Gog Magog

although we do require homeboarders to be licenced (and dog creches), we don't have anything regarding being shut down after a disease outbreak. They have to notify us and we would advise accordingly but I've not been able to find any guidance or info requiring the necessity of being closed down - esp for Kennel Cough. I could see in a home boarding environment it would be more difficult to eradicate but there's nothing out there to specifically state a shutdown. Most councils do licence homeboarders now and it is what defra advises us to do. It is frustrating when someone over the border isn't though!

should point out the closure and the above is the requirements of the kennels not us - and no its not a boarding kennels, just run by a vets

All of ours now have places Am waiting to hear if Cotswold has their dog sorted but think he may be looking. Still waiting for a photo but have some more details but know he's large staff x (of course!!), red and white, about 3 years old, v affectionate with people and shown no sign of aggression towards other dogs - although we can't mix them of course. He's the one that's been coughing ant possibilities let me know x

Hi All Its been a while since I've had to post here as we've had good success with kennel spaces but we find ourselves in dire circumstances now: We have a slight problem with our pound in that Cotswold DC have a staff x in there with suspected kennel cough so the pound is closed. Our back up kennels is miles away and costs us quite a lot so we need to get the pound cleared ASAP so it can be cleansed and disinfected and reopened. This means unless we can get the current dogs moved out pretty swiftish they will be put to sleep Please cross post to see if anyone can help - would possibly even consider if anyone can foster until the incubation period passes and we can get them onto kennels. NO history with any of them although temperaments of all are very good but won't foster/rehome with children/other animals just in case. They are: Tan with little white staff type - castrated male. V friendly with other dogs (my colleague found him whilst jogging with her very mouthy dog, he completely ignored her yelling at him and happily trotted along beside!). Pic to follow 3144 White scruffy terrier type with small patch of tan by left eye - entire male 3143 Black and tan terrier type - male, smooth coated 3146 Liver and white springer - male, older 3145 And the cotswold staff x of course - I don't know if that's a boy or a girl yet. Also, just had a small scruffy terrier come in at the weekend in poor condition, very bad abcess by its eye (turned out to be dental abcess) which has had to be operated on so think he's been dumped. Op was succesful and vets confident he needs no further treatment, just fattening up. He has been in hospital allt he time so NOT exposed to Kennel Cough. Pic to follow 3150 pics of the other two to follow tomorrow... If you can help with any of them please let me know ASAP - I'm not sure how long I can hold them for but may be only a couple of days [ Ali - 07766368220 [email protected] x

Missy She's good with kids (lived with baby/toddler), other dogs, unknown about cats. got some basic training and is a really lovely dog lovely staffie girl - about 3ish? bit fat. Well behaved, loves cuddles, good on lead etc. Unknown about other dogs/cats but she has shown no sign of aggression with others in the pound - real sweetie another lovely staff x - girl again, about 18 months old. She has been out with a large Am Bulldog x girl and was really good with her. No history but once again a nice natured well behaved dog more to come tomorrow!

The usual suspects in our pound I can't access photobucket at work so will post photos for these on tonight. female staff x American bull dog. "Missy" 4.5 years old. Lived with 1 yr old child. Has some training, sweet dog. Owner called in (hence having details about dog) but never came to pick her up Husky type (might be Northern Inuit?). Entire male, grey/black with blue eyes. young, mad! untrained but lovely. Will need an experienced home and cannot be rehomed with kids as just too bouncy. As husky I wouldn't trust with cats and I don't think can go with other dogs just yet (if gets a rescue place and is properly assessed this could be different but at the moment he'd be too much for them to deal with!) Staffie type, entire male. about 3-4 years old. Nice dog, calm and patient. stray so no history Staffie x (collie?). White with red patches. female. 1-2 years old. Found tied up in a wood, no history. Nice dog again. We are desperate to find spaces so even if you can help with one or recommend somewhere else to try please let me know. 01793 466139 or [email protected] Many thanks! Ali

we have a middleaged dobie girl in the pound - she's not a stray, her dad has died and the family are unable to take her. She is very sweet and loving with people but NOT dog friendly. looking for a home/rescue place or if anyone can recommend a doberman rescue? I don't like to just go through the KC rescue list as I've come across some dodgy ones in there! her name is Bella and she needs somewhere right away! Is very depressed in kennels Ali Swindon BC

