Abandoned animals

On our site I mentioned that sadly some people throw out their animal at Xmas for a new one. This has already happened. One kind soul left a cat enclosed in a box outside our Shop. Perhaps they thought it would be OK for the cat - but it isn't. The cat was extremely distressed and frighted out of its mind. Not only that, the cat couldn't just be taken to a cattery, its full, so several people spent many hours in looking after the cat and arranging a place of safety for it. It is not only cowardly but also cruel to abandon your pet in that way.
Imagine your distress if you were suddenly left in an enclosed space amongst strangers. You would wonder what you had done wrong and what was going to happen to you. I hope the cats owner has an enjoyable Xmas - his/her cat certainly will not.

Care with Christmas treats for your dog

Dogs are not noted for their restraint in eating everything in sight but some foods, whilst good or enjoyable for humans are bad for your pet.
DO NOT FEED YOUR DOG SCRAPS FROM THE TABLE rich and fatty foods can give stomach upsets and even can be toxic.
There could be bones in the scraps that can choke your pet.
Onions can cause anaemia
Alcohol might seem fun to give to your pet but you may kill him/her
GRAPES, RAISINS AND CHOCOLATE ARE POISON TO YOUR PET.  Eat enough of them and you will poison your pet. Only give them purpose made, dog/cat treats.
Do not let your pet drink the water from the Christmas tree bowl. That could make them sick.
But its not all be careful. Giving your dog cooked turkey or chicken without the skin (and of course bones), raw carrots or apples represent a treat for them and do them no harm in moderation

Rabbits

We all think that rabbits make wonderful pets. But they are social animals and like space, exercise and company. Please check out http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/christmas_email/content.html

Badger culling

If you care about badgers (or even if you don't) please  look at the following link
http://www.rspca.org.uk/media/news/story/-/article/EM_On_the_14th_day_of_Christmas_a_badger_cull_is_confirmed_Dec11?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_content=badgervideo&utm_campaign=campaign

Please do not give a Puppy as a present

Sounds lovely doesn’t it? Buy some one a puppy. But its not a good idea. Here’s why.

Holiday pups/kittens can soon be forgotten, like toys and games.

They are living beings and as such need attention, feeding, taking for walks (puppies), medical treatment at times and so on.

They grow and grow and grow

If someone really thinks they want a pet buy them a book about dog,cat, rabbit etc ownership. Let them learn what care they need and if after Christmas it is certain that a pet is the right thing, choose one then

New homes found

Four of the Lurcher puppies have now found homes. Charlie the cat has a new home in Somerset and Fuzz Ball the puppy who had been tormented by youths has made a lot of friends and soon will be on his way to a new home.

Christmas and your pet

Dogs and cats are curious. They will want to examine anything new - that means the Christmas decorations.

They may chew and swallow foreign objects, i.e the decorations

They may chew electric wires  so keep them tucked away

Plants and dangling objects may attract their attention resulting in them being pulled down and perhaps injuring your pet.

DO NOT LEAVE PETS  UNATTENDED WITH  LIT CANDLES

If you are having  a large party or gathering then give your pet a refuge, a spare room, a crate or their bed, away from all the noise. Lots of people could cause injury to your pet if a guest accidentally steps on him.

Dogs and cats are curious. They will want to examine anything new - that means the Christmas decorations.

They may chew and swallow foreign objects, i.e the decorations

They may chew electric wires  so keep them tucked away

Plants and dangling objects may attract their attention resulting in them being pulled down and perhaps injuring your pet.

DO NOT LEAVE PETS  UNATTENDED WITH  LIT CANDLES

If you are having  a large party or gathering then give your pet a refuge, a spare room, a crate or their bed, away from all the noise. Lots of people could cause injury to your pet if a guest accidentally steps on him.

Dogs and cats are curious. They will want to examine anything new - that means the Christmas decorations.

They may chew and swallow foreign objects, i.e the decorations

They may chew electric wires  so keep them tucked away

Plants and dangling objects may attract their attention resulting in them being pulled down and perhaps injuring your pet.

DO NOT LEAVE PETS  UNATTENDED WITH  LIT CANDLES

If you are having  a large party or gathering then give your pet a refuge, a spare room, a crate or their bed, away from all the noise. Lots of people could cause injury to your pet if a guest accidentally steps on him.

Cats wanting homes

Charlie is a very sweet but nervous 6 year old girl, she hasn’t had the best start in life, but she is still more than willing to trust in someone to give her a good life. She needs a patient owner with time to give her the TLC she needs and bring her out of her shell. Give her a chance and she’ll warm your heart, she really is a very sweet girl. All animals re-homed are Vaccinated, Microchipped and neutered

Dudley, a 2 year old,  was brought to us through the inspectors, so we don't really know what happened to him in the past, only that it has left him very timid and untrusting of strangers. As a result we would like to see him go to a quiet home with experience of cats and plenty of patience to bring back his confidence in people. All animals re-homed are Vaccinated, Microchipped and neutered.

