From Summer Hot dog to Winter Frankfurter

In this post, we're handing over to our friends at Kyrenia Animal Rescue for a heartwarming tale of hounds and homes …

It is always nice when we help to relocate pets – but even nicer when the pet was homed from our Rescue Centre.

Tinky had come into KAR after having being found just lying in the rain in a ditch – seemingly having given up trying to find somewhere warm and dry to rest. She was such a sad, sorry, little, wet and cold dog.

Tinky had only been with KAR a few months, when she caught the eyes of Sylvie and Heinz, from Germany. They already had a KAR rescue dog, Arap, who they homed in 2006, and wanted another to share their home with. Everyone was delighted when, after a few false hopes and starts, and, sadly, them not being able to have their original chosen dog, they were drawn like magnets to Tinky as soon as they saw her. 

Throughout the long, hot summer, with temperatures in the high 30s, Tinky was told “not long now.” When she was lying at the back of her kennel with her friends trying to keep cool in the shade, the message was “soon be time.” When she was having a bath, she was reminded “this feels like the rain that you need to get used to." For Tinky, it was a very long, humid summer – she was one of the many Hot Dogs at KAR.

At last, as the summer began to draw to a close and the temperature dropped, it was Tinky's time. Time for her to travel. Time for her to go to Germany. 

It was decided that Tinky would travel as an “accompanied pet” with Turkish Airlines, as opposed to travelling as a cargo booking. For some pets/owners this can be a cheaper alternative to cargo bookings, but it is not possible for pets flying into the UK.

Her flight was booked, all of the paperwork was finished, and Tinky set off. Owners often worry about how their pets will be handled during their loading, flight, and offloading, so it's nice to see from these photos the careful handling of Tinky by Ercan ground team. 

KAR Pet Travel has worked hard with everyone at Ercan who deals with their travelling pets, and these photos show that the hard work has paid off – Tinky was carefully carried onto the aircraft and strapped into her special area of the hold. 

Ground staff, Captain, and cabin crew liaised about Tinky, and the necessary reassurances for her travel were given. Tinky was off – she had a short transit, and a change of planes at Istanbul, and then continued on her journey to Germany.  

After completing all of the entry processes and checks on entry to Germany, it was time … time for Tinky to be taken out of her travel box and be with Sylvie. There were tears all around, but they were happy tears. Tinky was delighted to be snuggled up in Sylvie’s arms – after all, no one had told her that this new place was going to be so cold!

She had a comfort break and walk outside – and even had time for a quick stop at McDonalds, before setting off for an hour's journey to her new house – all of the time being told “This is it Tinky – this is Germany – this is now Home.” 

This is her new house, and her new friend, Arap.

She will even have a lake of her own to cool down in – won’t her KAR Hot Dog friends be envious!

Tinky won’t be a Summer Hot Dog again: she's now a Winter Frankfurter through and through!

Make sure you keep up with all the latest news from KAR via facebook, and its website.

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 …

Charlie – the dog who came in from the wild book launch

Hubble & Hattie saw the release of its newest book earlier this month: Charlie – the dog who came in from the wild. 

The book's author, Lisa Tenzin-Dolma and H&H publisher Jude were at Corston Villiage Hall near Bath for the book launch. Thank you to everyone who attended the event, which was a complete success! Check out these great pictures from the day:

1  Actor Anthony Head & partner, the animal behaviour expert, Sarah Fisher.

2  Journalist & broadcaster, Bel Mooney, and her dog, Bonnie, pose with Lisa at the launch.

3  Resident H&H hound, Imani Cricket, organises sales of Charlie's book!

4  A happy Lisa with her tribute to her beloved Charlie.

Charlie is the true story of the bond that developed between author Lisa Tensin-Dolma, and Charlie – a traumatised, one-eyed, Romanian dog who lived the first 18 months of his life in the wild, never socialising with humans. Charting Charlie’s progress and setbacks, it explains how Lisa worked with Charlie to help him overcome his extreme fearfulness to become a happy, affectionate, fun-loving family dog. Charlie – The dog who came in from the wild is touching and heart-warming, and clearly demonstrates the transformative power of love and kindness.