Have spoken to Wiltshire Police - very sadly this dog has been killed The owners have been informed

Its okay to crosspost this plea btw, we really need to find her a place asap - time is not on her side

He is now sorted

I know there's so many urgent appeals for "special" staffies but please don't overlook this girl... I'm posting on behalf of the owner so should introduce myself - I'm from the local council and first came across this dog as a stray. She was rehomed to this family but totally unexpected circumstances are forcing them to give her up. We are unable to take dogs back into the pound but I will always offer support and help to our homed dogs hence posting the details - This is a genuine case not someone that just can't be bothered with their dog. She is: approx 10 month large staffie bitch called louie. Through some detective work I've managed to track back a lot of her history so here goes - She was bought by a person in London we think as a pup, they sold/gave her to a relative locally here about 4 months ago who sold her on to another person. This last one is very well known to us (and the police) for anti-social behaviour, their dogs constantly straying/being in the pound and lots of problems so not a great home. Unsurprisingly she was picked up as a stray and was in the pound for over 3 weeks. The owners knew that she was there but didn't bother to come in to collect although kept promising they would. As her 7 days were long gone we eventually rehomed her. It looks like she has had puppies at some point The family that she went to were out of our area but they were homechecked by a suitable person and spoken to at length by our dog warden. They were (and are) good people and usually would be an excellent home for a rescue dog. Although the girl was well behaved in the pound it became apparent when they got her home that she was extremely stressed and had some behavioural problems but they were willing to work through them and all was okay. Unfortunately their circumstances changed completely unexpectedly and has left the lady unable to cope. She has bravely been trying with some assistance from me but has now contacted me to say that she can't physically do it any more due to her health. I reiterate that I am satisfied that this is a genuine situation, its not for me to go into her personal details but she is totally heartbroken that once again this beautiful dog is being moved on. The good: Louie has lived with children and other dogs with no problems (staffie types and bitches at that). I don't think she has lived with cats. She is extremely intelligent and responds fantastically to training - I did some work with her and have never had a dog pick up things so quickly. It pains me to say she's quicker than my dogs! She does work well with food. Currently the owner walks her with a halti on as she is strong on just a collar. She doesn't actually connect the halti though, just having it on calms louie enough to walk normally. She would be good in a harness but you would need to be strong to hold should she see a cat! With this arrangement she may still pull if sees something interesting but comes back to heel and is a pleasant walk She is extremely loving and has the wonderful temperament of all good staffies. I would say with 100% confidence that there is not an ounce of aggression in this dog the bad: She is been left extremely stressed with all her bad experiences in such a short life. This manifests itself with being destructive when left (although not massively so and this can be redirected to things such as kongs), barking and worse of all jumping and grabbing clothes and arms. You can literally see her coping well and being a lovely friendly relaxed dog and then as her stress levels rise you can see her displaying lots of signals before then starting to jump and grab - I repeat that it is NOT aggressive at all but it does hurt so I would state that she would have to go to an experienced home and NO children. Working with the owner, we have put a programme in place designed to bring those stress levels down, teach her some self control and relax her. One of the things that really helps with this is walking not surprisingly (we don't think she had ever been for a walk in her previous homes) but her owner's ill health is limiting how much she can take her out. Sorry for the long story but I really wanted to impress what a wonderful sweet dog this is and equally that although at this moment in time she is not a dog for a novice. with a small amount of dedicated work and plenty of walks, her stress levels would reduce and then she can concentrate on training and showing off her wonderful side. She is so good in so many ways (she isn't full on 24/7 for example) but due to the nature of this jumping/grabbing and being a staffie we are being cautious about where she goes. A rescue place would also be good of course or if a rescue was able to offer back up that would be appreciated. I am more than happy to offer advice to a new owner and will also be speaking to rescues direct of course. Any possibilities please pm me or contact me on 07766 368220. All homes will be vetted of course. pic to come and she is based in Wiltshire but doesn't mind travelling for the right home. I don't want this dog to be moved again! Many thanks, ali x

