TTaammeessiiddee AAnniimmaall SShheelltteerr

Raglan Street HYDE

Cheshire SK14 2DX

Tel - 0161 368 3511 Fundraising Shop 0161 368 8585

Website Address www.tamesideanimalshelter.co.uk

TO BE HELD ON BANK HOLIDAY MONDAY, 26 MAY 2014

AT TAMESIDE ANIMAL SHELTER, RAGLAN STREET, HYDE

FROM 12 NOON - 4.00 PM

A HOST OF ATTRACTIONS TO INCLUDE:

* Bric-a-brac stall * * Books * * Refreshments *

* Plants * * Tubs * * Homebake * * Hanging Baskets * * Tombola * * Pet Stall * * Raffle *

* DVDs * * Records * * CDs * * Videos * * Clothes * * Furniture * * Computers * * Jewellery *

* Beauty * * Cream Teas * * Handicraft * * Free Range Eggs on Sale *

** Goods/Homebake Always Needed for Sale on the Day ** Drop-off Points at our Shop and the Shelter

BRING THE CHILDREN TO SEE ALL OUR ANIMALS

Ample Free Car Parking right outside the Shelter Wheelchair access

ADMISSION: ADULTS 1.00 / CHILDREN 20p

MAY 2014

Welcome, dear friends, to the latest edition of our Newsletter, which, as always, I hope you enjoy reading and gives you an insight into the valuable work we do. I love this time of year! Spring is here and Summer just around the corner. New life everywhere, in the gardens .... plants that had been forgotten about during the long Winter months suddenly rear their heads .... the birds sing so sweetly ... all to remind us that a far greater force than our intelligence knows is alive and always will be. At the Shelter, Spring heralds the return of kitten season. Beautiful babies (born to cats who should be neutered, but have found their way to us either as strays or unwanted) make us realise the miracle of rebirth. We love them all and our greatest joy is when they are ready to go to their new homes after being born at the Shelter - happy, cheeky, healthy little mites who are a delight!!! After they have left Mum, we then proceed to get her neutered so that she will not continue to breed, as this is our policy, for there are far too many unwanted animals in our world today. Two of our most recent kittens were born with deformities in their legs - see one of their photos below .......... but it will not hinder their progress, or make them any the less happy than they are today and, at time of writing, they have both been adopted together and are safe and well in their new home. However many years one does this job (and for me now it is well over 20), our animals teach us something every single day. I never stop learning and if I lived to 200, it would still be the same. Nature IS beautiful and in our busy lives, if we just stop and stare for a minute at the beauty of the world, it makes us realise that whilst Nature can be cruel, it can also be wondrous and it is never more evident than in Spring at our Shelter. I wish everyone a long, happy Summer and peace and good health to you all. Jacqui Founder

ROSIE: A STORY OF COURAGE AND LOVE I would like to share this very true and inspirational account of one little dog's life with you all, because to me, it highlights the practice of puppy farming, which I find horrendous, but it does have a happy ending!! During June 2012, a King Charles Spaniel was handed into our Shelter, found to be roaming in the Denton area. She was not micro-chipped and, despite several appeals for her owner to come forward, she was not claimed. We found this rather odd, because this breed of dog is usually claimed quickly, but in Rosie's case she wasn't. We could tell she wasn't a young dog (the vet put her age at between 8-10 years) and her tongue constantly hung from the side of her mouth. When examined, we found she had no teeth ........... so a picture started to emerge and the conclusion was something we hope never to see again. We felt this girl had been used for puppy farming: this is when a dog is kept for the sole purpose of breeding and breeding - a dreadfully cruel life for any dog, because once she has had one litter, she would have another and another and another ........... being kept alive purely to make money from the sale of the pups for her greedy and callous owners. None of us could bear to think what she had been through, because usually such dogs are kept in squalid conditions and then, when they are too old to provide further pups, are no longer wanted. As no-one had come forward to claim her, we felt, indeed, Rosie had been a victim of this barbaric life and the fact that she had no teeth would fit in perfectly, because having litters and litters of pups would have taken all the calcium from her body. One very lovely lady, Jenna, heard of Rosie and kept coming to the Shelter to see her. She knew of her circumstances and desperately wanted to help her and give her the love and care which had been missing in her life. Rosie also had a heart murmur (common in dogs of this breed) and, as Jenna knew the breed (she has one little sweetie called Ruby, who is also a KCS), we agreed. When she first went to her new home, she was frightened, wouldn't move out of her bed, so scared of what was going to happen, but Jenna gave her all the love and care in the world, something she must never have experienced in her life before and slowly her confidence grew and, probably for the very first time in her life, she was happy. When Jenna took her to the vet for a heart x-ray, they found severe tissue damage around her ribs and diagnosed that this showed every single one of her ribs had been broken as if she had been kicked. Jenna and I have kept in touch regularly since that time; each time Rosie goes to the vet for a check-up, Jenna lets me know how she is and the latest report on her heart murmur is that it has not deteriorated at all. This is entirely due to the wonderful care and lifestyle she has with Jenna, because this lady leaves nothing to chance where Rosie and Ruby are concerned and she loves them both with all her heart. Personally, I think I love Rosie almost as much as Jenna, for despite her former life, her nature has not soured. She is an affectionate, beautiful little girl who, originally, fell into the wrong hands. But, as Jenna says now, "I idolise her, even when she snores and keeps me awake!!" ........... thank you, Jenna, had it not been for your exceptional dedication to her, we feel she would not be alive today. Jacqui Founder

