Sue B

Many congratulations on five years of rescue and making 250 dogs very very happy You are complete stars

My oldie, Hugo, is the gentlest soul in the world, but he will yell at rude dogs if they push their luck. Anyone with any real dog experience should be able to tell the difference between a telling off and aggression.

Sorry to hear poor old Charlie was so spooked, might it have been either crackles or a feedback whine from the speakers that did it? Hopefully, if its no too wet or thundery will see you in Regents Park on Monday, as I am not going tomorrow as there is a TTouch course I am on with the dogs Lots of soothing kisses to Charlie, Hugo and Vicky also send good thoughts and the promise to share their sausage next time we meet

Awww! Bless her, I love her little bunny hops. She is adorable and looking very happy.

He is so lovely, welcome home Dudley

So sorry to hear about Dylan I am sure you gave him the very best of love, care and happiness. Sleep tight Dylan you were one of the lucky ones to have had so much love.

Hi Kathy, sorry I missed you today. Hope you don't mind but I wanted to post the picture I took of Charlie and Mel last week, for all to see what great mates they are

Agree 100% with all thats being said, however, the ultimate decision is not usually with the homechecker but the rescue, although the rescue should, of course, value the opinions of the homechecker. At our centre, the match is made before homecheck stage anyway, though if a homecheck threw up some additional information or concerns then it would be looked into.

She does look like Elsa a lot! Elsa is very lovely too and seems to have an equally nice nature . Hugo is very flattered to hear you remembered him and sends his love, he is still in very good health and still very cheeky Edited to add a picture of the pair of them together, Vicky adores Hugo - as you can see - and he tolerates her well!

Deer Arnty Kaffy, Soree yoo mist mi mad run, an soree i mist de liver treet Howp to see yoo soon Luv, Vickee

This is my first attempt at doing a video clip so hope its not too boring for everyone - its a little bit short. http://s203.photobucket.com/albums/aa78/Su...518hugo0018.flv It is though, a very special clip for me as it shows my 12 year old foster oldie, Vicky, who has a few health problems, having a short but mad frisk in the park today. My other oldie, Hugo appears right at the end of the clip. He is sixteen and a half and quite frisky too at times.

How could we ne sick of seeing this gorgeous boy? Please please please, keep posting pics and updates about him, I am in love with his lovely cuddly bear face

First see this thread that Owlish kindly put up back in November 2006 http://www.rykat.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=16152 And then my follow up thread http://www.rykat.org/forums/index.php?show...mp;#entry310859 You may have seen a item on us on London Tonight this evening, which revelad that the results of our campaign, all your signatures and great publicity from London Tonight, has resulted in the council backing down and we now have a dedicated parking bay for our vital animal ambulance Thank you so much to all those that supported us, I am sure it made a difference. Special thanks to Lurcherdan for crossposting it too . Our animal ambulance is not only used for transporting sick and needy animals, but also used for rescue pound runs, so this will have potentially saved the lives of many dogs, both now and in years to come. Edited to add, for those that missed the 6.30pm edition, London Tonight is also shown at 10.30pm and can be viewed online at http://www.itvlocal.com/london/news

Oh my, she is adorable, what a very happy, smiley, waggy girl she is, and what a great home she now has too Give her a huge hug from me and also one each to Bumpy and Poppy for being so welcoming. Looking forward to loads of piccies and updates on Molly

My foster girl was a bit wobbly last week, though a different kind of wobbly I think, more a sort of walking as if she were drunk, kind of wobbly. She saw our vet and after Xrays he found a build up of fluid near her heart and she was put on a diretic drug to get rid of the fluid. Since then she has responded very well, walks almost normally and has an extra spring in her step (she is around 12 years old). Although it doesn't sound like the same kind of wobbliness, might it be a good idea for the vet to check for fluid on his heart while he is there? Hope he feels better soon, he is a lovely dog

This gets to me too. I know there are some genuine reasons for having to give up your dog but, I am willing to bet that at least 90% of the dogs we get in are due to lack of commitment on the owner's part. Before I was in a position to adopt my own dog, I would feel sometimes almost sick with envy of people who had their own dogs and it would always astound me that some could be quite casual with their relationship with them at times. I loved all my fosters dearly, but when I first got my own dog, Hugo, I used to sit and just marvel at him, looking at and loving every hair on his head, the set of his ears, the wag of his tail etc. Hugo, is *just* an elderly crossbreed, he wouldn't win at Crufts, his parentage is probably very varied, but he is just the most amazing and lovable dog in the world and the most precious being ever. I just don't get how some dog owners don't feel the same.

