Latest News and Events

Welcome to our new page where we will be keeping you updated with all our news and events:

7th May 2023

We are excited to invite you to the Agria Dog Walk at Wrest Park MK45 4HR, on Saturday 20th May starting at 11am! Venue open from 10am.

Come along and support us – as for every dog walked Agria will be donating £5 to five dog rescues in the UK – and we are one of them! Your dog can make a huge difference to our charity by doing what they love best – walking! The trail at this fantastic @EnglishHeritage venue is approx. 2.5 km, 45 mins and promises to be loads of fun in some spectacular surroundings for you and your dog!

Find out more and how to book your tickets here: www.agriapet.co.uk/agria-dog-walk/ – make sure you pre-book your tickets online and you’ll benefit from 10% off! And entry is free if you’re an English Heritage member – just turn up on the day!

See you there!

17/02/2023

8 dogs just posted needing fosterers on our facebook page. These are just the tip of the iceberg. We are saying no to more and more dogs each day as we have no where to put them. Most have severe issues and have bitten numerous times. The ones posted are the ones we feel we can help. I cant begin to tell you how awful it is to have to say no to dogs fully knowing that no one else has room either. We are a small breed specific rescue and we are drowning in dogs. We currently have 105 dogs in foster at one stage or another and if we had fosterers available we could easily double that number. Imagine how many dogs are waiting for rescue spaces nationwide. It is absolutely horrendous. Mans best friend has become an item to be purchased on a whim like an air fryer and then to be discarded when it doesn’t work properly or we are bored of it. People seem to think they have a right to a dog. Their circumstances don’t matter, its just ooh cute puppy I want. Heart is usually in the right place but head is often not thinking. The number of broken dogs is staggering. I can read the start of a surrender request and by the 5th line I will know why the dog is being surrendered. The dog will most likely be male. He will most likely be between 8 months and 2 years. He will most likely be a cocker and will be golden or black. He will be resource guarding and this has resulted in bites. Not exaggerating when I say a breed is being ruined before our very eyes. If you don’t believe that then come and say no to all the dogs we are having to say no to on a daily basis knowing full well that lots of them will soon be on a one way visit to a vets. We cling on to stories such as Police Dog Buddy to get us through the days and nights at the moment. Please please stop breeding. Please please stop buying dogs that don’t fit your lifestyle. Please stop buying dogs that you don’t have the experience for.

Dogs are a privilege not a right.

If you can foster then please fill in a foster application form.

Meet Patches, our little Valentine’s Day heartbreaker, in more ways than one

Patches is a 6 month old working cocker, who came to the charity after his owner could not afford the specialist heart surgery needed to save his life.

Originally, Patches had a surgery whilst under the care of first his owner, but unfortunately it was unsuccessful and they decided to relinquish him.

He went into foster with the lovely Laura, who is a Cardiology Nurse at a Specialist Referral Centre where Patches was able to be treated. This is his amazing story.

Patches presented at his first vaccination with a loud heart murmur, which was then investigated via ECHO (echocardiogram, an ultrasound scan of the heart).

The scan allowed the vet to diagnose Patent Ductus Arteriosus, or PDA.

PDA is a vessel connecting two major cardiac vessels, the aorta and the pulmonary artery, which should have closed at birth, but did not in Patches case.

It is a congenital heart condition meaning that animals are born with the condition, it is not one that develops later on. Untreated, PDA will lead to progressive heart enlargement and heart failure with lung congestion. Sadly, without successful treatment 50% of dogs die during their first year of life.

Early into his foster with Laura, Patches underwent a PDA closure via minimally invasive cardiac surgery. This involves passing catheters via the femoral artery in the hind leg to the location of the PDA, enabling it to be plugged with a device called an Amplatz Canine Duct Occluder which prevents blood flowing through the PDA.

Fluoroscopy (real time video x-rays) are used during the intervention, allowing the cardiology team to see the PDA and measure the size before choosing the appropriate device.

Once successfully in place, the device expands and blocks the PDA, thus solving the issue.

After a brief recovery, Patches has gone from strength to strength and shows no sign of having been through life saving surgery.

He may have to be on a long term heart medication, but at present, he is not and is doing well.

Patches is still with Laura and family, and will continue to remain in her care until he has been signed off from the cardiology team.

Isn’t it truly amazing what our vets are capable of?

Happy Valentine’s Day

Patches could only undergo this surgery because of the generosity of your donations. He, and many others rely on those funds for life saving treatments, and we would like to thank all of our fundraisers and donators. If you would like to donate to help more dogs like Patch please click below

12/02/23

As many of you are aware, the 7th March marks the 1st anniversary of Maxine Lower’s passing. For those of you that are new followers to us, Maxine was in charge of fundraising here at Spaniel Aid UK, along with her sidekick Sir Rumpole Springs – Master of Mischief and King of the Jammie Dodgers- and she had the amazing knack of turning wacky ideas into fantastic fundraising events.

One of those wacky ideas was the ‘5 biscuit challenge’ which she organised back in 2021. (Which was an epic fail here at the madhouse ). So in memory of Maxine, we would like to re-visit the challenge and raise some funds. The challenge will run from 25th February till the 5th March, this will then be followed by a ‘Jammie Dodger’ raffle which will run from 6th March till 10th March.

More details to follow. #lowerslegacy

Haven’t done one of these “ranting” posts for a while but need to some how try to get people to see how difficult rescue is at present. This month (bearing in mind its only the 18th) we have had 78 owner surrender requests. That is over 4 dogs a day at one small breed specific rescue. In general the main reason that these dogs are being surrendered is due to bite histories. Not bad ones some of them. A call today about a bite, one bite after the dog was sick. Could she possibly feel a bit rubbish and be trying to tell you something?? No she has bitten so she has to go ! The worst bit is they are mainly young ( a 7 month old cocker yesterday saved at the 11th hour from pts being one of the young ones) Unless things magically fall in to place we have no where to put these dogs. No where. No more experienced fosterers free. No kennel spaces free. So what happens to these dogs we cant take? In brutal terms they die. They are put to sleep as there is no where else for them to go. Oh no a vet will never pts a healthy dog I hear you cry. Don’t bet on it , of course they do. What else are they to do ? At the same time as all these young dogs with issues at risk of pts what else do we see daily? Litters being bred all over facebook. My furbaby wants to be a mum. She is so pretty I must have a pup from her. My dog is being put to stud. And on and on it goes. One of our questions on the surrender form is do you have a return to breeder contract. Hardly any of them them do! And the ones that do the owners don’t want the dog returned there as it was a horrible place like a puppy farm. Well why did you give them your money then? They are bred, paid for and forgotten as soon as the money is spent. Behaviourists are booked up for weeks into the future trying to deal with issues. The worst thing is that in the right homes, the right experienced homes these are all things that could be avoided. Its a mess. A horrible upsetting mess. We used to have a pretty good chance of picking up the pieces and took most dogs we were asked to take. But not any more. There is just no room Its relentless. It makes us all want to stop but then things would be even worse. I honestly think anyone thinking of breeding should come and answer a rescues phone and answer their emails for a day.

Another fundraising platform we use is Don’t Send Me A Card. If you are planning on sending virtual cards this is worth a visit. Each purchase we receive a donation

https://www.dontsendmeacard.com/…/charities/spaniel-aid-uk

On Tuesday we said goodbye to another member of our Long Term Foster dogs, Huw.

