CHRISTMAS NEWS LETTER
Hi everyone it's me again Banjo.
Well it’s that time of year again yipeeeee!
Goodies time, oh yes and turkey of course.
It hasn’t been a good couple of months in our house mum has been quite poorly with swine flu then complications but she’s on the mend now (must remember not to eat bacon!).
It was mum’s birthday this month and David arranged for Mum’s special friends to come round and surprise her and also family she hadn’t seen for 11 years.
Uncle Chris , Aunty Odette and the girls pretended to be carol singers at the door, mum didn’t expect that!
Well my nose was truly put out we all got relegated to the bedrooms one in each with a tasty big knuckle bone, which was okay I suppose but I could smell all the lovely party food and hear everyone and I wanted to say Hello but wasn’t allowed until much later on in the evening.
When we were allowed downstairs Uncle Tim was there so I had to be good.
Aunty Janet was hillarious (one over the eight!) must be a new language she was speaking not heard it before.
I knew mum would save us some of those lovely little sausages yummy!
Mum had a wonderful day it was great to see her so happy.
Christmas is just around the corner now and we are the lucky ones we will get a stocking full of goodies as will all the doggies that have been re homed this year, not so for the ones that will be stuck in pounds over the festive season, if you can spare a thought for them and maybe call your local pound and see if they need anything, towels, bedding even a couple of cans/bags of food I am sure it would be appreciated.
January is one of the busiest months of the year, that’s when the unwanted presents (puppies) come in. If you really want a puppy wait until Christmas is over.
Time to go now breakfast is ready (hope it’s more sausages)
Merry Christmas Everyone and A Very Happy New Year
Love from Banjo, Rooney & Fergie
The tail of Chance…
G’Day everyone. My name is ‘Chance’ and I’m an Aussie Dog. I live in West Beach, a small seaside town near Adelaide in South Australia. But I wasn’t originally from Australia. And if it wasn’t for my special Aunty Anne of Hope Dog Rescue, I might not be on this earth at all. Without ‘Hope’, there would be no ‘Chance’.
Here is my story…
No one is really too sure what type of dog I am as I was found wandering the streets of Accrington at about 8 weeks old. I’m black with a white chest and look a bit like a Labrador and a collie and may be a bit of spaniel. I run like a whippet so it is any ones guess what my parents look like. Anyway, when I was found wandering was taken to a funny kennel where I was kept for a couple of days until my Mum and Dad came and took me home. At first they were just looking after me, until my real owners came to collect me. But they never came and my carers became my new parents and my new home was in Fulwood, Preston.
That was back in July 2008 and since then I have raised a few blood pressures! If you are sitting comfortably, I’ll tell you all about it.
I was once very cute puppy and made a big impression at puppy class. Obviously I could walk on four legs, but I always found it much more fun to bounce on my back two legs. I saw chewing as an Olympic sport, and one I was pretty good at. The house survived pretty well, although I did manage to eat a few door mats in my time. How ever, I stopped doing this and eventually grew into a nice family pet. My favourite activity was running in the nearby woods and chasing sticks. Despite being related to the Labrador I never liked to swim. Not sure why, but you wouldn’t get me in past my knees! Proof of me being part Labrador, is my appetite. I can quite easily eat my own bodyweight in food every day. My meals are gone in seconds and I will beg for more if you let me!
One morning in May 2009 I was out walking with my Dad. We met another man and his Dog and I had a bit of a run around. However, I ran past a metal bin that had been vandalised by some one and all of the bottom was splayed out. As I ran past, a sharp piece of metal cut into my back leg and sliced through my thigh bone. I let out a yelp and landed badly. My Dad knew I’d hurt myself and a second latter, my Mum arrived in the car and they took me straight to the local vets. They gave me an injection and I went to sleep.
When I woke up, my Mum & Dad were there and they both looked awful worried. I’m not sure what was being said, but the x-ray of my leg showed I had a compound fracture of my thigh bone and there was metal debris in my leg. The vet then suggested three options. The first was to remove my leg. I didn’t fancy that much. The second was to operate and see if it could be repaired. The vet wasn’t confident owing to the type of break. The third option was that the break was so severe that it would be kindest to put me to sleep. I’m not sure how long I would have been asleep for, but I guess it would have been a long long time as everyone looked real upset at this thought. Anyway, they put me on some nice painkillers and I went to sleep. They agreed to make a decision by the following morning.
That afternoon my Dad phoned my Auntie Anne at Hope Dog Rescue and told her what the vet had said. She was real upset and told my Dad there was only two options to be considered and she would help all she could. She said lots of Dogs manage just fine on three legs and that healthy dogs should never be put to sleep, and with a name like mine, I deserved a Chance.
The next morning whilst I was still at the vets my Mum & Dad came to see me. I managed to hop round the car park to toilet, but I couldn’t put any weight on my broken leg. The vet said I’d been really good overnight, and had even managed to eat some food. The Senior Vet had looked at my x-ray and decided it would be a big operation but was worth a try. Worse case, they could remove my leg.
