Winner of the Wet Nose Best Breed Rescue September Newsletter Issue 8 V o l u m e 1, I s s u e 1 N e w s l e t t e r D a t e Lead Story Headline Well the summer months have just flown by, the school holidays have come and gone and the nights are starting to draw in. Time for the trusty fleece and wellies again! The summer months are always a little strange in rescue when potential new adopters often put things on hold until they return from holiday, yet the influx of dogs continues. During August the forms submitted through the website number as follows: 207 adoption forms, 88 dog rehoming forms and 26 new volunteer forms. The number of dogs looking for new homes is thankfully slightly down on previous months but does not include those taken from the pounds or other urgent situations. Our volunteers and in particular the Area and Dog Co-ordinators, are coming under increasing pressure from the general public, not all of whom are easy to deal with. This is putting an awful lot of stress on those at the frontline who are unpaid volunteers willing to give up their time to help this wonderful breed. We realise that people in general are under immense strain because of the global economic situation and sadly, many people are having to give up their much loved pets for financial reasons. News stories from financial experts worldwide that are not being covered by mainstream media indicate that far worse times are to come. As trustee and director of GSDR, it is my role to ensure that we are as best prepared as possible to face the difficult challenges that lie ahead. This is no conspiracy theory, just Google it and you ll see for yourself. As always, GSDR volunteers are doing their very best to help as many dogs as we can given our limited resources. On my travels recently John and I were invited up to Rhyl to spend the weekend at The Pier Hotel courtesy of Wayne and Will GSDR volunteers both of whom have made a huge contribution to GSDR fundraising this year and are the fosterers of the very beautiful and far too cute Coco. This little dog has a huge following with everyone willing her to survive against all the odds and although she isn't out of the woods yet, the Coco appeal has raised a whopping 10,071.05 which will ensure that she gets all the treatment she needs. With the announcement that our Two Fat Blokes after 52 events, have raised a staggering 15,036 and further fundraising events already underway in the Eastern and Southern regions, 2013 really is turning out to be a record breaker. Jacob was taken into emergency foster, pictured here with Wayne. On a very sad note I do want everyone to spare a thought for the horrors taking place in Romania at the present moment where many dogs have been brutally slaughtered, simply as the result of government corruption. GSDR volunteers all agreed that we should offer some help and at least give hope to a few lucky ones. We will bring you further news in our next newsletter. Once again, I thank all the volunteers who do so much to make GSDR the success that it is.
Only when we all come together and realise who we truly are, will we see an end to the suffering. Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect. ~ Chief Seattle, 1854 ~ Best Wishes Jayne An Update on our Coco I am very proud to announce that GSDR's King has won a place in the Kennel Club's Best Rescue calendar. Those of you that have been following his story will hopefully agree that he is a very worthy winner. Coco is now back in foster care convalescing. She isn't out of the woods yet but she has gained a little weight, her feeding is fine now and she's running rings around her foster dads. Coco will need a Bailey chair for feed times because her condition wasn't treated early enough. Not only did Coco become a big favourite with the hospital staff, but she has a big online following too. She did give us a bit of a scare though and was rushed back to Chestergates following a bout of sickness, her Consultant is keeping a close eye on her as she s not gained quite as much weight as he d have liked. All of us at GSDR would like to express our gratitude to all those people that contributed to the Coco fund which helped raise a staggering total (including Gift Aid) of 10,071.05. Coco will get all the treatment she now needs and I m so glad that we took a chance to give this little girl the life she deserves. Thank you to all Coco's supporters, we couldn't have done it without you. GSDR Late Summer Kennel Auction Our Facebook auction page has been launched and will run until 8pm on the 6th October. There s still time to donate items, so have a rummage and see what you can find. So whether you want to list an item or place a bid, please visit our Facebook auction page by clicking here.