Huw came into the care of Spaniel Aid in May 2020, after his family were unable to care for him. He became a Ltf in August 2020, due to his health issues. Huw had cancers of the Stomach Lining and Bone Marrow. He had chemo treatment and although the Huw’s cancers had no cure, he went into remission in November last year. Huw’s foster mum called him him ‘The bravest little springer spaniel’. He had many visits to the vets and during Covid restrictions, his little fur sister, Mêl went with him to keep him company and support him. Huw was also a brilliant foster brother teaching Mêl the joy of carrying toys, Huw loved to carry a little toy frequently sleeping with his little treasured monkey (he’s holding it in the photo).After collapsing at home on Monday, he was taken to the vets, where his health deteriorated. Huw crossed the over the rainbow bridge Tuesday afternoon, with his lovely foster mum cuddling him.

03rd December 2021

Morning time to vote again please each email address can vote once a week

https://mygivingcircle.org/spaniel-aid-uk…

02nd December 2021

No more biters we said.

No room.

No spare fosters with enough experience.

Then you hear of a 10 month old working cocker that is on his 4th home in his young life. Even worse his first instinct on meeting anyone and being handled is to bite. He had been in his last home for one night when he bit and attacked the elderly resident dog so he was shut in the shed. The person that sold him to this last owner failed to mention he had any issues. Last owner knew he had made a mistake and bless him for contacting us and not just passing this boy on again.

So just to recap –

10 months old – still a pup really

Serious bite history 4 homes already

Shut in a shed Skinny and stank of urine

Safe to say this boy has had a pretty raw deal so far eh? So I begged and of course Maxine at the farm squeezed him in. He is now in doggy boot camp where he will learn to behave but through love and care and mutual trust. How are dogs getting in this state in just 10 months?

Welcome to Spaniel Aid little man xx

02nd December 2021

We have been asked to help this boy for Yappy Ever After Rescue. Unfortunately we have no space so are sharing in the hope that he can find a spaniel savvy home asap . Applications via Yappy please Lots of you may remember Chase who came to us last year due to snapping at the children he lived with. Since then it’s been a rollercoaster ride for Chase (and us) and he is once more back in kennels. In brief, Chase went into foster originally but came back to us due to issues with one of the dogs in the home. Chase wasn’t involved but because of the added stress with his own issues his foster felt it was to much to cope with and needed to, understandably, concentrate on her own dogs. Chase was there many weeks and his foster mum was snapped at/bitten several times, predominantly around food. He spent a lot of time in kennels and then we found a couple of short-stay homes for him who sent him back because he had either snapped or looked like he was going to so they felt uncomfortable around him. Chase went back to kennels. He then went into in foster for four weeks and was 99% perfect. He is affectionate, obedient, fully housetrained, can be left with no problems and most of the time he is just like any other dog but he still occasionally snaps/bites if he feels threatened in any way. This can be mostly managed by feeding him outside and giving him no treats by hand. Chase is great with other dogs and fine with cats. He cannot go with children and if you have visiting children you must have the means to totally separate him at all times. He would be best suited to an active home and really needs some who will take on board his anxieties and manage them appropriately, sensibly and calmly. Sometimes we cannot fix, so we have to manage and live with what we can’t. We know that person is out there, we just desperately need to find them and this poor little boy can finally settle down for good. A rural home, with lots of space and a big garden would be ideal for Chase. But more than that, he just needs someone to stick with him through thick and thin. The latest couple to adopt him promised all the above but sent him back after he nipped one of them as she was massaging between his paws – one of the most sensitive areas on a dog. We are at a loss to know what to do for Chase. We almost hoped he had a medical condition that made him unpredictable at times, but all blood tests (including thyroid) came back normal. Chase seems to be perfectly happy in kennels and the staff have never seen any negative behaviour at all from him, even around his food, so we know there is a solution out there for him. I have lost count of the people who said they would stick with him no matter what and none of them have. We know that person is out there….somewhere. Chase can’t spend the rest of his life in kennels. But he also can’t spend his life going from home to home because this will start to affect him psychologically more and more. If you are interested in Chase, please fill in an application form at yappyeverafter.org.uk An experience of reactive dogs is essential and please don’t apply for Chase unless you are prepared to be bitten at some point! https://www.cognitoforms.com/…/applicationtofosteradopt…

25th November 2021

Lovely update from one of our fantastic fosterers

Tomorrow is Lola the showgirl’s 1 year gotcha day. For those of you that are new to SA Lola is a long term foster she arrived at ten years old dumped from a puppy farm with cancer and a heart murmur. She was the 3rd out of 4 dogs we have fostered from Spaniel Aid.For the people that know us at SA you know we love an oldie. Ol’ wally dog was our first foster (at 13) who we were lucky enough to have for 15 months before he crossed the rainbow bridge. Millie was with us for 4 weeks before she crossed the bridge with a tumour. Our 4th the gorgeous Gatsby was successfully adopted only a couple of months ago.

I have loved all those dogs with every inch of my heart but Lola has stolen it. She came with very few manners and with little house training. However she is a cuddle monster and a charmer of all that meet her. Above all she is dedicated to me and I am dedicated to her. I cannot explain how much we love her and how lucky we feel that she found us. As always I want to thank Spaniel Aid from the bottom of my heart the last coming on 3 years. They have been amazing but to love Lola and to give her her home until the end is one of the greatest pleasures of my life.

Happy Gotcha day Eve Lola the Show Girl you have got us to the end

24th November 2021

We have a wish list of items for foster dogs and items that are needed to post items. Please take a look, we gift a blanket, toy and treats to all our foster and long term foster dogs at Christmas, which we couldn’t do without your help

https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/1B7J91JXQIFN7?ref_=wl_share&fbclid=IwAR11Z1iSoDQo85-_mcPFEhs7k2qK7bUpgR9ZxZplunrv549m79gr3d4SNEs

Another successful transport – a fosterer for Audrey was found at 8pm yesterday evening and by 3pm today and 175 miles later she was safely home with her fosterer thanks to our volunteer transporters. Audrey was a stray, clearly been dumped from a breeder, obvious she has been pupped multiple times. She arrived at another rescue who attended to her immediate needs – she had a skin infection and mammary lumps, both sorted – but she was not thriving and very fearful in their kennel environment so they asked if we could find her a fosterer. Happy days ahead Audrey

15th November 2021

Farewell to long term foster Bonnie . Thank you to her wonderful foster family for caring for her so well. Run free gorgeous girl Today we said farewell to our beautiful LTF Bonnie. She came to us in an awful state 7kg overweight aged 14 riddled with fleas and emotionally flat. Within weeks she had a stroke and then a fit and we thought she would not see Christmas. We were so wrong, she lost the weight had no ill affects from her stroke other than a head tilt, regained her wag and found her voice. She has been a joy to foster, and passed very gently today after a weekend of rapid decline, she was 16 and 9 months and 1 week. And the chap at Kings hill crematorium said she had the biggest feet he had ever seen on a springer . She was only a little dog,but she left a huge hole in our hearts

29th October 2021

This beautiful girl joined us yesterday. She had found herself as a stray , most likely dumped , and has done her time in stray kennels. She is 12 years old and if not totally blind has very poor vision . Even after 6 years of spaniel aid taking in dogs like this there are still tears at her treatment and anger that a human being can be so so cruel. You are safe now darling girl . Welcome to Spaniel Aid Pip

24th October 2021

With Christmas and puppies looming Please take a look at our wish list. We are starting to get the gifts together for our long term foster dogs, we have about 60 dogs in long term care. We have also had a lot of dogs arrive with nothing lately which has lowered our stocks of essentials.If you are able to purchase any of the items we really are grateful and your donations make such a difference.