In Swindon I *think* we may have somewhere for him - will confirm (or not) asap

This is Bart the lab x staff- he actually looks more lab in real life, honest! I think the sun was showing off his muscles... Little Scarlett staffie girl. She was left at the police station for 3 days before anyone remembered her! and wasn't in great shape when she came in. This pic was taken on her first day but she's already started to fill out with good feeding. She does NOT like other dogs. Doesn't bark or anything as passes but you can tell... And this little lad has just come in - tan boy with dark face. We'll get a proper pic of him soon. looks like may have some whippet or similar in him as is on the slimmer side with longish legs. And please don't forget our white staff - he is good with other dogs and kids I know we're all chocka with staffies - what the hell are we going to do?! x

This old boy was left tied up outside some offices last week. He became ill in the pound so we've had him in the vets the last few days where he's now feeling a lot better. They've given him the okay to be rehomed BUT the new people need to recognise he is old - possibly 12-13. Its difficult to say for certain as he's not been best cared for either but like all terriers he's a feisty little guy who doesn't want to give up yet! Can anyone find a space for him to squeeze in? I've not met him yet personally but our pound chap got on with him fine, the vet said he wouldn't let her look at his teeth and wasn't best pleased about being injected etc but I don't think we can hold that against him!! I'll get a pic up asap and some further info. Like all our dogs we will get him m/c and have first vax if we can Best wishes ali ps don't forget we've also got 2 lovely staffies and a lab x looking for places!!

Well Mish had her op on Monday. a lot of it was pretty standard stuff (we came out with a lampshade!) but the wounds are tiny. I was surprised that they still went through the belly - I had it in my head it would be in the flank. we had the slight added complication that we also had them remove one of her dew claws at the same time that was bothering her so she's got bit of a tender paw too. the first night she did feel a bit sorry for herself and a little wobbly which is to be expected after the anasethtic but she ate well and fell asleep. The next day she was a little quieter than usual but not much! She has been very sensible and not attempting to climb the stairs or get on the sofa which made it easier for me. By Wednesday we were feeling fully back to normal The vet said that ideally no walks until her check up appointment today although she could have short lead walks if really needed. We managed without this but I think one more day would've been pushing it! Her check up today went well - she has managed to get one of her stitches out although I have no idea how as we've never seen her bothering at it! She was very freaked by the collar so I've avoided it as much as possible. A friend of mine had an inflatable ring when her bitch was spayed (like a doughnut) but unfortunately my vet had not yet come across this (they did say they would look into it though as it sounded much less stressful). She is now allowed short (10 mins) calm lead walks and has to be kept clean of course but he did say she could have a few of these each day. The stitches come out in one week today and she can be off lead after then although none of her usual bog diving for a bit In short - it is still a major operation and is still in a delicate area which is sensitive to being pulled during movement so they have to be restricted. The small wounds look much nicer to me than normal spays and there is going to be basically no scarring. They have healed extremely quickly too - if she hadn't got that one stitch out there would be no redness or mark at all! She seems happy in herself and was very quickly back to normal. I know dogs do make amazingly quick recoveries from normal spays but I think she has been generally happier quicker. She is still restricted with her walks but I don't feel as worried she may hurt herself as I have with previous girls. It IS more expensive and is NOT a miraculous recovery but... I would still do it again and personally I would recommend it. We only have to pay to neuter them once after all and what's £100 over a lifetime? If it has made it even 10% easier for her then its worth every penny and I honestly feel it is more than that We've been doing scent games and using enriched environment play to use up some of her energy in a calm manner. This seems to be doing the trick and it will be easier now we don't have to sneak Cass out for a walk! Mish can come too but just on a shorter route some pics: the wounds first of all. please excuse her slightly flabby belly! she had pups before we got her and was quite overweight. The fat is gone but she needs a tummy tuck The lower one (next to the heel of my hand) is the one she pulled her stitch out so it is very slightly inflamed. The one towards her chest is barely visable but its in line with the lower on the edge of the dip between the two rows of nipples. and just because I don't need any excuse to show off my girl She's a bit fed up as everyone's wanted to see her belly today! so is licking her lips from the bit of ham I've given her

We have managed to sort a few of these and are left with the staffie (surprise surprise!) and the little jack russell bitch. I've got a better pic of her that I'll upload later. we also now have a very handsome black lab x - ok he's probably lab x staffie but he looks more lab in the flesh with a staffie touch to his face. He is extremely handsome and only about a year old.

