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Update 23 July 2010...

2011 Tailends Calendars

Our good friend and supporter Judy Zatonski has once again designed a fund-raising calendar featuring Tailenders past and present, and had it printed at her expense.  We thank Judy for her generosity.  The calendars, which feature a stunning photo of Todd on the front cover, are priced at £7.50 plus £1.50 postage and packaging.  We have had to increase the price slightly this year due to higher postage costs.  There are a limited number of calendars available and in view of George's news (below) we will not be printing any additional calendars this year, and orders will be fulfilled on a 'first come, first served' basis, so please order early to avoid disappointment.  If you would like a calendar please send a cheque made payable to Tailends to the address at the head of the website.  If you prefer you can pay via Paypal but please ensure your name and address details are included in the message section of the Paypal payment page.

Fund-Raising Event

Linda and Valerie Kerner, two of our dedicated supporters, and holding their annual animal charities fund raising stalls at the Framfield Village Show on Saturday, August 14th and, as in the past, some of the proceeds will be coming to Tailends.  The event, which is held on the village recreation ground in Framfield, starts at lpm and there is a dog show as well as a range of stalls.  It's a great afternoon out for anyone living in the Uckfield area and we hope Linda and Val have great weather this year and raise lots of money.  Please go along and support them if you can.

Mollie - Tailends 11.9.07 - 19.7.10

We have some sad news about Mollie.  George took her to the vet on Monday 19 July as she was becoming disorientated on her walks over the weekend and on Sunday night she would not settle at bedtime.  George got up at 2am to check on her when she went in the garden then fell sleep on one of the memory beds.  George took her to our vet at 8.30am Monday morning thinking it may be a problem with her insulin levels but he received a call from the vet at midday to say Mollie had a cardiac problem and fluid had had to be drained from her lungs to make her more comfortable.  After a discussion with the vet about Mollie's generally deteriorating health, and in view of her age, it was decided the kindest thing was to let her go.  As you may remember Mollie came to Tailends having been found wandering blind and emaciated in a pub carpark in Ireland.  Her loss of sight was due to untreated diabetes and our supporters raised over £2000 to cover the cost of surgery to restore her sight, which transformed her life, and we again thank everyone who was involved in helping Mollie have three happy and sighted years at Tailends.

Update 22 July 2010...

These last few weeks of good weather have seen the 12 Tailenders absolutely thriving, and the recent vet inspection by Alison bears this out. Apart from teeth cleaning for Nancy and Nellie ear drops for Wilfred they are all doing incredibly well considering their ages. This might change in the winter of course but for now things are good.

Talking of winter I have made the decision to wind up Tailends as it is, at the end of December, and whichever dogs remain will just live out their lives as family pets. I will not be taking on any new inmates. I have given over 25 years to dog, mainly greyhound, rescue with my late wife Angela and now I am looking forward to a different sort of life where I have the freedom to travel and enjoy my family and grandchildren and whatever else the future may offer. I greatly appreciated the break that Gillian and Ben gave me recently when they stayed at Tailends and I was able to take a short holiday for the first time in nine years. They have kindly offered to do so again and it made me realise how necessary it is for me to be able to get away and do normal things rather than care for the dogs (much as I love them) 24/7. Any help offered, however short, will still be gratefully received as I anticipate they will be around for quite a while yet.

I have been incredibly moved by the commitment of supporters over the years and hope that they will feel able to transfer their efforts and gifts to one of the thousands of dog charities, particularly greyhound charities that are desperate for money all over the country. I would like to thank each and every one of you for the loyal support you have given to Tailends.

If you have any concerns regarding the above perhaps you would like to email me, I will answer any questions you may have.

There will be no more merchandising, renewals of sponsorship or other marketing in the name of Tailends after the end of December but existing sponsorships will be continued until they run out naturally and any events planned during this year will still take place.

Finally, anyone who thinks that they would like to continue this kind of rescue in their own homes is welcome to contact me and I will give them all the help and information I can in setting it up.

Thank you again, George.

Update 2 July 2010...

Remarkably all the Tailenders are doing well at present and quite unusually we've experienced a period of some months where none of them has required any more than minor veterinary treatment or routine dentals. Poppy recently had a growth on her foot but this appears to have healed itself without the intervention of our vet, Alison. However Alison and a vet nurse will be visiting Tailends on 8 July to give all the Tailenders their regular quarterly check-up and we will report further following her visit.

