Until they all have a home ....

This weeks Blog is dedicated to the many dogs who are in kennels across the UK waiting for their forever home, every day a dog is put to sleep because noone wants it, it is so sad that we live in a society where a living being can be so disposable and it breaks my heart. That's why we set Bright Paws up, to give us a vehicle to be part of the dog world and help as many as we possibly can, we donate our time, expertise and money to help as many as we can - I only wish it was more. So today we dedicate this blog to every dog in the rescue system. Please please rescue, whilst there are so many dogs in need of loving homes :-)

Great North Dog Walk

Next Sunday, Mavis and me are doing the Great North Dog Walk - the largest of its kind and will be raising funds for the wonderful Oldies Club (www.oldies.org.uk) - we are hoping for a sunny but not too hot day - if it gets too hot we will be substituting Mavis with Oscar who can cope with the heat better :-) If you would like to sponsor us please go to the Oldies website and donate through paypal - please put Mavis and Becky GNDW in the comments box

Babe - Bullies In Need

Bullies in Need have taken in a wonderful young Bullie called Babe, who has stolen our heart here at Bright Paws. She was surrendered to BIN by her owner and went into foster with a lovely lady. It soon became apparent that she had a real problem with her hips and after x-rays it was discovered that one of her hip joints never developed, plus she had an untreated fracture of her leg. To start with it didn't seem to affect Babe and she didn't show any signs of pain, her gait was peculiar as her back legs crossed over one another as she walked and when she layed down they naturally were crossed, as you can see in the picture below.

As the weeks have gone on Babe's condition has worsened and now she can't even get around her garden and she is getting frustrated and shows signs of being in pain. Surgery is needed urgently but this of course in not cheap. It is going to cost at least £2000, but we can't let her go on much longer without.
It seems an impossible task, but if everyone pulls together I am sure we can do it. We HAVE to do it for this little girls sake.

We are helping by offering 20 animal communication sessions (normally £40) for a donation to BIN of £20 - the money goes directly to them and directly to helping this special little girl. Animal communication is a natural way of understanding your dog and exploring problems from their perspective so you can work with them to make it better - we do it over the phone using a photograph, so if you have always been curious why not give it a go and help us get Babe back on her feet and enjoying life. please email me if you would like to do this woof@brightpaws.co.uk

If you would like to make a donation to BIN in support of Babe, please go to www.bulliesinneed.info and donate through PayPal

A Final Thought

Dogs leave pawprints on our hearts, they don't ask to be bred and are at the mercy of humans for care, love and food. Please consider rescue dogs and help where you can .... heres a few reasons why we will never stop until they all have a home

I RESCUED A HUMAN TODAY.

Her eyes met mine as she walked down the corridor peering apprehensively into the kennels. I felt her need instantly and knew I had to help her. I wagged my tail, not too exuberantly, so she wouldn't be afraid.

As she stopped at my kennel I blocked her view from a little accident I had in the back of my cage. I didn't want her to know that I hadn't been walked today. Sometimes the shelter keepers get too busy and I didn't want her to think poorly of them.

As she read my kennel card I hoped that she wouldn't feel sad about my past. I only have the future to look forward to and want to make a difference in someone's life.

She got down on her knees and made little kissy sounds at me. I shoved my shoulder and side of my head up against the bars to comfort her. Gentle fingertips caressed my neck; she was desperate for companionship.

A tear fell down her cheek and I raised my paw to assure her that all would be well. Soon my kennel door opened and her smile was so bright that I instantly jumped into her arms. I would promise to keep her safe. I would promise to always be by her side. I would promise to do everything I could to see that radiant smile and sparkle in her eyes. I was so fortunate that she came down my corridor. So many more are out there who haven't walked the corridors. So many more to be saved. At least I could save one.

I rescued a human today.

Dear Mom and Dad,

I died today. You got tired of me and took me to the shelter. They were overcrowded and I drew an unlucky number. I am in a black plastic bag in a landfill now. Some other puppy will get the barely used leash you left. My collar was dirty and too small, but the lady took it off before she sent me to the Rainbow Bridge.

Would I still be at home if I hadn't chewed your shoe? I didn't know what it was, but it was leather, and it was on the floor. I was just playing. You forgot to get puppy toys.

Would I still be at home if I had been housebroken? Rubbing my nose in what I did only made me ashamed that I had to go at all. There are books and obedience teachers that would have taught you how to teach me to go to the door.

Would I still be at home if I hadn't brought fleas into the house? Without anti-flea medicine, I couldn't get them off of me after you left me in the yard for days.

Would I still be at home if l hadn't barked? I was only saying, "I'm scared, I'm lonely, I'm here, I'm here! I want to be your best friend."

Would I still be at home if I had made you happy? Hitting me didn't make me learn how.

Would I still be at home if you had taken the time to care for me and to teach manners to me? You didn't pay attention to me after the first week or so, but I spent all my time waiting for you to love me.

I died today.

Love,
Your Puppy

Happy Bank Holiday Weekend!

Happy bank holiday weekend everyone, welcome to this weeks blog post, I am getting good at doing this regularly and am really enjoying doing it! This week has been quite a significant one - not only did I turn 30 on Friday but lots of new opportunities are starting to bloom which is very exciting!