MAVERICK AND MR TOM At our Shelter, our staff and volunteers like to take pride in our care for sick and injured animals and this doesnt exclude our own residents, who may have needed a trip to our vet for medical treatment. We have always offered our services to our local vet who may have animals in their surgery that come to them as strays. Most recently, in the last week or so of writing this, a local vet had been handed a litter of new born kittens. While the vet can provide the daytime care, what the litter needed was round-the-clock 24 hours care. So the vet contacted us and asked if we could help them finding a foster home. So now they reside in one of our foster carers homes, where they can provide the necessary bottle feeding, while also keeping an eye on them. It takes a lot of dedication, with time and patience to take care of the most needy animals. So, if you feel you can provide this care and have the understanding of what it means to become a foster carer, dont hesitate to contact us. Maverick is another animal from a local vet. A stray cat handed over with a large wound on the right side of his neck. It was described by veterinary medical notes as a large necrotic piece of skin over an old abscess, basically meaning dead tissue created from the burst abscess. Judging on the size of the wound, the abscess would most probably have been golf ball in size. Cats have a high tolerance to pain - however, given the size of the abscess, it would still have been very painful for him. Were not sure what caused his injury ... catching on rusty barbed wire that protects property perhaps? But we believe its most likely caused from another cat bite. Maverick is a male tabby and white cat, approximately around two years old. In our care, he has shown that he is very affectionate; he allowed us to treat his wound without any worry. Twice daily, Rita and I would tend to his wound with careful bathing. It wasnt necessary for any medication - mostly TLC was required and, over time, we could see new skin growth and scabbing. We kept this up for a further four weeks until the point where it was no longer needed. From when Maverick came to us with a wound that looked almost impossible to heal due to the scale of its size, was now just a tiny pea size scab. All his fur had grown back and now he was ready to be moved out of our sick bay to the main room for adoption. It was only a matter of a couple of weeks before he found his forever home. These arent the only times we have helped our local veterinary centres and its not just the local practices too. We have helped ones in Preston and, in the last couple of weeks, we took in a cat from a vet in Oldham. They named him Mr Tom and asked if we could take him, as he needed regular daily treatment and said they wanted him to go to the place where he would get the best care possible. Mr Tom has a wound under his left armpit, an area hard to heal. So it is up to us to apply gel to his wound daily. Its not too easy to do, as Mr Tom is unhappy for us to lift up his left front leg. The vet told us that in their care he has been very scared and skittish, but he improved over time, in which they gained his trust. Taking him away and transporting him to a new environment can be very stressful for any cat and this did set him back slightly. But with our TLC, he has come on leaps and bounds, being a much more confident cat. Mr Tom is a black and white male cat, approximately around six years old. He is still in our care, receiving medical treatment for his wound. Tameside Animal Shelter like to feel we can provide care for animals, not just of our own or locally, but animals far and wide in other areas. We thank our staff, our volunteers and foster carers and to the vets, as without these, those animals would have been lost. Gareth

