Meet Sandy - Ready For Her New Home

Sandy is 6 years old, and with a dark sable long coat. She is a real sweetheart. Sandy came in to us after having a fallout with another bitch in the family.

She's totally chilled round other dogs when she's out, but because of her previous history she'd have to be either with a male or as an only dog.

If you can provide a loving home for Sandy, or one of our other dogs then find out how here  - https://www.gsdwelfarefund.co.uk/adopting-a-german-shepherd/

Find Your Perfect Soulmate

Find your perfect soulmate with the GSD Welfare Fund and you could fix more than their life...

A Broken Dog, For a Broken Man

This is an article I recently wrote for my village magazine The Heron (https://theheron.info/), and with it being Mental Health Awareness week I wanted to share some of my experiences, and also highlight an ancillary benefit to adopting rescued dogs, and that the someone you need to meet at the right time, isn't necessarily human.

Many will have encountered me walking Wellington through the village, or up at the Dun Cow where he’ll sniff and say ‘hello’ while checking you for treats. Some of you may remember him when he first arrived and since noted the vast difference in his confidence and demeanour over the past year or so. The article’s title is intended as a little tongue in cheek, in a similar manner to how I call him ‘Little Dog’, even though he clearly isn’t. That being said, he is smaller than me, so it’s not untrue :-)

I’ve always wanted a dog, but I’ve lived on my own for most of my working life, and also rarely been home long enough each day for it to be fair to the dog. I’d also battled depression and some serious suicide attempts over the past 30 years which culminated over two years ago in finally reaching out for the professional help I really needed to try and fix things.

As part of that process, I identified that I needed something more to life, a reason greater than work to motivate me. Sometimes there’s a synchronicity to life that binds the right events together. This first came from work when they indicated that I could work from home on a more permanent basis. They’ve been incredibly supportive throughout the years and I can never thank them enough for that. I’m very happy in my job, and they made changes to reduce stress where it made sense to do so. I made other smaller changes, and with these in place, a slightly less broken man continued repairing himself by looking for a dog.

Initially I searched for puppies and soon realised that not only had lockdown driven prices up to ridiculous levels (the lockdown also caused an ongoing crisis in dog welfare, you can read more here - https://gsdwelfare.blogspot.com/2022/04/the-pandemics-impact-on-our-resources.html), but also, I didn’t really know what I was looking for. Once again, a friend in the village came to my aid, and Ray put me in touch with Debbie.

Debbie lives in Marshland St James and is the chairman for the German Shepherd Dog Welfare Fund - a name that many of you who know me are now familiar with. We talked and she assessed a likely candidate from the dogs in their care who'd be a good match for me. And so, within a few days, I drove up Stamford near Peterborough to meet Wellington. In that first meeting I immediately grasped two things - the first that Debbie knew how to match a person and a dog together, and the second that I would do whatever was needed to bring this dog into my life.

On our first meeting Wellington was nervous, and understandably so, considering the life he’d suffered. He’s food motivated, and that helped immensely. Before adopting a rescue, you have to visit the dog a few times to try and make sure you’re compatible and the kennel owner Lawrence provided useful tips for taking care of him. You aren’t told much about the dogs’ lives before their rescue, but they do provide enough information to understand the life they’ve led and the issues we’ll face trying to give him a better life. Without expanding on the details (I did learn more about his past over time) of the abuse he suffered, I know that he’d lived in hell for most of his life. Without papers we weren’t sure how old he actually was, the best estimation was 8-9 years old, and almost all spent in the compound he and a number of other GSDs have been rescued from.

Over the next month I drove up every weekend to the kennels and walked him in the cold and we got to know each other. I prepared the house and garden, in particular ensuring a secure garden, ready to provide Wellington with a new home. My house and garden were duly inspected, and a few changes were needed as they’re smart and dexterous dogs and can escape in ways you wouldn’t expect from such a large breed.

As well as checking the home environment I also needed to demonstrate that I could identify what the dog would need, but also assessing my ability to work with the dog to provide training and support. Positive reinforcement training was emphasised, the days of dominating or fear-based training belonged in the past along with many dog-related myths (again a juicy subject for a future article).

Finally, the day arrived - a warm Saturday morning and Tony delivered Wellington. He remained extremely nervous for a few days. He had the roam of the house and made full use of it as he hid from me and I had to search and find him to give him food, or to take him into the garden. At that early stage he was kept on a lead even for just going for a toilet in the back garden.