A heartfelt thank you to the following for all they have done to support Tailends: To Kitsch Collars (www.kitschcollars.co.uk) for their donation of £235.59. Every month Kitsch Collars donate 10% of the total profits of their sales during that month to an animal charity and Tailends was lucky enough to be chosen as one of the recipients. Try them if you are looking for a custom-made collar or coat for your own dog and even if you're not, then the gorgeous greyhound and lurcher photos featured on the website make it well worth a visit.

To David Austin, a supporter from Penzance, who ran the Half-Marathon that took place on Croyde Beach last Sunday to raise funds for Tailends. George went along to lend moral support on the day. David and his wife visited Tailends the following Tuesday and he expects to donate around £100 to Tailends once all the sponsorship money is collected. Well done David, what a great result. Jean Barnett and David Lewis, supporters from London, also visited recently bringing with them some welcome donated items.

To Greyhound Friends, a group of people based around Stoke Bruerne in Northants and Milton Keynes in Bucks, who work in a variety of ways to improve the lives of greyhounds and lurchers. We regularly receive donations from them, most recently a great cheque for £235 from their Picnic in the Paddock fund raiser held in Stoke Bruerne on Sunday 27 June. Not only was it the hottest day of the year but they also had to compete with that day's England World Cup match so the amount they raised was truly remarkable and was divided between three worthwhile causes, Tailends, GRWE and TIA Greyhound & Lurcher Rescue.

And speaking of our loyal Stock Bruerne supporters, we'd like to pay particular tribute to Hazel Oldfield. Every weekend Hazel gives of her time to run a table-top sale in aid of Tailends, either along the canal-side or at the local cricket club, and each week she sends us yet another generous cheque, the amount often topped up by Hazel. Hazel is a one-woman fund-raising machine and we want her to know just how much we appreciate all she does for Tailends.

Our special thanks to Gillian Andrew and her husband Ben. Gillian is a vet nurse of 10 years experience and while Angela was ill Gillian and Ben offered to come and take over Tailends so Angela and George could have a break away. Sadly Angela was too ill to avail herself of their kind offer and in any case wanted to spend as much time as possible with her beloved Tailenders, but she did suggest their offer may be of assistance to George in the future. So in mid-June Gillian and Ben took over Tailends for several days so George could have a short holiday in Wales where he was able to spend some time relaxing, away from his usual 24/7 Tailends' routine. We are hoping that Gillian will be able to give us her thoughts on the time she and Ben spent at Tailends when her other commitments allow. In the meantime we can share some of the photos that were taken during this visit...

Evie continues to be our resident water-baby although Bertie frolicking in the surf runs a close second. Pam Macdonald, one of Evie's sponsors, recently sent us a donation to buy a treat for Evie so we purchased some floating Aquatoys and you can see how much she loves them. Perhaps instead it's time for a spot of sun-bathing. Nellie in particular seems to have perfected the art of getting the maximum exposure to the sun, the spread-eagled pose may not be elegant but it's certainly effective. As for some of the other Tailenders, well if you stay inside you get the pick of the comfortable beds. And besides, Nancy does like to keep on top of her emails!

Update 9 June 2010...

Email address - please note that our email address has been changed to george@tailends.co.uk

Update 2 June 2010...

Greyhound Friends are among our most faithful supporters and we're very grateful to receive donations from them on a regular basis. They recently held a fund-raising canal boat trip and sent us a cheque for a magnificent £302, the amount they raised on what was obviously a great evening for all who were lucky enough to attend. Alison Jones, one of the organisers, has sent us this report. Thank you to everyone involved with Greyhound Friends, we do appreciate your ongoing support.

Great fun was had by all on the canal boat trip, setting off from Stoke Bruerne on a perfect May evening, along the Grand Union canal, through the Blisworth tunnel to the village of Blisworth and then back. Wine and canapes were served during the trip and Hazel was waiting on the canalside on our return to distribute the raffle prizes. Just over £300 was raised for Tailends.

We have also received another great cheque from Marian Galvin. Marion was given a 'tiger' painting and she managed to place it with a local gallery who sold it for an amazing £170 which Marian has passed to us.

