sorry unless I am allowed to join,,,,you better post else where,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Like Sue I do browse this forum most days to read what's going on I just generally don't feel the need to post. NESSR is very dear to my heart, so if I feel people are getting at the charity I will have my say, that is my right, I am a member on this forum and have been for quite a few years.

It just intrigues me we always get accused of being the same ones causing trouble, yet why was there any need for trouble ... nothing lizzy posted was contentious or having a go at particular people or other rescues ..... I think most people know our policies on which dogs we take in (puppies to oldies), our neutering policy (we neuter all dogs), our non-destruction policy etc etc so why ask us ...? At the same time as posting the pups we posted a load of other dogs that have differing needs ..... we have Scruffy who needs a very expensive operation to correct hip problems ... an operation that will probably cost something in the region of £3,000 .... so we certainly are not picking and choosing the dogs we take in. What is it that we are doing that is so wrong???

Yes Selina ESSW has taken dogs from the North ... so what ... we take dogs from the South too .... I've had one arrive today .... who cares where the dogs come from, who cares who has them so long as springers in need are being rescued. AS for stretchy walls, sometimes in a crisis yes you stretch yourself, you take in more that you would ideally like BUT what is the alternative ... the dogs are left to be abandoned or PTS ....? Who can judge how many a rescue can cope with other than that rescue? If a rescue has to say no to a dog because they don't have space then who is anyone to criticise?

It looks like we are about to be faced with a crisis in rescue if this recession does indeed get worse (as indications seem to show) ....... rather than bickering, picking at each other and fighting surely people can put their differences aside, swallow their egos and actually work together? Or failing that just leave each other alone to get on with the task in hand.

Surely NESSR can post about it's work on this forum and people can either ignore it or just say "well done"

Earrings for dog??????? are you sure there's a market for that?!

lol fraggle.

Might be an idea actually

Thought the previous post read "earring for dogs" , haven't even had a glass of wine tonight No Jaine missed H Potter, but my mother has just been on the phone to fill me in on the film from start to finish, then I told her I had already seen it

good post Rhy,,,and thank you...xx



lets end this now.............................and get on with the job in hand,,,,
THE DOGS.........................

yep the dogs, Scruffy is trying to eat Meg while rolling about on his back, Neam thinks the settee is wonderfull. I only posted the original post as was said because i thought folks maybe interested in what we had been up to and for once i had a bit of time, i don't get on here like i used to, Mainly because i can't access ST at work anymore(and lets face it i spent a lot more time on here rather than working), and then by the time i get in, take the dogs out have my tea and spend a bit of time with them, its just too late.

Now if we are being Cheeky can i draw your attention back to this

Christmas Sales

Lots of nice Doggy and Hooman christmas Pressies in there and more to be added

I must have missed this bit

I'll get really shouted at for this............ but I'm going to say it anyway.

Why spend £3000 on ONE dog when that £3000 could save 30 others.
When the situation is as dire as it is at the moment, surely to pts a dog that is going to cost so much is the sensible thing to do. The dog would be at peace, no more pain, no stress of a huge operation which may take months to recover from.............

No rescue has limited funds, - spend your funds on saving lots of dogs, instead of one.......

I am sorry if this sounds heartless but I expect a few other people are thinking it, so I'll say it and duck while you shoot over my head

To succeed as a rescue you have to be realistic, you sadly cannot save them all.

Hard decisions have to be made, and I don't envy those of you who have to make them. And I am sorry if I have upset anyone, truly I am.

I can see what you're saying and yes I can see that its going to be an unpopular thing to say but doesn't that go back to the cherry picking debate?

Hard decisions do have to be made but where would those dogs be that do need expensive and extensive medical care if it wasnt for rescues? And if we started saying no to one and yes to the cheaper cases then I dont think Id want to be involved in rescue at all. If a dog is suffering and will continue to suffer then yes putting it to sleep is the kindest thing but if there is a chance, just a chance of a good happy life then we should try..shouldnt we?

You'd end up in a situation where some rescues end up on their knees because they are taking all the expensive cases and some doing well because they take the 'easy' ones

Just my opinion and I have only been in this business for a short time so am interested to hear what others think

Penel,it's a fair question and i shall do my best to answer it for you

Let's ask Mary if she would be without Misty,Glynis (Spanielsmum) if she would be without Bilbo or even me and liz if we would be without Millie and i'm sure you would get a resounding no!. Sure they can be a pain at times but from my point of view with millie it's also what makes her the character she is.

There are loads of people on this forum who have met millie,ask them if we have done the right thing by keeping her alive.