Thank you

https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/1B7J91JXQIFN7?ref_=wl_share

23rd October 2021

Spaniel Aid Christmas Cards are available to purchase and our calendars are available for pre order (arriving shortly) Please visit our website https://spanielaid.co.uk/product/christmas-cards/

22nd October 2021

The face of an ex puppy farm girl used for breeding who has just been adopted by her foster mum . Lucky lucky Rose

PLEASE DO NOT APPLY. THEY WILL NOT BE UP FOR ADOPTION FOR A GOOD WHILE YET . THANK YOU

21st Ocotber 2021

Please meet Hollie and Ivy, as we have called them. These 2 arrived with us via a third party from a home ( I use that word very loosely!) These girls are just over 1 year old, 14 months. They have both already had a litter and one of them is currently in pup with about 4 pups due in about a week. 2 litters already We have no idea who the Dad is but are praying its another Cav and nothing bigger. Both girls have ear infections. They have passports from Czech Republic so have been imported from who knows what kind of awful place. I think its pretty clear these girls have had a pretty awful life so far, used and abused for pure greed and our hearts are breaking for them. I am really struggling to write this because if I write the words that are in my head I think fb will delete the post or worse! Ivy will have her puppies then she will be spayed like her sister and they will be looking for new homes . Welcome to your new life girls.

18th October 2021

We have several dogs waiting to come into foster . If you would be interested in fostering any of these dogs or dogs in general then please fill out a foster application form on the website or via the link below . We need experienced fosterers please and dog free ones would be fab Male 8 year old liver and white springer – No kids cats or other dogs – no bite history but issues Female 7 yr old blue roan show cocker – No kids cats or other dogs – no bite history but issues Female 5 yr old golden show/working cocker – No kids cats or other dogs – has a bite history Male 14 month old choc working cocker – No kids cats or other dogs – has a bite history https://spanielaid.co.uk/foster-application-form/

15th October 2021

Bit of Friday puppy spam?? Meg

15th October 2021

Being part of our rehoming team can sometimes be very challenging for certain dogs. We work with our foster team and relinquish team notes to make sure that we do our very best to not set our dogs up to fail.Sadly our young Sprollie Juno was adopted twice, both times with dogs that would not put her in her place, so she was returned. Both times we also learnt more about her, made more notes and we try again! Even though as a team we are always very sad when this happens. Juno was on our website for many months, we knew what she needed and spoke to many homes before we finally came off the phone joyous one day saying – YES I think this maybe the one ! Well she has certainly landed on her feet with Caroline, we knew she needed rural, and lots of space and is now living on a farm with acres of space with one owner who has lots of time and patience and she is absolutely thriving. She is loving her weekly Scent training classes and has even been out for some social lunches! We as a team which includes her fab foster Alison are delighted We say time and time again, we will never give up on a dog, it only takes one perfect application, some just take longer than others.

13th October 2021

Yesterday we said goodbye to another member of our Lft Foster family Molly, as she crossed over the rainbow bridge. Molly came into the care of Spaniel Aid in January 2019, after her owner had a change in living circumstances and was unable to keep her. After a few weeks in foster, Molly then joined her Ltf family in the March of 2019. She had a wonderful life there and was very much loved. Her Ltf mum said, Molly was one in a million. Fly high Molly

11th October 2021

We have to introduce you to this little girl. New foster girl Meg has come into foster at aged 3 weeks to be hand reared as her mum sadly died from complications after birth. She will (maybe) be looking for her new home in a few weeks time when she is about 9 weeks as long as she keeps doing well. For now just enjoy the puppy pics She is not available to adopt or reserve so pls no calls pms or emails

10th October 2021

Yesterday we said goodbye to another member of our Ltf family, Tom. He was 13 yrs old. Tom came into the care of Spaniel Aid, along with his sister Pip in December last year after a change in family circumstances.Tom loved being outside with his foster dad and followed him everywhere .. He also built up quite a fan club in his local village. In September, Tom had a dental done, where the vet removed 9 teeth, did that get him down- nope not one little bit. Once home, he ran straight inside and sat by the fridge, waiting for his tea. 3 days later he entered a local dog show, where he came 1st in the Best rescue class, 4th in Veteran over 10 yrs class and totally won the judge’s over by winning ‘Best in Show’. Tom is now reunited with his sister Pip, over the rainbow bridge . Fly high Tom. Our thoughts are with his wonderful foster parents, Lesley & Laurie.

06th October 2021

The Farm is a sad place today we have lost one of our family. Old MacDonald has crossed the rainbow bridge and will be joining Sir Rumpole to continue their mischief.Mac was originally a foster with me and was adopted to Brian who was fantastic with him although sadly Brian lost his life and the Farm stepped in and welcomed Mac back as a long term foster. 2 1/2 years ago he started his life with the gang. Mac was a grumpy, biting cocker that didn’t like being touched but we loved him for who he was and all the gang learnt just to give him a wide birth !! Yesterday his little man boob was growing and his dementia had progressed , and we also believe his organs were failing so it was time before he suffered and he was still happy.Rip little man we miss you and you have left a huge hole 06/06/07 – 05/10/2021

04th October 2021

We have found our that yet again, our page has been cloned. Just to make you aware we DO NOT ask for deposits for dogs and we do not communicate via WhatsApp. We will be reporting this, if anyone else has contacted these people, please let us know. Thank you.

04th October

We are once again looking for very experienced fosterers due to being asked to take more and more dogs with issues. You need to have experience of Resource guarding Reactivity Aggression Dog free fosterers are also needed desperately

Please note this is not for those wishing to jump the adoption queue but for people who have experience and genuinely want to help. We have plenty of fosterers for easy no issue dogs Thank you https://spanielaid.co.uk/foster-application-form/

Look who is looking a whole lot better . Esme

01st October 2021

Ltf Saskia.

This evening we said goodbye to the first ever, long term foster Spaniel Aid dog, Saskia. She came into the care of Spaniel Aid, in March 2017 at the age of 10 years old. On her vet check up, her foster family were told that she had some suspicious lumps around her mammary glads. These were removed and results showed they were cancerous, further x rays showed shadow’s on her lungs. Saskia was thought to only have weeks/months, but she surprised everyone and lived 4 happy, fun filled years with her wonderful foster family. She did however, occasionally keep us very much on our toes, but always bounced back to her normal happy self within weeks. Saskia has been described as ‘bomb proof’ and a ‘cat dog’ with 9 lives. She was very much loved by her foster family, who took excellent care of her and gave her a wonderful life. Fly high Saskia . Our thoughts are with her foster family.

08th September 2021

We have reached a huge milestone today……Six years and many grey hairs later…..Please welcome Duke, SAUK dog number 2500!!Thank you for all your support, allowing us to do what we do x

07th April 2021

DATE CHANGE: 01st May 2021

Not long until our 8 jumpers skydive to raise money for the ever increasing vet bills for our gorgeous spaniels. Events like this really help us. Please read Cookies story below:

Did you know that Spaniel Aid have monthly vet bills and that, on average, these are an astonishing £15,000!

Just one of our spaniels who has benefited from your kind donations is Cookie. This is Cookie’s story.Cookie was relinquished to Spaniel Aid in June 2020 aged 7. The moment we saw her we could see she was a super gentle spaniel, so easy going and just desperate for love and attention. Sadly it was immediately apparent she had large mammary tumours, among other things.

