Focus News Summer 2015 Message from the Chairman It is with apologies that I write this message as it has been so long since we produced a Newsletter. I am, however, hoping that everyone will forgive me as it has been an incredibly busy year and somehow admin always seems to get put on the back burner! In the last 12 months our volunteers have been working extremely hard to raise much needed funds. Many of you will have followed our various activities, however, as a brief reminder our 2014/2015 season included four dog shows, an online dog show, our very own Woofstock, Barnstaple Carnival (which we won for the 2nd year running) and our very successful Purple Ball. Other activities have included the official opening of our Charity Shop in Appledore. This would not have been possible without the help of everyone at Kalm Supported Living so a huge thank you has to go to them. The shop has proved a great source of income for the rescue and also helps us attract new volunteers as well as increasing public awareness of our rescue. We are also now part of the Unity Lottery Scheme which is something we hope will offer us a steady source of funds in the future. Thanks to grants received from the Jean Salisbury Trust, Support Adoption for Pets and Animal Friends Insurance, we have been able to erect 3 kennels at Shepherds View and 1 kennel with a volunteer. We are also in the process of creating our very own exercise/training facility which we believe will give us the opportunity to train and socialise some of the more difficult dogs that often just need time! Our thanks must also go to JC Fundraising who worked throughout 2014/15 raising funds for K9focus. There is no denying that the last 12 months has been a tough year for rehoming. With the media hype over dog attacks on the rise and the harsher Dog Laws hanging above our heads, people have been less prepared to take on a rescue dog. Added to that, more and more people are giving up or abandoning their dogs. Council pounds are full to bursting and we, as a rescue, have had to turn away hundreds of dogs due to lack of space and funds. This is a real source of anguish for all involved as you can imagine. It is not all bad however. This past year we managed to find homes for our three long term dogs - one of which had been with us for over 2 years and is now having a fantastic time in her new home. Many other dogs found their forever sofas this year and it really does give us all a great buzz when we see their pictures and hear their stories - some of which are featured later. To sum up, this has been an amazing year for K9focus and although it has been tough at times, we have come through it stronger and more determined than ever. The highlight of the year culminated in our being awarded The Charity Team of the Year 2015 at the PetPlan Awards. An amazing achievement when you think there were over 4,800 nominations - a credit to all our volunteers, who are truly the unsung heroes without whom the rescue simply could not function. To them and all our supporters I say a massive THANK YOU. Have a fantastic Summer and hopefully I will see many of you at our various events. Registered Charity No 1142968 Lynne Hall
Show Season Summer time is upon us and our Show Season has started. We had lots of fun in Ilfracombe and Braunton although sadly we had to cancel The Big Sheep due to our English weather! We saw some fantastic dogs (and people) and so far have raised just over 1800 so thank you to all our supporters and of course our volunteers who make the shows possible. Still lots more shows to come along to - see our Events Page: Torrington - 26th July Filleigh - 30th August Exeter - 13th September
Saying Goodbye! I guess it is inevitable as we move into our 6th year that some of the dogs we have rescued are going to be leaving us and this year has been particularly hard as we have said Goodbye to some of our 4EverFocus Dogs and dogs that have been adopted. At least they will all run free knowing that in the end they were loved.
Saying Hello to our new 4EverFocus Dogs Some dogs are difficult to rehome - either due to their size, age, temperament or the fact that they may need medication for the rest of their life. We still think these dogs deserve a home and so we started our 4EverFocus Scheme. We do also have 4 kennels which you can sponsor rather than a specific dog and we will send you regular updates of the dogs that are occupying these kennels. Call Lynne on 07971 461806 to enquire about sponsoring a 4EverFocus Dog or kennel. Kia came to us earlier in the year and spent a couple of months in kennels before we found a 4EverFoster home for her. She is 11 and still very spritely but in view of her age K9focus will continue to support her. We were asked to take in Buster when no one else would. He is 13 and blind! However as you can see thanks to our scheme and a fantastic fosterer, Buster is now enjoying life with his friend who takes him for a walk! Possibly one of the best pictures! Not practical to Adopt - Sponsor and save a dogs life!
Minky another 4EverFocus Dog Minky came to us recently from the Local Authority pound where she had served her time as a stray and was due to be put to sleep. She is simply gorgeous and loves everyone and everything. At the moment she is enjoying life with our North Devon Co-Ordinator and her new sister Jessica, our mascot dog. Sadly we recently found out that Minky has renal failure and her prognosis is not good. We currently have her on a special diet which costs in excess of 100 per month but we think she is worth it and want to ensure that she enjoys the last months of her life. We are therefore donating the proceeds from our Dunk A Duck Race (see below) to her welfare fund. 3 per duck Dunk A Duck for Minky 1st Prize - 100 2nd Price - 50 3rd Price - 25 Race to be held at our QUAK22 3 K9focus Doggie Funday Castle Hill House Filleigh 30th August 2015 at 2.30pm (dog show Text your donations commences at noon) to 70070 - then Email your full name and telephone number to lynne@k9focus.co.uk to receive your unique Dunk a Duck number
Volunteers Needed We need volunteers in Exeter, Barnstaple and throughout North Devon Bella one of our 4EverFocus dogs We need help in the following areas: Organising Collection Days Homechecking Dog Walking Telephone Calls Marketing Material Design Marley another 4EverFoster Dog Leaflet Distribution Helping at our various Dog Shows - setting up and stands Lots of ways to help - in fact if you have any spare time - we If you don t have spare time you can still help: If you shop on line you can now raise funds by shopping through Easyfundraising - check it out! www.easyfundraising.org.uk It costs nothing other than a few minutes of your time! Visit our Charity Shop for lots of Bargains! This year we opened our first Charity Shop in Appledore in conjunction with Kalm Supported Living who provide independent living for people with learning difficulties. The shop has proved a valuable source of income for the rescue but just as importantly provides work experience and social interaction for the students. We are always in need of quality items to sell and items can be dropped off at the shop. The shop is open Monday - Saturday inclusive from 10am to 3pm. There is also a coffee shop run by Kalm Supported Living which offers some excellent snacks - coffee and cake for just 1 - now that is what I call a bargain! Ted who came to visit was rather interested in the dog treats!
Events Doggie Funday & Show Torrington Rugby Club Hatchmoor Road Torrington Ex38 7BU Sunday 26th July 2015 12 noon onwards Novelty Classes Rosettes to 6th Place Entrance Free 1.50 per class entered Castle Hill House Funday & Duck Race Filleigh Barnstaple Devon Ex32 0RG Sunday, 30th August 2015 12 noon onwards Fun Classes with Rosettes to 6th Place - Trophy Best Rescue Dog Final Entrance to grounds free Dog Show 1.50 per class Parking 2 Discount to gardens for all Show Visitors For ball tickets please email: lynne@k9focus.co.uk or call 07971 461806