It's Foster Fursday!! A new regular post written by our team of fosterers - wisdom, laughs and tears...
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Lorraine - Gabby and Zac taught us that sometimes when things don't go as planned, it can turn out to be a blessing in disguise. We were only meant to foster Gabby, but Zac's fosterer fell through so we took him too. It was hard work but worth every second! We had the best time with these guys and we all learnt from each other. And sometimes when things don't work out at first, as in Zac's first home and Gabby's potential adopters, it is all for a reason because now they are with their forever families who love them just as much as we do x

“I am a Dobermann, cataloged one of the most intelligent and most feared dogs, I have served the US Navy and I will not narrate my dark past on the German side. They called me the devil's dog, today they ask me to behave like a Poodle, they have gone so far as to wear clothes ...
I am a Malinois:
Gifted among dogs, I shine in all disciplines and I am always ready to work. Today they ask me to relax on the couch all day.
I am an Akita Inu:
My ancestors have been selected to fight with other dogs. Today they ask me to be tolerant of my peers, and they blame me for my reactivity when one of them approaches me.
I am a Beagle:
When I followed my prey, I gave a voice so that the hunters could follow me. I was leading the dance.
Today they put an electric collar on me to silence me, and they want me to return to the call in a snap of fingers.
I am a Yorkshire Terrier:
I was a rat catcher, fearsome in the English mines. Today they think that I can't use my legs and they always hold me in their arms.
I am a Labrador Retriever:
My vision of happiness is a dip in a pond to bring my master the duck he just shot. Today we forget that I am a sports dog, I am fat and I have to babysit the children.
I am a Jack Russell Terrier:
I am capable of facing a fox larger than me in its own den. Today they blame me for my damn character and want to turn me into a parlor dog.
I am a Siberian husky:
I got to know the great spaces of northern Russia, where I could pull sledges at impressive speed. Today I only have the walls of the garden on my horizon, and my only occupation is the holes I dig in the ground.
I am a Border Collie:
I am cut out to work eight hours a day, and I am an incomparable artist of herd labour. Today they blame me because in the absence of sheep, I try to control bicycles, cars, children from home, and everything that is in motion.
I am...
I'm a 20th century dog
I am handsome, I am alert, I am obedient, I can put up with being in a purse... but I am also an individual who needs to express his instincts, and I am not suitable for the sedentary life that you want me to carry.
Spending eight hours a day alone on the patio, seeing you a little at night when you come back, and being entitled to any activity just a short walk to the bathroom will make me deeply unhappy.
I'll express it by barking all day, turning your garden into a minefield, relieving myself on the inside, being unmanageable the few times I'll find myself on the outside, and sometimes spending my days on my cushion, then you'll think I'm happy to To be able to enjoy all this comfort while you go to work: in reality I will be in full depression, because it is not the preference of the human, but also that of the dog of the XXI century.
If you like me, if you dream of me forever, if my beautiful blue eyes or my athlete look make you want to possess me, but you can't give me a real life of a full dog, a life that is really worth living, and if not you can offer me the job my genes claim... then quit me.
If you like my rhythm but are not ready to accept my character traits from rigorous genetic selection, and you think you can change them with your only good will... then quit me.
I'm a 20th century dog, yes. But, deep there, the one who fought, the one who hunted, the one who pulled sleds, the one who led a herd still sleeps. And sooner or later, you will wake up. For better or worse.”
Elsa Weiss Éducation Canine / Cynopolis
Translation edited by Razas Poderosas y de Trabajo.

So, as a new chapter of my life is starting as a rescued dog, there are so many things to think about, understand and work through which means stress levels are high. I can’t cover them all here right now, so am just going to share the most important things for me and any rescue dog in the first few days of living somewhere new.
We will have expectations of the new home based on our previous experiences. That does not mean you all have to over compensate, over love, over protect. We need you to do some simple key things to help us realise…..we are now safe.
1. Exercise
No thank you. We do not want or need to be taken out on a long walk to get tired, and see how lovely our new surroundings are going to be. In the first few days, we only want a very short sniffy walk (10 minutes) if it looks like we can cope, mostly we can’t. Otherwise we will be really happy to potter in your garden, slowly adjusting and getting used to the changes….and you!
2. Play
We may look like we want to engage in lots of ball play, running around etc. But trust me, at the beginning of our stay we will want to please you and it is best that we are not encouraged to do lots of high energy adrenalin activities. If we haven’t got the abilities to cope, too much adrenalin will mean we cope and tolerate even less!
3. The Basic Requirements
Food – Do not make us sit and work for it. Food is a natural survival requirement and we need to know you will always provide it without fuss. So at least two meals a day, good quality treats and plenty of things to chew. Don’t panic if we don’t know what to do – I don’t understand chews at all right now, but will get there….I have learnt about nice treats though!
Water – This goes without saying, we need fresh bowls of water down all the time and perhaps inside and outside too. Some of us won’t have always had access to it in the past, so take away that fear of scarcity.
Toileting – Understand we will be scared or confused and that means we may want to pee more than usual, so calmly take us out in the garden perhaps more times than you would think. Obviously if we are sleeping, please do not wake us up to do this!
4. Sleep
This is sooooo important to us. All the previous stress, fear, anxiety and change means we may not have slept as much as we should have done. So we need you to do calm, gentle things, have a choice of beds to sleep on in different places. Understand we may want to sleep up high too, we feel safe there and just let us sleep and sleep and sleep. This is vital to our recovery and at the very least it allows new brain cells to grow.
Now, the above are the absolute basics of what to do in the first few days. I will talk about each one in more detail over the coming days. It’s important, really important that everyone who wants to take on a rescue dog understands what we need – SLEEP, SAFETY AND CHOICES.
Courtesy of Help at Hand Dog Training & Behaviour

Time to tell us all about your rescue dog! Enter our competition with a 500 word story and maybe win a framed black & white  portrait of your best friend...

​Very reluctantly we have had to cancel our Reunion Dogwalk on 5 April 2020 because of the virus and resultant government restrictions on gatherings, travel and distancing .
Apart from being fun and a joy to reunite with old friends,the Dogwalk is one of the big fundraisers in our year and we will sorely miss the income which would have gone to dogs in need.
If you feel able at all to donate the dog walking entrance fee of £5 to our PayPal below or to our bank account, we would be able to carry on with our vital work.
paypal.me/giveadogahomeuk
Account no: 07436914
Sort Code: 09–01-29

A great time was had by all at the Christmas Fair at the Big Barn in Hailsham this year, and because its a doggy venue, we got to see so many woofies too!
To view the professional pictures (and purchase) from the day, please visit ​https://thesoulofmylensphotography.pixieset.com/thestalls/p/MzU2MzA5MDM2NQ==-Mzg0MzU3NTExNg/?fbclid=IwAR12p8kGzllG5oEzElhvHv0GOEJhywC1vnB0-EhSu8LCaKrMrFFIeY8dBU8