As is standard with all new relinquished dogs we took Cookie to the vets for her provisional check up and to raise our concerns regarding these lumps. The vet confirmed she was riddled with mammary tumours and there was hope if we acted quickly and they hadn’t spread. She was booked in for her first operation one week later. She was x-rayed and thankfully there was no disease spread so a full mammary strip was performed on the worse side along with a spay. The operation was extremely invasive and she was in theatre for almost 3 hours. She stayed in for three days as she struggled to come round from the operation. She then came home for some gentle tlc. She soon recovered and six weeks later she was jumping into streams, chasing bird and truly enjoying life. Our vet recommended leaving further surgery for six months to give her chance to fully heal. Last month she endured the same operation, but this time on the left side. Amazingly she has bounced back and is now tumour free and full of life and has many years of love and fun ahead of her. Cookie’s vet bill totaled £4922

Cookie will stay with her foster family forever now due to recurrent ear infections and suspected bronchitis. She is loved beyond measure and will want for nothing. However she will need future veterinary care and SAUK will continue to fund these costs. As with all things in life, decisions can be restricted by finances. Thanks to your continued financial support Cookie has been given a second chance to live and enjoy her life to the full. We want to be able to continue to fund essential veterinary care to these wonderful dogs, so If you can help, no matter how small, please either follow the link below. Thank you, love & woofs from Cookie

Please if you can donate we would be very grateful and we will of course be sharing our photos.

06th April 2021

From Mon 12th April, following the further easing of lockdown, the one hour rule will no longer apply and you are welcome to apply for any dog which you are prepared to travel to twice.Thank you for your understanding in the past month

01st April 2021

Heartbreakingly we have had to say goodbye to Stimpy this afternoon. His previous back issue meant he could barely walk, he could not sit just lay down and he couldn’t go to the toilet without covering himself in his own mess. He had shown little interest in food or going outside to lay in the sun. He was shut down and had genuinely given up . I can’t bear to think how long he has been like this . His brother Ren has issues that hopefully we can resolve enough to give him a good quality of life. Sadly Stimpy was never going to improve. Thank you to foster mum Kate for taking him in his final journey and to the vets who were kind enough to allow Kate to be with him at the end and for Ren to say goodbye. It’s not supposed to be like this! All we want to do is give dogs like this a happy ever after no matter for how long. Sleep well Stimpy. You were with us for far too short a time but you were loved

31st March 2021

Some days there are no words Some days all there are is tears Ren and Stimpy joined us yesterday. Aged 10 plus Horrific skin condition Horrific teeth

Ear infection

Eye infection

Old spinal injury

Heart murmur

Possible testicle tumour

Body score of 3

They are on steroids, pain relief and treatment for fleas and dermatitis. Time will tell if these boys will be getting a few months of happy ever after

Did you know that Spaniel Aid have monthly vet bills and that, on average, these are an astonishing £15,000! Just one of our spaniels who has benefited from your kind donations is Cookie.

This is Cookie’s story.Cookie was relinquished to Spaniel Aid in June 2020 aged 7. The moment we saw her we could see she was a super gentle spaniel, so easy going and just desperate for love and attention. Sadly it was immediately apparent she had large mammary tumours, among other things.As is standard with all new relinquished dogs we took Cookie to the vets for her provisional check up and to raise our concerns regarding these lumps. The vet confirmed she was riddled with mammary tumours and there was hope if we acted quickly and they hadn’t spread. She was booked in for her first operation one week later. She was x-rayed and thankfully there was no disease spread so a full mammary strip was performed on the worse side along with a spay. The operation was extremely invasive and she was in theatre for almost 3 hours. She stayed in for three days as she struggled to come round from the operation. She then came home for some gentle tlc. She soon recovered and six weeks later she was jumping into streams, chasing bird and truly enjoying life. Our vet recommended leaving further surgery for six months to give her chance to fully heal. Last month she endured the same operation, but this time on the left side. Amazingly she has bounced back and is now tumour free and full of life and has many years of love and fun ahead of her. Cookie’s vet bill totaled £4922Cookie will stay with her foster family forever now due to recurrent ear infections and suspected bronchitis. She is loved beyond measure and will want for nothing. However she will need future veterinary care and SAUK will continue to fund these costs. As with all things in life, decisions can be restricted by finances. Thanks to your continued financial support Cookie has been given a second chance to live and enjoy her life to the full. We want to be able to continue to fund essential veterinary care to these wonderful dogs, so If you can help, no matter how small, please either follow the donate link on our website or our just giving campaign. Thank you, love & woofs from Cookie

REHOMING

We have decided to commence with rehoming from 01st March. We have over 40 dogs ready to find new homes and another 15 on top of that who have arrived within the last week or so and are currently being assessed. This decision has not been taken lightly but under animal welfare grounds as these dogs really need to get settled in their forever homes and also we need the space now to help other dogs.

This is going to be a very busy time so we need to set some ground rules.

The only way to apply for a dog is by filling in an application form on the website. This stands even if you have filled one in for a dog in the past as these have all been archived. If you wish to apply for more than one dog then you need to fill in a form for each dog

We will not be answering calls or emails or messages declaring your interest or asking how to apply etc. You need to fill in a form

You must read the write up of the dog and make sure your circumstances match the write up of the dog .

No cats means no cats. No kids means no kids under the age stated. Not ok as an only dog means the dog will not be rehomed to a dog free home.

If the dog needs an outside kennel based home then don’t apply if you don’t have one etc

We do not rehome to families with kids under 5

We do not rehome to homes where the dog will be left for more than 4 hours per day

We will only be rehoming to within an hour ish of where the dog is located in foster. We can’t justify any longer journeys in the current climate

Dogs will be posted on this page and the website from next Monday (08th March) and calls will be made as soon as we get round to them with meet and greets to start outside from March 8th. Homechecks will be carried out in the garden with a good snoop through the windows. At all times meet and greets and homechecks will follow social distancing. Some dogs with issues such as guarding or with a bite history will need more than one meet and greet.

Our adoption fees are as follows:

Up to 1 year £400

1 to 4 years £350

5 to 8 years £300

9 to 11 years £200

Over 11 years compulsory donation of your choice

All our dogs are vet checked, wormed, flead, vaccinated and neutered where possible. We are going to be inundated with applications meaning numerous people are going to miss out on their chosen dog.

For this we are sorry but please remember we are not here to find you a dog . We are here to find our dogs homes. The 2 are very different.

RFA Security – Explosive Detection Dogs

Meet Explosives Detection Dog Finlay, RFA’s latest recruit. Finlay is a rescue dog from the Spaniel aid charity trained at CASEC UK. Age – 27 months Favourite toy – Tennis ball Hobbies – Hunting for his ball Past time – Dreaming about his ball

Following on from our successful online talk on reactivity, we are proud to announce another on resource guarding. This time the speaker is our own behaviourist Karen. We would love you to join us. Book via the link below. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/…/sauk-seminar-series

The ups and downs of rescue post 2 This is Dexter a 2 1/2 year old sprocker who we rehomed in November. Dexter came back into our care on Saturday due to biting “with no warning” and his owners not wanting behaviour or any other help . He just had to be out and collected. Dexter didn’t want to go for a walk that day – a warning Dexter had a sore on his leg he kept licking – a warning Dexter was growling in his bed – a warning Dexter in fact gave several warnings all of which were ignored so he took the only action left to him and used his teeth. He has been to the vets and he has an infection and sores where his harness has rubbed. He has antibiotics and pain relief and is already much much happier. We will do better for you next time Dexter. Someone who has the compassion not to give up a dog that at best is feeling under the weather and at worst is in pain Welcome back boy

The ups and downs of daily rescue post one. This is Monty a 10 month old springer who joined us after being returned to his breeder due to being too much for his new family. On arrival it was immediately obvious that this well bred lad needed a job. Thank you to foster mum Lucinda for putting him through his paces. We wish him all the luck in the world as he joins British Transport Police today as a trainee sniffer dog. Smash it Monty

