Letters

Dear Di, John and the team.

Hi Alfie here, oh boy I am now 2yrs old and living life to the full.

My heart problem has been checked and the lovely vet has given me a clean bill of health and my heart murmur will not require any surgery, now and hopefully in the future.

I continue to love the boat life and taken out regularly to explore the towpaths and countryside regularly, my favourite location is Shugbough and always look forward to going to the local pub who give me water, doggie biscuits and treats, mum likes to eat there too. The swimming there is perfect for cooling off and I take every opportunity to take a dip.

My local wildlife park (just for doggies) is a regular run off the lead and where I meet up with many canine friends and even chase the odd rabbit if they come into view.

So Lisa you can see I am very happy and send my love.

Them little pests continue to interrupt my peace and quiet in school holidays and even some weekends if they get the opportunity to come aboard, but must admit love having them really. They have framed my picture put in this year's CAESSR calendar, well it was there beach ring I sat in.

So thank you for finding my mum and all the good work you all do to help little boys like me.

Best Wishes Alfie xx

Hi Ian, Diane, John, Norman and the team

We thought we’d send you an update on how Eric and Ernie are getting on as it’s three weeks since Tim and I collected them. In short, they have been life-changing – for the better. They have brought huge joy to our lives and we hope that the attached photos will show just a little bit of how happy they seem to be!

They are a credit to their previous owners – balanced and well behaved, gentle and able to cope with all sorts of situations. They have adapted to a busy life very quickly based on a regular routine which we have made sure they have as their basics. 6am howling from downstairs is our alarm call on weekdays so we’re up and at’em with the morning ‘functional’ walk in the field opposite, then a lunchtime ball chuck (they are OBSESSED with balls…we have secured a ready source of decent second-hand ones from a local tennis club as Eric destroys any sub-standard ones very quickly…), then another ball chuck when we are back from work in the evening. If we aren’t at home – though we can both arrange to be so for several hours and the dogs love being in the car so I’ve taken them to meetings several times, then we have a steady list of volunteers wanting to walk them; the word is out that they are brilliant little chaps and while they need a strong hand on the lead at first (another revelation – a harness which gives more control and stops too much pulling) they soon settle into a brisk pace. The splitter lead works well and allows them to trot along together for easy handling.

We’ve been to cafes, the hairdresser, pubs, others’ houses, other dog places, endless walks…nothing seems to faze them. We are off to Bristol city tomorrow on the train so I’m sure they will cope very well with that too.

The only thing we have had to really get our minds round was bedding...agh! The big plastic one they came with was just too unwieldy to fit into our utility room so we tried other options. £100 down and E and E destroyed anything they didn’t like…only to favour an old soft sided bed and several towels on a mat. Seriously.

Food – they eat out of their own bowls now which seems to work as Ernie was hogging things. Eric is definitely Mummy’s boy and is always up for a special hug and a smooth (as they say in Bristol) before Ernie spots him and then muscles in to grab the attention. We’ve got it sussed!

The vet is pleased with health so far and we visited for the next set of injections and plan to have the boys neutered soon; we’ve found the right balance of food and they now have a penchant for broccoli, carrots and also parsnip. Favourite places are the rug beside the bed (useful for extra sleep in the morning on the weekend…6am is TOO early!), the sofa, sunny spots in the garden and any lap. All in all, the most lovely dogs and we adore them. We think they are happy – people are amazed that it’s only been 3 weeks since we got them so we must be doing something right!

Once again, we want to thank you for letting these two join us on our life’s journey and do pass on how happy and settled they are to their previous owners, I’m sure they would be pleased to know about it. Very happy to catch up with Norman locally if he would like to visit to see how things are.

Any questions, do ask – all the best to you all!

Rebecca

Hi All,

Sorry we have not been in touch, but we all have been very busy enjoying our winter walks, but now coming into spring getting out more and more.

Dexter is really starting to settle and showing he is more secure now and apart from chasing a few deer across the fields is really showing what a Cocker Spaniel is made of and flushing out the birds from the bushes, and showing his working class.

Hope in the next few weeks to start taking him to Gun Dog classes and will keep you posted on how his training is going.

All in all, a loving dog and is also getting spoilt with cuddles and love from not just us but the whole family including Merlin.

Wishing all at CAESSR well and keep up the good work and hope that I can get some good shots to put forward for next years calender!

All our best

Duncan, Lisa, Merlin and Dexter

Dear Di
I have written a short email and attached some photographs for Dexter's previous owner:

Firstly I wanted to say how very sorry I am that you had to give up your lovely Dexter, it must have been a huge wrench to leave him.
I wanted to let you know that he is a dear little person with a big personality - but you already know that! Unsurprisingly he was a little stressed when he first arrived and there were a couple of days of diarrhoea which I understand is normal, but that is now clear as he is starting to settle in.

He and my gentle 11 year old black Labrador bitch are getting to know each other; she was unexpectedly left an only dog when her then companion, another cocker, died suddenly in January. After he went, she had become progressively low and depressed, so I am hoping they will learn to really like each other.
Much of my work is from home, so I am able to be with them both most of the time, the rest of my work sees me travelling locally, and of course they will both come with me with walks across 1000's of acres of grass en route.

I wanted to assure you that I promise to do my best to help Dexter to live a long, fulfilled, happy, and healthy life.
I have attached some photographs taken over the past few days to give you an idea of Dexter's new life.
Best wishes,
Julia

Hi,

As promised a couple of photo's of Milo.

We are delighted to have been given the opportunity to rehome this lovely boy, who seems to be settling in very well.

Viv & Rich