www.otterspoolanimalhaven.co.uk

Volume 40, Issue 1

Newsletter Date : July ‘15

“Their Lives Are In Our Hands - They Trust In Us”

REG. CHARITY No. 1093973

14 TORQUAY GROVE, WOODSMOOR, STOCKPORT, SK2 7BB. ~ Tel. 0161 456 8515 ~ email ; otterspool@ntlworld.com

Hello to all our supporters be you a regular one or a new one. Without your support we here at Otterspool would not be able to continue giving the animals we have in our care the veterinary

treatment and extra little treats that make their lives more enjoyable possible. With this in mind we have been beavering away at our fund raising events over the last few months. It is important that we keep our funds topped up; we never know when one of the dogs or cats in our care or a new

comer will need expensive veterinary treatment. Our aims are to provide whatever veterinary treat-ment necessary and we must always be prepared for this. Our Charity Shop certainly keeps things ticking over and we are more than grateful to anyone who is kind enough to donate goods to us.

Now on to what we are really about which is the care and re homing of the dogs and cats which we take into our sanctuary. In saying that we recently took in a rabbit that had been found in someone’s garden. We do not really have facilities for rabbits but on a very rare occasion we had a spare cat pen so we were able to bring Teddy as we called him in. We had this very handsome boy castrated and he stayed with us for a couple of weeks before he went off to his new home with one of our supporters Sue who is fully equipped for the care of rabbits.

Our last available cat space at the moment has been taken up by Bridget whose owner has sadly passed away. Bridget’s owner, Clare, has supported our charity from the very beginning she worked with us and cared for many of our animals in our very early days, in fact before we became a Registered Charity. We are glad that we have been able to bring Bridget in for Clare and to give her the care that Clare gave to many of our animals in those early days of Otterspool Animal Haven.

This year has been quite a good one up to now for the re homing of cats. We were saddened however

to have to have Bunty put to sleep. Unfortunately

he had a lot of health problems when he came into us. We had managed to keep him comfortable and happy on medication and a special diet for sometime. Eventually his health deteriorated and we felt the kindest thing to do was to let him go. He is at peace now and will suffer no more. In April we were asked by Marie one of our supporters to take in a stray cat she had been feeding. Marie was in two minds whether to keep this young un-neutered male but she already has four cats. Charlie as she called him just turned up from nowhere. A lot of advertising was done to find his owner but no one came forward. Eventually Charlie came in to us and was castrated and started his vaccinations. We were waiting for the right home to come along for him when we received a call from the Powell family who were looking for a cat that would be suitable to live with children. Charlie was just the boy for this as he craved love and attention. The family came to meet him and fell in love with him. Char-lie is now one very happy cat receiving all the love and attention he craves. There is never a space here for long and we soon received a telephone call from a gentleman whose brother had passed away leaving Mimi his fifteen year old cat without a home. Mimi is a very friendly talkative girl. It is so sad for her; she had obviously been loved and cared for by her owner all her life. She has had everything done veterinary wise and is in excellent condition considering her age. We have also been joined by another older girl called Madeline whose owner was no longer able to care for her. Madeline would be better as a house cat as she had no desire to go out in her previous home.

Page 2 www.otterspoolanimalhaven.co.uk

Website very kindly donated & compiled by: ego (www.designbyego.co.uk)

Have you spotted Archie

yet? He’s up to his usual

trick hiding somewhere

in this newsletter

. . . thankfully there . . . thankfully there . . . thankfully there . . . thankfully there

has not been any has not been any has not been any has not been any

recurrence of the mass recurrence of the mass recurrence of the mass recurrence of the mass

cell tumour . . . cell tumour . . . cell tumour . . . cell tumour . . .

The following article has been written by one of our foster carers Sally. It is an update on two of our charges she is currently looking after. Alice the tiny kitten with brain damage & rickets along with Rocky the little Yorkie who has had numer-

ous tumours removed & lots of dentistry work.

