progress update: 22nd Sep

I am just writing to let you know how the dogs have settled in.
When we got them they were called Chuckie and Tommy, and have now been
renamed Mizzen (the blonde one) and Jib (the black one).
They are now very settled. They love going for walks in the forest and down the
beach and have even been tempted to go for a swim in the sea, Mizzen
is not as confident with the sea as Jib but is very willing to give it
a try as long as he can be by our side.
They both have lifejackets that we are getting them used to before we take them out on the boat,
Jib does not mind his at all but Mizzen always sulks.

They both come when called so we are able to let them off the lead in
the forest and suitable walks. Mizzen from the start would simply walk
with us directly behind our heels whereas Jib runs off until almost
out of sight then waits for us to catch up before going on.

They love to meet other people and dogs and are very good with our
nieces who love them.

They act like typical siblings; they love each other but do growl over
food and cuddles. The way they are with the chickens also differs, we
have introduced them on a few brief occasions – Mizzen is nervous of
them and stays behind us, but Jib would really love to eat one given
the chance; so far he has been pecked by the chickens for his efforts.

I am also very pleased to say that they are getting the idea of
housetraining and are learning to look at the door if they need to go
out.

Kind Regards,

Justine

progress update: 14th June

Chuckie and Tommy have gone to settle in to their new home today!

progress update: 12th June

Pocket Picking Day

Today Helen took us to have our pockets picked.

We sat in the back and discussed in hushed tones what she could mean by this,

has she started to consort with Fagin like criminals?

If so we will have to contact the Police,

German shepherds are very good at catching bad people,

and once caught they will be taken to court to be tried in front of Judge Collie Jeffreys.

Collies are always judges because they are so clever.
Helen was late for this suspicious appointment and drove faster than she should.

Dooley had warned us of her bad taste in music and she was in a Bauhaus mood again.

I do hope she replaces her car aerial soon
and we can educate ourselves with Radio 4 next time we go for a drive.

We arrived at a place that smelt of lots of animals and there was a
few roguish looking characters there.

A Staffordshire Bull Terrier that won’t let anyone take his chain lead from him,

looked at Helen and sat by her and she told him that she didn’t have anything that he would
want to hold onto and he could take his eyes off her bag.

Stealing bags and pickpockets we were really starting to worry now !

A nice lady called Phillipa talked to us and before we knew it she had put a
long, sharp pointy thing in our necks and after a while we stared to feel sleepy.

Before we were too tired, we managed to scent mark a large
box with lots of papers in it.

Phillipa laughed and said it was only her 1998 tax returns.

Helen told Phillipa that we do this all the time and that Yvonne who has been
looking after us is going to have to completely replace her lino after we have gone.

Helen sat talking to us whilst we went to sleep and Phillipa made her a cup of tea.

Helen said that Phillipa is the only vet she knows that
makes a cup ot tea for her clients, we didn’t get offered one.

Before we knew it we woke up,

we felt a bit sore in the place we keep our manhood but otherwise felt fine.

Helen arrived to pick us up and
after a lovely sleep and a bit of chat with the other dogs who were
really quite friendly in spite of their rough looks we went back to
Yvonne’s.

We didn’t meet any pickpockets so are still non the wiser as
to what she meant.

Chuckie:

Tommy:

This is Chuckie and Tommy, they are a year old and are a cross shih tzu size.
They are not clean in the house as they lived outdoors before coming
to the rescue.
They have been clipped quite short as their coats were matted.

They were a little timid when
they arrived in but have now settled well into the foster home.

progress update :16th Sep

Tess has also now been rehomed and has gone to live with Oscar ( a.k.a Davy ) !!!

Tess was an unwanted farm dog
a 14 week old collie cross female pup,

she is a typical friendly puppy!

progress update: 13th Sep

Hi Helen,
Sue asked me to send you these pictures.

Charlie is now a good friend and neighbour to our one year old Border Terrier “Bertie”

(seen also in the photo, with other local friends Edison the OES puppy,
Millie, Jasper & Buddy all rescued Westies,Goldies, & Heinz 57’s)

and we look forward to many happy ‘walkies’ together.
Best wishes Debbie.

progress update: 2nd Sep

Sue has decided to keep Charlie !!

progress update from Sue: 1st Sep

I took them to badbury rings this morning, and
he took off like a bat from hell!!…..but he came back. phew.
My next door neighbour Debbie, has a border terrier, who was
hopeless at coming back, and she had lessons on clicker training,
recall etc; She is going to help me with the long lead she has (30
metres long), and she reckons we’ll be able to get him to come back
more easily by taking him out on an empty stomach, and having good
treats like homemade liver cake etc;
She is an A and E nurse, and she reckons the sneezing might be a
grass seed up one nostril, as he has no temperature. I will be taking
him to the vet tomorrow for examination.
Debbie reckons when he puts on a bit of weight, he won’t be quite so
fast. She thinks he’s a great little dog, and will get on with her
Bertie (terrier)

progress update from Sue: 31st Aug

Hi Helen,
We took Charley to Whitecliff, after leaving you. He had a lovely
time. We let him off the lead, and he came back quite easily!
He gets on well with Curly, and he has spent the afternoon exploring
the garden, and generally getting used to his new home. He is very
responsive, and lisens to commands, and I think he will be quite easy
to train, as he is young enough, and bright enough to take it all in.
He pulls a bit on the lead, but nothing I can’t handle. all in all
we think he is a smashing dog (Dave is smitten too!)

progress update: 13th Sep

Hi Helen

At last I have got around to update you on ‘Sammy’ the Irish Collie
cross who we took on in May when he was about 5 months.

He is now called Harry and is a joy to have around. He is the star of
our dog training class, bright as a button, sweet, friendly and so
willing to please. For a collie he is remarkably calm and laid back.
He is a little bit ‘wonky’ because of his earlier two broken legs –
especially when he is tired!

You may remember that part of the reason we were looking for another
dog friend was to help our rescue lurcher Maude, who although was
gradually getting less timid seemed to need a dog pal to help her
reach her full potential and confidence. And dear Harry has helped her
hugely! They are great friends – Maude is the dog pack leader – Harry
dutifully picks up and fetches the ball/Frisbee when she drops it
randomly! Harry has loads of dog friends up here in Worth Matravers
and especially loves going to the Square and Compass – he often goes
for a walk with 7 or 8 other dog friends.

Thank you again for introducing us to Harry – we often say that we are
so lucky to have such a great dog in our lives!

Daff Tambling (and Harry!)

Here are some new photos of Sammy

as you can see his broken front leg has now completely healed!

progress update: 17th May

Sammy is now settling in to his new home!

This is Sammy who arrived with his leg in a cast.

He was running loose on a farm with his sister who we are also trying to save before she is shot.

Sammy also had a previously broken back leg which had set itself and unfortunately the vet was unable to do anything for this leg

.Sammy is recovering well and although he will need moderate exercise for a while his front leg is healing well.

He is slowly starting to learn to play and is a lovely natured pup.