It s official being a volunteer is good for your health! Recent research has shown that volunteering provides benefits to both your mental and physical health. This means that the time you spend volunteering offers a double advantage: You help others and you're also helping yourself. Research demonstrates that volunteering: Improves physical well-being. The social interaction that volunteering entails can actually reduce heart rate and blood pressure, increase endorphin production, enhance your immune system, and buffer the impact of stress. Raises self-confidence and self-esteem. Evidence suggests that volunteering has a positive effect on social psychological factors. The experience of helping others can lead to a sense of greater self-worth and confidence. And volunteering can provide you with a sense of purpose, especially in tough times. Encourages friendships that buffer against stress and illness. Volunteering gives you the opportunity to meet and connect with new people, in new surroundings. It helps you build vital interpersonal ties and social networks that can combat depression and isolation. Volunteering may help you live longer. Studies show that being actively involved in ongoing volunteer work actually increases life expectancy while improving the quality of life at the same time. To all of our volunteers, well done for making a great health choice! Pass this on to your friends & family, if you know anyone interested in volunteering and joining the GSDR family please ask them to visit our website and complete the application form by clicking here. It might just be the best health advice you can give! We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. ~Winston Churchill Meet the Team. Julie Wilkinson, Dog Co-ordinator North East Region The first time I remember seeing a German Shepherd was when I was a very young girl, he was on a photograph. My dad was a dog handler in the army during his national service and had a photo of his dog "Ringer" sitting beside him whilst on duty - that did it, I was hooked! I went on to own my first GSD in my late teens and my passion for the breed continued with an interest in dog obedience, leading me to become a member of Leeds BAGSD. I completed my instructor course with the club and remained an active member for several years. During this time I was also very involved with helping and rescuing dogs as an individual, which at times was a little daunting. One day I got a call for help from a man whose dad was ill and could no longer care for his GSD, which was now booked in to be PTS. I did not hesitate, collected the dog and did some rehab with him (he had never been out of the yard!). I then came across GSDR, so decided to give them a call to see if they could help me rehome him. I remember thinking absolutely no chance, they would no doubt tell me my dog was my problem! How wrong I was. I spoke with Lynn Holland and in no time she had organised a meet and it was all plain sailing from there. And she then quickly jumped on an opportunity to enrol me as a volunteer, how could I say no! I was soon travelling the country doing whatever was required for the rescue. So what do I get out of it? My reward is working with an amazing bunch of people all whom have a common goal - improving and saving a GSD's life.
Our Vollies out and about Gillian Marsden assisted by Alison Harrison and the children of Bright Beginnings held a cake bake and sale raising an amazing 93.50! Even the simplest of ideas can raise a significant amount of money, all desperately needed for our ever increasing bills. Thank you to all involved, I hope you all enjoyed your cake! Coco makes an appearance Coco loves a tummy tickle! A crowd of up to 10,000 people packed out Rhyl seafront for the town s first ever four hour Proms on the Prom concert. The main GSDR stand was manned by Wayne Whitehouse, Andy Peake and Janine Kerr talking sheps and handing out the toys to the kiddies. We d like to say a huge thank you to Smiffy's of Gainsborough Lincolnshire for their donation of toys, the Denbigh Chocolate Shop for their donation of the Chocolate Pizza for the raffle which sold 485 tickets at 1 a strip, For Every Occasion Balloons for the donation of 200 balloons and air pump which Will Waring and Anne Peake had the hard task of blowing up. Alex and Pam Rayworth manned the Tombola stand and sold out in 2 hours, well done ladies! The total raised was over 710 including the takings over the bar @ The Pier Hotel Ltd from guests and local customers. A brilliant afternoon was had by all, we even got to meet the Mayor of Rhyl, who with his partner loved GSDs. We would like to say a huge thank you to Sian Davies from Leisure Services, Denbighshire Council, who has The Mayor wears his GSDR sticker! invited the rescue back for next year s event. She congratulated the team and the dogs for making the event a big success for Rhyl. It was the North Wales region first big event, a brilliant effort team, thank you to you all. A fantastic day was had by the Eastern team fundraising at The Fox Fest in Lincolnshire. Organised by Tanya & Andy Clark, they were well supported with vollies travelling from far and wide to attend. The team raised 104.73 but even better the adopters of Sammy brought him along to say hi. Renamed & reformed Sam, he was previously in foster with Mandi Wilks and is flourishing in his new home. Up to the North East and Chrissie Garbutt was out at the Pet Superstore in Jarrow. Raising 70 despite the wet weather, the event was declared a huge success. Thank you to the Pet Superstore for allowing us to hold our tombola and we look forward to coming back again soon!