Raffle Tickets - if you are still holding ticket stubs, would please return these directly to Canine Friends at the address shown on the tickets, rather than to Tailends. The deadline for returning raffle ticket stubs is Monday 7 June, in time for the draw on Sunday 13 June.

Update 22 May 2010...

Anniversaries - it was Evie's first 'birthday' at Tailends on 17 May and Todd's on 22 May. You may remember Evie came to Tailends from Tia Greyhound & Lurcher Rescue in North Yorkshire having been rescued from a shed on an allotment, her previous life resulting in her being very nervous and fearful of the outside world. She has blossomed since being at Tailends, gaining in confidence, and now bears no resemblance to the frightened dog that first arrived. It was a struggle to get Todd to Tailends in the first place and in the end it took Angela nearly six months negotiating with his owner before Todd finally arrived. Todd was a hunting dog who had spent all his life in an outdoor kennel with a number of other dogs and was now surplus to requirements as at 13 he was no longer fast enough. Despite this and his owner agreeing to hand him to Tailends, various 'arrival' dates came and went and it appeared that not even Angela offering to arrange transport to bring Todd to Tailends would be enough to secure his arrival. However finally Todd's owner dropped him off. Todd was wheezy, his coat was in poor condition with several bald patches and he was infested with fleas. Given his condition on arrival Angela was concerned that Todd may only have a short time at Tailends but he has defied expectations and continues to do well.

Vet updates - both Wilfred and Evie have now had the dentals our vet, Alison, recommended when she gave all the Tailenders an MOT in early April. Fortunately this proved to be just a routine clean for both dogs and neither needed any extractions. Evie was obviously very pleased to be home and headed for the paddling pool as soon as she could. Todd has also had a trip to the vet with a grazed paw and has just finished a course of antibiotics. George is keeping an eye on Todd to ensure he leaves his paw alone so as not to aggravate the injury as it heals.

Raffle tickets - thank you to all those who have already returned raffle ticket stubs and cheques, either to Canine Friends directly or to Suzie Scott at the sponsorship address: Lower Flat, 25 Beechfield Road, Catford SE6 4NG. Could we ask that any outstanding stubs and cheques are returned by the end of May to enable Canine Friends to prepare for the prize draw on Saturday 13 June. Stubs and cheques made payable to Canine Friends can be returned directly to them at the address shown on the tickets, or to Suzie at the address shown above accompanied by a cheque made payable to Tailends.

Your chance to own a Melanie Shepherd limited edition print - Melanie is not only a good friend and supporter of Tailends but is also an extremely talented artist and illustrator. Melanie has produced a limited edition of 15 prints entitled 'Angela's Angels' and has donated 13 of these to Tailends to sell to raise funds. The print features sketches of some Tailenders sadly no longer with us; Jack, Emma, Boris, Ben, Gloria, Chloe and Judy. Each print is numbered and signed by Melanie and mounted ready for framing (9" x 7"/23cm x 18cm). Could we ask for a minimum donation of £15 to secure one of these limited edition prints (postage & packing included). Melanie has also kindly donated a few 5" x 3.5"/13cm x 9cm miniatures of Boris and some of Judy and we would be happy to accept a donation in return for a miniature of the dog of your choice. Please send your orders and cheques made payable to Tailends to Suzie's address shown above.

Speaking of orders, just lately we have experienced some problems with Royal Mail in respect of merchandise we have posted. If an item you ordered is still outstanding, would you please let Suzie know.

Update 3 May 2010...

Denise went for her dental on 15 April and had one tooth extracted.  Todd was next in the dentist's chair on 21 April and came home minus four teeth but Staff Nurse Tweenie was on hand to oversee his recovery, although she does seem to have fallen asleep on the job!  Both dogs have recovered well and are now absolutely fine.  Evie and Wilfred both need a dental but these are not urgent and they will be scheduled over the next few weeks.

Update 10 April 2010...

As mentioned in an earlier update George was arranging for the Tailends' vet to call out and give all the dogs a check-up and this is the result of their recent MOT:

On Thursday 1st April our Vet Alison Hume and Vet Nurse Julie arrived to check the Tailenders. The kitchen was chosen for the inspections which had an added advantage of being the place where they are fed. As it was 12.30 pm their food was being prepared so they formed an orderly queue hoping for an early lunch.