Wellington (or more commonly now called ‘Wellie’, or ‘Little Dog’) remained nervous over those early weeks, and there were accidents to clean up. Sometimes I can be slow witted, and by the time the easy clean rugs arrived I'd taught Wellie how to let me know he wanted to go out and the accidents quickly ended!

Wellie still doesn't have any concept of toys, except
for the one blue and white ball, but I keep trying
different things, like this giant toy lion.

My broken dog had his issues and still has. He doesn’t care for other dogs at all, and once he gained his confidence, he soon became vocal about it. If I spot the other dog first then I can generally talk him through it with little drama, but if we’re caught by surprise then things become a little difficult. This is another reason people should keep dogs on a lead, your dog might be reasonably behaved, but running up to a traumatised dog to say ‘Hi’ isn’t a wise move.

I still have to walk through strange doors first - I’m his bodyguard, not the other way round. He has problems with his back end, which the breed can be prone to, but in Wellie’s case it was more directly caused by humans and their tool using capacity. Watching him dream can be heart breaking, so much so that if he was human, I’d have said he suffered from PTSD.

My life experience for the most part was nowhere near as traumatic as what Wellington’s suffered. Yet another’s worse experience doesn’t invalidate your own, but between us both we’re more comfortable with life. It’s a long journey, and far from over, and one we’ll walk together.

Michael Brookes

While I have your attention, I'm currently running a competition to raise money for the German Shepherd Dog Welfare, so that they can continue to save dogs like Wellington, and even the occasional person like me.

https://gsdwelfare.blogspot.com/2022/05/hortus-astartes-naming-competition.html

Thanks in advance for your generous support!

GSD Welfare Fund's Spring Auction Started

Our Spring Auction is going live over on the Auction page. There is no starting bid on any item. Make your bids in the comments under the item you would like.

Postage is £2.00 unless the bidding goes over £40.00, then it is free.

The Auction closes midnight 31 May.

Lots of models (even collies) and books by the greats of our breed, and other GSD memorabilia. The best of luck for your bids!

https://www.facebook.com/GSDWelfareFundAuctions

Please like and share this post to help spread the word for this fundraising!

Barks & Wings Drive Thru - Captain Alfresco

Even VIDs (Very Important Dogs) are frequenting the ever popular Barks & Wings Drive Thru. Head Chef Lawrence keeps his cool when the Captain demands to dine alfresco style.

Lawrence runs the Coombe Farm Boarding Kennels, in Stamford and is also instrumental in re-homing GSD Welfare Fund rescued dogs in his area.

Ask Tia - The Art of Herding Cats

Hi everypawdy - it's been too long since I shared my wisdom. It's all the fault of my online hairy minion who's been slacking off lately, and even claimed to be working on higher priority tasks. A swift bite on the bottom soon reminded him that he is an idiot, and that I will always be his priority. After all, I have desperate dogs who need my help in their time of need. And I also need the distraction from Rodney and the other handsome males - we do seem to have more of them about these days - it's hard to decide where to look sometimes!

Enough of that - let's make some poor dog's life better. I've received this plea for assistance from Nikita, and I instantly knew I had to help - the delicious sausages that mysteriously appeared at the same time had absolutely nothing to do with my decision!

 

        Hi Tia,

My name is Nikita (picture attached). Last year my mum brought home some kittens....three of them (unbelievable!), and now they are bigger she lets them go outside. Problem iv got is I like to round them all up..., but there's three of them to control. All good when they are still, problem is mum keeps shouting at me to stop rounding them up. I don't hurt them, the cats come up to me and Eboni my sister ( she does not chase them ) and they cuddle up. 

When mum can't cope anymore she puts me in the kitchen, then the cats follow me into there ...cheek of it, one lies by my water bowl. I'm a good dog, so I just lie next to them. It's when they are running around I get stressed. I'm convinced these cats just do it to get me into trouble. Any suggestions on cat control ?

Nikita xx

Ps Nikita the sable one, Eboni who is the good one, is the black one lol

Thanks for contacting me Nikita, this situation is wrong on so many levels that I'm not sure where to start. Herding cats is difficult, especially if there's more than one. While clearly an inferior species they can be tricksy, and don't underestimate the sharpness of their claws - even on the little ones. They can be quick, so you need to slow them down a bit and make them easier to handle. Sneak up on them from behind while they're distracted, for example while they're eating, and swift bites to their bottoms will help bring them in line.

