FoxyGirl

Yes we are the same Hope Rescue He is doing well but is also one of the dogs we desperately need a rescue space for - did you have the privilage of meeting him whilst he was at the Dogs Trust? A lovely photo of him for you.

That is the whole point though - they are bull breed rescues (with the exception of Rochdale) and we seem to have as many bull breeds in as breed rescue Some good news though - Mitzi has a rescue space and Logan has a foster home so some glimmer of hope Lol at Sarah and her collie/staffies crosses

Molly lumps on foster Milo Freya in foster My foster boy Dudley Chester ex-poundie Mitzi ex -poundie Logan ex-poundie And one for the Rottie lovers - Boris needing a rescue space

We have never before had such ratio of so many Bull Breeds in our rescue, I guess its just a sign of the sad times we live in We have 25 dogs in foster ...11 are bullbreed or part bullbreed. 16 dogs in boarding of which 14 are bullbreed or part bullbreed We have to move in the next few days 14 of our dogs in boarding as our kennels are full for the Easter break , we need all the luck we can get as every other rescue we know is as full as we are and some arent even taking in Bull Breeds at the minute Most of these dogs are from our regular pounds - we are the front line and their only chance, if we say no they die, simple Hope does not discriminate against any dog due to its breed and we refuse to leave these dogs to die simply because they were born the "wrong" breed. Yes, it would be easy to turn round and say "No more bull breeds" and if I am honest the cost of kennelling them is crippling us but Aly and I are the ones who have to physically look into their eyes at the pound, no-one else. And we refuse to walk away. Heres just a few of the lovely dogs: Az - Mastiff/Ridgeback Padge an ex-poundie due for PTS Spliff - the most wonderful oldie surrended to the pound and a kennel favourite And Mary, another old girl surrended to the pound Maisie needing a mammary strip

Hotline number 07890 582270 Another surrender this morning plus another one in the pound. That is now 17 bull breeds in our care or coming in, and we are an all breed rescue

Yes - he has given me permission to cross post so feel free:)

That is good Snow. I am not sure if it is a local problem here, or more widespread. At the risk of this coming out wrong..... Most of Hope's work, and that of our vets, is in a statistically proven socially deprived area. Education standards are not high. People do not understand that it is highly unlikely their dog will turn. They see it as a similar type (in looks) to the photographs of "devil dogs" in the media, therefore their dog will also turn into a killer

Mel - he spent 2 hours with one man trying to persuade him The irony is that these people do seem to care about their pets They want to stay with their pets whilst the deed was done - if not we could get them "out the back door" as we usually do. But there is nothing that can be done if they are physically in the same room. And as you say, where we would put them anyway? Staffie types spend weeks with us in holding kennels, some much longer. That kennel could have had around 10 poundies in it during that time, we have to get the balance right. We don't, as a general rule, rehome from kennels as we do not have the facilities to assess the dogs properly. on the rare occassion we have it has been to homes without other pets and children as a precaution. And yes Mel - if people could contact their vets and persuade them to issue statements, provide figures etc it will give more weight as to effect this media hype is having on innocent family pets who have doen no wrong

My vet rang me last night. On Friday he put to sleep his 10th staffie type. Without exception, these were loving family pets whose owners were concerned they had the potential to turn. None had exhibited previous aggressive behaviour. He has said No More, he is mentally and physically drained from last week. He will be releasing the following Press Statement this morning, and calling in his media contacts. The BBC have already contacted him. I think his idea of an advice line and seminar is an excellent one, and it would be great if other vets followed suit. We will be concentrating our immediate efforts working with local vets and rescues in the area to prevent innocent family pets from being destroyed and surrended. Press Release 8th January 2007 So why not just kill me? A great deal of work has been done over the years by reputable charities to prevent the abandonment of pets after the Christmas period. 2007 has started in the most awful way for dogs after the horrific attack on a little girl by a banned breed. Since that tragic day dozens of family pets that have never so much as snarled at anyone have been destroyed or abandoned. I cannot describe to you how awful it is to hold a healthy friendly dog as it wags it’s tail and is then injected with an overdose of anaesthetic for simply being a Staffordshire bull terrier cross breed. As a veterinary surgery we have witnessed the massive increase in the workload of dedicated and caring rescue centres such as Hope rescue operated by a committed band of volunteers who work tirelessly to find dogs new caring homes for the remainder of their lives. Budget Vets were recently presented with the Business Commitment to the Community of Wales by the Chambers of Commerce. I feel as a partner it is our duty to provide free impartial and most importantly accurate advice to people who are concerned about their dog’s behaviour. Budget vets have set up a dedicated mobile phone line offering people free impartial confidential advice on caring for their dog. This line is staffed from 08.30 am to 18.00 Monday to Friday. (number available from 8th January 2007) Email [email protected] On Sunday 28th January at 52 Somerset St, Abertillery NP13 1DL Budget Vets have organised a free seminar on dog behaviour at 12 noon with respected dog behaviourist John Bills of Gelert dog training a member of the British Institute of Professional Dog Trainers who will give a presentation and then answer any questions from the audience. Budget Vets can be contacted on 01633 855825 or 01495 321944 email [email protected] Primary Contact Peter Heathcote Partner / Clinic Director Senior partner / Veterinary Surgeon Katherine Heathcote BVM&S MRCVS

