it will be worth it in the long term.

 The Gurrier pups

At the end of August we received an appeal from Bernie of Dog Rescue Ireland asking if anyone could take on a litter of pups as she was snowed under. We had our puppy kennel coming empty so we offered to help.

 We were told it was a litter of 5 pups 9 weeks old and in a pretty poor condition. They had been handed to Bernie by an 85 year old lady who had bought them off travellers to rescue them. They were lively enough but very underweight and bald from mange. Bernie had them vet checked, first vaccinations done and the first treatment for mange and then they were transported to us.  

We were quite shocked by their condition when we picked them up. A photo taken shortly after they arrived can be seen on the “Waiting at the Gates” section of the website. The remarkable thing about these little guys was their sheer joy of life and resilience in spite of their state. Several weeks of good food and continued treatment for fleas and mange worked wonders and soon they put on weight and started to get their coats back. A more up to date group shot can also be seen on “Waiting at the Gates”.

 Now they are fit, healthy and hairy and ready to go to new homes so they now all have their individual picture up on our rehoming pages.

 Update: All these pups have now been rehomed.

 

Dean

Dean is a lovely male Black Lab x who came to us in May from Ashton pound in Dublin. He was in foster care in Ireland for a couple of weeks before he travelled, firstly with Andrew in Balbriggan and then With Marie from Dogs in Distress. The report that she gave us before Dean travelled was that he was a lovely friendly dog who was great with people, other dogs and cats but absolutely terrified of a lead. If he even saw a lead he would hit the floor, freeze and wet himself. Marie had done some work before he travelled and had actually managed to get him to move 3 steps with a lead on.

 When he travelled it was very difficult to get him out of the van as he wouldn’t move on a lead. In the end we carried him in a crate to my car and transferred him directly into my crate. Once here we got him settled into a kennel and gave him a few days to settle down.

 We started working with him but it was very slow progress to start with. For several weeks we concentrated on just getting him used to the sight of a lead without panicking. I would feed him with a lead in my hand or feed him treats with a lead round my hand just to stop the panic.

 Eventually, over time we got a collar on him and left him with a short length of lead attached to it. Strangely enough, the lead flapping around never bothered him, it was only when you were holding the end of it that he would panic. One day we were discussing how best to try and overcome this issue when Jennifer, one of our volunteers, suggested getting a really long lead to start with so that you could be far enough away from Dean for him not to feel so threatened. She asked if she could have a go, so the next day she set out armed with a lunge rope and a packet of treats.

 She started off at the end of the rope and worked in the small exercise run, gradually shortening the length of the rope and using treats to encourage Dean to move. After several days she has got down to about 4 feet of rope and Dean was starting so walk fairly well over short distances.

Jennifer progressed to a normal training lead and a few nicer treats (chicken and sausage) and now has Dean walking round the main paddock pretty happily. Next visit she is hoping to try him down round the fields.

 This work has put Dean a huge step closer to finding a home of his own. It has proved that the problem can be overcome and we are sure that with sympathetic new owners who will continue with this work and a fairly quiet environment Dean will be fine. We would like to say a huge public Thank You to Jennifer for working so hard to make this possible. We will update you all on Dean’s future progress over the coming weeks.

 Update: Dean is now happily walking round the field without any form of bribery and will soon be taken out into the big wide world to further his education.

 Further update: Since this piece was completed Dean has found a wonderful new home with a lovely lady.

 

Christmas is coming

The more observant amongst you will have noticed that Christmas is fast approaching so I thought I would take this opportunity to remind everyone that any on-line shopping done through the link on the left hand column on every page on our website will raise funds for us. There are a huge range of stores available through that link like Comet, Amazon and many others so why not beat the queues and make that your first stop for your shopping.

 Also we have just found out that one of the Greyhound groups, Group for Greyhound and Lurcher Lovers, (www.ggll.co.uk) have chosen us to receive the proceeds from their 2006 fundraising Calendar. This calendar features stunning black and white photographs of Greyhounds and Lurchers and would make an ideal gift for any dog lover. The calendar will retail at £5.99 and they are being made to order and will be delivered in time for Christmas. Orders need to be in pretty soon so if anyone is interested, full details can be found at  

http://www.ggll.co.uk/_Forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2953

We would also like to thank GGLL for thinking of us and for this very kind gesture.