And although I write this with rain falling from the sky, the summer is finally starting to show itself and we have had a few sunny days, I cant wait for the summer this year - I intend to spend as much of it outside as I possibly can with the dogs! This year will be significant for me personally as by the end of it I am likely to be doing this and some exciting new opportunities full time and whilst that is quite scary I am very excited about it :-)

I want to dedicate this weeks blog to Lennox - a gorgeous family pet who simply because of the way he looks faces destruction, Lennox is a beautiful American Bull Dog x Staffie / Lab - not that it matters what he is - who cares?? He is a much loved family pet, companion and best friend to a little girl ... he faces destruction because of the way he looks and the length of his legs - he has never harmed anyone yet that doesnt matter, right now he is in kennels, alone.

Please help save Lennox ... read his story at www.savelennox.co.uk and sign his petition at

www.petitiononline.com/sl190510/petition.html

Summers Finally Here

Hi Everyone it's Mavis, well the summer is finally here, it is boiling outside! I love spending time in the garden but its so hot, i can overheat quickly and its makes me feel so tired and makes me pant! While its lovely to spend time in the garden my mum always makes sure there is a nice bowl of water for us as well as shady areas and sometimes we have to come in the house where is is cool - I even have my own personal air conditioning unit - Mum says I should share it with Bella and Oscar but its mine!!

Heat stroke can kill dogs, we dont go out in the car when its like this for more than a few minutes and when we do we have water and the windows are open, please dont leave your dog in the car, ensure they have a shady area to lie in and plenty of water available throughout the day.

Walking can also be too much in this weather, we go out early in the morning and late at night - I couldnt be bothered to walk in the hot sun! Sometimes Bella wants to go out more but as a big dog with a squishy nose she will overheat too much!

Mum says if you think your dog is suffering from heat stroke, cool him down slowly, a towel drenched in cold (not freezing cold) water is best and seek veterinary advice.

I love water, Mum says I gulp it too much and have to slow down, it is really important for me at any time of the year but even more so on days like this, if you are going out with your dog you should carry a bowl and make water accessible, however bowls can be bulky and take up lots of space so we are pleased to stock the amazing TazLab folding bowl, durable, hugh quality and innovative design - can you afford not to have one - we have one for when we go out!

Here is a video demonstration of how it works:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSuUzD1Lbnk

To buy http://www.brightpaws.co.uk/prods/253.html

We also stock the Tazlab stretchy collars, when the lead is not attached the collar is elastic so if you crate your dog when travelling in the car and he gets stuck the collar will stretch and come off. We also stock a matching range of leads, fully adjustable and can be worn around the waist for hands free walking

http://www.brightpaws.co.uk/prods/255.html

And finally we also stock the brillant Doog Walkies belt, fantastic for keeping all your bits and pieces in when walking your dogs. This award winning design is amazing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jA9_9BSvQdU

http://www.brightpaws.co.uk/prods/257.html

So, enjoy the sun but keep your dog safe and well

Here comes the Summer

Hello, well we have been very busy at Brightpaws over the last month with lots of new and interesting developments taking place in fact we have been so busy the poor blog has been a bit neglected! Well all that is about to change :-)

The best thing we have done this month is finally complete the course in Animal Communication. Do you ever look at your pet and wonder what they are thinking or how they are feeling about something? well we can help you with that - I know it all sounds a bit like mumbo jumbo but it isnt, it is the most natural form of communication there is, we can connect to your pet and pick up on their feelings and use this to help you deepen your relationship together. We have had some brilliant success through the case studies, and have had many emails of thanks - our favourite one is from Sandie, a little dog who used to chase the cat and get wrong, through the communication we picked up that she in fact loved the cat and couldnt understand why she was in trouble, the owner trusted her and found them snuggled up together the next day ... the photo was so sweet

As part of the course we had to do case studies and took the opportunity to raise funds for Oldies Club which created huge demand, in fact we are still in the process of working through the requests - weve raised over £300 for Oldies in the process

Mavis has been a model as well, we wanted to get some really good pictures of her as the little monkey will not let you take a good picture of her ... so we went to Jesmond Dene where we met a budding photographer and got some lovely pictures, here are a couple of my favourites:

We will be getting some framed and put up on the wall with the others.. :-)

Its hard to believe how far she has come in the past 9 months, we were taking some pictures at my mums and she was jumping up to get a the treats .. ok so thats naughty but considering she could hardly walk when we got her I was overjoyed to see her jump up ..

This week we started advertising on woofbook.co.uk, sign up for our very special offer through the woof pass promotions

If you dont already follow us on Twitter .. why not?? follow us today @brightpaws or if you want to see the world through Mavis' eyes then @mavisbrightpaws is the one for you

Finally we want to let you know about a very special little dog called Polly, she is walking 95 miles in aid of Staffordshire Bull Terrier rescue. She is walking from Glasgow to Ben Nevis on the 15th - 22nd May .. please sponser her and help her raise funds for her staffie friends in need!! Go to www.sbtrescue.co.uk to donate

If you have any good causes that you would like help promoting with please let us know. We work with many rescues offering behaviour work, animal communication

We are also working on exciting expansion plans for Bright Paws and a new business idea - watch this space for more information :-)

Look forward to hearing your comments.