Laura_E

Thanks. I have emailed them but I know they are quite full at the moment and primarily (and rightfully) take pound dogs. Thanks. Battersea wouldn't even entertain me, but I will try the other links. According to my client she is about a week away from her next season.

Ok, so this is a bit of a strange topic, but something strange happened last night and I was interested in other peoples views. I had just gone to bed when I heard gurgling noises coming from my lodgers room. I assumed he was just snoring, which he normally only does when he has been drinking, but thought nothing of it. Then as I went to turn out the light I heard a muffled "help", I went to stand outside his room to make sure I had heard correctly, and then he mumbled it again, but clearer this time. I quickly opened his door and turned the light on to make sure he was ok and he was lying there with his eyes open in a state of shock. I asked him what had happened and he said that somebody had been strangling him. He knew that there was nobody in the room, but said he could feel a pair of hands round his throat squeezing the life out of him. Now, he isn't the type of person to get scared easily and is quite cynical by nature, but he was so shaken up by the experience that he ended up sleeping in my room for the night (I should just add here that he is also my best friend, not just a random lodger!). This morning he was still really shaken up by the experience and was talking about getting somebody in to do an exorcism!! I tried talking about it logically to see if it could have been a dream that seemed very real, but he was adamant that it wasn't. I have never had a 'bad feeling' about this house and have personally never had any bad experiences. At night time I have heard what sounds like foot steps on the landing and in my bedroom, but nothing sinister. When I told my mum about it this morning she said that if there was anything nasty in the room Tess would have reacted. But I think she's been watching too many scary movies! Although I have previously lived in a house where lots of unexplained things happened, I am trying to stay logical about all this- but if I'm honest, it has scared me. I've always been a total wuss when it comes to ghosts etc. Has anyone else had any similar experiences, or do you think me and my lodger are just being a couple of drama queens!

They must miss him terribly But I'm sure they would be very pleased to hear that he has had so much interest. He looks lovely, and very relaxed. I love that 'belly-up' pose that he seems so fond of!

Thanks. I have tried them but they have a very long waiting list and won't be able to help any time soon. Last night Sky was left tethered outside the pub for the fourth time in the last fortnight. They take her out, get drunk and then forget about her. She is due to come into season soon as well, so this makes her even more vulnerable. I have emailed quite a few rescues, but haven't heard anything back.

Thank you. I have sent them an email. I forgot to mention in my last post, Sky is currently residing in Chiswick, West London.

Well done, what a great amount to have raised. Sometimes I think having a pitch right in front of the loos is actually quite beneficial- plenty of passing traffic!!!

I am currently working with a young person who has approached me for help in finding a new home for his dog as a matter of urgency. The young person currently lives with his brother (who took over tenancy of their council flat when their mother passed away three years ago) and their lovely dog Sky. The brother recently acquired a new girlfriend and she has now moved into the flat with them. Since her arrival there have been a number of problems and she has made it clear that both my client and Sky are no longer welcome. I am currently working with the housing team to find accommodation for my client, but I (and my client) are very concerned that Sky will end up being palmed off onto anybody willing to take her. The girlfriend has also talked about breeding from her to try and make some money before rehoming her But has agreed to hold off for the time being in the hope that I may be able to help. I have met Sky on a number of occasions and she is a beautiful dog with a lovely temperament. She is said to be a labrador cross, but we are not sure what she is crossed with, maybe a collie. She is medium sized and aged four years. She is not speyed, vaccinated or microchipped, but I have given the family a token to get this done. She gets on well with dogs outside of the house and enjoys engaging in play with them. Although she has never lived with another dog in the past, we think she would be ok with a polite older dog. She has previously lived with a guinea pig and a rat and paid no attention to them. Apparently she is scared of cats and rabbits, but does not show any signs of aggression towards them. When the girlfriend first moved into the flat she had custody of her two children (aged three and five). My client tells me that they would often pull Sky's ears and tail and torment her with food. Despite this, Sky did not retaliate and would just try to get away from them. However on one occasion the three year old woke her whilst she was sleeping and she accidentally knocked her over when she jumped up. She is fully house trained and is often left for long periods of time without any problems. The longest she has been left alone for is two days Obviously for professional reasons I can't go into too many details publicly, but I am happy to discuss things in more detail if anyone would like to PM me. I have obtained permission from both the brother and girlfriend to make this post. If you think you can help please get in contact with me asap.