Alice Kitten’s Story; Alice is one of the litter of five which were signed over to the rescue early in the year. Four were quickly homed but Alice was being assessed by her vet as she had a strange head wob-ble and some uncoordinated movements. She was otherwise an enchanting little girl, full of life and very active but requiring certain restrictions for her safety. She moved in with me in March and began a long process of veterinary assessment which finally resulted in a diagnosis of a vestibular problem which causes the head movements which has improved hugely as she has grown and is mostly evident if she becomes very excited, and a further diagnosis of type 2 rickets for which she is on a raft of medication . Prior to her diagnosis her vet circulated a video of her on an international veterinary consultation website so little Alice has had her fifteen minutes of fame! Alice is now nearly 7 months old and my

household has been adapted to fit around her as she could risk bone fractures from falls or even rough play with the dogs. She is very small and will never be a big cat, is very active and bright and frankly rules the house and all in it! She has made a friend of Molly, one of my old adopted Otterspool cats who spends a lot of time with her, mainly because Alice has treats and food with her medication a few times daily and has an abundance of toys , all of which Molly loves. Alice will have to be a house cat but leads a happy and active life with lots of stimuli. She is still undergoing regular treatment and

tests because of the rickets , this being a period of rapid growth and bone formation in young animals.

Rockys Story; Rocky has now been with me for nearly a year and recently celebrated his 10th. birthday.

His lack of teeth has not effected his appetite in any way, he loves his food and he is now quite plump and probably needs to go on a diet! Rocky has kept very well for the past year and thankfully there has not been any recurrence of the mass cell tumour which required major surgery when he was signed over to Otterspool. In all , by September 2014 he had three major operations one to remove the tumour and a further two to remove the last of his teeth which were completely unsalvageable. Rocky is active, feisty, noisy and busy – classic yorkie! He gets on well with my two daxi boys and four cats and will hopefully continue to remain in good health and have a long and happy life.

We are always happy to hear from any of the animals that we re-home and it is also nice to see them at our

fund raising events.

Uncas, seen here on the right, was re-homed by us here at Otterspool as a small puppy and now lives on the is-land of Anglesey in North Wales which makes it difficult

for her to come and visit us.

We have however received a letter from her every year on her birthday. Uncas is now twelve years old and we are pleased to say that she is still enjoying life to the full By the look on her face and the empty dish she also

seems to be enjoying her food!!

Page 3

“Their Lives Are In Our Hands - They Trust In Us”

. . . . “we always insist . . . . “we always insist . . . . “we always insist . . . . “we always insist that if there is a problem that if there is a problem that if there is a problem that if there is a problem with any of our animals with any of our animals with any of our animals with any of our animals

then they must be then they must be then they must be then they must be returned to us”. . . . . .returned to us”. . . . . .returned to us”. . . . . .returned to us”. . . . . .

DON’T FORGET WE ARE ALWAYS IN NEED OF :-

# Saleable Goods Including Electrical Equipment

# Items of Bric a Brac # Raffle Prizes

# Tombola Prizes

# Furniture (appropriate) # Sponsors

We now accept donations of

electrical items, which are

tested using a fully calibrated Portable

Appliance Tester prior to being offered

for sale in our shop.

Please think of us if you are replacing

electrical items that are still in a

reasonable condition

Unfortunately news on the dog re-homing front is not quite as good as that on the feline front. We get a lot of phone calls from people wanting dogs but we do not at the moment seem to have what they are looking for or in some cases they do not have the right home environment to offer for the dog they have shown interest in. For example none of the dogs we have at the moment could be re homed with cats. Only a couple of them could possibly be re homed with small children, and only a couple could go to a home with another dog. We take the re-homing of all our animals very seriously and will not just re-home them anywhere. As we have been able to study closely all the animals whilst in our care, we feel that it is our responsibility to match the dog with any prospective new owner / home. If for any reason we feel that either are not compatible with the other then we will not proceed any further with the adoption process. This is, we feel, the only reasonable route to take as the last thing that we want is for something to happen to one of the dogs in its new home or to the new owners / family members or existing pets. This has always been our policy and we think that taking that extra care and if needs be waiting that little bit longer to re-home an animal means that we will eventually find the perfect match for all concerned. Although we always insist that if there is a problem with any of our animals then they must be returned to us, the last thing that we want is for a dog or cat to be returned for reasons that could well have been avoided by matching them with the right owner / home.