KENNY AND MINNIE The phone never stops ringing at the Shelter, with people wanting to bring in cats and kittens. The moment one goes, another follows almost immediately in its place and the sad thing is, the flow of them coming in is far greater than them being rehomed. Its a never ending problem, hence why we do our bit by getting our cats neutered before leaving us. The kittens are the first to go, they have age and the cute factor on their side. Next are our young adults, they go especially quickly if they are grey/ginger/torti/long-haired etc. Colourful varieties like these are always very popular. Then the other adults go, black and white/black cats proving least popular. Some of the last to go are our older cats (seven-ten year olds). However, generally the very last to go are our PAIRS. We get quite a lot of cats that are like two peas in a pod, so how could we ever separate them? Easy, we dont! Yes, sure, it takes a little while longer to re-home two than just one, but they have surely been through enough without being split up from their sibling/best friend?! We not only give them a forever home, but a forever future with their partner. Besides, cats normally cope much better at the Shelter being in the pen when they have each other. We also have larger pens for our cats which are in pairs. And so this brings me to Kenny and Minnie, our current longest staying residents. The couple came in on 10 April 2013, which makes it over a year now they have been with us. They came from Shaw in Oldham, because the shelters in Oldham were all full at the time. This has happened many times before where we have taken in animals, not only from Tameside, but from all round Greater Manchester and beyond. It just shows how there are unwanted animals EVERYWHERE. Kenny and Minnies owner has sadly gone into a care home now, so had no option other than re-home them. They are unrelated, but very close and similar-looking to one another. I like to refer to them as husband and wife! The odds have been stacked against them, because they are black and white, age eight and ten - and a pair! As I stated before, unfortunately, these all turn out to be negatives, for some reason, and this is what we think has been holding them back. I think, however, that whoever is to re-home these two will be one of the luckiest people in the world! And I will be personally very jealous indeed! I would have had them myself long ago, if it wasnt for my little princess (Zoe, my cat at home wanting me all to herself). As soon as you go to their pen, they get out of bed and down the ramp to greet you, saying hello too. There is a long run for the cats to wander up and down while we clean them out. In the middle of the run is the door to the feeding area. Once Minnie figured out what happens in there (being the impatient little lady she is!), she learnt how to open the door with her paw! Once in there, she rubs against my legs and cries at me! Once the food is put down, Minnie always has first choice of which meal she prefers! Pushing Kennys head out of the way while she judges! Kenny is the quieter of the two, while Minnie takes centre stage! Once meal time is over and they have had an explore, they then always enjoy cuddle time. There are chairs in the cat pens for us to sit on while we give the cats some attention. As soon as Im sat down, Minnie climbs aboard. Kenny stays more in the background, but does love a stroke and cuddle himself too. Licking is more of a dog thing, however Ive come across one or two cats during my time at the Shelter who do it too - one of them is Minnie - she even licks my face, which makes me feel really special because you dont often find cats who display such affection in this way and now even quiet, reserved Kenny has started to do the same! They are two of the gentlest, sweetest-natured cats ever. The bond we have is really strong and I know someone who has a space in their homes and hearts will soon get the same great bond we have too! Steven Robinson-Perry Animal Welfare Officer

