2012. A summary.

Katie says thank you!

This year has been one of our busiest to date. In the last 12 months we have rehomed/rescued in the region of 700 dogs.

Our  vets bills have totalled a colossal £23,000 this year alone. Although we try not to use kennels and get all of our dogs into comfy foster homes our kennel costs have been a massive £28,000.

We couldn't have done any of it without you and would like to say a big thank you to all of you lovely volunteers who have fundraised, donated, fostered, homechecked, adopted, helped with transport runs... The list is endless.

Pulling together as a team we have managed to save so many dogs and although we have had many ups and downs this year, we are ready to face the challenges that the new year will almost certainly bring.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Keep your dog safe this Christmas

Morrisons supermarket caused outrage with their Christmas advert featuring a dog taking a Christmas pudding from a little boy. Although it clearly shows the dog just leaving the pudding in a plant pot it was thought that perhaps pet owners would be encouraged to feed their dogs Christmas pudding without knowing the risks.

As many of us are already aware the dried fruit in the pudding is highly toxic to dogs. Many owners have come forward with horror stories of their beloved pets consuming just a small amount of raisins and not living to tell the tale.

Please take care - none of us want to be calling the emergency vets over the holidays.

Christmas show 2012

Thank you to all those who supported us. We raised a fantastic £720. Here are some pictures:

The doggy stall

Peppa Paws sets up

Neal's Yard

Rhi's Beads and JV Crafts

Little Pixie

Very special home required

Breed: Whippet
Sex: Male
Age: 24 weeks
Dog Friendly: needs to be an only dog
Cat Friendly: yes
People Friendly: Yes
Child Friendly: Yes
House Trained: See description
Food: Dry puppy food. 
Vaccinated: Yes
Flea and worm treatment: Yes
Neutered: No, but this will be a condition of adoption at 6 months
Micro-chipped: Will be before rehoming
Fostered: South Wales

About Asha
Asha has his own section you can read by clicking here.

The extremely concise version is this; Asha came into Four Paws care at 9 weeks old. He was taken to be put to sleep at a vets, as he had hydrocephalus (fluid on the brain).  The vet called Four Paws, and the rest is history. Asha's prognosis wasn't great, and he had very little vision, which came and went.  He came into foster with us at 10 weeks old, where he immediately had everyone falling in love with him.

Asha had a major operation on October 1st which involved fitting a shunt which runs from a catheter into his skull, the tubing goes (under the skin) down his neck, and along his left side. The shunt takes excess fluid from around Asha's brain. He recovered brilliantly.  

He is having a major check up at Langford Vet hospital on December 18th, which should give a good idea of how he's doing, but all seems well with the op.

Asha is very typical of whippets! He is quite cat-like and quiet. He gets cold easily, and needs lots of cuddles. Lots. All the time is fine by him.  He likes walks (not massive walks) and is gentle as a lamb on his lead. Because of his tubing Asha cannot ever wear a collar it could put pressure on his brain), so he has a harness for walking, and nothing in the house.  

Our little boy loves taking him for a walk as he can hold his lead and Asha prances along very gently next to him. He is great off lead, and comes back nicely.  He runs just as fast as any other little whippet, and loves chasing and picking up leaves.

We haven't tried him loose with other dogs yet, more on that in a second. He loves his food, and will sit very nicely for you if you have a treat for him. He is ever so loving and sweet, and his idea of heaven is to be able to have a blanket over his back and be snuggled up to you on the sofa.He sleeps in his bed on his own in the kitchen at night with no fuss.  He is fine when we leave him to go on school runs etc, but he really needs someone who is home.  A home with a retired person/people with no other dogs would be perfect.He walks around in circles when he needs to go to the toilet. He will go to the back door, but if it is shut, he doesn't mind going in the kitchen!  We let him out regularly during the day, especially after meals, and this means accidents aren't as often as they may be. 

There are a few quirks he has as a result of his condition.  The reason Asha needs a quiet, calm home, where he can have a quiet routine are because of these.  If you have a busy family, with lots of coming and going, he really isn't the pup for you.  He hates any kind of disruption, at times when our house is busy (getting ready to go out for school) he prefers to be quiet in his bed. Otherwise he paces frantically, rubbing against everyone's legs and gets distressed.  The same happens in busy places. We sometimes walk him to school to collect the children, but he found all the activity around the school very distressing, so one of us walks him away from the school while the other collects the children!  


He paces like mad when he is worried. Whenever we are cooking, he paces and winds through our legs non-stop. Something to get used to!  He sleeps a lot, preferably against a warm lap.Asha likes other dogs and children, however i think the perfect home will have no dogs, and perhaps only visiting children.  He doesn't really know how to play with other dogs and doesn't know when to stop pestering them, and gets horribly distressed (screaming) if they try and play with him when he doesn't want to.   He also doesn't like competing for cuddle space! He is fine with our cats, and happily cuddles next to Pixel, our giant tabby.   When Asha wants attention, he sticks his legs straight out and paws you.  If you try and type on a laptop when he's next to you, he will pull your hand away constantly to cuddle him properly. 

Apart from avoiding his shunt being moved (we get used to asking strangers not to rub his head on walks!) and getting used to his leg-winding, his condition doesn't require any day to day special treatment.  He really is the easiest, quietest, sweetest little fella, cuddles, his grub and a walk is all he wants.  He gets loads of attention when out, partly because of his wardrobe of jumpers and coats ;-) But mostly because he trots so prettily, it's like taking Bambi for a walk!  

He loves a fuss individually, and doeesn't mind a couple of people giving him a pat when he's out and about, but not sudden grabbing, and doesn't like crowds. He doesn't get nasty, just deeply distressed, and it's very obvious he wants to be away.

It has been an absolute priveledge to have been part of Asha's life. Seeing him transformed from the tiny, blind, swollen headed baby to the handsome, sighted boy we have now, who takes joy in everything, is amazing.  Someone will end up with a fantastic little companion.

Because Asha is such a special case, we're looking at his home being somewhere between long term foster and adopted.  Four Paws would remain involved to offer support and cover his medical costs indefinitely. If you think your lap would be a happier place with a warm and deeply loving whippet (and frankly, whose wouldn't), please complete the adoption form, which along with our procedures can be found here:http://www.fourpawsanimalrescue.org.uk/adoption_procedures.htm  

Christmas Bazaar

We at Four Paws Animal Rescue central would like to say a big thank you to all of you who took the time to browse our Winter Auction items and place a sneaky bid or two. There were some great lots including holidays in the UK and abroad.

It looks like we have raised over £1,100 so again, thank you for your support. At this time of year we are stretched to capacity - although this year it seems to have been a similar story whatever month we've been in.

Other welcome news is that Pets at Home have recently agreed to donate £150 of their stock to help our rescue dogs. Thank you so very much PAH, the dogs will appreciate it.

Now, for those of you living in the South Wales area we are holding our FPAR Christmas bazaar this Saturday where you can buy homemade cakes, handcrafted cards, aromatherapy products and even get your picture taken with your favourite pooch.

Come along and have a look. We will have a parade of foster dogs who are looking for their forever homes as well as a chance for you to grab yourself something lovely...