I then heard the decision had been made, I was going to have an operation to fix my broken leg. The next day I was put to sleep again and when I woke up, I was shaved from my hip to my toe. I had a hole in the top of my hip with a metal rod sticking out. Apparently this was supportive metal to keep my thigh bone straight. There was a couple of pins through my leg and it felt really sore. In fact, when my Mum picked me up from the vets I was in so much pain that I bit her when she put me in the car. The wasn’t like me and for my own safety I had to be muzzled whenever I was moved. I didn’t like wearing it, but I let people put it on me without a fuss as I understood how important it was for me to not hurt anyone.
The next few days were very long and I cried a lot. I was given lots of pain relief but still I wasn’t happy. The metal rod wasn’t quite long enough and instead of sticking out of my hip, the swollen skin had lifted over the end of the rod. The vet decided to shorten the rod to stop this happening so after being put to sleep again for another operation, I was stitched up and the rod was no longer on show. When my Dad came to collect me from the vets I stood up too quickly, and felt some real nasty pain. I howled so loud the whole vets practice stood still. I managed to sink my teeth through the metal water bowl in my crate. The vet was real worried but decided I would be better to go home and rest, but he wanted them to ring him if there were any more problems.
When I Came home, I was still in real pain. My Dad even slept on the dining room floor with me, as the only way I would sleep was when I was being stroked. Part way through the night my Mum came and took over and I know it was difficult for them staying up all night but it made me feel better. I still couldn’t weight bear so I hopped everywhere. They even carpeted the dining room as I couldn’t walk properly on the wooden floors we had.
Now, to make this situation EVEN worse, my Mum & Dad were making plans to emigrate to Australia. They had booked flights in September and I was never going to be fit by then to make the flight and spend the 30 days in Quarantine. Plans had to made and fast.
This is where my Auntie Anne really came good. She assured my Dad that she would be able to find a family to look after me for a few weeks, and would assist with all the formalities. She even offered to take me all the way from the North West to London to catch my flight.
So I continued to get better and stronger and my leg was mending well. The vet was really pleased and after a couple of months I had another operation to remove the rod that had supported my thigh bone. I still walked with a limp, and the vet wasn’t sure if that would ever fully go away. I didn’t mind, I had four legs and a limp wasn’t going to slow me down.
I then met with Charlie and Karen. They let me stay at their house and it was great. They have a huge garden and loads of fields behind them. In late August I went to live with them and they took me on lots of long walks. My leg was almost 100% now and all my fur had finally grown back.
On September 20th I finally met my Auntie Anne. I stayed with her for the night and she chatted to me and told me all about the trip I had ahead of me. Auntie Anne made me smile and I enjoyed the time we spent together. She took me for a great walk and then we watched TV. I fell asleep and the next day she took me on a really long car journey. When I finally got out I was put into a little wooden crate. She made sure I had my favourite teddy and wrote a nice message on my crate to tell everyone I was a bit nervous. I didn’t like it at first, but then I just went to sleep.
After an awful long time, I was met by a really nice girl called Kelly. She was my new best friend whilst I lived in a place called “Quarantine”. I only spent 30 days there and then I went on another plane. This flight was only just over 40 minutes long and when I got to the other end I couldn’t believe it. My Mum and Dad were there!!! I didn’t fully understand where they had been, but I didn’t care. I was so pleased to see them and I just danced and jumped around the airport room! Then they took me home. Not the home I lived in before, but a nice home in a place called West Beach. At the top of our road we have a park, with lot of fields where I got to play fetch. At the other end of the street I have the beach.
Remember I said at the start I didn’t like water? Well, that has all changed! I just LOVE the sea. Also, the weather here is real warm and so I dry off real quick. My favourite game is playing fetch into the waves. I just run out into the sea, jump through the waves and then swim for my ball or stick. The sand and water are both really good for my leg, and the muscle has now returned as strong as ever. I no longer have a limp and you would never know what I had been through.
The weather here can be real hot. Some times it gets to 45 degrees, but I just stay in the shade and keep cool. I have a Australian flag bandanna around my neck, which they keep wet and that help me stay nice and cool.
I have loads of new friends. The beach is full of dogs and I go there nearly every day.
A very happy ending when you consider that in May I was possibly going to be put to sleep for a long time.
Now a big, no HUGE thank you has to go to Auntie Anne of Hope Dog Rescue. If it wasn’t for her sterling work and offer of help and support to my Mum & Dad, I would probably not be here today. I would most certainly NOT be in Australia living with my Mum and Dad and enjoying the Aussie way of life.
I hope you enjoyed my tail, and if you can offer help or support to Hope Dog Rescue, then please do so.
Remember, without ‘Hope’, there would be no ‘Chance’.
A very Merry Christmas
from everyone at
Hope Dog Rescue.