Well done, what a great amount to have raised.

The walk today was attended by me, Karen and my friend George. It's a shame that nobody else made it, but it was lovely to meet Karen and the gorgeous Rosie. Thanks again for coming along, it was very much appreciated.

Sorry to keep bumping this, but I've had a few people drop out so numbers are really thin on the ground. None of the people from the Pets As Therapy group have replied and on Facebook we have had four confirm (two of them now can't make it) and thirty three decline! So if you are local please, please, please come along!

So sorry to hear this. I truly hope your daughter is ok and back safely with you soon. My heart goes out to you, and of course the families of those that sadly lost their lives.

Has there been any news on Dylan? Lots of positive thoughts being sent his way

Bless, can't wait to see some pictures. I noticed that Becky hasn't had any sponsors yet, which is a shame. If anyone would like to sponsor her, this is her page: http://www.justgiving.com/BeckyandMavis-BrightPaws I'm a bit in love with Mavis!!

So sorry to hear this, it was be awful for you I'm afraid I'm not really experienced enough to give advice on what it might be, (maybe he's lost confidence after everything that his been through recently?) but I'm sending lots of positive thoughts and hope that things start to improve soon.

I didn't realise there was a possibility of it being picked up by another channel, not sure how well that would work. Every year I say I'm not going to watch it, and then every year I end up tuning in religiously

I agree. Where did she come from and can we see some pictures?

Awww, she is lovely. I do feel rather sorry for her foster carers cats though!

Well done, that's great. Well done to Trixie too, her rosette is nearly as big as her!

What a fantastic amount to have raised. Well done everyone, and well done to the lovely dogs too.

Things took a turn for the worse last week and they have had to put Sophie back on the ventilator as her body isn't ready to fend for itself just yet. She had been stuck in the same position for the last four weeks now and is obviously becoming increasingly frustrated and is subsequently crying a lot. She is normally quite a happy baby and rarely ever cries, so it has been really upsetting for my sister as she hasn't been able to pick her up and comfort her because of the tubes. So yesterday the nurse helped her to pick Sophie up for the first time in weeks and, as you can see from the picture, she was rather pleased!

Lots of positive thoughts for Cocoa. Hopes it's something that can be cured easily.

My mum picked up Jaspers ashes from the vets today. On the way in she saw her next door neighbour and told her what had happened. At the time she didn't realise that her six year old son, Thomas, was within hearing shot and he ran off crying. Tonight I bumped into Thomas's dad, Ray, in Tesco and he told me that he has been hiding underneath the chair in the front room all night crying and refusing to come out. When Ray asked him what was wrong he told him 'my best friends dead' Apparently, unbeknown to my parents, Jasper used to sit on the bench with Thomas for hours and hours and wind the hours away. He was such a gentle soul. When Ray told Thomas he still had his own cat to play with, he replied 'I don't like him, he bites me'

Thanks again for all of your kind words. I went to see Sophie yesterday (even though it's only meant to be parents and grandparents, I managed to sneak in!). She is still hooked up to about twenty different machines and has tubes stuck in her nose and mouth. It is quite upsetting to see her like that, but she is still hanging in there and is no longer under sedation. But she will probably be in intensive care for another two weeks as her little body isn't stong enough to fend for itself just yet. However, things are looking more positive. My sister has been so strong and is really holding it together. She is calling the ward that Sophie is in 'the miracle room' as they also nearly lost a three year old boy in the bed opposite over the weekend. Apparently his whole family had come down to say goodbye in preperation for turning off his life support machine, and then his body just started working again. Hopefully things will start to look up for both of the little ones from here on.

Hello Janelle, Welcome to The Refuge. I'm sure you will find lots of like minded people on here. Look forward to seeing some pictures of your lovely boy.

Thought I would just give this a bump as the facebook invitation hasn't had any more confirmations. For those coming, you might also be interested in attending this afterwards: http://www.dogshows.co.uk/Feltham.htm It is just a 10 minute drive away from Bushy Park and should be good fun, particularly for anyone bringing children as there will also be a carnival parade. I only found out about it today, otherwise I would have tried to get an OC stall there. Maybe next year.