JASMINE Hello everyone. My name is Paige and I am a volunteer at TAS. I have been for three years and I love my job here. I started when I was 12, coming to do dog walking for two years and when I turned 14, I signed up to be a volunteer so I could start to clean out the cats and dogs. I have learned loads working here about all the animals. I have had some sad times when my favourite animal has gone. I have had many, but what I really want to tell you all is about Jasmine, my beautiful girl. She is an amazing dog. When she first come into us, she was very timid at first. She never came out to say hello - she always stayed in her kennel for a while. When I saw her, I really liked her. She was a STUNNER!!!! She really took my eye, so from that day on, I really wanted to get close to her. When I went into her kennel, she was very scared, so I let her sniff my hand. Then she came around to greet me to say hello and she jumped up at me to say hi and kissed my face, so I got into her bed and sat with her for about 15 minutes. She curled up onto my knee and fall asleep on me. When it was time to go, she did not want me to leave and she jumped up at me and licked me again and did a cheeky grin as if to say DONT GO. I had to go to finish off my dogs and she tried to get out of the kennel to follow me. I had to stop her so I could carry on with my dogs and she was there still giving me that cheeky grin, so I could not resist going back in with her. I spoiled her that day - LOL! - that day I really spent most of my time with her; took her out on a walk and went for a run on the field - it was a really good day. Later on, I let her out with one of the staff member's dogs, Capone, Stevens dog, and she loved Capone. They were great together, running around on the yard, happy as anything that day. Jasmine really came out of her shell after that and she loved all the attention she could get. She loved it when people came to see her such as myself, but what I really want to tell you all - if you end up having her, you will have the best dog ever - she means the world to me so I will be very upset when she goes, but really happy for her. I hope someone out there can give her a forever home. Thank you for reading this - and hope to see you all at the Fair. Paige TAMESIDE ANIMAL SHELTER Im Millie-Jo - I started my volunteering at TAS earlier this year to contribute towards my DofE Bronze Award. Im only supposed to do one hour per week for thirteen weeks but, as it stands, the Shelters residents are far too adorable to spend such a short amount of time with! I can quite easily spend anything from 5-6 hours straight every Saturday with the Shelters loveable, furry occupants and I intend to carry on volunteering at this wonderful place long after my first award is completed. Ive always been a keen animal lover, with three friendly felines of my own, and so choosing to volunteer at Tameside Animal Shelter was an absolute no-brainer and one of the most amazing and rewarding things Ive ever done. Yet no matter how much work and effort we put into giving all our furry friends here a clean and comfortable living space, absolutely nothing compares to a nice new home and loving family to live with. Whether its donations, adoptions, volunteering or even just sharing our online posts, every little bit of help really does go a long way in ensuring our animals have the best and brightest future possible. Millie-Jo TAMESIDE ANIMAL SHELTER FUNDRAISING SHOP I have worked at the Fundraising Shop since July last year. I have enjoyed every minute! Knowing that in some small way I am helping the Shelter in their work has been brilliant! I have made good friends, who all have the same goal - to help unwanted cats and dogs find their forever home. We have many a laugh with friends who pop in and there are also a lot of characters in Hyde who enrich our lives in many ways. We have been through some tough times this year, but as a unit we have come through and are stronger than ever. I have always admired TAS and the work it does and I am so proud to be part of it. Please pay us a visit when you are in Hyde - we are open 11.00 am-5.00 pm every day, except Sundays!! Chris Marsh Volunteer

TAS AND WHY ITS SO SPECIAL (TAS AND ME BY NICOLA) I came across TAS just over nine years ago when I adopted my little girl, Ria, now aged 10. I came a couple of times a year following that, but just with treats for the dogs. About four years after getting Ria (I had two dogs by then, Ria and Sasha), I went to the Shelter with treats and saw this big male black staffy called Saracen. He had been at TAS about six/eight weeks and the lady who worked here told me he would be a hard-to-home dog because of his size, breed and age (he was seven). I asked if it was possible to foster Saracen and it wasnt something they had done a lot of, but thought it would be a good idea to be able to give him history. After two weeks, I could do a brilliant write-up on him; on how he played football, lived with two dogs and a cat and was good off the lead, etc. After a further two weeks, he was rehomed I was very sad and happy and didnt foster for a while, as I missed Saracen and didnt want to put myself through that again. I did start to foster again and not just for TAS; for Manchester Dogs Home too. TAS did ask me to foster Capone, who was a very different dog then to what you see today and I didnt feel he would fit with my family life thankfully Steven did and he is now a perfect family dog who lives with cats. I mainly fostered dogs who were struggling in kennels, had been there for quite some time or were poorly. I fostered all kinds of dogs, but mainly Staffordshire bull terriers. I also fostered a cat called Millie, who had been at TAS for two years. Five years ago, I started dog-walking at the Shelter and have got into animal welfare in many different ways. I used to take the dogs out with my dogs and so could test them with my dogs and I stuck with the same dogs week after week. Over the years, I have had many favourites here are some of them Dandy (one of the best dogs ever); Shiloh; Cleo; Rico; Daisy; Maddy (collie-cross); Buster (quite a few of them); Bruno (he was a very strong brindle staffy and once knocked my friend right off his feet!); Kia; Kane; Millor; Taffy (boxer); Max (boxer); Enzo; Duke; Snoopy (one of my fosters too); Dougal; Ruby (the collie that didnt like a lot of people to start with until she knew you); Roxy (another of my fosters who came in with a skin complaint from the pound she went missing from the adopter's house and has never been found); Roman; Turbo; Tyson; Nelson; Ricky (the bear); Gary (the very, very scared greyhound loved dogs; was scared of humans); Fiona (feisty little thing); Ruby (I loved Ruby and she didnt like a lot of people, but we were great pals. She now comes in for boarding and hates me - lol); Oscar (the lovable quirky Westie, also one of my fosters); Daffodil; Pixie; Benny (my current favourite and long term resident, who had a sleep-over at mine to give him a break); Lola was also one of my fosters, but is now a permanent member of my family. Until I came to TAS, I didnt think much about Staffordshire bull terriers, but now they are undoubtedly my favourite dog. They are kind natured, fun, grateful, loving, giddy, loyal and much, much more I adore them! I have visited lots of shelters and dogs' homes in the UK and abroad and have a lot of respect for every shelter and the volunteers and staff who work at them all. I have never and would never say anything derogatory about another shelter, as it is a never ending battle saving unwanted and neglected animals; its not glamorous work, but very rewarding most of the time. I get involved in all sorts of work at the Shelter now and enjoy it, but sometimes despair of the human race. I love Tameside Animal Shelter and I love being part of the team at the Shelter and the team extends to our supporters. Everyone just mucks in at the Shelter and does what needs doing and all our supporters just pull together whenever needed and when emergencies arise, such as Chance (the dog with mange). One big happy team!! TAS saves so many lives a year and I am not sure anyone realises just how many dogs come through TAS and I, for one, want to thank TAS and the rest of the team and Jacqui for being the founder of such a wonderful place.