We do however have some good news on the homing front which is that Rocky our Yorkshire terrier will now remain in his foster home with Sally. Rocky has had quite a few medical issues (as you will have read on page 2 and in previous newsletters) and both we and Sally feel it is in his best interests to stay somewhere he has grown accustomed too and where he is happy and contented.

CATTERY BUILDING WORKS;CATTERY BUILDING WORKS;CATTERY BUILDING WORKS;CATTERY BUILDING WORKS; You may recall reading in

our last newsletter about the building works which were taking place at

our cattery in order to create a new kitchen / store area where we will

be able to prepare the cats feeds and medication as required as well as

having somewhere to wash the dishes etc. and store food & litter away

from the main cat pens thus giving us more space to work in. We are

pleased to report that this new facility was completed in early April and

is now being put to good use. The building has its own water supply

originating from the house which was very cleverly installed without the

need to excavate the whole of the garden. A mechanical mole working

on compressed air dug under the garden and then dragged the new

water pipe back through the ground. The photographs on the left show

the completed unit externally along with the internal storage and dish

washing facilities. P.S. Note the cat flap in the wall at the side of the

main door, the builders found this quite amusing when asked to provide

an access point for the two cats that live freely in the cattery area.

Thanks, for a good job well done, go to our building contractors;

J. R. Foy & Son of Stockport.

Page 4

Ex Otterspool boy Oscar looking very pleased with himself whilst proudly showing off his Winners Rosette after taking the title of “Best Rescue Dog” at the recent Fun Dog Show held at

Memorial Park Marple as part of the Marple Carnival Celebrations.

“WELL DONE OSCAR & CONGRATULATIONS FROM ALL OF US HERE AT OTTERSPOOL”

Shannon takes a

shower before

an early

morning dip in

the pool

Ex Otterspool boy Zeus decides he wants to take

a detour on the

sponsored walk

Sir Winston &

Rex take a well

earned break at

the half way

point on the

sponsored walk.

. . . . . . . . ”In the

meantime Rex wants to know what

goodies Julie has in her bag!”

Page 5

Most animals come to us with “excess baggage” problems and experiences that they need to put behind them. With plenty of “TLC” we are usually, in most cases, able to achieve this aim and in the fullness of time when the right opportunity arises,

re - home. We presently have 7 dogs, 14 cats in our care, some of which have been with us for several years, and others have joined us more recently:-

Dogs

Frankie Staffie Cross Aged 9 years

Harry Greyhound Aged 4 years

Rex X ~ Breed Aged 4 years

Rocky Yorkie Aged 9 years

Sam Greyhound Aged 7 years

Shannon X ~ Breed Aged 7 years

Tia X ~ Breed Aged 2 years

Cats

Alice Grey & White Aged 4 months

Autumn Tortoiseshell Aged 3 years

Billy Ginger & White Aged 9 years

Bridget White & Tabby Aged 5 years

Bubble Tortoiseshell Aged 2 years

Donald Tabby & White Aged 5 years

Fluff Long Haired Tabby Aged 7 years

George Black Aged 1 year

Kitty White & Tortoiseshell Aged 8 months

Madeline Grey Aged 10 years

Merlin Black Aged 5 months

Mimi Black Aged 15 years

Pepper Black Aged 1 year

Poppy Black Aged 2 years

The aim of the sponsorship scheme is to supplement the monies raised from our other fund raising activities. By agreeing

to sponsor one of these animals you will not be expected to take on the full financial burden of the animal. All that we ask is

a commitment to donate on a regular basis by pledging whatever you feel able; as little as £1.00 per week would be greatly received. On our part we will endeavour to keep you fully briefed on the progress of your adopted animal and with luck be able to report many happy endings.