Inspired from seeing their mum Melissa Crowe be a volunteer, her children decided they wanted to help and fundraise too to buy a princess kennel for a dog less fortunate than their own. So they collected items for a garage sale and raised 22.24. More importantly they talked to the kids who stopped by to explain how important it was to be kind to dogs. They have another sale planned already and are the junior team of the Eastern region. The RAF crew attending the Rhyl Air Show dug deep and handed over 116 in donations in just one night. If you pop into The Pier Hotel, you ll find that little Coco has a way of making people part with their money! Customers from Denise Lea s day care centre at Copmanthorpe were lucky enough to take part in a photo shoot with Mark Watkinson. The delighted owners not only have a portrait to treasure but the photo shoot also raised much needed funds for our rescue. Thank you Mark, beautiful photo s as always. You can visit Mark s website by clicking here. The Snowdon Flyers On the 6 th October a team of GSDR volunteers will fly headlong down Penrhyn Quarry, nestled amongst the mountains of North Wales. Reaching speeds of around 90 mph the intrepid flyers are taking part to raise funds for GSDR. If you would like to sponsor the Snowdon Flying 2 Rescue Crew, please click here to visit their Virgin Money Giving page. Good Luck team! Before After Archie is full of fun! This is Archie, he was taken into emergency foster care in an emaciated condition. With good food, a warm soft bed and lots of TLC he is well on the road to recovery and now ready for his own forever home. He s currently living with another dog and lots of cats in his foster home and loves to play ball. Archie is in the Eastern Region and will be appearing on the website soon. Coming Soon the 2014 GSDR Calendar Featuring our GSDR dogs, look out for more details on the website and our Facebook page. The calendars are priced at 10 each with 2.60 p&p, multiple orders of upto 4 calendars can be sent for the same postage charge, bargain!
Team Fat Blokes SmashTarget! Twelve months ago Si & Ray got together and formed the legendary Team Fat Blokes. They set themselves a target to achieve 12,000 which they increased to 14,000. Their 52nd event saw them raise a staggering total of 15,036! I m sure you ll all agree that is an incredible achievement to be proud of. Here s how it all began. Si s story: I started volunteering for GSDR back in August 2011, I wanted to fundraise after seeing how little money we had to pay kennel and vet fees. I sought permission from Lynne Holland my A/C, got a street collection licence from my local council and was off! Armed with a collection tin and a GSD we stood in Ilkley which is an affluent part of Bradford. A chap called Ray Lambert said he'd pop by and stand for a while; we had never met until that Saturday in summer 2012. Ray told me I was doing it wrong, I must admit I thought he was an idiot, but he made me laugh. He hit on the idea of fundraising in pet shops and organised our first outing at Jollyes in Keighley in August 2012. I thought it would be rubbish, well I was wrong - we raised 203 that day! I ordered us some buckets, Ray bought us matching tee shirts and Team Fat Blokes were born. Our 52nd event is at Pets at Home, a new flagship store in Keighley. We have raised 15,036 in our first year and we have taken not one penny in expenses. We have had the help of Ollie, Sabre, Bertie, Tia, Freddie and Jet helping us fundraise in venues such as Morrisons, Tesco s, Jollyes and Pets at Home all over West Yorkshire. Ray is a firm friend and we enjoy what we do. We are the face of GSDR in the North, we get all the credit and thanks but Ray and I would like to thank all the people who volunteer behind the scenes, all the A/C's, D/C's, the screeners, the transporters, the fosterers. What Ray and I do is the easy bit, we know that. I also foster and am on foster dog number 13 which is the lovely Jess. I have three Sheps of my own, Bert adopted from GSDR, Bella and Jet who were rescued privately. Ollie, advertised on Gumtree chose me to be his dad. When I went to see him he walked over and put his paw on my knee. I had lost my beloved Rocky the day before to cancer. I was Ollie s third and last owner, he was my shadow and my best friend. Ray s Story: In 2003 we bought a puppy from Kassieger kennels in Leeds after passing the checks, his name was Dooley. We had no experience of GSD s and made mistakes along the way. Dooley loved his family but hated everybody and everything else! He was a difficult dog and a poorly dog amongst other things he suffered from Cardiomyopathy. After having Dooley for a few months I came across Jayne at GSDR, I made some donations and bought some merchandise and we formed a friendship. We lost Dooley shortly after his ninth birthday, we were devastated. Dooley was on raw feed bought from The Rhyddings Kennels at Menston who held a balance for me, so I contacted Jayne to ask if there were any foster dogs locally I could donate his food to. The Rhyddings kindly added as much food again when I told them where it was going. I heard from Si that he was planning a street collection in a couple of weeks so I said Sue and I would come along to support him. We stayed with him for a couple of hours in rescue T s so people took note. Then comes my famous you re doing this wrong so we chatted and I suggested that I build a small mobile stand and we ask pet shops if we can fundraise in their store entrance. First off was Jollyes at Keighley, we were a bit nervous at first but soon got into the swing of talking to people - it was easy, even dare I say fun! Now we just book the whole year in advance and try to get supermarkets as well, why? Because we believe in what we do as true volunteers and that by doing what we do, we can at least take a small amount of financial strain off Jayne & Team North of which Team Fat Blokes are only a very small part of this rock solid team. The very handsome Dooley who brought Ray to GSDR. He d be proud of his dad and his incredible fundraising efforts. Yes Si and me are very different people but we just get on and share a very strange and often wicked sense of humour. Yes we still do dog transport, home checks and dog assessments but fundraising is our thing. The thing is whatever amount of donations we get it s just never enough! That s why whatever the weather we will be there! We thank our fundraising heroes: Bertie, the lovely blind girl Tia sadly no longer with us, Fantastic Freddie now in foster and new boy Jet. But most of all the truly wonderful handsome and lovely Ollie dog who left us in March to go to the bridge. Ollie is a legend at so many Pets at Home stores and many of the staff shed a tear when informed of his passing.
