All about Zena

If you are local to H&H HQ, you may already be aware of the great work that The Donkey Sanctuary does for these friendly animals. Having started off as a dream to help save donkeys in distress this charity near Sidmouth, Devon, now has multiple centres across the UK, and works globally to help thousands of donkeys. 

Meet the delightful Zena!

As with many animal charities, a large amount of their funding is obtained through adoptions and sponsorships and our publisher, Jude, has has adopted Zena, a wonderfully sweet donkey at the Sidmouth sanctuary. Zena's start in life was tough; born three weeks early, she suffered from paralysis in her back legs. However, after a lot of veterinary care, love and late-night bottle-feeds, she overcame the odds and is now full of life!

Donkeys are intelligent creatures, and like to take their time getting used to new things. Having only ever known love and kindness from those who care for her at the sanctuary, Zena trusts humans, and new experiences don't frighten her. One of the many things that the sanctuary likes to do is to keep donkeys challenged and engaged, just as they would be in the wild. Introducing Zena to an obstacle course for the first time, she demonstrated her usual courage and intelligence. After a brief hesitation, she stepped directly over the raised pole, one leg at a time, with a little hop to finish off!

Zena taking on the obstacle course 

"It's important that she doesn't become bored by doing the same things every day. That's why we constantly try to come up with new activities to enrich the lives of our donkeys. We also encourage different volunteers and grooms to help take care of Zena and her friends. It's good for the donkeys to get used to small differences in approach and handling." – Rosie, one of the grooms at the Donkey Sanctuary.

All donations received go towards a wide variety of projects, from buying new equipment to helping care for the donkeys, to funding Donkey-Assisted Therapy programmes across the UK and Europe. The Donkey Sanctuary has just opened a new veterinary hospital at Brookfield Farm in Devon, thanks to the help of all those generous enough to donate to this heart-warming charity.

To see how you can help support the incredible work that The Donkey Sanctuary carries out, be sure to visit the website; we're sure you won't be able to resist adopting a donkey!

 

Keeping up with Kyrenia

Today, we catch-up with our friends Kyrenia Animal Rescue. Continuing its fantastic work helping pets get to and from Cyprus, here's the latest news from KAR Pet Travel …

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Summer is very nearly here, and it has been a busy spring for KAR Pet Travel – with an even busier summer coming,  so it seems.

The Spring Imports – all wanting to get here before the summer heat – came from a variety of destinations: Russia, Turkey, USA, UAE, India, EU, and UK, to name just a few. Many flew in on Turkish Airlines flights, with their owners, and, often, the Customs hall at Ercan resounded with excited barks, as the dogs saw their owners after being parted from them during the flight.

Others (cats and small dogs) were carefully carried into the Customs hall by owners who had flown with their beloved pets by their side (or feet), in the cabin.

Customs officials and airport staff are still often amazed at the distances some of the pets have travelled, and yet they arrive, often excited and happy – rarely do we hear a growl, hiss or screech. 

KAR Pet Travel representatives (meeting incoming pets) are regularly approached by other travellers wanting to know why there are cats/dogs/birds in the Customs hall. For some, it may be the closest that they have been to a dog/cat/bird, and their questions are wide and varied. These travelling pets show them that animals can be part of the family, and are very much loved – something, sadly, that many travellers had not realised or thought of before. Many a time, after speaking to us and the pet owners, we have responses such as "I did not know that you bring animals here," "I did not think that they would survive a flight," and "How can I bring mine?" … and so it goes on. It is a real learning curve for some, one that they have learnt via KAR Pet Travel, our travelling pets and their owners.

Other pets fly into Larnaca or Paphos, and, after being cleared at the airport by colleagues in RoC, are transported into TRNC, and delivered home by KAR Pet Travel. During the entry process at the border, we are often approached by the public with questions. It seems that there is nothing like a large dog in a large box to attract their attention! 

Their questions are answered, but we always ensure, that, although they may be able to see the pets in their boxes in the van, they cannot touch or pester them: they are still strangers, however well meaning and inquisitive! The welfare of the pets is paramount, and we do all that we can to minimise any stress for them.

Delivery to their new home can sometimes cause us more stress than the rest of the import process. It is often dark, and we are trying to find properties, following directions made during daylight hours. The road signs cannot be seen, landmarks are not easily visible in the pitch black, and there have been new roads and properties built after the directions were written.

However, one thing remains the same wherever we are: there will be lights ablaze at home, owners will be pacing up and down, either inside the property or as they hear/see us approaching, outside in the road. They are desperate to be reunited with their pets. All they want is for their pet to be out and have cuddles – lots of them. They know that they have been well looked after during their journey, and will have had updates, but it is not the same as physically seeing them, finally here in their new home in the TRNC.

Often, after we have finished with the formalities and have said our goodbyes, there is a tear in my eyes as we drive away. But it is a HAPPY tear at the very real and HAPPY scene that we are leaving behind.

We have loved meeting our spring import pets and owners, and we look forward to meeting those travelling with us in the summer and autumn.

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You can keep up-to-date with KAR's latest work and goings-on on its website at http://www.kartrnc.org or on Facebook.

Oldies Club

Helping old dogs find loving homes

As regular visitors to our blog will know, we like to shine a spotlight on the great work that is being done by organisations worldwide to help animals in need. You’ll also know we love older dogs, so, in this post, we turn our attention to the Oldies Club, Warrington. 