Sadly your problems don't end there. Mums are usually wise, if a bit sweary at times, but in this case your mum is plain wrong. You're a German Shepherd, a dog bred for keeping other animals in their place, or moving them where they need to be. You know what you have to do - a bite on the bottom will help her focus, but I advise running away quickly as these hoomans don't take such gentle reminders well and I've found it best to remain out of reach until they calm down and realise they were wrong.

If you have a problem the needs my wisdom to solve then you can email my bearded monkey at tiaspupdates@gmail.com and he'll do whatever I tell him to. I do like sausages, but sometimes it's nice to be surprised. 

Anyway, Rodney is looking magnificent, so ta ta for now. Love Tia 🐾🐾🐾

To help keep me in the treats I so richly deserve, please consider donating generously to the German Shepherd Dog Welfare Fund who rescued me, and now continue to take good care of me. https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=3TFBXREQPUVUG

Editor's Note (while Tia's not looking)  - Tia's not a trained professional, and you really shouldn't try her advice at home, or anywhere else for that matter!

Meet Murphy - One of Our Resident Dogs

 

Murphy is a black and tan, male German Shepherd who found himself in rescue after the death of his owner. He is about 8/9 years old. When Murphy first came into Welfare he was quite traumatised and it took him a while to let his guard down with people. Murphy likes to do things at his own pace and we have encouraged this while he has been with us.Once he warms to you he is very loving. Although he has lived with another dog he can be very reactive towards other dogs.

Sadly, Murphy has recently suffered a gastric torsion but is recovering well. Unfortunately, he is also showing signs of DM and has been diagnosed with a heart murmur. Because of this he will stay in our care and be loved.

Please consider sponsoring Murphy or one of our other resident dogs for only £20 per year - https://gsdwelfare.blogspot.com/p/sponsor-our-dogs.html

Meet Levi - Could You Provide His Forever Home?

Levi is a long coated male German Shepherd. He is 14 months old. Levi is a big strong boy who would benefit from being the only dog in the household. It would also need to be a cat and child free home. Levi is not ideal for first time GSD carers, so n experienced handler is preferable who would be prepared to continue his education. 

He can sometimes be reactive to other dogs when on the lead. When playing with other  dogs,  he can be over zealous. Levi’s ideal home would be calm without too much hustle and bustle going on.

If you'd like to provide a home for Levi, or one of our other dogs then visit here for more information - https://www.gsdwelfarefund.co.uk/adopting-a-german-shepherd/

Calling All Humble Gamers!

Many PC gamers already know that not only can receive excellent discounts on a huge variety of games and books, but that they are also supporting Humble's featured charities. Fewer might not be aware that they can also select which charities they support (note that some bundles/offers are dedicated to specific charities) and that the charity close to my heart, the German Shepherd Dog Welfare Fund are listed there.

So come and join me helping the charity that rescued my dog Wellington, so whenever you buy a game on Humble know that you're helping dogs like him live as they deserve, not how they've suffered before their rescue.

It's easy to choose the charity you support. After you've logged in, open the Profile menu to the top right of your screen (see screenshot, and no I couldn't resist including Planet Zoo as it was there!), and select 'Settings'.

With he settings window open, scroll down to Charity Contribution section.

And then open the Charity Preference option. In the Select a Charity screen, search for 'German Shepherd Dog Rescue Fund', confirm your choice and you're good to go!

A huge thank you from me, the team, and the dogs if you've made it this far, and now treat yourself to some new games!

If you're not already a Humble member and want to be, then please use this referral link, and money I receive will go to the charity as well, so a double win!

https://www.humblebundle.com/membership?refc=3pQldS

Meet George - he's ready for his forever home

 

Meet George, he's eager to find his forever home. He's a 6-year-old, black, male German Shepherd. He came into rescue with seven other GSDs he had been living with. George has the sweetest temperament and is a delight to be around. Sadly, he suffers from brain damage. It does not interfere with his everyday life, and you can easily see how he loves life and is always so happy.

Unfortunately, George has seizures and needs regular medication. This medication will be lifelong. George also has a problem with his ears and because he doesn't let you check or treat them, it means he has to be sedated at the vets for treatment when he has a flare up. All treatment for his ongoing ailments will be paid for by the GSD Welfare Fund.