Paws for a Cause: All Dogs Matter

Dog Rescue and Rehoming in and around London & Norfolk.

All Dogs Matter provide care for all dogs in the London and Norfolk areas in need of a home – be they strays, from a pound, or given up by owners who can no longer care for them. There has been an increase in the number of unwanted dogs, and a growing demand for rescue services in the current economic climate. All Dogs Matter aims to pair each dog in its care with the best new owner for them, ensuring they'll be safe, cared for, and loved for the rest of their life.

     The charity's work is done in three stages: first, identifying and taking in the dogs in need of help; second, placing the dogs in foster homes, where they can be assesed, health-checked, microchipped, neutered and vaccinated. Third, the search for a forever home begins.

     ADM's team is made up of passionate dog-lovers. The charity works hard to rescue as many homeless dogs as it can, a feat that would be impossible without its many foster carers, drivers, fundraisers and home-visitors, many of whom are volunteers. If you're interested in giving one of ADM's dogs a forever home, or would like to get involved as a volunteer, visit the website for more information, or call the London office on 020 8341 3196.

Paws for a cause – Cats Protection's National Black Cat Day

There's a certain amount of stigma surrounding black cats. They hang out with witches; they're bad luck; they're 'boring.' Of course, this is all nonsense,  and yet black and black-and-white cats looking for forever homes are often overlooked. That's why Cats Protection is urging people to 'paws' for thought on Thursday 30th October and show support for National Black Cat Day!

The aim of the day is to raise awareness of the many unwanted black and black-and-white moggies in
Cats Protection’s care, many of whom wait longer to find their forever homes – overlooked by potential families in favour of their more colourful counterparts.

“Black and black-and-white cats make up around half of all the cats in our care – and sadly they wait
much longer to find their forever home than the average cat,” said Gemma Smith, Cats Protection’s Digital Communications Officer. “They are just as loving and fun as torties and tabbies, and will make the perfect addition to any home, so now it’s time for us to stand up and show our support for them.

"If you love cats just as much as we do, why not consider adopting a black cat, entering our competition or taking part in our campaign?"

To help raise awareness of the many black cats in need, the charity is encouraging people to enter its
National Black Cat Day competition to win a professional photoshoot, which starts on Monday 6 October.

To enter the competition cat lovers are being asked to take a photo of their beloved black rescue cat and upload it to Cats Protection’s Facebook page, alongside their adoption story. The charity will shortlist its favourites and will be asking Facebook fans to get voting by liking their preferred selfie and story. The photo with the most votes will be crowned National Black Cat Day Champion and will win a professional photoshoot, as well as the honour of becoming the ‘poster cat’ for future rehoming appeals!

The fun doesn’t stop there, however, and there are many different ways to take part on and around the
day. More information can be found on the Cats Protection website and social profiles, and by following the #CPBlackCats and #BlackCatSelfie hashtags on Twitter.

To find out more about adopting a black or black-and-white cat, visit the Cats Protection website, or call the the helpline on 03000 12 12 12.

Paws for a cause – Serbia's Forgotten Paws

Formed in 2012 by a group of positive and determined volunteers from across the UK, Serbia's Forgotten Paws aims to improve the lives and welfare of the dogs and cats in two Serbian shelters, as well as neutering strays across the country. The first shelter, based in Nis, has over 350 dogs in its care. The second shelter is in Mislodjin, and provides care to around 80 dogs.

While there are groups and individuals who already assist with the provision of food, vaccinations,
kennels, and care of dogs and cats in Serbia, the volunteers of Forgotten Paws, motivated by the powerful images and distressing stories of Serbia’s strays online, felt they could make a huge difference by improving these animals' quality of life.