As the name suggests, Oldies Club helps to find homes for older dogs, and has been steadfastly helping our older canine friends since 2005. We asked Amy at Oldies Club to tell us a little about how they came to be, and the great work they do … take it away, Amy …

"The Oldies Club is a dog rescue, run solely by volunteers, that specialises in rescuing and rehoming older dogs – aged 7 years plus.We first came into existence in the spring of 2005, and in March 2007 the Oldies Club proudly became Registered Charity number 1118246.

"The Oldies Club rescue grew from an initial idea on an internet dog chat forum by a group of people who felt great empathy with the plight of elderly dogs who find themselves homeless.

Sasha … the lead and collar says it all! Can you help her find a home?

"The initial inspiration behind the idea was a 13-year-old Collie we called Ted. Ted was blind in one eye and was terrified in the noisy, stark pound environment. He had to stay in kennels as a stray for 7 days but when no owner came forward to claim him, steps were taken to get Ted into a domestic situation immediately. Once in a foster home Ted thrived: the skinny, dull-coated, nervous boy became a healthy, active and rejuvenated character and a star of the internet.

"We do not have kennels or a central base as, rather than placing our dogs in kennels, we prefer to care for them in a normal home environment. We therefore use foster homes.

"Our foster homes are spread around the country, and each of them has been carefully checked. Before we place a dog in a foster home, we try, as far as possible, to ensure that we know the likes, dislikes and needs of the dog to ensure the foster home is one he or she will be happy in.

Trixie is another Oldies Club member looking for a home.

"Since its creation, Oldies Club has rehomed nearly 800 older dogs, and given sanctuary to many more who were too poorly to rehome. The latter are known as our sponsor dogs and remain in Oldies Club care for the rest of their days as part of their fosterer's family. They receive all the medical care they need and all the love they could ask for.

"Being a non-profit & 100% voluntary charity we are very grateful to our wonderful supporters who donate their time & resources into helping older dogs in need."

We think Oldies Club is doing an amazing job. As Amy says, it's a non-profit organisation, and as a voluntary charity, it needs all the help it can to give these wonderful older dogs a new home.

Patch – one of Oldies Club's current sponsor dogs.

With a nationwide network of dedicated foster carers throughout Britain, you can help wherever you are in the UK – whether it's rehoming or fostering, or helping with fundraising. To find out the many ways you can help, visit the Oldies Club website …

www.oldies.org.uk

or get social on Facebook and Twitter …




Head on over to see all the ways that Oldies Club is helping our older canine friends, and learn how you can help!

Do you have an older dog? We have some titles that may help you and your canine companion …

Paws for a cause – Samaritans

Samaritans began in 1953 in London, founded by a vicar called Chad Varah. Throughout his career Chad had offered counselling to his parishioners, and wanted to do something more specific to help people struggling to cope, and possibly contemplating suicide.

When Chad was offered charge of the parish of St Stephen in the summer of 1953, he knew that the time was right for him to launch what he called a '999 for the suicidal.' He was, in his own words, "a man willing to listen, with a base and an emergency telephone."

Chad knew he would need to get word out about the service. Luckily, he wrote and illustrated articles for children's comics, so he knew many of the journalists who worked on national newspapers. The service received lots of press coverage and on December 7th, 1953 the Daily Mirror coined the term 'Telephone Good Samaritans' and although Samaritans is not a religious organisation, the name has stuck and become synonymous with the idea of people being there for others struggling to cope.

The newspaper coverage worked and Chad received many calls and visits from people wanting support, as well as people wanting to help as volunteers. Initially, the volunteers’ duties were to sit with the callers whilst they waited for their appointment, offering them someone to chat to, but it soon became clear that their role was much more central to the service. The simple act of listening and offering non-judgemental support was enough for most callers, and Chad realised the power of the service was in providing a safe space so people could talk and be listened to, without judgement.

This is still the guiding principle behind Samaritans, which continues to help people in the UK and Ireland, 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. Its dedicated volunteers are always there to listen, without interruption, for as long as the caller wants, and as many times as they like.

The service is completely confidential, offering a safe place for people to turn without fear of
repurcussions, or the worry of burdening friends or family. This in itself can bring much-needed relief.

Samaritans also works in the local community, reaching as many as 228,370 people a year in schools,
hospitals, prisons and on the street, offering support and education on suicide prevention.

The foreword of our book, My Dog, my Friend, is written by Professor Stephen Platt, Samaritans Trustee, who is a firm believer that dogs can enrich our lives and benefit our mental health:

"We believe that My Dog, my Friend will increase awareness about the important role that animals – and dogs in particular – can play in helping people who are struggling to cope as well as symptoms of physical and mental ill-health. What is striking from the contributions in this book is the many different ways that dogs support us in our daily lives."
 
All author royalties from My Dog, my Friend are being donated to Samaritans. To find out how you can help support this fantastic cause, visit the website. Or, if there's something troubling you, then get in touch by calling 08457 90 90 90. For more ways to contact Samaritans, click here.

Competition Time!

We're giving away five copies of our fantastic book, My Dog, my Friend! To be in with a chance to win a copy, just answer this simple question:

(Here's a hint – you can find the answer in this blog post!)

Email your answer and your name to us at prize@hubbleandhattie.com. We'll announce the lucky winner in October's Animal Magic. Good Luck!