Team Fat Blokes Fundraising Top Tips You ll need a professional looking display: A table top board to display A4 prints of dogs in your region that need homes, your A/C will let you have these. Print and laminate before displaying. You ll also need some flyers for handing out. At least two volunteers (make no mistake it is hard work!) Sorry no seats! It is a very big No No when fundraising to be sitting down unless wheelchair of course! An absolutely bomb proof dog. We can t afford a barker or worse a bite! (you must have a dog with you or the kids will walk right by and so will the parents). Letter of authority to raise funds for GSDR. (Ours is stuck to the table top, can t forget to have it with you then). Dress like a team, GSDR T shirts all same colour. People will see there is an event going on not just folk with a dog, talking! Collection buckets we find are better than the little pots. GSDR stickers on & sealed. It s a legal requirement to be sealed. Also you must not shake them, we simply readjust the contents! Make sure you are there when the store opens and do the full opening hours. (We were thanked for doing just that and told we were the only charity to do so). We concentrate on raising the profile of GSDR and donations more than trying to sell merchandise, we do have some but only the wrist bands seem to go. Few people donate AND buy something. Smile, be happy and enjoy yourself. Happiness is contagious and it will draw people over to the stand. Thank the store for allowing you to attend and tell them you d be delighted if they would allow you come back again in the future! Please remember you are the public face of GSDR and will be the image people will take away with them. Best of luck and happy fundraising! Thank you all the staff at Pets@home who have treated us royally, thank you Morrisons, and Tesco, thank you Angela Hargreaves, Lynn Holland, Julie Wilkinson and Peter Hopkins for letting us do our thing, thank you Angie Vaughan, Alison Elphee, Emma Coldwell, Julie again, Angela again, of course Jayne for coming and supporting us at events, and anybody else who have come out to help, and a big thank you to the great British public who have worked hard to put the pounds in the buckets. Thank you all from Team Fat Blokes.
Simba s Journey This is Simba, he s fourteen years old. He was handed into kennels in Newport on the 17th August as his owner was leaving him home alone for days on end, the alternative was to have him PTS. Kennels is no place for such an old boy who was wobbly on his old legs, Dog Co-ordinator Mandy fetched him a quilt and settled him in. This photo was posted onto our Facebook page and was seen by Amanda Mills. She commented If you can get him here then we ll have him and that s when Simba s journey began. A transport appeal was posted and a few hours later he s off. Back in the car and off to rendezvous with Jayne for an overnight stay with her in Herefordshire. Later that night Janine Kerr and husband Ian arrive with their dogs in their motorhome and park up for the night. Next morning Simba said hello to his new travel companions and it s off in the motorhome and up to Preston to meet Andy Peake and his beautiful girl Zara. The final leg of the journey starts with a long drive up to Newcastle to his new home. Simba s journey was over 300 miles, and 24 hours after being handed in, this old wobbly boy is finally home. At times like these the strength of the GSDR team is simply inspirational. When Simba s journey ended his new life began. They re off in the motorhome! Poor Simba was in desperate need of a bath, his coat was matted and very smelly from lying in his own mess. So with the help of Chris Thomas, it s off to Central Bark with foster dad Stephen for a nice bath and a good groom. He must ve felt so much better, he even had his nails trimmed. We d like to thank Central Bark for their kindness and generosity for taking care of Simba. Huge thanks to Grant Humphrey & Ali Younger who very kindly bought Simba his stunning new wheels. This allows him to get out and about and start to live once more. Simba & Zara for the last leg of the journey Too little exercise has left Simba with severe muscle wastage which has left him wobbly on his old legs. Lynne at Tynedale K9 Hydrotherapy kindly offered him twelve hydrotherapy sessions which he attends twice weekly. He s pictured here on the underwater treadmill. Many thanks to Lynne for helping to rehabilitate this special old boy and to the vollies who kindly transport him to each session. Simba s settled so well, it s like he's been here all his life and he's really loving life again. He's such a kind natured old gent who hasn't deserved the life he's had in the past. We adore him. I d like to thank the fantastic transport relay team for bringing him to us, Central Bark for his groom, Tynedale K9 Hydrotherapy for the hydro sessions and the vollies who take us to all of his appointments. Special thanks to Grant & Ali who so very kindly bought his pram, it means he can get pushed to the park and then get out for a wander. It s made such a difference to his life, thank you. Amanda & Stephen.