SPONSOR BENTLEY

Bentley’s information and story

Please meet Delilah who has arrived with us via the fabulous Swale Borough Council Dog Wardens. They found this girl dumped in a dreadful condition a couple of days ago. Broken teeth. Ear infection. Urine stained. Still producing milk from the last of her many litters. Prolapsed womb. She is estimated to be between 3 and 5 and has been nothing more than a breeding machine who was then dumped after her last litter. If you have brought a puppy recently and didn’t see Mum then it will be from Delilah or one of the many others like her. It is pure greed and selfishness. People who buy these puppies are as nearly as bad as those who breed them. If there was no demand there would be no supply. Talking to a vet recently she said she felt it was a bad time to be a dog. And she is spot on! Hundreds of dogs in the wrong home . Lockdown puppies with no socialization being left all day when owners return to work. Dogs being stolen by the dozen . People paying thousands for puppies that are then sold on for more money. Puppies having had several homes before they are a few months old. It is just horrendous. But all we can deal with at the moment is Delilah who has just spent her first night in a comfy bed and has even done her first “springer sprawl” She has a lot of life left and she will live it as a loved pet not a breeding machine Welcome Delilah If you would like to donate please either follow the donate link on our website or our justgiving page https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/FroomeyandFriends alternatively our PayPal spanielaidfund@gmail.com thank you

Well worth sharing, so often our dogs are misunderstood and we owe it to them to learn how they communicate

One of our supporters, Sid, has put paw and pen to paper and written a lovely poem. What a talented dog, thank you Sid! x SPANIEL AID. When Spaniels are in trouble, through no fault of their own. There’s always help not far away, so please pick up your phone. Some owners have sad stories, and others spin a yarn. If a Spaniel needs extra work, may end up on the Farm! Those Spaniels have sad tales, and now just live the dream. With lots of space to run around, and to be cared for by Maxine! .Although I’m not a Spaniel aid dog, I did need a need home. Spaniel aid is there to help, so just pick up your phone.

These 2 boys came into foster over New Year after their owner very sadly passed away on Boxing Day. They have today been adopted by their foster family so are Friday Failed Fosters Well done Teddy and Reggie . Be very happy x

While we are unable to rehome we are having a massive paperwork catch up and one of the things we are getting up to date is Gift Aid. If you have made any donation over the past 4 years and you are a UK taxpayer can you please please fill in this online gift aid form. It will take 2 seconds and we can then claim back 25% of your donation from the government Thank you https://spanielaid.co.uk/gift-aid/

We very sadly lost one of our long term foster girls to old age and illness yesterday. Fern came to us in early 2017 and went in to long term foster due to her numerous medical issues mainly with her front legs. I really cant put it in better words than her long term foster mum Dawn. Sleep well Fern Fern the original “wonky girl” Unfortunately went to sleep yesterday. She had suffered so much in her little life. Then she was surrendered to Spaniel Aid They supported her and stood by us through thick and thin. She was oh so very ill through her SA life. Pimetreosis ,massive operation after , one involving 25 staples, MRSA and numerous acupuncture sessions. Spaniel Aid stood by us day by day hour by hour sometimes. I cannot thank you enough for all your help, with this wonderful, special, little old wonky girl. She broke every rule we have ever had for all our other dogs . You know the ones … no dogs in the bedroom… oh ok in the bedroom is ok as long as it’s not on the bed… oh in the bed with us is sort of acceptable.. would you like to share my pillow. … oh I’ve got to get up you just stay there and I will come and get you when breakfast is ready …. little monkey …We miss her terribly already and life has a spaniel shaped hole. Rest in peace my darling, chase those pesky rabbits eat them if you catch em cos no one there will ever tell you no anymore xxx You really was a special Spanna Oh so happy ,against all odds . We spoilt her as no other dog has ever been spoilt … quite frankly she deserved it. I hand fed her when she was too ill to get out of bed I carried her and held her up to be able to go to the loo when recovering from her many operations. She had a wonderful life and lots of lovely warm baths on cold days Hydrotherapy when legs were getting wonky . Toddles ,not walks, mainly to 500 yard wood in the end . Ball games and scent work where ever we could. My faithful under gardener you will indeed be sorely missed. I can quite happy tell you she would of failed the 5 biscuit challenge but wouldn’t of eaten them just taken them and “buried” then for later on the hardwood floor in the corner of the front room. . In plain sight to us but obviously, failing Spanna eyesight thought this was a perfect place. If you worry ever about surrendering a loved dog Don’t They matched us perfect A dog with wonky legs and SA to a lady with MS and poorly legs herself who was nearly always at home .Just really wish I had taken a picture of us both on my mobility scooter lol. Run free darling ,cos you legs will be better up there . xxx

06th January 2021

Yesterday and Today were going to be the days we posted the 30 odd dogs that are ready to look for new homes. Sadly due to covid lockdown restrictions rehoming has had to be put on hold. We cant do meet and greets nor homechecks. We can however still take dogs in under charity and animal welfare concerns so are open for relinquishments if they are deemed urgent. Thank you to each and every foster home who have without fail stepped up to keep their foster dogs for then next few weeks. Hopefully it won’t be too long before we can get some fab new homes for our dogs Stay safe everyone x

We currently have 60 Ltf’s in the care of Spaniel Aid and thanks to your kind donation’s we are able to meet all of their needs and cover their veterinary costs. Over the past few months, with your support in joining in the fundraiser’s that had been run, alongside your very kind donations, we have been able meet the needs and veterinary costs for this ltf, Lady Clementine. So for the last time this year, please share in the story and journey of Lady Clementine, as told by her wonderful foster mum……. Clementine joined our pack in May 2020 as foster number 16. The pound suggested she’d need cataract operations & feeding up… Her life (& ours) changed within hours of picking her up. It was obvious she was in a very poor way. Painfully underweight, she was skeletal, incontinent & completely blind. She was rushed to the vet that afternoon & was immediately diagnosed with severe diabetes, inoperable cataracts (which were due to untreated diabetes & had left her completely blind) & a UTI. Her inflamed teats were congealed with old black sticky milk & deformed with years of overuse as a puppy machine. Urine stained all over with her hind legs’ skin being burned by her incontinence from the UTI. Made all the more heartbreaking as throughout all the medical tests she has been happy, loving, & despite her previous life, still trusting of humans. Shameful. Blindness hadn’t slowed her down one iota – she careers around the house with the other dogs & enjoys the doorbell mayhem. She has learned the number of stairs & merrily bounds up & down them. Clementine’s confidence has grown enough to enjoy typical spaniel “zoomies” and she jumps like Tigger around a small safe flat patch of grass. Tennis balls are her favourite & she loves carrying them around all day. Her nose is an incredible apple scrumping device which sadly for her, we have to remove – fruit is “verboten” with her diabetes. We regularly test her blood sugars and wee samples each day & she gets insulin injections twice a day alongside a strict calorie controlled diet. Treats are very limited but dried sprats are a favourite.Clementine shares her life with two other springers, 3 cats and a parrot. All have welcomed her, but none so much as Smokey the cat. Smokey has always wanted a dog of her own… they walk along together, Clem’s face gently touching Smokey’s side for her safety. They curl up together, are joined at the hip, and yes, occasionally a swift claw-free bop to the nose for Clem if she oversteps her mark. A funny pair.A rollercoaster ride doesn’t even come close. We thought we were seasoned fosterers, but she has tested us! Sleepless hypo-filled nights, teary vet trips & watching her health recently plummet thanks to her pesky hormones have all added to the fostering experience. Would I change it? Nope. Seeing a broken little 9kg scrap of a dog blossom into this glossy, bright, cheeky spaniel has been an absolute privilege. A journey that wouldn’t have been possible without your donations to cover her monthly vet bills. Our brilliant vets Graham & David have poured their hearts into Clem’s care – going above & beyond.