He does have a habit of nipping you as he is walking along. To George this is a game, and it looks as if he almost laughs once he has done it. They are not vicious bites but can leave bruises. This is not something that can be trained out of him. It is part of who he is, but must be considered when adopting. George is great with other dogs, however George would better suit a child free home, due to the nipping.

Interested in adopting George? See our adoption process here https://www.gsdwelfarefund.co.uk/adopting-a-german-shepherd/

Lawrence's Drive Thru - The Grand Rebrand

 

The ever popular Lawrence's Drive Thru, has now suffered a re-brand, and shall henceforth be known as the Barks and Wings drive thru. It remains under the old management team and one regular diner stated, "woof" when asked if the chicken wings were still the best in the county.

Lawrence runs the Coombe Farm Boarding Kennels, in Stamford and is also instrumental in re-homing GSD Welfare Fund rescued dogs in his area.

Elda's First Sniff Contact

 

Yesterday morning after I released Elda out of her run, I then went to sit in the cabin and left the door open. Within minutes she'd entered, had a good sniff around, before leaving. Elda returned, and had apparently decided that I needed further investigation. The sniffing you can hear is her sniffing me. The dog walking coat dog I wore must have presented a nice range of interesting scents for her 😃 I didn’t try to interact, and I let her take her own time and continued allowing her to build her confidence. I certainly didn’t want a sudden move on my part to startle her and set us back. Another slow, and positive step, but a wonderful one for her to take. 💖

Debbie Hill

Chairman, GSD Welfare Fund

Elda Finds Joy in Toys

 

Just a quick update today, but certainly a happy one. Elda had her first play session today and as you can see, enjoyed it! It's so good to see 💗

Debbie Hill

Chairman, GSD Welfare Fund

You can sponsor Elda to help fund her rehabilitation here - https://gsdwelfare.blogspot.com/p/sponsor-our-dogs.html

Hortus Astartes Naming Competition (CLOSED)

THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED - A HUGE THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO ENTERED 👏👏👏

All heroes have a name, and it's their name that over time elevates them above the mortal herd. For over a standard year now this proud Astartes has tirelessly stood guard over my garden. I know not what penance he undertakes in the Emperor's, I don't even know his name, but it will soon be revealed.

And it will be revealed, or rather created by the winner of this Hortus Astartes Naming competition. It is up to you to reveal his name, and donate £5 to the German Shepherd Dog Welfare Fund via the entry form below before the closing date to win. You may enter as many times as you like. Names should be in-keeping with the 40K universe, but I'm fine with amusing ones, don't get too carried away though - it needs to be something I can post in public without being arrested!

Before we get started I'd like to thank Fantastic Books Publishing, Frontier Developments, Artwork of Warhammer 40,000, and GSD Welfare Fund for their support putting this competition together.

The winning name will be judged by the mysteriously exiled Terran Lord, who's garden is protected by the Emperor's order. His word on this matter will be final. The selected name will be set in a plaque (probably wooden in material, and detail to be decided once the armoured warrior's name is known) this will be affixed to the noble Astartes, and a copy sent to the winner. 

Not only do entrants aid the noble task of rescuing vulnerable German Shepherds from all over the mainland UK, the money allows the caring of, rehabilitation, and re-homing of these majestic animals (beasts of such honourable bearing that even the mighty Russ would be impressed). 

Over the past year I've become more involved with the charity, with raising funds and building up our online presence. I'm also now a committee member, and we're currently the busiest we have been since our creation in 1975. With over 100 dogs in our care, and a commitment to not have the dogs put down just because they can't be re-homed, our resources are stretched, and need your help to ensure that we never have to turn a dog away. 

Discover more of our mission here - http://www.gsdwelfarefund.co.uk/

A Bounty of Prizes

Thanks to the incredible generosity of Fantastic Books Publishing, Frontier Developments (where I work in the interests of transparency, but this competition is nothing to do them!), and my compulsive hoarding, we have a wonderful range of prizes both 40K related and also wider science fiction. They will be randomly drawn after the competition finishes (there are some exceptions to this as noted below).  Also please note that there are a few items that are pre-owned or as new as they've come from my collection - these are marked individually. 

Throughout the competition's duration there will be opportunities to win free e-books, and occasional secret, and as yet unannounced prizes - Like, Comment, and Follow to make sure you stay up to date!