BAILEY As you may remember from a previous Newsletter, I was very much hoping to rehome a lurcher, Birch, whom my hubby and I had rescued from a pound in Reddish, near Birmingham, but unfortunately for us couldnt, due to the fact that he was rather partial to our cats - and not in a good way! He still has his wonderful forever home with Marina and is a much loved, spoiled and doted-on pooch of her family, which is brilliant - a bad start in life, but a super ending. Over several months, I scoured TAS's website in the hope that an older dog, proven to like or happy to ignore cats (especially anti-social ones like I have!), or a puppy, would come in, but slowly got more and more deflated as the weeks passed, when none came into the Shelter. I started looking at other animal shelters, but again, cat-friendly dogs seemed a rare find - and I was becoming resigned to the fact that I was obviously not going to be a pooch-mom whilst being a cat-mom. After losing my darling Blue-dog at Christmas 2012, whom I had loved as my baby for over 16 years, I initially hadnt wanted to adopt another dog, as really didnt think I could handle the pain of losing him/her - but after several months, I did feel ready that Jef and I - and our respective Mums! - could offer a dog a good home. We didnt want to buy from a breeder or a pet shop - and Christmas was looming and the majority of good animal shelters do not rehome over Christmas/New Year due to the multitude of returns afterwards when the initial fascination of a new pet sadly deteriorates. But then, out of the blue(!) for me - but apparently after weeks of "scheming" and planning by a certain duo - Jef sat me down on 20 December last year and said we were being home-checked that afternoon and, if all went according to plan, we were going to fetch a rescue puppy - a nine week old mongrel, who had been abandoned in a box with his three sisters, when they were about five weeks old, but so very fortunately had been found and fostered and were now ready for rehoming. We were so lucky that we were approved by the home-checker to adopt for Christmas - and we picked up my boy, Bailey, on 22 December - what an adorable, beautiful, totally barmy, loving baby he is too! Bailey is now six months old and is helping to fill the humungous hole left by our darling Blue-dog, whom is still so very much missed and never ever to be forgotten. I can honestly say that, having lost a fur-baby who was my entire world, being able to and ready to adopt another four legged critter has been one of the best healing therapies for pain loss ever. Sara