Beautiful Bella models the Dogmatic head collar 24 including p&p. Scrumptious Skye is happily wearing his Dog in Training high-viz jacket. Because he s such a lovely looking fluffy bear people sometimes spooked him by rushing over to give him a fuss. Now they give him some space and going out with Mam is much more fun! Just 15 including p&p. Available from our website by clicking here. Born in the care of GSDR, Fern (left) is reunited with her brother Frodo at a recent group walk. She was so happy that she decided to celebrate by having a paddle. Here she is, this really is the same dog! Taken as she was just about to have a shake and share her mud. It s not often you start a walk as a sweet smelling princess and end it as a mud monster! Headingley Golf Club, Leeds is the place to be on 8th October for The Big Fashion Show in aid of GSDR. Tickets are just 5, it s a great night out with the GSDR girls taking to the catwalk. Take the chance to grab yourself a bargain on some high street brands. For more information or to book a ticket please call Gillian on 0788 1523401 The last fashion show raised 560, so come along and lets make this another successful event. We have been invited to have a stand at the Snodland Dog Show, Snodland, Kent on the 29 th September. We re looking for volunteers to man the stand on the day, if anyone is able to lend a hand please contact Tracy North on 01189 745387 or email crystalsheps@gmail.com On the 15th September Andy Peake will be joining 56,000 other people taking part in the Great North Run. Covering 13.1 miles, the event is being covered on BBC 2. Andy is taking part in memory of his father, who sadly passed away last year and will be sharing his sponsorship between GSDR and Diabetes UK. This is a gruelling run, Mo Farrah was due to take part but has pulled out as he s not had time to train! If you d like to sponsor Andy please visit his Virgin Money Giving page by clicking here
How to Contact your Area Co-ordinators South West Cornwall / Devon / Somerset / Dorset / Wiltshire & Gloucester Area/Dog Co-ordinator: Tracy North 01189 745387 crystalsheps@gmail.com South East Kent / Hertfordshire / Essex / London / Surrey / East & West Sussex / IOW / Hampshire / Berkshire / Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Area/Dog Co-ordinator: Tracy North 01189 745387 crystalsheps@gmail.com Eastern Norfolk / Suffolk / Cambridgeshire / Bedfordshire / Northants / Lincolnshire & Leicestershire Area Co-ordinator: Mandi Wilks 01692 584772 / 07810 568862 mandigsdr@gmail.com Dog Co-ordinator: Ann Opie 01400 262708 anngsdr@gmail.com General enquiries: Ann Opie 01400 262708 anngsdr@gmail.com Central Nottinghamshire / Derbys / Staffordshire / Shropshire / Worcestershire /Herefordshire / West Midlands & Warkwickshire Area and Dog Co-ordinator: Irene Culverwell 0161 282 3594 / 07778 150561 iculverwell21@hotmail.com General enquiries: Bill Kitchen 01524 784953 / Melanie Fairbrother 0161 494 7728 Fundraising Co-ordinator: Andy Peake Razanne99@aol.com North West Cheshire / Manchester / Merseyside / Cumbria & Lancashire Area and Dog Co-ordinator: Irene Culverwell 0161 282 3594 / 07778 150561 iculverwell21@hotmail.com General enquiries: Bill Kitchen 01524 784953 / Melanie Fairbrother 0161 494 7728 Fundraising Co-ordinator: Andy Peake Razanne99@aol.com North East Northumberland / Durham / Yorkshire / Tyneside / Teesside & North Humberside Area Co-ordinator: Angela Hargreaves 0113 225 5848 muddycat13@sky.com Dog Co-ordinator: Julie Wilkinson 07736 815430 julie_wilki@o2.co.uk General Enquiries: Peter Hopkins 01904 784030 Fundraising Co-ordinator: Gillian Marsden Gillian.l.marsden@ntlworld.com Wales Area Co-ordinator: Jayne Shenstone 01568 797957 info@germanshepherdrescue.co.uk Dog Co-ordinator: Mandy Jones 07970592220 Fundraising Co-ordinator: Sian Jones jones-sian3@sky.com