This is a different march organised by Greyhound Action calling for a ban on commercial greyhound racing. Many of the Rescue and Welfare groups would be unable to attend a march calling for an outright ban, or something as direct as a march to Lord Dipseys house or a track. Whilst we are disappointed GA can't attend our march in a formal capacity, we fully understand why, and it is to be expected that there would be 2 marches. The important thing is that pressure is maintained and there is no reason why people can't go to both if they wish

Just a quick update in case anyone thinks nothing is happening behind the scenes!! We have now had support pledged from: Greyhounds in Need (G.I.N) Tia Greyhound and Lurcher Rescue Greyhound and Lurcher Rescue and Welfare (GAL) Members of the Green Party Northumberlad Greyhound Rescue Greyhounds For You Greyhound Muses I have also received this message of support from France (they will also be sending a deputation to our March): Hello Vanessa, Ther french charity Lévriers en Détresse organize a meeting in Paris the July 29th to help the British groups in their fight against the death. We have the OK of French police and we will give a letter to the British embassador. We rescue many Irish racing greyhounds and we hope to rehome some British retired greyhounds in next months. Together we can win ! Best regards Raymond Audemard Communication manager Lévriers en Détresse The general consensus coming from the rescues is that we are capturing the moment and they are fully supportive of our inclusive approach. Sam (HLGS), Laura (elricc) and Alicia (kats n greys) are starting work on the permissions so we can provide a date and time a.s.a.p. If anyone has any information that may help please get in touch with them. Tiff (sniffers) will be setting up an Information Website shortly.

A valid question and one posed by GA in correspondence earlier. However I don't think it is fair to expect us to come up with all the answers immediately. As previously stated, to do this properly requires careful planning, and things like media statements need to be discussed and carefully worded.

Of course Mel and Dan One of the proposals up for discussion is a rally at a park afterwards where the various groups can have stalls etc promoting their own objectives. Personally I would shy away from speakers etc but at least literature for all views could be distributed. It is a good idea about letters Mel - we did a simialr thing with the Rusty memorial and took message boards which was very well received. Perhaps open a guestbook on the Information Website that can then be collated into albums and taken on the day?

The finances will be discussed shortly and is a very valid question. Hopefully costs will be kept to a minimum - for example someone has already offerred to help with printing materials and hopefully others will come forward with particular skills/services they can offer to keep costs down. This is where the sub-committees will come into play. We cannot force anyone to join the march, I understand and respect Tony's viewpoint and we have had correspondence on the matter. If we were to come down on one side of the fence or the other, there will be some groups who feel their principles will be compromised, we can only do our best to make it as inclusive as possible, for rescue groups, welfare groups, campaign groups, forums and the general public and I hope so far we have.

The broad objective was set out in the initial email - it was a challenge more than an objective: "Various greyhound and all-breed rescues are planning a march in London. The idea is to march under a general banner such as Stop the Slaughter - say to the government here is the problem now sort it - whether that be a ban (unlikely) or independant regulation. I am well aware of the politics of greyhound welfare but if we march under a genral banner then whether you are an abolitionist or independant regulator it doesn't matter. Each group can still proudly wear their t-shirts etc but we will all be marching for a common goal - to stop the slaughter of these beautiful, innocent hounds. " "We need to prove to the government that what is happening is unacceptable to ALL animal lovers, not just the "crackpot greyhound welfare extremists" the industry would have us believe we are!!