100 Days with 100 Dogs: Day 8 - Meet Arlo

We enter the second week of the 100 Days with 100 Dogs and it's a sad state of affairs that even the 100 days won't include every dog. On a more positive note, we are seeing a good response to this campaign, and we hope that momentum continues and we're able to match all of our dogs ready rehoming with new loving families. 

Meet Arlo

The handsome Arlo is a 2 year old entire male German Shepherd. He came to us because of some behaviour issues. 

His previous owner thought he was vicious but as soon as we started assessing him we quickly realised his behaviour was triggered by fear.  To complicate matters a freak accident resulted in a broken leg. This happened only two weeks after joining us, and has obviously held up his rehabilitation. 

Despite this setback Arlo has responded positively, and has come on in leaps and bounds. As you can see he's a real water baby. Arlo's ideal home would be a man who lives alone and has time to continue to work with him. There shouldn't be any children or other pets in the household, but could live with a female dog if properly introduced. He is currently situated at Mildenhall in Suffolk.

If you feel that you can provide Arlo his forever home then please email gsdwelfarefund@gmail.com. 

Other dogs in our care can be found in our adoption Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/gsdwfadoptions and our website http://www.gsdwelfarefund.co.uk/dogslist/

100 Days with 100 Dogs: Day 7 - Tia Meets Elda

A week into our 100 Days with 100 Dogs feature and that wonderful character Tia makes her appearance. About a fifth of the dogs in our care can't be responsibly rehomed due to their special care needs - whether medical or behavioural. Others require extensive rehabilitation before they can be considered for adoption, usually because they've been so traumatised by their experiences.

Tia's already one of our more famous residents with her cheeky character, and Elda is now starting to find herself as she grows more confident after spending two years in police custody.

Tia Meets Elda

Hello pupsters. Tia here with a quick pupdate. I'm sorry you haven't heard from me for a while. I have had lots of stories to tell but the hooman keeps saying she is too busy to listen. Really. She need to spend a day as me and then she will see what busy means. I don't stop all day. 

Well, the big story of the day is that I met Elda for the first time. She seems nice and I think we can be friends. She is older than me but not as experienced. I mean, she has been here for months and she's still not jumping up at the hooman and grabbing her. I think I will have to teach her a few things. 

I didn't think I was going to like her because I heard she had rubbed noses with my Rodney. She really doesn't want to go down that path. I told the hooman she'd best introduce her to Bruce.  I'm told she's a quick learner, and I guess we'll find out.

I am told that Welfare now have over 100 dogs like me to care for. They need fundraising ideas so they can pay for our kennels. There is a new group called "Friends of GSD Welfare"  if you haven't already joined please think about doing so. It's just £3 a month. That's only a cup of coffee to you, but to dogs like me and Elda, that could feed us for 3 days. 

I heard the hooman and another hooman went and rattled tins for people to put money in. Wellie, Ada and Dickie went with them. I have offered to go next time and sell kisses but the hooman says it might cost more in legal fees with the sort of kisses I give. I try to help but I am so unappreciated.  

You can sponsor me or Elda and be our friend for just £20 per year.  I will let you know how I get on selling my kisses and how I get on with Elda. I can hear my Rodney calling so must go. Bye for now. Love Tia 💖💖💖

You can become a Friend of GSD Welfare here https://gsdwelfare.blogspot.com/p/become-friend-of-gsd-welfare.html and help fund cohntinued care for Elda, Tia and all the others.

If you'd like to sponsor one of our dogs then visit here to learn more https://gsdwelfare.blogspot.com/p/sponsor-our-dogs.html

  

100 Days with 100 Dogs: Day 6 - Meet Axle

We've reached the sixth day already in our 100 Days with 100 Dogs series. Today we meet Axle - who's just one of 80 dogs in our care looking for homes. Each has their own own story, and each needing a loving home where they can live a life they deserve - not the one they've suffered.

Meet Axle

Poor Axle is an 11 year old male entire German Shepherd. 