We initially were expecting a bill in the region of £2000 to sort out her knees and hips,we set about hydrotherapy lessons and supplements to give her the best chance of the op being a success.Imagine our suprise when the vet said the swimming had done such a good job in building up muscle around the joint that we did'nt need to think about the surgical option.She still swims once a fortnight and will be on supplements all her life,which in money terms works out at around £500 a year.A small price to pay for the enjoyment she brings us.

Sure she might not live to a grand old age,but she lives life to the full and when the time comes for her to go to the bridge we will be happy knowing that we have done everything we can to give her a decent life.

And so to Scruffy, He has been seen by the vet who assures us he is in no pain,he is at hydrotherapy and on supplements.

He is a typical 1 year old springer and spends his time here playing with the girls and doing all the things that young springers do.

He deserves a chance and who are we to deny it to him.

Sure it will be a drain on funds if we do go down the surgery route,but we will do what we always do and get off our backsides and raise the funds.

As we have said before we do not cherry pick the good from the bad,Scruffy needs our help and he will get it,ok he may never walk for miles a day,but for someone he will make an ideal companion.

If we thought he was suffering then of course we would do the right thing for him,but i am certainly not going to be the one to let him down for the sake of money.

Nev.

Thought long and hard about posting this and hope it is appropriate on this thread – most of the time I prefer to live by the words of Abraham Lincoln
“Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt”
However today, I’ll remove all doubt

When mistreated, dogs forgive. When ignored, they still love. When abandoned, they remain loyal. When neglected, they don't judge. They want for one thing only. To hear their human's voice, feel their human's touch; revel in the nearness of the person they love so unconditionally. Without prejudice, bias or discrimination, our canine companions epitomize the best of human nature.

When mistreated, do we forgive? When ignored, do we still love? When abandoned, do we remain loyal? When neglected, do we judge?

This is not meant as a criticism to who ever is reading this, but as a reminder that as a community (albeit in many cases only in a cyber world) we share a bond and that harsh subjective words only serve to undermine that bond. Objective criticism however is a healthy thing and discussions based on this should be promoted.

I wonder if misunderstandings can and do escalate, a lack of communication and/or appreciation leads volunteers to withdraw support and past grievousness hinder future success stories.

Like the dogs we care for, we as friends, volunteers, and dog owners want to feel valued, as well as doing our best for our canine companions (be they permanent companions or fosters). So perhaps we need to stop this in-fighting and think about our responsibilities.

For the rescues – Continue to look after the volunteers you've got. It is an important aspect of maintaining and attracting peoples’ interest and involvement. Acknowledging volunteer effort is important in ensuring that volunteers do not become demoralised. Why not strengthen links with the other rescues, they may not share your methods, but surely the aims are the same.

For the volunteers (I count myself in this) - Behave in the best interests of other volunteers. Give your best in terms of thinking of others, involvement, team work and if you feel ignored, neglected etc, tell someone……..

now I’m off to duck……….

Hx

PS to all the springer rescues - happy to help if needed, just ask

MMMmmmm....can of worms or what??? Such a difficult and emotive topic...

Would I be without Bilbo ? Sometimes yes I would but, as my OH says, we took him on and we owe it to him to do our best.. even though Bilbo's a bad tempered grump sometimes/most times... we still love him...
As to spending £3000 on an op? We've probably spent that already on hydrotherapy, cartrophen injections, Rimadyl, Metacam, Glucosamine, Devil's Claw, Rhus tox.........etc etc. If that was the only option and would mean a pain free happier life for him, yes, I would.... and like Nev said about Scruffy..''he deserves a chance and who are we to deny him''

We'll all just have to work harder at fundraising and raising awareness.....

very interesting topic by the way....

Horrid subject this.

I’d guess that dogs in similar situations are quite frequently pts when the owners don’t have insurance, or the funds, and don’t qualify for PDSA.

I’d also guess that most vets would assess the animal’s quality of life before undertaking a pts. I’ve heard of “cases” where the owners want a pts, the practice refuses and requests the animal is signed over (sometimes under a threat of report to welfare) and will give treatment and find it a home or liaise with a rescue.

My business head sides with Penel. My heart says smash the piggy bank.

Tis a horrid subject yes.

And I agree with you - my heart says smash the piggy banks too.

But, the piggy banks will be empty if too many dogs need £3000 ops. And then what happens to the dogs that the rescue simply has to turn away because they've run out of money. Rescues have to be run like a business or long term they fail. It shouldn't be about individual dogs - of course we all love our dogs that have cost a lot of money to "fix" be that physical ailments or mental problems. I'm not disputing that, of course I'm not. Imagine how grateful I am that a rescue brought Morris over from Ireland, and made him better..........

I'm not saying the rescues shouldn't try and save them all, but they need to be realistic. And with the credit crunch people are going to be less able to give to rescues

sorry to be depressing...