Primarily, the hope is to rehome as many animals as possible through adoption in the UK and Europe.
For those animals that are unable to be rehomed, Forgotten Paws hopes to improve their living conditions. The volunteers are busy raising funds to purchase land around the two sites to allow the construction of warm, safe, permanent enclosures, where the dogs can interact with each other and with their human carers.

Forgotten Paws also hopes to raise awareness in the UK and beyond of the terrible cruelty faced by
animals in Serbia, and to encourage the Serbian government to improve the current situation.










If you would like to learn more about the work of Forgotten Paws, adopt or sponsor a dog, or other ways you can help, why not visit the website.

Paws for a cause – Margaret Green Animal Rescue

Established in 1965, Margaret Green Animal Rescue is the oldest and largest animal rescue charity founded in Dorset. Every year, the charity cares for over 1200 animals – many of whom have been abandoned, unwanted or ill-treated – and rehomes them to loving owners. With two centres in Dorset (Lincoln Farm and Church Knowle) and one in Devon (Wingletang Rescue), there is always a large variety of animals looking for forever homes, including dogs, cats, rabbits, donkeys, goats and pigs, to name just a few!
Margaret Green, founder of the Charity, was an amazing lady with incredible strength and determination. She passed away on Christmas Eve 2009, age 94. Despite being hospitalised for some weeks prior to her death, she still wouldn’t stop thinking of animals. Even on the night before she died, she insisted on checking that arrangements had been made for her annual Christmas donation of carrots for Angel and all the other horses at the Church Knowle Centre.

Margaret devoted much of her life to the rescue and care of animals, and everyone involved with the charity promises to continue her good work for the sake of all the animals in their care.

Margaret Green Animal Rescue receives no government funding, and relies heavily on donations to continue carrying out its important work. Every penny of every pound donated goes towards animal welfare.
Check out this video to find out a little more about the folk at Margaret Green Animal Rescue:

 

The Church Knowle centre near Wareham, Dorset, is free to visit, and has a great visitor's centre. It's also the place to go if you're thinking of adopting an animal such as a cat, rabbit, guinea pig or field or farm animal. Give them a call on 01929 480474, between 10am and 4pm every day for details.
Church Knowle also hosts an annual companion dog show and family fun day on Sunday 3rd August between 11am and 4pm. Why not enter your hound in the pedigree and novelty classes; enjoy the stalls; enter the raffle or grand draw, and enjoy something to eat and a glass of Pimms!

If you are thinking of giving a dog a loving forever home, please call the staff at Lincoln Farm Rescue & Rehoming for Dogs, Blandford on 01929 471340, or if you are thinking of rehoming a cat or a dog and you are based in Devon, please call the staff at Wingletang Rescue & Rehoming Centre for Cats & Dogs, near Tavistock on 01822 810215. 

For more information on any aspect of the work carried out by the Margaret Green, or to rehome an animal or make a donation, please contact your local Margaret Green Animal Rescue Centre. Alternatively, email ck@margaretgreenanimalrescue.org.uk or visit the website.

Paws for a cause – Ferne Animal Sanctuary

Ferne Animal Sanctuary was founded by the late Nina, Duchess of Hamilton & Brandon, at the beginning of WWII, and was situated on the Ferne Estate in Dorset. The Duchess realised that, due to the war, service men and women would be called up for duty, leaving behind many pets in need of care. Consequently, an appeal was made on the BBC’s National Service asking for suitable homes for these animals. On returning home, the Duchess found several dogs, cats and a parrot waiting for her! These animals, all in need of new homes, were kindly taken in by people living on the Duchess’ estate. Inevitably, at the end of the war many owners failed to return to collect their pets, and so the story of Ferne Animal Sanctuary began.