He came to us in a dreadful state. Axle was emaciated with large areas of his fur missing and a growth hanging from his neck. We have had him vet checked and while the vet doesn't think it's anything nasty, we are  making arrangements to have the growth removed.

A cat free home is needed, without very young children. We haven't seen him react to other dogs, but we'd recommend calmer companions.

Axle has the sweetest of temperaments and loves company. He will make someone a wonderful companion. After what he has endured he desperately needs a place to call home. 

Axle is currently located in South Lincolnshire.

If you're able to offer a home for Axle then email us at gsdwelfarefund@gmail.com. You can also find out more about our adoption process here http://www.gsdwelfarefund.co.uk/adopting-a-german-shepherd/

  

100 Days with 100 Dogs: Day 5 - Meet Kie

For Day 5 in our 100 Days with 100 Dogs feature we meet Kie - another of our dogs looking for their forever home. Please share his profile far and wide to help find one for him.

Meet Kie

This beautiful boy is Kie, he is about 9 or 10 years young black coated German Shepherd. 

Kie was relinquished due to his owner having to move. When he arrived he was emaciated and bald, a heartbreaking sight. The baldness was due to a yeast infection. We immediately arranged veterinary treatment, and he has now put on weight and his fur is growing back nicely. 

Kie would need to be kept on a raw diet as any carbs would feed the yeast. Any veterinary treatment needed related to his skin problem would be covered by GSD Welfare Fund. 

Despite all he has been through, Kie is the sweetest boy. The ideal home for Kie would probably be with no young children (purely for keeping a calm energy for him) and cat free. This boy so deserves to have a place to call home.

Please email us at gsdwelfarefund@gmail.com if you'd like to offer Kie a home. Other dogs needing homes can be found on our website here - http://www.gsdwelfarefund.co.uk/dogslist/ and in our GSD Welfare Fund Dog Adoptions (UK) Facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/gsdwfadoptions

  

100 Days with 100 Dogs: Day 4 - Meet Simba

For Day 4 of our 100 Days with 100 Dogs we meet Simba - one of our dogs looking for their forever homes. It's a terrible state of affairs that we have so many dogs in this situation and we urge anyone in the position to adopt one of these dogs to give it serious consideration. Please also share these profiles as widely as you can - somewhere there is somebody who can bring these dogs into their home and give them the life they deserve.

Meet Simba

Simba is a handsome  long coated sable entire male German Shepherd who is around 2 years old.  

He is a delight to be around, and we'd prefer Simba to be the only dog in a cat free home.  While he is not particularly reactive to other dogs, we feel he would fare better as the only dog in the home. 

He's not shown any aggression towards children since being in our care, but we'd recommend a household without younger children under 10 years old. 

He's currently located in South Lincolnshire.

If you can provide a loving home for Simba, then please get in touch via email gsdwelfarefund@gmail.com. You can find more dogs looking for homes on our website here: http://www.gsdwelfarefund.co.uk/dogslist/

 

100 Days with 100 Dogs: Day 3 - Meet Echo

For Day 3 in our 100 Days with 100 Dogs feature we meet Echo, who is ready for his new home - are you the one to provide it?

Meet Echo

Echo is an 8 month old male, long haired black and tan German Shepherd. He's currently located in Holbeach, South Lincolnshire.

He found himself in Welfare after a fight with the resident dog, although it was the other dog that was the aggressor.  He has been assessed by our behaviourist and shows no sign of aggression at all. In fact, he'[s demonstrated very good communicative skills around other dogs. 

We would consider homing with a female dog.  Echo is just a baby and will make someone a wonderful companion. He did live with cats but would chase them so is probably best suited to a cat free home. Despite being non-aggressive we recommend a home without young children.

Echo is entire and we would not consider neutering until 2 years of age.

If you'd like to adopt Echo then please get in touch via email gsdwelfarefund@gmail.com. You can find other dogs looking for homes on our website: http://www.gsdwelfarefund.co.uk/dogslist/

 

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