Thursday 24th December

Lady Clementine Well, what a year 2020 has been! Lady Clementine staggered into our lives in May this year. Handed into the dog warden (who chose her beautiful name); she was a bundle of skin and bones. A urine-stinking, scrap of a dog. The idea was immediate sight-giving surgery for both eyes and lots of good food. Easy job. Err maybe not… Clementine was diagnosed within hours of arrival with diabetes, inoperable blindness due to the untreated diabetes, eye & skin infections and a severe UTI. Quite a to-do list.Now I’d like to think I’m a seasoned fosterer, with Clementine being our 16th, but I won’t lie – it’s been one heck of a rollercoaster with plenty of stressful, teary calls to Admin and scary midnight diabetic hypo moments. But Clementine is one extraordinary dog. Slowly but surely her health improved. She is responding to the insulin again after a worrying blip & despite her weight yoyo-ing, she is up by 5 kg with a few more to go. She bounds around the garden doing mini zoomies and clatters up & down the stairs. Clem enjoys cuddles with any of her pack – human, cat or dog. But best buddy is Smokey the cat, they adore each other and can be found cuddled up or walking around the garden together with Smokey carefully leading the way…Thanks to our fab vets Graham, David and team and of course to SAUK for the ongoing financial care, Clementine is on track to a happy, healthy life!

Our penultimate advent star

Wednesday 23rd December

In May 2020, Spaniel Aid received an urgent call for Rosie, a nine-year-old Springer x Collie. Rosie’s entire world had been turned upside down when her elderly owner, who spent her life doting upon her, sadly developed dementia resulting in occasions of Rosie being mishandled, particularly with her lead. When Rosie first arrived, she was absolutely petrified. She spent the first day glued to the front door and held her bladder for over 14 hours despite numerous tactics to encourage her into the garden. For the first few days she hid in her crate, confused and overwhelmed with her new environment. However, with time, she soon began to realise that I wasn’t going to hurt her, spending more time sleeping at my feet, expressing her love for a game of fetch and the smile on her face just got bigger and bigger. Playing games helped to desensitise her fear of the lead and after 7 days as her trust in me blossomed, we decided to venture out on our first walk. As her confidence in the outside world grew, so did the length of adventures we could do. She no longer froze in panic at a siren or barking dog in the distance, but instead would happily sniff and bumble through the long grass. In the time we had together in foster, Rosie gave me a true insight into a dogs amazing ability to forgive and I was so happy that in return, I could give her a 2nd chance at the happily ever after she so deserved.*Seen a few people asking, Rosie found a new home from her fosterer with a lovely family.*

Tuesday 22nd December

In September, Spaniel Aid was asked to help a large group of Breton spaniels in Spain that had been unable to travel to be rehomed in America due to Covid. Moss, a young tri-colour Breton, had been relinquished by a hunter in Spain, had been kept in an outdoor pen and was infested with fleas when she was handed over. After 9 months in a shelter, she arrived in our home as a terrified little dog. Her body was so tense and she would not come close enough to be to touched. We didn’t take her outside the house for a few days because everything was too scary. Roll on 9 weeks and Moss is now a different dog. If you hadn’t realised already, there was no way she was going anywhere else! Moss gets so excited about walks and food now, she is picking up simple commands very quickly and, most importantly, she’s learnt to trust us enough to come for a snuggle. She is such a lovely dog, we feel so blessed to have been given the chance to change her life, from a concrete compound to a new home in the country.

Monday 21st January

Henry is a plucky little pup who was very nearly put to sleep by his breeder due to a deformity in his front legs. Thankfully, a good Samaritan contacted Spaniel Aid and he is now living with a long term foster family in the countryside while we investigate his condition. Henry has a great attitude to life and won’t let anything get him down. Although he can’t run properly he can move pretty quickly by bunny hopping on his front legs and he loves going for walks. If he could write, Henry would list his hobbies as: sock stealing; photo bombing; cardboard shredding and practicing his ‘two toys in the mouth’ trick! Henry’s condition is a bit of a mystery and despite a string of referrals, X-rays and scans, it still isn’t clear what is causing his problems. Henry’s vet practice quickly referred him to local orthopaedic specialists who had never seen anything like it before. He was then sent further afield to a Referral Centre where he has seen more specialists and had an extensive CT Scan. However, so far, all the tests have drawn a blank. In the meantime, Henry has started a course of physiotherapy to teach him how to use his front legs independently. He loves all the attention and especially loves the massages! We are not expecting a miracle cure for this adorable puppy, but our aim is to ensure that he gets the right treatment to give him the very best quality of life, and to keep that tail wagging!

Sunday 20th December

Beautiful Cody came into Spaniel Aid via a vet practice. They had been treating him when he was very poorly with pneumonia. After his recovery the vets had advised his owner that he shouldn’t go back to living in kennels. He was fostered with the vets and after two re-homing attempts where he was returned for boisterous behaviour, we were contacted and Cody was signed over to Spaniel Aid to work their magic. Upon collecting Cody, I was told he was a handful. We went straight out for a walk so he could meet the rest of the gang and like a little angel he walked to heel calmly next to me. I sent the admin team a video and we all thought I must have collected the wrong dog! However, fast forward a few hours and his true colours came through and he zoomed laps around my house all evening (literally!!) Such a nutter! He became best friends with my FF Teddy wrestling like lunatics and (painfully) nipped my thighs to encourage me to join in. Just a puppy in a big springer body! After a lot of exercise and some training, he learnt boundaries and how to chill out in the house. His favourite position trying to curl around my neck like a cat! Cody went on to be adopted by a wonderful couple who stay in touch with lovely updates. Frequently getting photos of him gun dog training, surfing waves at the beach, riding in boats and jumping straw bales. This photo is Cody with his adoptive dad…we love a happy ending!

Saturday 19th December.

Say hello to Beca, a 2 year old Cocker Spaniel who was relinquished to Spaniel Aid as a serial guarder and hater of all visitors who dared to cross the threshold of her home! Apparently not too keen on meeting other dogs, nor anything on wheels that moved too swiftly for her liking. Oh and she doesn’t like being groomed thank you very much! Yes she she was all of these things rolled up into a very chubby bundle of fur. So she needed some rules, boundaries and a little understanding. But there were lots of lovely traits in there too. Alas, the bad just seemed to overcome the good. We let her settle in her own time, didn’t push her too much and allowed her to be herself. Once she started to find her way, her cheeky personality began to shine through. She loved our company and we enjoyed the enthusiastic welcomes she gave. Beca taught us to accept her as she was, not to change her, but to manage the unacceptable elements carefully. We found the perfect forever home for her and we think about her often. She’s even had half a groom so far and she looks just perfect! Still a work in progress but we’re confident she will continue to flourish.

So the day has arrived that we start to wind down for Christmas. As much as we can with 110 dogs in foster. Most are long term foster dogs but at least 40 plus will be looking for new homes come January. We will of course be here for emergencies via email or pm to this page but we wont be answering general enquiries, the majority of which are answered on the website spanielaid.co.uk. Talking of January what are we to expect from 2021? Hopefully things will start to look up but we feel that come mid next year we are going to find ourselves very busy when the lock down puppies reach maturity! Next year will (we hope) also be the year when we find premises. We did offer on a property this year but were unsuccessful. The right one will come up. As always we take this opportunity to thank you all for the amazing support . It still genuinely amazes us the support we receive from comments on here to donations that flood in monthly. Thank you really seems insufficient. Huge thanks to our volunteers from homecheckers to transporters but especially our fosterers who will care for these dogs over Christmas like they are their own .