To sponsor an animal or for more information please contact:

• Margaret Challinor ~ Tel. 0161 456 8515 or email ; otterspool@ntlworld.com

You can also help in other ways:

• Offer a home to one of the animals or volunteer as a dog walker

• Donations of goods, bric-a-brac, books etc. are always appreciated

• Items for Tombola and Raffle prizes are always required

• Items of furniture & electrical goods are also accepted

“Sponsorship”

‘Please note all Placements

are subject to a satisfactory Home Check‘

“Their Lives Are In Our Hands — They Trust In Us” If you would like to receive future copies of

our newsletter by email then please contact

us with your details at;

otterspool@ntlworld.com

Page 6

Supporters of Otterspool Animal HavenSupporters of Otterspool Animal HavenSupporters of Otterspool Animal HavenSupporters of Otterspool Animal Haven

www.blossomskennelsandcattery.co.uk

Hello friends, its Sir Winston of Woodbank here (or Winnie as I’m affectionately known). First of all, thank you for joining me on the sponsored walk around my grounds (Woodbank Park) in April. It was splendid to see so many friends (old and new) of the human and canine variety. I do apologise for the fact that the Hall was not yet ready to receive you all for afternoon tea but I think that the cricket ground club-house served us very nicely. I aim to have the Hall open for next year and will have to start thinking about staff – a butler and housekeeper spring to mind to start with – so if you’re interested in ei-ther role please find me over the summer as I attend one of my many events! Well, it’s that time of year again when I start to look forward to the summer holidays, as Mum takes time of work in July and August and we start to plan our days out. Regular readers may remember that last sum-mer we took in Chester (where I posed as a Roman nobleman for my photographs), Delamere Forest, Buxton and Bakewell and whilst these will always remain firm favourites I am also thinking of trying some new places. This may involve an overnight stay in a hotel which would be a whole new experience for me! I hope we can stay in somewhere very grand like the Palace Hotel in Buxton which looks fit for a king (and therefore most suitable for me). With our British weather though you never know what to wear and what to take with you on a day out! One minute it’s the winter coat, then it’s sweltering hot, then it’s raining! We always take a rucksack with us, with a spare coat, towel, blanket, water and snacks. On long bus and train journeys I will happily settle down on my blanket on the seat next to Mum, gazing out at the passing scenery or doing a spot of people watching. Readers may remember my cork board, on which I display the rosettes that I win at the many fun dog shows I attend – well, the board is now full having had 2 additions (Shady Oak in April, and Marple Carni-val in June) which we just managed to squeeze on. At Marple, I couldn’t believe the large bag of prizes I won – not wishing to keep all the treats to myself I shared them out with some other dogs who weren’t as lucky as me and didn’t win (although I did keep the rubber ball for myself). There’s something I really enjoy though that you don’t have to travel far to do and doesn’t cost any money, and that’s a roll on the grass. I really enjoy getting all those lovely smells into my fur. It’s particularly de-lightful on a summer morning when the grass is nice and cool and a bit damp. Sometimes I meet up with other dogs on the park where we have a bit of a sniff at each other then both indulge in a spot of grass rolling! And for those times when you don’t want to leave home, then a roll on the carpet or bed are al-most as good. Well I hope to catch up with you soon. As this goes to press I am looking forward to our Summer Fair and Dog Show at Woodford Community Centre, and hope to see you there!

Until the next time, Until the next time, Until the next time, Until the next time,

Just before this newsletter went to print we received a telephone call from; Marks & Spencer Commercial Road, Hazel Grove, Stockport. The call was to say that we have been nominated as the stores “Charity of the Year”.

We would like to say a “Big Otterspool Thank You” to all the staff at the store for nominating and voting for us

WinstonWinstonWinstonWinston

Page 7 www.otterspoolanimalhaven.co.uk

OTTERSPOOL ANIMAL HAVEN ~ CHARITY SHOP

195A Bramhall Lane, Davenport, Stockport, SK2 6JA ~ Tel. 0161 483 8585

www.facebook.com/otterspoolanimalhaven

Our fund raising events for 2015 really started to gather pace in March when on Sunday 22nd we held our Spring Fair. As usual this event was held at The Hollies Scout Hut in Heaviley, Stockport and we

were very pleased that it raised a respectable £1160.00. * * * * *

Also in March we received a further donation from O’Neill Patient Solicitors of Hazel Grove who raised

