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

Health Topics - Nexgard and Bravecto Flea Treatment Warning

In this latest Health Topic article we examine our experiences of using Nexgard and Brevecto flea treatment and its side effects, and the severe impact it can have on dogs.

We now also have an archive page for our ever-growing library of informative topics covering behavioural, care and health articles. 

https://gsdwelfare.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html

NEXGARD AND BRAVECTO FLEA TREATMENT WARNING

Nexgard and Bravecto flea treatments are often prescribed by vets on a routine basis. Usually once a month. We are told that they are safe, and the risk of side effects is minimal. Sadly, this isn’t the truth. When the statistics are quoted, they are based on reported side effects. To be classed as a reported side effect, an official form must be filled in. This is very rarely done as some vets will not link the illness you are presenting your dog to them for and the application of flea treatment. Vets are assured by pharmaceutical companies that these treatments are safe. Veterinary practices are given incentives by pharmaceutical companies to prescribe such treatments.

In reality, the side effects are much more common than we are led to believe. Thankfully, most of these are minor, like vomiting and diarrhoea. Most of them are temporary. However, some of them are more severe and permanent. Some are even fatal. The risk of fatality may be low, but if it happened to your dog, it doesn’t matter if the statistics are one in a million. It would be devastating. So why even take the slightest risk for something that is not even necessary?

The main ingredient in these treatments is Afoxolaner. Afoxolaner belongs to the Isoxazoline group of chemicals. Here is what the FDA says about Isoxazoline.

“Isoxazoline products have been associated with neurologic adverse reactions, including muscle tremors, ataxia, and seizures in some dogs and cats; Although most dogs and cats haven’t had neurologic adverse reactions, seizures may occur in animals without a prior history”.

We have had a couple of dogs relinquished to Welfare because they suffered seizures. Idiopathic epilepsy. They had been given Nexgard flea treatment. I have personally seen dogs stagger about like they were drunk after these treatments were administered. I have been in the vet's waiting room when a rottweiler was brought in on a stretcher after having Nexgard administered. Sadly, I have lost count of the side effects I have personally seen. If the side effects are so minimal, why am I seeing so many?

Most concerning to me is the effect these treatments have on a dog’s temperament. A couple of years back, I started to notice that so many of the dogs coming into Welfare had temperament issues. Young dogs that we would probably never be able to home. I was so concerned that I approached the health coordinator of the breed council. At that point, we couldn’t explain why this was. I then received a phone call from a worried owner of a 7-month-old GSD puppy. He needed to relinquish his puppy, but his vet was insisting he euthanised instead. Obviously, he didn’t want to do this. After a long conversation, we agreed that Welfare would take the puppy and if we felt we couldn’t help him and he needed to be euthanised, we would do it and at least we would know that we had tried everything we could. I asked the owner to forward me his veterinary record, which he did.

The first thing that hit me as I read the notes was that Nexgard had started to be given at 8 weeks of age. The first treatment was given the same day the puppy vaccines were given. This in itself would have been an overload of toxins and I cringed. What really caught my attention though was the last 3 entries on the veterinary record.

“Owner presented dog. Dog was walked around the car park. Dog healthy with no issues. Brought dog into surgery and administered Nexgard”.

The next entry was 2 days later. “Owner presented dog. Dog vomiting and diarrhoea and unable to walk. Diagnosed neurological damage. Advised euthanasia”.

The next entry was 3 days later. “Owner relinquishing dog to a rescue. Strongly advised against this. This dog should be euthanised”.

Thankfully, Arthur came into Welfare, and after being given time to detox and some natural remedies, he could walk again. He still has a slight sway, but this doesn’t hinder his everyday life. The most worrying factor though is his temperament. One minute he is the most loving dog and wants cuddles and loving then out of the blue he will try jumping up to tear the clothes you are wearing. Please note, this isn’t just normal puppy play behaviour that a lot of puppies will do to induce playtime. His eyes change and for those seconds he is doing this, it is like he is in another world. Then as suddenly as he starts, he stops. He is NOT a vicious dog.

Three months prior to Arthur coming into Welfare, we had taken in another 7-month puppy. His owner said the reason was that he has Hip Dysplasia (which he has). Norris appeared to be a loving, cute puppy. The first day Norris was here, I took him for a walk and out of the blue, he jumped up at me and began shredding the coat I wore. This wasn’t a playful gesture. It looked more like something had changed in him. It only lasted seconds but at the end of it, my coat had to be thrown away. He had shredded it that badly. I contacted his owners and they admitted he had done this with them, so this was probably the real reason he was relinquished. Again, Norris is NOT vicious. His eyes change when this is happening.

After seeing Arthur’s veterinary notes, I then checked the vet record for Norris. Nexgard was administered every 4 weeks.

Rodney came into Welfare after a bite incident at 3 years old. His owners were distraught. They didn’t understand how the loving dog they had raised from an 8-week-old puppy had changed almost overnight. He'd also been given Nexgard monthly.

Several other dogs have since been relinquished to Welfare due to behavioural issues. I now ask if any flea treatment has been used. The answer is nearly always Nexgard/Bravecto.

It is so sad that so many dogs are suffering. What's even worse is knowing that it is unnecessary and could be avoided. 

Compounding the issue is the practice of treating dogs for fleas when our dogs do not have them. “Just in case”. Flea treatments DO NOT stop your dog from fleas. The fleas have to be on your dog and bite them, for the toxins in your dog’s blood stream (put there by the flea treatments) to kill them. How many of us take paracetamol every day “in case” we get a headache? Such behaviour would be considered risky and harmful to health. Yet, we put these harmful toxic chemicals in our dogs on a regular basis “just in case”. By all means, if your dog has fleas, then treat them. There are lots of natural deterrents you can use that will help to stop your dog from attracting fleas.

PLEASE DO NOT KEEP PUTTING DANGEROUS TOXINS IN YOUR DOGS BLOODSTREAM REGULARLY WHEN IT IS NOT NEEDED. IF YOUR DOG GETS A FLEA INFESTATION, THEN TREAT THEM BUT PLEASE DO NOT USE NEXGARD/BRAVECTO.

Following on from our own article, this new article from Ultimate Dog provides further information and stats and a useful read on these dangers.

https://ultimatedog.com/%EF%BF%BCnexgard-for-dogs-a-dangerous-gamble/

 

 

 

Elda Enjoying Some Space

Elda has been with us for two weeks today. It’s been slow progress, with only small steps so far, but at least they're in the right direction. We've observed some changes over the last couple of days. 

Although sometimes vocal, she seemed excited when we approached with food (she’s eating well). This morning, after securing the surrounding garden, we opened the door to her run. We didn’t interact, and simply opened it and walked away. We sat and watched Elda come straight out. 

For the first 10 minutes, she explored her new surroundings. Dogs generally enjoy sniffing around, but this was intense. Then, she suddenly burst into a run. At first we feared that something had spooked her, but it appeared she just enjoyed running in such a mad fashion|!💕 

We were careful not to over do it on her first session. The 15-20 minutes allowed was ample. It's good to end on a high note rather than souring the experience for the dog by pushing too hard. I put food parcels in her run, but as she saw me head towards it she raced back in. We’ve not attempted to interact with her yet - that will come when she is ready. But this is still a great moment for her rehabilitation. Well done Elda. We're all very proud of you! 💗