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE

From all the Trustees and Admin

Friday 18th December

I fostered Ted then adopted him in January 2020. He is deaf and had continuous ear infections. He was understandably nervous and unpredictable. I was nervous too! Though, I knew from the off, he was a good and kind dog. Ted didn’t like the vets, he had to be carried in, growling at everyone and looking for a fight in the waiting room. We saw head vet Kath every time and slowly he began to trust her and know the vets is a safe place for him. It’s been slow but steady progress to the diagnosis of food allergies that caused ulcerated ear canal, burst eardrum, 2 other types of ear infections. Ted is a patient with a dermatologist now and has been pain free for 2 months. A solution to his allergies is a work in progress. Thanks to Spaniel Aid. Now he’s finding his place in the world. Less volatile, moving towards the steady peaceful dog I first saw in him. He puts his head on my knee and rolls over for a chest rub, stretches out lazily. Every morning we’re so pleased to see each other. I love him more than the world. Spaniel Aid thank you for your kind support and sharing of all that spaniel knowledge.

Thursday 17th December.

Little Bea came to the charity with a pretty poor prognosis and there was initially some doubt as to whether we would be able to help her live a comfortable life. She got off to a great start with a short term fosterer and then after assessment moved to her long term fosterer who will tell you her story…Bea travelled quietly to our home and met the family without reservation, she navigated the house timidly at first but confidence grew daily. Bea was born with a degenerative spinal condition, she was underweight and under-muscled, her skeleton did not have the support it needed, affecting the strength and range of movement of her hind limbs and she had a noticeable limp. Straight away Bea started to enjoy her new surroundings, her recall was amazing so she could enjoy off-lead time in the fields chasing the birds, her favourite pastime! Bea bonded with me quickly and became protective of me with our other spaniel and with passing dogs out on walks but this behaviour has stopped now she is feeling settled. Bea was not completely toilet trained, she would try to hold on for a walk but any trigger would prompt an accident. Sometimes she poops without knowing if she is having a deep sleep, especially at night but she is starting to bark to wake us up when she needs to go. During the day she is much more confident, she now greets most people without doing a submissive pee and will go on command. Bea goes to a rehabilitation centre weekly for water treadmill, this has been vital in her progress and she is beginning to use the limbs correctly. Bea is very lucky to have her own qualified veterinary physiotherapist in the household so evenings are spent having treatments and treats, as well as cuddles!

Wednesday 16th December

Huw I arrived here feeling very bad; poorly tummy so I didn’t want food, very itchy and I had my tennis ball making me feel safe. I felt so ill and new Mum took me straight to the vet, the next month I spent lots of time in hospital but pined for my new mum and would only eat for her. Now I feel okay with lots of toys with my cat friends and Mel the Cockerdor. Here’s my mum to tell my story: Huw arrived on 30/5/20 with horrendous bloody diarrhoea, extreme fleas, no appetite and hugely fearful. He was eventually diagnosed with cancers of the stomach lining and bone-marrow, it necessitates medication with now fortnightly blood pressure and blood tests to tweak his tablets. This little man is the bravest little English Springer, his zest for toys is unbounded often accumulating ten plus in his bed. His jaw is sore, meaning his beloved tennis balls, which he used as a comforter, have had to be replaced with smaller balls that he can hold easily. This last month, we have had the joy of Huw moving around without a ball, he is at last feeling safe. He has also made breakthroughs with meeting people, our Postman has befriended him helping us create trust of new people. Today, as I write this, is hugely poignant, I am in tears of joy. The Veterinary Consultant has rung to say that Huw is in remission from his cancers! He deserves the good life!

Slightly late in the day for today’s advent star

Tuesday 15th December

Finlay was surrendered to Spaniel Aid in August this year, we received his relinquishment details and it was 50/50 whether we could take him due to his aggression towards his owner and their resident dog. Finlay came from a lovely family although sadly with his aggression they were now scared of him. We did take him and sent him to the Farm where he had acres and acres to run. At first, he wasn’t easy and he did have a major grump just after castration (I will let him off that one). It was soon apparent that he had a high search drive and after a little scent work and some difficult ball searches, we were straight on the phone to the search company we work with. Finlay is now nearly a fully qualified search dog and has an amazing future ahead of him. Sometimes spaniels need a job they cannot just be pets, some need to work and search and not so much human interaction indoors. “The Farm” is so proud of this boy and wish him the best and will visit him soon.

Monday 14th December

Henry arrived on Sat 17th October. I was very nervous prior to Henry arriving, I did not want to add to his already horrific back story, letting him down by somehow not coping. I worried because he had bitten previously I would be on tender hooks all the time. He was so anxious when I took him for his very first walk he carried a soft toy the whole way. He was not aggressive in any way though. Anything Henry can reach and put in his mouth is fair game for him..he will give things up for me if I have a tasty treat in exchange, he does not understand “drop” yet. He is very attentive and LOVES cuddles, he comes over and pushes his head into my hand, he rolls on the floor and loves his tummy rubbed. I have been amazed at how well he is adjusting, he is getting to be a dog here, I live in the countryside, with a safe garden (now Henry-proof…well almost!) He has met people in stages and has been so good. He has met a few men and I have asked them to please be mindful of approaching him. He has been on a few dog walks with one other dog each time and been unfazed. In the four weeks, he has learnt his name, learning recall, understands “leave” if I have a treat in my hand.. the last couple of nights he is relaxing in his bed when I am relaxing instead of looking for things to destroy. There is still a long way to go….to try stop him eating coal…..for one. Lot’s of pacing if I cannot distract him. The most joyous thing is seeing him run lead off and just loving the freedom and sniffing.. he so loves to use his nose. He has also helped me by coming into my life when I am still grieving for my rescue spaniel who I lost on the1st June this year. Henry gives me a reason to get up and walk an hour before work and I love it once I am out with him, he really is a little star.

13th December

Hector was picked up as a stray by the dog warden. I collected him a few days later from the kennels. He came out crawling on his belly, absolutely terrified. His coat was filthy and matted and he had obviously been very harshly treated. It took some persuasion to get him into the car but he travelled without a sound. It took even more persuasion to get him out of the car and into the house! He spent the rest of the day under a bush in the garden, luckily it was June and the weather was warm. It took a couple of weeks to get him to eat in the house and a couple more to get him house trained. He attached himself to one of my female dogs and she gave him confidence and he would curl up with her. Over the months a cheeky loving little dog has emerged. He is still frightened of people and cowers if I move too quickly around him. However he loves to get on the bed in the morning and snuggles up to me, rolls around and likes his belly rubbed. The only time he ever barks is when I’m preparing his food which he loves and gets very excited about. He likes nothing better than running on the common and swimming in the lake. Unfortunately he is rather too fond of birds and has been known to jump a five foot fence from a standstill to get to ducks! Hector still has some health issues that we have yet to get to the bottom of but we will get them sorted and he will be staying here to be loved and laughed at for the rest of his days.