a total of £305.68 (inc. Gift Aid) during an Office Charity Day. * * * * *

As a new month came along we once again held our Sponsored Dog Walk. This had been an annual event for some 11 years up to 2014 when we decided that we would not hold the event as we felt that

the same loyal supporters were having to ask their same friends for sponsorship each year. So after a 24 month break our 12th Sponsored Dog Walk took place on Sunday 13th April. Setting off from Offerton Cricket Club on a fairly pleasant afternoon the 18 two legged walkers and 24 four legged walkers, includ-ing several ex-Otterspool dogs as well as 4 of our current charges, soon got moving on the 5 mile route and all returned safely back to base approximately 2 hours later where there were refreshments waiting for them. We were extremely lucky with the weather as within 20 minutes or so of the last walkers return-ing the heavens opened and there was an almighty downpour of rain. Still nobodies enthusiasm was dampened and everybody went home very happy although probably slightly tired, especially the four legged walkers!! We can now report that the event as in previous years was extremely successful and

raised over £1300.00 for our cause,

there will of course be Gift Aid to add to most of this in the fullness of time. * * * * *

Just over a week later on 25th April our good friends at O’Neill Patient Solicitors were once again busy fund raising on our behalf, this time they held a Quiz Night which raised the fantastic total of

£514.54 (inc Gift Aid) * * * * *

We managed to get a brief respite during May when things were fairly quiet and although we can never rest on our laurels as far as fund raising is concerned it is sometimes nice to have a few weekends when we can relax and unwind somewhat, especially as most of our events rely on the same people giving up

their time to help out. * * * * *

Once we hit June things again started to happen and on Saturday 20th June it was all systems go for Marple Carnival, where we had a fund raising stall and also organised a Fun Dog Show as part of the carnival celebrations in The Memorial Park. We were very pleased at the end of the day when we were

able to increase our funds by

a total of £402.00 (this was made up of £268.00 from the stall and £134.00 from the fun dog show). * * * * *

Two weeks later and we were once again back in Marple, this time at Brabyns Park, Marple Bridge, where Chadkirk Dog Training Club were holding their Annual Obedience and Agility Dog Show. This is quite a different kettle of fish to our own Fun Dog Shows and people travel from all over the country and even Europe to compete. With places up for grabs at next years Crufts competition is fierce!! We had a fund raising stall at this event which lasted for two days over the weekend 4th & 5th July and

managed to boost our funds by £242.30. * * * * *

“Our thanks go out to everyone who helps at and supports fund raisers on our behalf ““Our thanks go out to everyone who helps at and supports fund raisers on our behalf ““Our thanks go out to everyone who helps at and supports fund raisers on our behalf ““Our thanks go out to everyone who helps at and supports fund raisers on our behalf “

[ Trustee (T) ] ~ Chair: Mrs. M. Challinor (T); Secretary: Mrs. D. Kirkham (T); Mrs. A. Bowes (T); Treasurer: Mr. S. Challinor

Page 8

WOODFORD COMMUNITY CENTRE

Dog Show Register

on the day from

1.00 (Judging 1.30);

Entry Fee £1.50 per

class or £5 for as

many classes as

you want.

Refreshments, Various Stalls,

Pet Foods, Cakes, Bric-a-Brac,

Books, Tombola etc.

Ample On Site Parking

Admission; Cars ~ £1.50p. ;

Pedestrians ~ 50p.

Refreshments, Various Stalls,

Pet Foods, Cakes, Bric-a-

Brac, Books, Tombola etc.

Ample On Site Parking

Admission; Cars ~ £1.50p.

Pedestrians ~ 50p.

CHESTER ROAD

WOODFORD

STOCKPORT

SK7 1PS

Come along and take a look at our cattery and see

for yourself the animals your support is helping;

14 Torquay Grove, Woodsmoor, Stockport, SK2 7BB

Admission 50p. ~ Various Stalls & Refreshments

Dog Show Register on the day from 12.00 Noon

Entry Fee £1.50 per class or £5

for as many classes as you want

Refreshments, Various Stalls, Pet Foods,

Cakes, Bric-a-Brac, Books, Tombola etc.

Ample Parking Available On Site

Admission; Cars ~ £1.50p. ; Pedestrians ~ 50p.