The Cost of Caring

Since this article was published in the Summer 2022 edition of Dogsbody we have sadly passed the point of having to turns dogs in need away - we need your help to fix that that!

The Cost of Caring

As already mentioned, we are the busiest we’ve ever been since our inception in 1975, and as every dog owner knows, dogs can be expensive to care for. Especially if they have complicated needs as some of ours do.

We use commercial kennels as they provide us with flexibility and a certain level of scalability. Not surprisingly this is usually the single biggest monthly bill we receive. Kennels are more than roofs over the dogs’ heads. Many of our rescues arrive at the kennels frightened, distressed, and in poor physical shape and dealt with in the same manner and care as our own dogs. The kennels are great, and have always responded with the utmost diligence. As well as their excellent level of care, they also aid in their rehabilitation, and so are situated within a reasonable distance of our volunteers working with the dogs.

The cost for that service has reached £20,000 per month, and that’s with Debbie and Rose providing kennels. It does include special diets, and some of the enrichment. We do receive donations for enrichment, as well as making or purchasing items as needed.

Dogs will sometimes arrive sick, or become unwell, and so require veterinary support. This forms our second largest expense of around £2,200 per month, although it can vary considerably from month to month. This includes the costs of ongoing medical needs for dogs in our long-term or permanent resident dogs. Around 20% of our dogs aren’t suitable for rehoming because of behavioural and/or health complications, and we won’t put a dog down because it can’t be rehomed, so they are kept in our care.

And of course, the biggest cost of caring is the fear that at some stage we have to turn a dog away because we don’t have the space, or the resources to take them in.

This article was originally published in the Summer 2022 edition of Dogsbody, the exclusive newsletter for our members. To become a member from as little as £10 per year visit: https://gsdwelfare.blogspot.com/2022/06/become-gsd-welfare-fund-member.html

 

100 Days with 100 Dogs: Day 2 - Resident Charlie

We continue with our 100 Days with 100 Dogs series with Charlie. Charlie is an older dog with specific behavioural complications that mean he's not suitable for rehoming. At many places this would mean the end for him, but we don't euthanise unless no other option is available, and so he's one of over 20 dogs in our permanent care.

Resident Charlie

Charlie is an 7 or 8 year old male entire GSD. He came to us after his elderly owner fell and broke his hip. The owner was 82 years old when he was sold Charlie as a puppy. After breaking his hip, his owner needed family assistance and Charlie wasn't too happy with this. He had been used to doing just as he pleased so when family members tried to tell him not to do something he bit them. 

We've looked after him for over two years now. Once we had worked with him we tried putting him up for adoption. A couple of people expressed interest and we'd already explained Charlie's situation before seeing them. When they  visited, we asked how they would handle certain situations and of course they said they would tell him "no". One of the visitors was reminded that a different approach was needed with Charlie and his response was "what good is he if I can't tell him no" even though we had a long discussion about it before his visit. 

We subsequently made the decision that for Charlie's safety we wouldn't home him. He is very happy with us and is not being put in situations he cannot cope with.

Charlie is one of over 20 resident dogs in our permanent care, and these dogs can be sponsored to help cover the cost for that care. Find out more about sponsoring our dogs here: https://gsdwelfare.blogspot.com/p/sponsor-our-dogs.html

100 Days with 100 Dogs: Day 1 - Meet Tony

As we've mentioned elsewhere, we now have over 100 dogs in our care - more by far than we've ever looked after at one time since we started in 1975. And so for the next 100 days we'll post the details for one of these dogs, whether they're ready for rehoming, under evaluation, or in our permanent care, every day. Please share these posts wherever you can - if we can get some of these dogs adopted, or raise additional funds then we can get through our current crisis.

Meet Tony

Tony is a 2 year old sable entire male German Shepherd and he's looking for his forever home.

He found his way into rescue because of his reactivity to other dogs. Since being with us we've learned that he is worried and doesn't know what to do when he sees other dogs. 

Tony is great with people and is an absolute sweetheart. Unfortunately he is ball obsessed - which we are trying to discourage as continuous throwing of a ball  raises adrenaline levels, and so makes him more excitable. Tony needs to have calm behavior encouraged, and so we're looking for an experienced person to help Tony develop.  

Tony should be homed as the only dog in a cat free home, and without very young children (Twelve or under).

If you can provide a loving home for Tony then contact us at gsdwelfarefund@gmail.com. You can also find other dogs needing homes here: http://www.gsdwelfarefund.co.uk/dogslist/

  

A Line We Never Wanted to Cross - Turning Away Dogs in Need

Sadly, we've reached the stage of having to turn dogs away now. As much as our heart breaks for them, we need to draw the line, or risk the dogs already in our care. We currently have over 100 dogs in our care. It's not about finding more kennel space, but how the hell do we pay for the kennel space. It sometimes seems that many people are under the illusion that we get cheap kennel space. We may receive a minimal discount but believe me, our kennel bills are still enough to give us nightmares.

[Editor - We'll post an article about the cost of Welfare tomorrow.]

So, when we turn these dogs away, what happens to them? I know these dogs in the photo are not GSDs but they were found last night tied to a tree risking strangulation. The well known rescue charities were called (the ones who have millions in the bank and can pay for expensive advertising), but they were "unable to help". The dog warden doesn't work weekends!. So, were they meant to stay tied to a tree?