Monty, at 3 years old,  is medium to short haired ginger and white 2 year old cat; he came into us through the inspectors with his friends Jack and Treacle after being taken away from his abusive owner. Despite the abuse he suffered with his previous owner, he is still a very friendly and playful cat whose more than willing to trust anyone, especially if they have a toy in hand. We would love to see Monty find a loving home either together with his friends or on his own. All animals re-homed are Vaccinated, Microchipped and neutered. 

We have many kittens in the kennels at the moment in varying colour and all with their own cheeky little characters (like the beauty in the picture called, guess what, Felix!) and all looking for loving homes for life.  
 

Whiskey is a brilliant character, he loves all manner of toys, and even things that technically aren’t supposed to be toys, but he finds them fun anyway. Otherwise he adores any fuss and attention availabl. Other cats are also not a problem. We love him to bits and would love nothing more than to see someone else get the same pleasure as we do. Can you give a home to this quirky chap? All animals re-homed are Vaccinated, Microchipped and neutered. 

Fortunately  Dodgey and Puka have found new homes.
 

Six dogs wanting homes

Six Lurcher cross puppies at 16 weeks old, have come to us through an inspector after the owner could no longer cope with (at the time) 11 dogs. They are somewhat timid at the moment due to not having enough individual attention, but they are slowly coming out of there shells to behave like true pups. All animals re-homed are Vaccinated, microchipped and neutered. 

Fortunately 6 other dogs,  Sid, Angel, Steffi, Bella, Buster, Murphy have all found new, loving homes..

Firework night

Worried about your pet and wildlife on bonfire night? Have a look at  http://www.marcthevet.com/2011/11/fireworks-night-keeping-your-pets-and-wildlife-safe/     It may help.

Our dog and Bonfire Night

A few years ago our dog, Sally, was found wandering the streets on November 6th. She was extremely distressed and as a result found her way to our kennels and we adopted her a few days afterwards. It was not long before we discovered that a bang of any kind caused her to cower and shiver violently, it was clear that she was petrified. Most of the time she would soon come round by attracting her attention elsewhere but come bonfire night it was different. We closed all windows, shut the curtains and put the telly on loud. That certainly helped but she could still hear some of the bangs. At one stage we even put an old fleece round her ears to act as ear plugs though that didn't help much.
Over the years we were able to calm her but sadly firework night often extended over a week and at other times of the year fireworks could be unleashed, causing poor Sally to become a shivering wreck.
So please spare a thought for animals when you let off fireworks.
Incidentally Sally was not microchipped so somewhere there might also have been a distressed owner. So please, microchip your pet.

Donate for Free

Yes you can make a donation to the Branch for free. All you need do is use Easyfundraing http://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/rspcastaffordshirenth/
or use a search engine, Easysearch
http://rspcastaffordshirenth.easysearch.org.uk.
For more details please visit our site on
http://www.rspcanorthstaffs.co.uk/easyfund.html
and help our Branch.
It costs the Branch £4 for every £1 received for each of our animals.

Bonfire Night

Worried about your pet on bonfire night.?
Here are 6 top tips
1 Make sure that your pet has somewhere safe to hide
2 Walk your dog during the day and keep your pet inside at night-time
3 At nightfall close all windows and curtains and put some music on
4 If your pet shows signs of fear LEAVE THEM ALONE unless they are likely to harm themselves
5 NEVER punish or maker a fuss of your pet when it is scared
6  Keep your pet safe and secure so that it cannot escape

Should the worst happen and your pet escapes make sure that is already microchipped.
For more information please visit
http://www.rspca.org.uk/allaboutanimals/pets/general/fireworks

New dogs

We have three new dogs, Bella, Buster and Murphy. They are smallish dogs. They will be on our web page next week but in the meantime please contact our kennels.

Sams walk

Don't forget, there is still time to join Sam on her walk. See earlier blog or our website. Its a real challenge, are you up to it?

Dogs found new homes

Please note that whilst webmaster is away our Blogs and Facebook will keep you up to date. Five dogs, Dijon, Lotte, Smokey, Chubbs and Rory have all found new homes. Sadly their places will soon be taken.

Cats found homes

Webmaster is away so cannot update site. However three cats, Fluff, Geoffrey and Tammy have all found new homes. Sadly there spaces will be taken with new arrivals.

