Sadly not all the dogs we rescue can be rehomed. This can be for various reasons, including health and behavioural, but even (no, especially) with these dogs we are committed to providing the life they deserve. Here we meet Hugo, whose unfortunate start to life has impacted him ever since.
These wonderful new German Shepherd birthday cards are now available from the German Shepherd Dog Welfare Fund. They are A5 sized and printed in colour. Priced at only £6 for a pack of 4, or £1.75 for a single card - they are perfect for friends and family (or even the dogs themselves!). Postage is £1 for mainland UK.
To order your cards contact me directly via email here: gsdwfonline@gmail.com Payment will be expected via PayPal before shipping.
All proceeds go to the German Shepherd Dog Welfare Fund to help rescue vulnerable GSDs and provide them with the life they deserve.
Many dogs are nervous at the vets, especially dogs who have not been used to being handled with care. To get dogs used to touch and handling, we use a game of consent. We teach dogs to place their chins down on our knees if they are happy for us to touch them. When they feel uncomfortable, they learn to lift their heads and all touching stops. When they are ready, they can place their chins down again and we can proceed. It’s all about consent.
We start off teaching the game by simply rewarding every time the dog’s chin touches a towel that we have placed on an item at the right height for her.
We then use the same towel or blanket and place this on our knees, repeating the game.
We begin with just hand movement towards her.
After a few sessions of learning the game, we begin to introduce touch. Very slow and very brief. It is important that all touching ceases the moment the dog lifts her head.
One of the lovely kennel ladies is standing nearby and we are chatting - mimicking what might happen at a Vets. Sienna is a little distracted at times (she does like to know what is going on)!
Next we get one of the kennel workers to do the chin targeting while I carry out a pretend vet check. She soon gets into the game, and I can check her ears, eyes and teeth!
Hello, my name is Ace. I am 5 years old and blind. GSD Welfare Fund took me in when I really needed help. While only 9 months old at the time I suffered a number of issues which they supported me with.
Everything seemed fine for a while, but unfortunately they noticed a problem with my eyesight. After being seen by a specialist they confirmed that I would soon be blind. But because of the stress of the situation, and other issues the operation I needed didn't happen. Welfare stepped in again and made the decision to keep me in their care.
I’m not in kennels, and I now live in a house with a committee member. I love sleeping on her bed! GSD Welfare Fund has done so much for me, that I will take part in the Welfare Wagathon on 20th February. As I'm blind my carer will need to guide me and please sponsor me and help me raise funds so Welfare can help other dogs like me.
We've set up a Facebook event to coordinate everyone taking part in the Welfare Wagathon, so join like minded people wanting to help our rescues receive the lives they deserve - https://www.facebook.com/events/447345883605405
Morning everypawdy. Tia here with a pupdate. I’m very excited to tell you that the hooman said I am a good girl. I used to have a real fun game where I would run as fast as I could and body slam the hooman and bite her as I was doing it. Oh how I loved that game. But then we played a new game. Every time I run hard at her instead of body slamming I sit in front of her and she gives me chimkin.
It’s nowhere near as much fun but the chimkin is delicious. Now, I keep running up to her and sitting in front of her and guess what? I get more chimkin. I can’t lie I was slightly disappointed that I couldn’t play the fun game anymore but then the male hooman came outside and because I hadn’t played the sitting game with him I launched myself at him and bit him. He wasn’t happy but I saw the hooman smirk so I think it made her happy. There is no understanding these hoomans.
Still, if the hooman thinks it’s funny I will carry on launching at the male hooman. I’m off to run at the hooman now but I will keep my 4 paws on the floor and get more chimkin.
We recently posted about Lexi's pups born during the run up to Christmas and as you can imagine they are all delightful bundles of joy. If you haven't read the story of Lexi and Apollo then you can do so here A Surprise Ending to 2021
Both mum and dad are doing well, but sadly one of the pups passed during the first night. Although the whelping box had roll bars, and despite keeping a close eye on them, unfortunately, Lexi managed to sit on him. He was named Theo and now rests in Debbie's (GSD Welfare Fund's Chairman) garden. The other pups (4 boys and 4 girls) are finding their feet and thoroughly enjoying exploring the bright new world they've joined. They've all been named now, so please give them a warm Welfare welcome!