Sadly, the beautiful manor house is no longer standing. In 1975, the sanctuary moved to its present premises which overlook the River Yarty Valley, high in the Blackdown Hills, in Somerset. Set in 51 acres of glorious countryside, Ferne also has a conservation area with nature trail, children’s play areas, restaurant, and picnic areas, which are open almost every day of the year for the public to enjoy – not to mention meeting the wide variety of animals residing there, so it is well worth a visit!

Ferne also owns its own island! Little Linga is a small island in the Orkneys, which had been owned by a farmer and seal hunter. It was purchased by Ferne in 1967 thanks to the help of some generous donations. The island is now a seal sanctuary and is visited by both grey and common seals.

Ferne Sanctuary cares for over 300 unwanted domestic and farm animals of all varieties, from cats to cattle, dogs to donkeys, goats to geese, and many more besides! Some animals are brought to Ferne because they have been neglected or are no longer wanted. Others are brought because of their owners' changing circumstances.  Any animal passing through Ferne's gate can be assured of love and compassion for the rest of his or her life.

Ferne also aims to find forever homes for its healthy dogs and cats, and foster homes for its equines. All Ferne’s animals receive lifelong care, and medical needs are met.

If you would like to learn more about this amazing sanctuary, plan a visit, donate, sponsor or rehome an animal, visit the website!

Pause for a cause – Kyrenia Animal Rescue

We're looking at a charity very close to our hearts in this post – the very rescue centre where Immie, the H&H hound, came from!

The Kyrenia Animal Rescue (KAR), high in the Besparmak Mountains in Northern Cyprus, provides refuge for over 200 dogs and cats. A mixture of full-time staff and volunteers work constantly to maintain and improve KAR’s facilities, to the benefit of the animals in their care.

KAR was founded in 1997 by a small group of people who were saddened by the number of stray
animals they saw, and the conditions they were living in. A year later, the group was affiliated to the RSPCA in the UK. A year after that, the Forestry Department of Northern Cyprus donated a tract of land in the mountains where a kennel block, exercise compounds and caretaker’s accommodation were built, with the rescue centre opening in May. Since that time, KAR has initiated many incredible projects, all of benefit to the local community, their animals, and for animals without homes. These projects include a neutering programme; educational visits to schools; re-homing programmes; veterinary care; pet passports, and campaigns for changes in the law. KAR aims to change attitudes towards the welfare and care of animals in the community, and the centre has certainly taken leaps and bounds in the right direction.

One of KAR’s main successes is its neutering programme. This sees stray dogs and cats rounded up,
neutered, inoculated, treated for worms and fleas, and then released after they are fully recovered. Released dogs are also given a numbered ear tag to keep track of them.

A great number of the animals KAR rescues and cares for are able to be re-homed. Unfortunately, in a country as small as Cyprus, there aren’t many good homes available, so KAR also reaches out to people looking to adopt a rescue animal from other countries! Homes have been sought and found in Germany, France, and, as in Immie’s case, the UK. This process is much easier now than it would have been when Veloce’s Jude and Rod brought Immie home, following changes in legislation in 2012, so there’s never been a better time to adopt one of these lovely animals!

KAR continues to make improvements in the way it cares for its animals on-site. In November 2012, the charity moved into new office premises – with space in a large, open basement that looked an ideal place to set up its own veterinary clinic. It wasn’t long before the dream began to become a reality – funds were raised for partitions to be built, and a group of volunteers was formed to continue to raise funds, source equipment, and promote the clinic in local communities.

Donations of money, equipment, supplies and support were received, and gradually the clinic is taking shape. KAR’s plan is to employ a qualified vet who can not only neuter and treat the animals, but who could also mentor veterinarian students to be able to gain vital operational skills.
If you’re interested in giving one of KAR’s many gorgeous furry friends a forever home, details of the costs involved and the steps to take can be had by contacting KAR’s Pet Travel Department, or if you’d like to help KAR continue in its efforts to give the animals of Northern Cyprus a better life, then click here to find out how you can help!