COULD IT BE MAGIC! Theres something very special about Tameside Animal Shelter, just ask any of the dedicated staff or volunteers. Their answers will be many and varied, but one thing they will all agree on is that TAS is magic and when you fall under its spell, you will never want to leave. I came to the Shelter in January 2011 and I would like to share with you what I think makes TAS so special and why, to me, its the best place in the world! The one thing that flows throughout TAS is the love and care that is shown to every animal that comes through the gate. We treat them all as if they were our own and are constantly striving to make their lives happier whilst they are with us. A lot of people are unaware that in the mornings before we open to the public, whilst the kennels and cat pens are being cleaned out, the dogs have turns running free in the yard and we try to let every cat have some freedom and fun-time exploring the room that they are in - this also happens after closing time at 5.00 pm. Jacqui even decided to close the Shelter to the public on Wednesdays so we could totally dedicate this day to all our residents. If we find that any dog or cat seems stressed or unhappy in any way, extra time is spent with them trying everything we can to improve their quality of life and giving them lots of extra love and cuddles.

RIP, Darling Blue

I have seen so many dogs and cats come in that are absolutely terrified, some of them even showing aggressive behaviour, simply because they are scared and have been badly treated in the past. Its a joy to behold to watch them blossom and their personalities start to shine through after they have been with us for a few days; the look of fear goes from their eyes; they no longer flinch when we raise our hands to reach up for something off a shelf or a lead hung up on the kennel door; tails that have been tucked firmly between legs start to wag as soon as they see us approach. This is the start to an amazing new future for them. The love we have for the residents also extends to all the dogs and cats that are boarding with us whilst their families are on holiday. We are only too well aware that this is their holiday too and they will be missing their Mums and Dads, so we do everything we possibly can to make their stay special. It does seem to work, because lots of returning boarders bound through our gates and greet us like long lost friends. Their families tell us that they get very excited when they realise they are coming to the Shelter and that they wouldnt leave their fur babies anywhere else. If you are nervous about leaving your baby with us for the first time, you are welcome to phone us at any time to ask how they are settling in and if you request it, well even send you a text! The re-homing record at TAS is second to none and, as many of you know, the Shelter accepts red alert cases from dog pounds all over the country, saving them from being put to sleep and giving them a brand new start to begin life again. Every time one of them goes on to a new forever home, our dear friend, Andrea Hunt, says It's TAS' magic again! So, just what is TAS' Magic? Is it the pure love and devotion shown to every animal that arrives at this Shelter? Or is it something more? ................... Well Im not going to tell you, youll just have to come down and experience it for yourself! I did and am still here three years later, I cannot imagine living without it! Rita

RESIDENTS SEEKING FUR-EVER HOMES Jess: Jess is still looking for her forever home - a beautiful German Shepherd-cross. She's in foster with Kerry, who adores her, but sadly cannot keep her. Jess is a lovely girl, who gets on with other dogs, but isn't keen on cats. She is currently living with another female dog. She had a terrible start in life and seems to have been passed around quite a bit, so her next home definitely needs to be her permanent forever home. She is chipped and the last registered owner explained that they found her tied up with half her fur missing and they took her home and got her right, but after a while one of their dogs and Jess stopped getting along and they said they signed her over to The Dogs Trust ... We don't know how she then ended up in the pound, as this is all third party info. Jess is a gentle soul, who needs lots of exercise. Kerry reports that she is a lovely character, who makes lots of different quirky noises!

Benny: A follow up on our lovely boy Benny, whom many of us adore. As you may remember, the Christmas Newsletter contained a story on one of our long-stay residents, Benny, and sadly our baby boy is still with us ..... WHY?? Benny is getting more loveable all the time (if that's possible). You would think that after being at our Shelter for over a year now that he would be institutionalised, but not our boy. He loves life!!!! Benny has moved kennels several times to try and help to get him noticed and has had quite a lot of interest; it's just that the right family haven't come along yet. Benny is a big hit with the children who visit the Shelter with their parents and they are a hit with him too as they play ball with him for ages. He pushes his ball under the kennel gate and stands back staring at the ball until you kick it or throw it back in for him and the process starts again and again and again! I've seen children stand there for half an hour doing this and he loves it. If you ever visit our Facebook site, there are videos of Benny playing ball and you will see that this is his favourite past-time. Benny also loves cuddles and has become a favourite with a lot of our volunteer dog walkers - young and old. One Winter's evening, one of our volunteers even tucked Benny up in bed and cuddled him, singing to him until he fell asleep (at our place, you don't have to be mad to work here, but it certainly helps!). The top and bottom of it is - EVERYONE who meets Benny LOVES BENNY ..... So why is he still with us? We know he doesn't like cats and small furries; he prefers not to be around other dogs and avoids them whilst out walking. He has walked nicely on a number of occasions with a female dog and probably could live with a friendly female dog with slow and patient introductions, although he may be better as an only pet. Please share Benny's details amongst any of your friends that may be looking at getting a new best friend, as he may just be their missing family member and they don't know it yet. Benny is neutered, vaccinated, flea'd, wormed and chipped. Thank you everyone and please do visit our Facebook group and Facebook page; see all our furries, read their stories and join in conversations. Thank you from all the staff and volunteers at TAS. xxxxx We LOVE you, Benny. xxxxxxxx