The usual suspects needing a place All are lovely dogs who have been well behaved in the pound and appear to be okay with other dogs. all need a place asap! we have: Collie x - Male. young, good temperament, no concerns Terrier x - "Jake" m/c to previous owner. again nice dog, no concerns Jack Russell - Male, white and tan, no concerns Jack Russell - female, black, grey and white, again no concerns Jack Russell - female, several months old, black and white (only just come in so still in 7 days) Staffie - white male, well known to us! Lives with male GSD, loves other dogs, loves kids, I've known him since he was 5 weeks old (now about 2) and can say confidentally his temperament is 100%. Only thing I don't know is his feelings towards cats. He is a frequent stray so would need a secure garden! I'll get some photos on shortly Any possibilities let me know ASAP please on 01793 466080 cheers! ali x

We've had to wait a while as the only vet that does it at our surgery is away. She's booked in at the beginning of March though! Will keep you posted as to what we think. Thank you very much for that info Anne. We were leaning towards it anyway but I always like to research things properly before jumping in Wish Mish luck! x

Thank you very much anne! will send you email now... xx

Mishka is due to be spayed next month and my vet has mentioned they offer keyhole spaying. They've said its a lot less painful, quicker recovery and less chance of wound infection. Its £100 more expensive but we don't mind that if she does feel better for it Has anyone's girl had this done? I remember when Cass had hers it was 2 weeks lead walks (arrgghh! longest 2 weeks of my life!) although she only felt poorly for a day. As Mish is a Utonagan she does like her exercise! They only take out the ovaries but I've read that they still can't get pyometra as the ovaries are needed? I think we're going to go for this option but I'd be really interested to hear from anyone's experiences (good or bad!) as I've never come across it before. thank you! ali x

Just a quickie to say apologies for the delay in sending details out - I'm waiting for some information from the Pet Care Trust to add to the notes which I hope is going to come through in the next day or two. Would like to include it for the sake of completion And thanks again for the support As said I'm in the process of writing the guidelines for the committee, if anyone would like to add their thoughts or suggestions please feel free to email or pm me ali x

Will forward to you tomorrow Please send me a message if I forget though! Have had an awful lot of emails in response to it and I do apologise if any delays in responding to people or if someone slips through. Just give me a kick to remind me Am off to have a glass of wine to celebrate... and then fall asleep as knackered from the last few days! ali x

I know we're all full to bursting and staffies are the last ones you want to see but if anyone can squeeeeze her in??? She's small and slight, a little timid but quickly comes over for cuddles. Adores Paul in the pound and was very pleased to see me. We believe her life to date has been passed from person to person - all hopeless druggie types - before being left abandoned in a flat, so she really deserves a new start. She is a sweetie!! She was called Diamond but we really don't like that name and are thinking of a new one for her. She's about 2/3 yrs old. Because of her background the usual no kids/other dogs rule I think had better apply - I will try to check her out with other dogs though. she knows sit, paw etc. Is also quite good on the lead - funny how often the dogs owned by the roughest people are quite well behaved! I've got loads of lovely pics but the council has now decided that Photobucket should be a banned site so I can't put them on!! Can email them to anyone interested - or if anyone else could put on? I'm doing an appeal to allow me special access but this may not get sorted until after christmas. She's white with ginger ears and a pink nose There was a slight delay as someone felt she may be of type (not me), she has now been assessed by one of the leading people in the country who has said she is absolutely NOT of type just a real cutie He would be willing to confirm this for any rescue looking to take her on. When you see the pics you'll see that she is just a staffie x and quite a small delicate one at that any possibilities... I will have access to internet over the holidays but NOT my work email on 25th-28th Dec or 1st-4th Jan (you can get me on here though or 07766 368220) Cheers! ali - AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!

I *think* its called this - but please correct if not! I believe it's more common in bullies (mini and regular) than other breeds. The dog seems normal but just after being woken up it is very aggressive although not aware of what it is doing. The eyes are glazed and it's unresponsive. The "attacks" last a few mins and then its completely normal. I've only come across it once before (in a miniture bullie) but a friend has just described a problem with their bassett which sounds exactly the same. They are going to speak to their vet about it but I know its quite a rare condition so wondered if anyone has any experience or advice I can pass on to them? the bullie girl had to be PTS so I'm hoping that someone can tell me about a happier ending