See the list of additional prizes below:

Meet Wellington

Meet Wellington (aka Wellie, aka Little Dog), the reason we are all here today. Early last I decided that I wanted to bring a dog into my life. With the lockdown the price of puppies had sky rocketed and I remembered a news article of more and more dogs being abandoned as the lockdown eased. I liked the idea of taking on a rescue and a friend put me in touch with the GSD Welfare Fund. There I met Debbie, the charity's chairman and suggested an older dog and had one that she thought would fit, and she wasn't wrong!

He's 9 or 10 years old - we're not sure because no records were kept for him, or the other dogs rescued from the compound. When I first met him he was very nervous, although he still let me walk him on a lead. On that first visit I knew that I wanted to make sure that his latter years would be better than the preceding ones.

Wellington's still quite nervous, but it's a far cry from him hiding from me and having accidents indoors when he first moved. His confidence built up slowly and he slowly became more trusting. Sadly his earlier trauma has left its mark. He's very reactive to other dogs - especially of the same breed. This isn't a surprise as you see the scars from having to fight. 

It's amazing to me how great he is with people. He won't let people stroke him straight away, but he is calming as he socialises more. His scars aren't just physical, he experiences terrible nightmares and will often wake up and dash into my bedroom to make sure I'm still. In some ways our roles are reversed as I'm more his bodyguard with having to go first through most doors, and he'll hide behind me when we have visitors.

And with all that, he's probably improved my life as much as I have his. He's a fantastic companion, and filled a gap that for a long time didn't realise I had. And so I feel that I must do what I can for others of his kind that are mistreated and abused, and maybe when they find their forever home, they'll bring some love with them to.

Carving a Space Marine

The chainsaw carving was done by the talented Arnie the Roadside Carver. He's in the bottom right of the montage above, and I'm the hairy one on the left next to the trunk.

Originally I thought of having a life size bear as a centre piece of the garden, but while bears are cool - you don't often see a life sized (almost) 40K Space Marine staring at you as you stroll past somebody's house. My original thought was to have Russ carved, but that would have been a tad ambitious - next time maybe!

The design was based upon one of the McFarlane poseable marines and Arnie kept me updated with photos all throughout the project and made some suggestions (like the burnt wood) that improved the piece considerably. If you visit his website you can really appreciate his versatility and skill. My marine is clearly the best carving he's ever done though!

A squad of Red Devils
seeking heresy

Competition Rules

There must be fairness in all things, and the corrupted taint of chaos shall not sully our noble purpose. Breaking the compact of these rules shall condemn the offender as an outcast, and sent far from civilised society. Their name will be struck from history and they are to be forever marked as as heretic and chaos spawn until the day their rotten soul is claimed by the ruinous powers.

Note that entry into the competition will be considered as agreement to comply with these rules.

• The competition closes May 22nd midnight GMT - any entries after this time will not be considered
• The marine's name will be selected by Michael Brookes. If there are no suitable names then another round of entries will be invited
• Obscene and/or offensive terms will invalidate any associated entry at any stage 
• We're having run raising money for a charity close to my heart, so lets keep things in the spirit intended
• Entries must be submitted through the provided form, any other method (unless already agreed) will be organised
•  Name and background entries remain copyrighted to the respective owner, but permission is granted to use in connection with the competition

This competition is not officially connected to, endorsed, or sponsored by Games Workshop, Frontier Developments, or Fantastic Book Publishing. All works, trademarks and distinctive art and words remain copyright and trademarks of their respective owners.

THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED - A HUGE THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO ENTERED 👏👏👏

Elda's Updates - Sniffing is Living

 

Just within just a couple of days, Elda appears to have become much more playful on her little jaunts out of her run. She’s still not interacting with us, but her behaviour itself is more relaxed. Although she eats all her meals, she’s not particularly a foodie, instead her nose is constantly working. 

I don’t think I’ve ever met a GSD that uses their nose so much. This is being encouraged as the sniffing will help her relax. Instead of leaving so many food stations I am bringing in different smells. Simple things such as snuffle mats the other dogs have just used, or fur from a dog brush from the other dogs. We're also thinking that adding some sort of tracking further down the line to help with her rehab. 💖

Debbie Hill

Chairman, GSD Welfare Fund

You can sponsor Elda, and other dogs in our permanent, or extended care through our Dog Sponsorship scheme for only £20 per year here -  https://gsdwelfare.blogspot.com/p/sponsor-our-dogs.html