One by one the Tailenders came in and were surprised to find Alison and Julie ready to listen to their hearts, check their teeth and look at their general demeanour. Tweenie passed inspection, even her heart sounded fine, Alison remarked that she rarely inspects a 19 year old dog. Poppy was on her best behaviour, although Alison preferred me to open her mouth for examination. Molly is now having her dinner delayed in order to keep her insulin injections twelve hours apart, 8am to 8pm. Evie, Todd, Wilfred and Denise all require dental cleaning but the remainder were all fine. Alison suggested that she should carry out these inspections at Tailends every three months which I readily agreed too.

We thought a fresh perspective on the Tailenders would be welcome and Emily, who has joined Tailends on a regular part-time basis, was asked to provide her thoughts on our canine family:

Nancy is such a gentle-natured and ladylike girl. When I first arrived at Tailends she was quite shy and wary of me but after a few walks her personality soon came out. She loves her food and is always the first in the kitchen to gobble up her dinner, never leaving a scrap. On walks she is happiest when giving all the exciting smells a good sniff, racing up and down the sand-dunes and exploring rock pools on the beach.

Cindy with her salt and pepper furry hair and pink tongue is a happy, friendly dog who just loves attention! She always has bundles of energy and enjoys nothing more than to lick you to pieces, especially when I am trying to make her dinner! She is always well behaved on her walks and loves racing along the beach off her lead, much to the annoyance of her walking companion, Wilfred, who isn’t always quite so good!

Denise is a quiet girl with the softest brindle coat. She takes her walks with Poppy and on the occasions I have taken her out, has made me laugh by her sudden mad bursts along the dune paths. Like Nancy, she loves her dinner and is always waiting by the kitchen door, ready to shoot in for whatever tasty treats George has on the menu that day.

Wilfred is one of the most energetic dogs in the Tailends family, he simply can’t wait for his walks each day. He can often be heard whining, saying ‘hurry up Nancy and Bertie, it’s my turn now!’ He is a good-natured and independent boy who likes to know what’s going on in the house. On walks he loves to meet other dogs and if given the chance he loves to head off on his own route – I’ve learnt from tiring experience that it takes a lot of running to catch him up once he’s on the trail of something interesting – he is certainly keeping me fit!

Todd I see as the grandfather figure of the household, white haired and patient with the other ‘young’ whippersnappers! He has the most lovely brown dark eyes, which often look at me with weary patience as if to say ‘honestly, you are ridiculous but I’ll come anyway’ when I sometimes walk him up a steepish dune. He knows his own pace and happily plods along behind Alfie, but always surprises me with an energetic burst of running when the mood takes him.

Alfonso is a gorgeous, gentle giant. A lovely Spaniard, Alfie always makes me smile when I open the door to give him dinner and he is standing at the door stamping his front feet in anticipation. Although very wobbly on his legs, he adores his walks and I often laugh out loud when he bounds off on a bouncy joyful gallop. He is so loving and is never happier than when he can lean on you and be given a good old stroke.

Nellie with her furry black coat, is one of the smaller dogs in the Tailends family. However, what she lacks in size she certainly makes up for in her independent personality and great love of rabbit holes. She is always well behaved on walks and although a little wary of any dogs that aren’t her Tailends friends, she would happily spend hours trying to dig the local bunnies out of their homes!

Bertie is bound to make you smile if you are ever feeling sad or blue! He is definitely a little dog with a big personality and can always be found perched in the most unusual positions if it means he can be near to George or to a visitor who might give his tummy a scratch. Although he can be a little fussy with his food, he is always happy when running along the beach with Nancy. His favourite past-time is chasing the waves as they wash in and out – he still can’t quite work out what they are up to!

Evie is the gentle giant of the family, a lovely lady with a soft brindle coat and big appetite! She feels happiest when she is outside in the garden and although she is usually too shy to go out for a walk out of her safe Tailends home, sometimes she ventures out with George if it is nice and quiet. She always eats every bit of her dinner and I always make sure I give her a good fuss before she goes back outside to keep an eye on things.