Arnold Arnold is around four years old and came to us from the pound on the day he was due to be put to sleep. He is a very friendly dog; he loves all people and gets on well with other dogs. Arnold is pictured here with one of our hard working volunteers, Steven.

Zena Zena has been with us quite some time now and is approximately four years old - she is adorable. Zena loves people and is good with other dogs .... she can even talk ;).

Linc Linc is a handsome friendly chappy (German Shepherd-cross), who came to us on 2 February this year. Linc is two years old. He seems okay with other dogs. When he was in a home, he saw cats in the garden but didn't chase them and has shown no interest in our yard cats. Linc is vaccinated and chipped and will be neutered. He's not had a great start in life and has had quite a few homes in his short life ... He was taken off one so-called owner for stapling his tail and yet still he loves people, but can occasionally be nervy .... Please help us to find this big friendly lad his final and forever loving home.

Chance We help whenever we can, we are a caring Shelter, but could not do it without all your support ... Please read Chance's story: Chance was brought to the Shelter squashed in a cat carrier ... He was scared and wouldn't let anyone near him ... His fur was missing and he had scabs all over his body, some that bad they cracked and oozed pus when he moved. The guy who brought him in said he wasn't his - he was a stray, so we had to phone the dog warden, who took him and eventually he went to Manchester Dogs Home, which is also our local pound. He served his seven days and was not claimed and they agreed they would let TAS have him back, but that he was fear-aggressive and had mange. We knew it was going to be a long expensive process to get him right, but we appealed to you, our supporters, and, as always, you didn't let us down. We got the funds to pay for his treatment. Lisa Bradburn, one of our volunteers, took him home short-term and he is now in his third month at Lisa's! To cut a very long story short for this Newsletter, Chance is doing well; he is still on meds and still on regular visits to the vets; his fur has grown back and his confidence has grown too. He is a lovely playful little dog once he knows you, but can be nervous on first meeting. He has some food aggression, but a very good behaviourist who has offered his help at the Shelter, Martin Shea, is going to help Lisa and Chance to manage this. Chance, we think, is a Patterdale-cross and is approximately 18 months old. He will be looking for his new home in the future. Our thanks go to you for making this possible; Angela for all her running around and Lisa for being his fairy dog-mother.

Before Now

Solomon and Luna These two are approximately one year old very friendly .. Solomon is male and Luna is female ... Have lived happily with a dog x

Marmaduke is a young chap and a very loving n friendly, was found as a stray x

SPECIAL THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING: To all who donate to us by Standing Order, we thank you for choosing US as recipients of your kindness. Since our Facebook page was launched, we have noticed a marked increase in donations, for which we and our residents are so very thankful to each and every one of you who participate in this scheme. To all our volunteers: whether it be dog walking, cleaning, helping at our shop, coming to the Shelter and socialising with the cats - in fact, anything at all, we thank you - for without your help, our work would be so much more difficult. The strength of TAS is in its volunteers. FOSTERING is such a vital and important job and we are so fortunate to have a team of fosterers for our dogs and kittens, who do a remarkable job. We can never quite thank them enough, especially when extra TLC is needed for poorly animals, so to those who fall into this category, our thanks from the bottom of our hearts. To all who donate items to our Shelter and to our shop, so many of you on a regular basis, your support is never taken for granted. This includes companies, organisations and individuals. To Sara, for collating this Newsletter for us, our dear friend who never, ever lets us down, thank you, my dear friend.