RSPCA Fashion Show

In November we are intending to put on a Fashion Show - venue and date being arranged. However we need your help for donated goods. As an individual if you have any surplus clothes that you wish to donate please help by donating them to the Fashion Show for sale. Better still, if you work for a large employer could you persuade them to hold a special day when everyone at the firm can donate an item of clothing if they wish. We would then collect. Alternatively if you could arrange to do the same thing with a group of friends or colleagues, that would help immensley.
Although items could be donated directly to the shop it would help us if you could let Sam, the Organiser know. She can be contacted by phone on 01782 788292 or er mail her on samrspcans@hotmail.co.uk or through our Office.

Donate your scrap car

Got an old car that you want to scrap? You can help raise funds for the Branch by contacting giveacar.co.uk who will collect your car and dispose of it and at the same time give us a donation. Sounds good. Please help us by following the link below
http://giveacar.co.uk/

Nat West Community Grant

We have applied for a Nat West Community Grant to help our animals. Please read about it and vote for us on http://communityforce.natwest.com/project/2360

Clothing Bank

Does anyone out there know where we can obtain a clothing bank to put on a site so that we can empty it ourselves  to help stock our shop. If you do please e mail us on admin@rspca-staffsnorth.org

Animal Tales

Would you like to see your animal story written as a childrens story? Then Pound Tales is for you. A series of books shortly to be released is based on tales suitable for children but also getting a message across. If you have such a story please let Kate know. She can be contacted on 01782 818483
Or just e mail her justdandycreative@gmail.com
Nothing will be published without your approval. Anonymity is also guaranteed.

Cats and dogs

There have been a lot of new arrivals and departures from our kennels over the last two weeks. An updated list is being prepared. Happily two of our special animals, Arthur and Gucci have both found new homes and several other cats and dogs have also found new homes.

Sams walk

Our Volunteer Co Ordinator, Sam, has had to postpone her 25 mile walk and it will now be held on Saturday 15th August. This is a real challenge, 25 miles in our wonderful cpountryside. Full details  can be found on http://www.rspcanorthstaffs.co.uk/walk.html
Please come and join her or text a donation through just text giving, our new way to raise funds.

Pet Food cavalcade

On 18 September Sid Rogers held his 23rd Pet Food Cavalcade on a 20 mile round trip of the city. Over a thousand motorcyclists took part and collected food for cats and dogs as well as contributing £3 each for local animal charities. The RSPCA  received £400 as a result - many thanks to Sid for his hard work.

Sucessful Bank Holiday weekend

It may have been wet over the Bank Holiday but it didn't stop 3 of our volunteers from going to a car boot sale! They managed to make £70.75 which is excellent.
Not only that, our kennels did well by rehoming 4 cats and two dogs.

Some of our oldest residents

Two of our Dogs, Bob & Gucci have been with us for some time and desperately need a new home.

Please give them a chance to have a new home. Full details can be found at
http://www.rspcanorthstaffs.co.uk/appeal.html
They may look the same in the pictures but Bob is a big dog and Gucci is much smaller, Bob is the lower picture and Gucci the upper.

Staffs North Branch RSPCA: 25 Mile Walk in aid of Branch

Staffs North Branch RSPCA: 25 Mile Walk in aid of Branch: On the 24th September we are looking to do the Newcastle Way; a 25 mile walk from Goldenhill to Market Drayton where we get the bus back to ...

Car Boot Sale

We are doing a carboot sale on the Bank Holiday Monday  if anyone has a large car and fancies joining us.Please ring our Volunteer Co Ordinator Sam on 01782 788292 Or email her on samrspcans@hotmail.co.uk if you are able to help.

25 Mile Walk in aid of Branch

On the 24th September we are looking to do the Newcastle Way; a 25 mile walk from Goldenhill to Market Drayton where we get the bus back to Newcastle.  The walk takes roughly 9 hours so if you know anyone who likes a challenge please mention it to them.  We are asking for a £10 donation from each person who comes. 
If you are interested in joining us please contact Sam on samrspcans@hotmail.co.uk or ring Tel 01782 788292 or if you are unable to do the walk but would still like to support us please text EPHV01 to 70070 to support her.

Further details can be found on our website at http://www.rspcanorthstaffs.co.uk/walk.html

Pet run

Its the annual pet food cavalcade on  Sunday18th September. Starting at noon the riders leave for their tour of the city. Please come and help us on the day from 10.00am onwards by collecting the entrance fee from the riders. See our websits for details or come on the day and ask for Sam.
It starts from Port Vale fotball club.

A Mesage From the Branch Chairman.

Our Branch of the RSPCA rescues animals in North Staffordshire through the RSPCA Inspectorate. Last year we found homes for 462 animals. All this was done through self funding as we rely on our fundraising skills to meet the costs of this.
If you would like to help us please get in touch. Our website can be found at www.rspca-staffsnorth.org.uk
This is our first blog and soon we hope to make full use of it.