Tweenie with her curly white coat is like a soft little lamb. When I first took her for a walk she made me quite dizzy running round and round in her little circles. However I soon realised that after a little gentle persuasion in the right direction, she can happily trot along a well trod route and certainly outdoes some of her other Tailenders in the fitness stakes. At 19 years old this is really quite impressive as that makes her 133 in human years. She can now usually be found curled up in a comfy bed in the hallway, keeping all the others in line should they accidentally step on her.

Mollie is such a happy girl, always there to greet you with a wagging tail and big doggy grin. Although not the fastest on her feet, she loves her walks with Nellie and will happily bumble along, following us through the field and along the beach. I’ve recently got a new pair of brightly coloured wellies, and I think Molly likes these as her eyesight isn’t perfect but with these she can’t help but spot me.

Poppy is the longest standing Tailender and has taken a while to get used to me, as she is rather frightened of strangers and will bark at anyone she isn’t sure about. However, after a few tasty dinners and some nice walks in the dunes, she is slowly but surely realising that I am a friend, not foe. She certainly is one of the funniest girls when out on her walks, sliding down the steepest sand-dunes sideways on her back – I was in stitches the first time I saw this but according to George it is a regular occurrence.

Sunday 20 June 2010 - Barnstaple & District Dog Training Society Agility Show - we have been offered the opportunity to have a stall at the show. The venue is one of the fields at the Mullacott Equestrian Centre, opposite Mullacott Industrial Estate, Ilfracombe. If there is anyone who could run a stall on our behalf this would be both a great fund-raising opportunity and the chance to spread the word about Tailends. Please contact Suzie if you are interested, we can supply items for sale and Tailends literature to stock the stall.

Vet Meds - we have previously accepted and been grateful for donations of surplus veterinary meds which were administered under the supervision of our vet. However as George is less au fait with these medicines than Angela was, we feel it better not to accept any more donations of this nature. We are aware of other rescues that could benefit from these, so please contact Suzie and we would be happy to provide their details if you have surplus meds you'd like to donate.

Tia Greyhound & Lurcher Rescue - many rescues are struggling with too many new dogs arriving and fewer being rehomed but Tia, which is based at Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire and is where our lovely Evie came from, has had the added burden of being virtually snowed in for 3 months during this harsh winter. With every spare inch of space filled to capacity they have had to turn away greyhounds although they know in some cases this will result in the dogs being pts. If you live anywhere nearby and could assist as a volunteer, by fostering one of their current dogs, or better yet providing one with a permanent home, please visit their website for contact details and speak to Deb Rothery.

A tribute to Angela in verse. When she heard of Angela’s passing, Maria Mackenzie made a donation and asked our good friend and supporter Judy Zatonski to write a poem about Angela, and this can now be read in the Poems section of the website.

Update 6 April 2010...

Kevin's health had been up and down in recent weeks. Soon after he went to live with Marianne and her family he was started on two types of medication for his dementia but these seemed to have an adverse effect on him, making him less settled. He was less inclined to go outside to visit his garden to sniff the flowers, previously his greatest pleasure, and he started to make a high-pitched 'yipping' noise, sometimes for hours at a time. Marianne took him back to her vet who thought this was just because of the dementia and that Kevin was not in any distress but could not offer any other suggestion for treatment. After discussion with us Marianne took Kevin off his dementia meds and his condition improved, he started going outside again to visit his flower garden and seemed more settled. The lump on his left-side that he had on arrival had been assessed as a fatty lump that did not require intervention but it continued to grow bigger to the extent that it was affecting Kevin's balance, so he had surgery to remove the lump and a dental at the same time. He bounced back from the surgery and was doing well. Kevin was always very weak on his back legs due to muscle wastage, when he first arrived he could only walk a few steps before his back legs would fail but as he gained weight and strength and exercised more, this had improved as you can see from the photo of him being walked by Marianne's small son. Marianne noticed a deterioration in his mobility over the past couple of days to the extent that he was struggling to walk and this appeared to be getting worse. The vet thought Kevin may have had a stroke, so the difficult and painful decision to release him from his tired, old body had to be made on Easter Sunday.

We want to thank Marianne for giving Kevin a loving home for the last two months of his life. It is a very special person who is prepared to take on an old, blind, deaf and incontinent dog with all the work that this entails. Marianne, her husband Robert and her son Jay all loved Kevin and how wonderful that this frail, old man got to spend the end of his life in the middle of this wonderful family.

Please note: All previous news items, are to be found on the Archive pages.