12th December

Max We had the pleasure of fostering the gorgeous Max for 9 months. When he first came into foster with us, we noticed how quiet he was for his age. He wasn’t fussed about us, or the other dogs that were here. He didn’t want to play, which was strange for a 13 month old… Out on walks, again wasn’t interested in people or dogs. Great, we had got the easiest foster dog that we had ever had. But something wasn’t right, all he did was eat, sleep or just lay in his bed. After a few weeks, we took him to the vets. It was decided that Max needed x-rays, as the ‘span’ on his back legs, wasn’t right. They showed that Max didn’t have any ‘hip sockets’. Pain relief and an operation was needed. Once on the magic ‘metacam’ Max was more lively, started to play with the resident dogs. Max had a Femoral Head Ostectomy done January this year, where the vet removed his ball joint on his right hip. He managed 1 day without the ‘cone of shame’, but by day 9, good old duck tape was used to keep the cone together and furniture had been moved around. He recovered fast and very well from his operation. Max now had a new lease of life which was lovely to see. Over the coming weeks we watched as he found his paws and the cheeky, naughty spaniel started to show. The same operation was carried out on his left hip in June. Max was a little slower this time in getting over his operation, but it didn’t get him down. I caught him, trying to climb on tables and dining room chairs, the whole time looking at me with a look that said, “Look what I can do, now!” to which he would get a kiss and cuddle, then was told to get down, as he knew he shouldn’t have been up there. He developed a cute bunny hop as he ran, along with an equally cute ‘waddle’, as he walked. Fostering is all about doing what’s best for the dog. We had Max for such a long period; saw him through his operations, watch him turn into a normal, cheeky, young cocker spaniel, but as much as we loved him, we knew that our home wasn’t the right home for him. Max left us in September to live in his wonderful forever home, along with his big sister, who is also a SAUK dog.

9th December

Ziggy a Welsh springer spaniel came into Spaniel Aid at 10 weeks old, the breeder had put him on Gumtree for £50 because he was born with a congenital problem with his urethra that was going to be expensive to treat. The meeting was in a car park in Devon where we were handed this beautiful if slightly smelly pup with a blue star in his eye. He was adorable, couldn’t wee properly, but just a normal naughty pup, who quickly earned the nick name “baby shark”. Ziggy had a long surgical operation to try to correct his urethra, but he was left incontinent, but better out than in as they say and he rocked his boy belly band nappies. Ziggy was our lockdown buddy, he made us laugh every day, he was foster brother Fletchers best pal, they would wrestle and play zoomies for hours, and fall exhausted into a bed together and sleep. But Ziggy started to slow down, he didn’t want to play anymore, he wasn’t getting into mischief, Fletcher didn’t understand why his playmate just wanted to sleep all day, and one evening when I was changing his belly band I noticed his tummy was quite swollen. Nine days later we lay on the floor of the vets and held him as he slipped away, his body so bloated he could hardly walk, his little body full of cancer, our sweet, beautiful boy was just 6 months old. We were honoured to have him for the short time we did, fly high Ziggy Stardust.

POLICE DOGS

Spaniel Aid dogs having fun at the farm, please share and give everyone a smile this Monday morning, I bet you watch it more than once, make sure you have your volume up ☺️
https://youtu.be/06cmwwIAd0I

GRASS SEEDS

Let’s talk grass seeds. At this time of year they are everywhere. In fields, in parks, on pavements, in gardens. These sharp pointed seeds then attach to your dog and can pierce through the skin or travel down ear canals, causing pain and potentially huge problems.

We recommend you carefully check your dogs after every walk, especially if you see lots of barley grass growing. Particular points to search are between toes, in armpits and ear flaps. Remove any seeds you see immediately and if you suspect one may have pierced through the skin or is in your dog’s ear, seek veterinary advice as soon as possible.

You can help your dog by keeping hair in these areas short, and by regularly grooming your dog to remove any detritus from the coat.

02nd May 2018

We currently running an online dog show please join us for some fun

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1794539264205288/

Please visit Spaniels4life we are their chosen charity for May and all donations come straight to Spaniel Aid to help our wonderful spaniels

https://www.facebook.com/groups/Spaniels4Life/

15/04/18

Our online photo competition is now open on our fundraising facebook page please join us https://www.facebook.com/groups/1794539264205288/

Our fundraising auction is in full swing, new lots added daily please visit our facebook fundraising page for auction lots and a raffle to win a holiday to Loire Valley https://www.facebook.com/groups/1794539264205288/

18/01/2018

Online dog show open to ALL BREEDS starts tomorrow on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1794539264205288/ please join our group and join in the fun. The winners are decided by your votes.

08/12/2017

Spaniel Aid Christmas Auction has now closed and raised an incredible £2671.61 this is by far the best auction to date and only made possible with the very kind donations from our followers and companies, I have put their links below please visit their sites and support them. Once again thank you to EVERYONE for making this happen, this will go a long way to help our gorgeous spaniels.

Cabin Pressure Spirits

Pretty Pointer

Dogtography by Amy

Heritage House Interiors

Very Colourful Jewellery

Pendleside Interiors

Facebook:

Lous Paraacord Collars

Mags Handicrafts

Drying Coats for Spaniels

Digdogs, hand made for dog dogs

Canine Collarz

DizArt

21/11/2017

Christmas is getting closer and closer. Don’t forget our wonderful fundraising calendar for all your spaniel loving friends and family or even just a treat for yourself. 28 spaniels who were either in foster, failed fostered, or siblings of both feature in this calendar as does Sir Rumpole with naughty tips for your dogs. You can purchase the calendar here at animalrescuesupport.co.uk/product/calendar or if you are registered with easyfundraising.gov.org the via ebay here www.ebay.co.uk/…/2018-Cocker-Springer-Spaniel-…/332418299185

Rescue dog Lucy and her forever sister Dotty are conspiring to come up with naughty tricks if they aren’t gracing your homes and/or offices in 2018! So treat yourself to this fundraising calendar featuring Lucy, Dotty, Sir Rumpole and many more of their spaniel friends. You can purchase the calendar here at animalrescuesupport.co.uk/product/calendar or if you are registered with easyfundraising.gov.org the via ebay here www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2018-Cocker-Springer-Spaniel-Calendar-fundraising-calendar-for-Spaniel-Aid/332418299185

SPANIELS ROCK CALENDAR

Well here it is, just what you have all been waiting! Our very own Spaniels Rock 2018 Calendar, and as Liccy would say what do you think about that then!! We have had a sample calendar to ensure everydoggy was looking good, which of course they were. The calendar features our very own Spaniels Rock! Charity and Rescue Fundraising dog team and our Winner of one of our raffles, Skipper who starts our year off. The Calendar is exclusive to Spaniels Rock members only and will not be seen in the shops. Please purchase one of our fabulous Calendars and help us raise much needed funds for our Charity of the month. You can never have enough Calendars and ours will make fantastic stocking fillers so dig deep and place your order now by replying to this and messaging Debbie Phillips
The cost per Calendar is £10 for members of the UK which includes postage. For our overseas members it is £10 + an added £5.45 for postage per calendar.
PAYMENT:
Our PayPal address is srfundraising1@gmail.com. Please remember to use “Friends and Family” payment so fees are not incurred and all the money will go to support our charity of the month
If you prefer to pay via bank transfer then the details are:
Mrs G L Harris
Sort code:40-09-00
Acc no:54396901
Thank you for your continued support, not all doggies will be spending Christmas Day in a warm, safe and loving home, buying one of our calendars tells them we care enough to make their Christmas Day special.

The lovely Louise Cooper not only fosters (and fails) she also makes these fantastic collars and donates to both Spaniel Aid UK and Save Our Spaniels. Thank you very much for your latest donation 🙂 Perfect Xmas present for your dog by the way folks 😉

https://www.facebook.com/lousparacorddogcollars/

Please visit our Face book page for our latest auction which is ending soon, the proceeds from this provides us with essential funds.  https://www.facebook.com/groups/179453926420528