He is adorable, looks like a real a cuddle monster. He also reminds me of an old rottie cross we had in The Mayhew many years ago, this lad was a very sweet, sensitive and shy lad, I used to take him home at weekends and we would have some lovely cuddles

Happy Gotcha Dy, Beau, what a lovely smiley happy face you have

Although she is a foster she will be with me for the rest of her days, so, as far as she is concerned she does have a real home (with me). She has been with me for four months to the day yesterday and its as if she has always been here.

Thank you she is indeed, extremely sweet and has adored Hugo from day one, like so And another picture taken recently in the park Sadly, due to medical issues, she is unlikely to get a home so she is with me longterm, for the rest of her days.

Me, Hugo and foster girl, Vicky,got soaking wet tonight walking from work to the station. Now both dogs hate getting wet, and hate getting rained on, Vicky particularly. When we got on the train both dogs settled down nicely, as usual, then Vicky proceeded to gently and lovingly lick all the rain off Hugo's back

Please don't give up yet, six weeks is nothing, it took me nearly four months to find the dog I wanted (an oldie) and I work in a rescue! I think your frustration is maybe partly due to (understandable) preconceptions, i.e. we all know that there are too many dogs and not enough homes for them, this being even more so with Staffies, therefore, it should be a quick and easy process to get one? However, each dog has its own needs and behaviours and each rescue wants to ensure that the dog goes to a home where they will fit in best. This doesn't mean that you are not a great home, far from it, but not all dogs will suit you and your human and canine family and the rescue has to consider this, they do not want the dog having to come back as its very stressful for them, it would also very strssful for you too. Take a deep breath and carry on looking. at least now you know what to look for on the dog's descriptions - other dog friendly, preferably male, does not mind being left a few hours - that dog WILL be out there, it may not be next week, it may not even be this year but they will turn up one day. There is that saying, "marry in haste, repent in leisure" and I think the same could be true when it comes to finding the dog for you. It would be awful if you did rush into adopting a dog and found yourself with serious problems, better to really put some time into it and find a perfect match. Good luck in your search.

You are not silly at all, I remember reading Bryn's story in one of the dog mags and realise what a special boy he was. By the way, how is it so many Collies reach such a great age? The only dogs I know of over 20 have all been Collies.

I fostered lots of dogs for our centre prior to adopting one of my own. Through my experiences of fostering, I decided that an oldie would suit me best as my dog would have to come to work wioth me and not get too bored sitting in an office most of the day. I also really fell for all the oldies I fostered, they have something special about them, a dignity and a laid back demeanor that really appeals to me. I don't think I would ever have a young dog of my own, I can quite easily see me having nothing but a succession of oldies in the future. OLDIES ARE THE BEST! Edited to add, Hugo was 14 when I adopted him (he is 16 now) This is him on a walk a few months ago, with two of his best pals and the wind in his ears!

How lovely to hear that Pooch has a foster home. I too am bossed about by an oldie, Hugo is sixteen and looks a bit like Pooch - see my avatar. He was 14 when I adopted him and is still going strong two years on. He also soon let me know that he likes routine and his dinner ready promptly! Pooch may change where she likes to sleep, Hugo currently favours his large cushion bed which he moves around to suit his location. You may find Pooch will take a liking to a dog bed one day, oldies tend to like rectangular, very deep cushiony ones, in my experience, rather than the circular ones. Can't wait to see more photos and hear more updates on Pooch.