If the well known rescues are not taking dogs, why do we feel so bad at having to say no? Because we genuinely care. As breed lovers/enthusiasts/breeders/exhibitors/guardians WE SHOULD ALL CARE. It shouldn't be about not being responsible for someone else's mess, it should be about the poor dogs.

This is what could happen to the German Shepherds we turn away. By the time people come to us to ask us to take them, they have already made their minds up that they don't want the dog. We all say they should be made to take responsibility. To a degree that is true but these people that are capable of things like this obviously don't have a conscience! What about the people that sell the dogs? what about the rescues that home the dogs? What about the breeders that breed the dogs? Shouldn't they be made to take responsibility? Yes of course, but in the meantime, it doesn't help dogs that end up tied to trees or abandoned.

Thankfully, Rose has taken these dogs in for the weekend out of the goodness of her heart, until the dog warden is back at work on Monday.

Rest assured, we do not turn dogs away lightly for worry of what could happen to them, but what are we supposed to do with all these calls we get? How are we supposed to pay for all of the kennel fees. Answers on a postcard. ;-(

There are many ways you can help, from adopting a rescued dog, to volunteering your time, and all manner in between. Some of the shopping donation schemes cost you no money, and only a few minutes to set up. See how you can help here - https://gsdwelfare.blogspot.com/p/how-you-can-help.html

Natural Remedies - Manuka Honey

Natalie Palmer provides the first article concerning Manuka Honey in a new series about useful natural remedies when caring for your dog. 

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So, what do you know about natural remedies? If you are like me the answer is not a lot, but I am learning there are a lot of great products out there to help us keep our dogs happy and healthy. Recently our Susie had some open wounds to her tail which were stitched and yep you guessed it she managed to pull out the stitches – even with an extra large cone and an inflatable collar no less! Anyway, as our Susie is really nervous at the vets they decided not to restitch but the treatment was clean them 3 times a day and apply Manuka Honey….I was genuinely intrigued and somewhere remember hearing about the benefits of Manuka before. While researching I found that the Manuka honey will basically remove anything bad from the wounds due to its natural healing properties. My advice would be to keep a jar in your cupboard - just in case. Not only is it amazing on cuts and wounds but it also works internally too. Raw unpasteurised honey is antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral. Don’t be thinking this is the same as the runny honey you spread on your toast at breakfast, Manuka honey is special thanks to the bees in New Zealand and Australia who pollenate the flowers of the Manuka tree.

Uses for manuka-

• First aid wound care
• Skin disease
• Probiotic for gut health
• Provides added immune support against viruses
• Protects with anti-oxidants
• Helps to maintain great oral health

For me, the tricky bit was understanding what Manuka Honey to buy, there is the Manuka honey you can buy in the local supermarket and then there is a whole range you can buy at your local health store as well as online too. When looking at buying there are 2 things to consider:

1) UMF (unique manuka factor) grade Manuka is superior to other supermarket bought honeys

2) The MGO level which means the antimicrobial activity in methylglyoxal 

When introducing this into a dogs diet the advice I found was to start with the lower levels -

Manuka UMF 5+|MGO 83+

Manuka UMF 10+| MGO 263+

Not only does the natural remedy cost far less than other medication at the Vets but also it reduces the amount of chemicals we are using on our dogs. Of course, in some cases these medications are needed just as we also had anti inflammatory and pain relief medication for Susie but when these came to an end, we continued with the Manuka honey orally as a natural continuation until the wounds had healed.

I hope this has piqued your interest in finding out more and there is a really fantastic guide on how to use manuka honey for dogs which is well worth a read for further information:

https://newzealandhoneyco.com/blogs/honey-articles/manuka-honey-for-dogs

The plan is to continue this blog going forward with other natural remedies out there, so if you have one in particular you think is amazing please comment and the team will look to post more blog items in this subject area.

Please note that natural re,medies can be an effective means to maintain the health of your dog, but if you are concerned about their health then you should consult a vet.

You can find more useful articles for training and caring for your GSD (and other breeds) in our archive: https://gsdwelfare.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html

Dickie's Diary - Rematch with Ada

Hello my fellow pupsters! Dickie Hill back here with news on the the long anticipated rematch with Ada. There were some who questioned my clear victory in our previous encounter. Mum said that Ada was currently in season, and while I'm not quite sure what that means, it did mean that she could come and play with me, but not the other dogs. My chance at last!

I'm bigger than I was last night, and as you can see I  went straight for the throat. No ducking and diving this time, just pure attack - so much so I think I stunned her with my ferocity. It was so one-sided mum had to intervene and save her again. I didn't even have to use my super zoom! It was all too easy, and so until next time pupsters - Dickie Hill signing out 🐾🐾🐾

Meet Loki - He's Looking For His Forever Home

This handsome boy is Loki, who is a 2.5 year old German Shepherd dog.  He's currently in South Lincs, and looking for his new forever home.

Loki came into our care due to a change in the domestic situation.  He has lived with children and other dogs.  He is a well bred boy who will make someone a wonderful companion. 

If you'd like to know more about adopting Loki, or any of our dogs then email gsdwelfarefund@gmail.com You can also see our other dogs for adoption on our website: http://www.gsdwelfarefund.co.uk/dogslist/