LETTER FROM THE SPONSOR DOGS
As the longest residents of Fen Bank Honey and Woody and Jack and Di feel that they should give you the dogs view of the past year !
“ We know that our regular sponsors hear all about us, but what do all you people on the web and our Greyhound friends really know about our lives in kennels? Our founder calls us the “ poor dogs outside “ and sometimes she calls us other things too, but we know she loves us really because we always get cuddles and treats! There are usually at least 20 other dogs with us and sometimes 30 or more when they are very busy and this year we have seen lots of dogs passing through. Some like little Bruce were very poorly and some were too poorly to go in the kennels and had to go in the big house, and some went to our Founder’s house and never came back. Only we go there sometimes too for a break and a good gallop along the dyke side, so we know they are all well and happy.
In the kennels we have our complete food and cooked chicken twice a day but when we are with Uncle Shaun we get lovely stews with all sorts of vegetables and rabbit and pheasants and he always cooks enough spaghetti Bolognese and cauliflower cheese for us to have some on our breakfast, so we like going there. We don’t get as many walks there because she is always going out, but we have lots of gallops and we are hardly ever in our kennels because Uncle Shaun stays home to let us out all the time. We are all used to seeing Uncle Bulgaria ( Rottie) and Aunty Peggy (Dane) and Honey and he have snogging sessions through the gate, but she wants to kill Aunty Peggy which is really silly ‘cos she wouldn’t win…. When we are down in the kennels Aunty Kelly takes us for walks everyday and we meet the terriers so that we can get used to small dogs and we are getting better, but apparently still not to be trusted- whatever that means!!
Down in the big kennels We get up at 8.00 in the morning and go out into our paddocks while our beds are fluffed up, fresh shavings are laid and our little accidents put in the big red bucket and taken away. We sometimes think we have to leave them a present or they will be disappointed! So we always do something to keep them happy.
Then we have our breakfast of biscuits and meat and a bucket of fresh water each. After this we go to bed while they throw water all over our paddocks and then they go and have a rest until we tell them it’s 10.00 and time for our walks. All of go out in pairs and we go and say hello to the chickens up the road and the nice man in bungalow with the mongrel dog Honey wants to eat. Sometimes we meet uncle Eric from next door
But most of the time we only see other dogs and horses and cars ‘cos we live in the middle of nowhere. On a really good day a rat will cross our paths or the swans will hiss at us or we’ll put up a rabbit in the hedgerow. When everybody has had a walk it is time for grooming and training. Some of the dogs have to go out with the little dogs and some need to see Uncle Shaun’s cat and a nice lady comes and does T touch with us. Sometimes we have visitors helping or just coming to see us and then later on it is time for beds to be changed and a nasty disinfectant put down.
In the afternoons we go out in the paddocks for a run, or we go out for something called “socialisation” and then its 5 o’clock and time for our tea of biscuits and chicken and then we can go out in our paddocks or stay on our beds until we get locked up for the night . We know when this is going to happen because they come round and clean up the kennels and give us night time bowls of water and bedtime treats. In the summer we go to bed at 10.00 p.m. but in the winter it is much earlier, usually about 7.00 ‘cos it gets very cold and wet. We have lovely fluffy coats for the winter nights and nice warm waterproof coats for when the weather is nasty, so we are always cosy and warm.
Christmas is always good because we get lots of visitors and cards and presents and we have Turkey and all the trimmings for our Christmas dinner. Once, about three years ago we had a real Christmas dinner like the “groan ups “ with Baked Potatoes and Swede and Parsnips and Red Cabbage and loads of Sausages, Bacon and Turkey but that was a special dinner and usually we just have Turkey and vegetables with our biscuits. We have sausages and bacon for our breakfast and we all have a stocking full of treats. All our friends come to give us a special walk with tinsel and everything on Christmas Day and then we are very good so that our Carers can have their Christmas dinner after we have all been out and had ours. We have a quiet afternoon on Christmas Day and we go to bed at our usual time but we are always full up from all the extra treats our friends send us and on Boxing Day - it’s back to normal!
I expect it sounds quite boring and we four have been here a long time now, but it isn’t really because there are always lots of new friends to meet- we have young offenders, people with learning disabilities, people who come because they can’t have a dog of their own, volunteers occasionally and people coming to look for a dog to take home. We know who they are because they take AGES to go round and they get told about all of us in minute detail and they stare a lot and say “ what a shame” when they get to us……..but
we aren’t a shame, we’re proud to be the special Fen Bank Sponsor Dogs- and now you know why!
NEWS OF THE CHARITY
As we come to the end of our financial year although the accounts aren’t yet finalised we know that thanks to your generosity and the huge efforts of Wendy Joiner and her team of Volunteers at our Alford shop, the Charity is in the best financial shape it has ever been in that a major drainage project was accomplished with a grant of £5,000.00 towards it and we still have a little money in the current account at the end of the financial year. For the first time ever we have received two bequests which have made a huge difference and people have been extremely generous in sending incidental donations throughout the year. WE DO SINCERELY THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH INDEED. It means such a lot to know that we can meet vet bills, averaging a £1,000.00 a month this year, food bills over £400.00 a month, Equipment bedding and kennel shavings about £500.00 a month before we get to the hidden costs like insurances, salaries for the two girls, running costs of the house and kennels, the enormous petrol bill- the sanctuary van never does less than 600 miles a week ( that’s why I am never at home Honey!) and so on…….Our very high homing figure for this year (around 90 dogs still in their homes- and two returns both of whom has been rehomed) has been a factor in increased costs since on average each dog costs the Charity about £300 and the homing fee returned is £75.00.
The response to our request for Male Trustees brought forth more offers than there are places, so this will be a matter for discussion at our next Meeting. There is now a
great deal of advice available to Charities from Voluntary Sector Management in the selection of an appropriate skills base for the Board of Trustees and we will be accessing this in reaching a decision on whom to appoint.
FINALLY Our appeal for new neighbours still continues since few people have been to view the property next door to us! Does anyone want to live next to us? Our neighbours for the past 9 years are moving and leaving their spacious, comfortable and newly built 5 bedroom bungalow with 2.5 acres and outbuildings.
We have promised to try and help them sell the property which is literally next door. It is a lovely bungalow and they can tell you how quiet our dogs are ! If interested please email fbgs-1@tiscali.co.uk or phone 01472 822979 for contact details! It is a real bargain at around £310,000 and the price is subject to negotiation.
Sandra Miller-Hooker
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