Lemon curd and helping collies!

I made this Lemon curd yesterday.

Very, very tasty lovely lemon curd made in my kitchen

It was easy and fun to make and it tastes great – much better than the stuff you buy in the shops.  I also make jam and pickles and I know lots of other people do as well.  When you do this you usually end up with more than you need so I have a plan……..

Later in the year – around October time to allow for harvest times and chance to make some stock – we could hold Pickles and preserves sale, or even better a BCT mini farmers market.  Not sure on the venue yet, although I have a few ideas, and we could even have an online section so people could order and have some things posted to them.

If we had homemade bread and cakes as well and maybe even fresh laid eggs etc it could really become a mini BCT farmers market – obviously if we do an “online bit” we would have to select certain items only to be sent via the post as some things may be difficult – not sure how well a lemon meringue pie would travel!

To make this work I would need people to donate things they had made – jars of picked onions, Strawberry jam, maybe you have chickens so could let us have some eggs or you do local farmers markets already selling cheese and could let us have some to sell…..  I would also need people to run the stalls on the day….. help set up…. promote the event …..

It would look great if we used the same jars for jams and pickles made by several people and the same BCT branded label.  The label could be put onto all the items sold to say “sold to support the work of BCT.”  There are lots of ideas like this we could use on the day to make it look really good for the people coming to shop.

This is how most ideas for fund raising events start – I jot down some bits and pieces of an idea – it grows and then you end up with an event like our recent Rescue Dog Weekend which made a profit of over £400 and resulted in some great PR and raised awareness of our work at Border Collie Trust.

If you think this is an event you could help with – perhaps by simply donating a single jar of your homemade jam or by spending the whole day before baking fruit cakes, or dog biscuits (says Stan with an excited glint in his eye) and donating them – let me know what you can do to assist and I’ll be in touch closer to the time – all offers of help gratefully received no matter how small J

One other thing you could do that would help is let me know would you come and shop either online or by coming to the sale/market?  Having the reassurance that people think an idea will work and that they would be likely to shop it is great for those working to organise it – anyone who was with us to help on the first day of Rescue Pet Weekend will tell you that I arrived looking very sleepy, having had very little rest the night before as I had dreamt that not one single person turned up!  Currently our Easter Auction is going very well and looks set to raise a lot of money but before it started I was getting worried about where I was going to store all the items we couldn’t sell!  It turns out there won’t be left over items and my worries were just me being silly but advance reassurance is always welcome!

Please do nip over to our Easter Auction on Ebay and see what great bargains we have there.  I’d like to say a massive thank you to the people donated all the lots and all those who are working hard promoting this on twitter and face book, in pet shops and vets and even in the pub!  Without you it would not be working – keep it up we have a few days left to get those bids in and up as high as we can.  If you have not looked already please do visit the auction at http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/bctgb_fundraiser/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=&_trksid=p2050430

Happy Easter Shopping xxx

Volunteer Fayre in Cannock

Yesterday saw me and Tommy nipping off to Cannock to meet one of our other volunteers, Jane, to spend the morning at a Volunteer Fayre explaining how people can get involved and help us out as part of our volunteer team.  We had a lovely time and got to talk to some very nice people who were keen to hear from us and the other groups there about what different opportunities there are for people who want to become volunteers.

This was our stand where we had examples of what people could do to help raise funds and lots of lovely pictures of the dogs.

Tommy as always worked very hard and was keen to ensure no one just walked past our stand so he greeted every person by walking up to them and standing at their side waiting for a stroke.

He soon got very tired and decided to have a nap – in the middle of the floor right where people were walking! The public were very kind and stepped carefully around him so he could get some rest!

After his nap Tommy did some tricks as usual – here he is showing people how to guard a bunny using Ninja stealth! He was VERY relaxed about this event!

At the end of the event Chase CVS had very kindly provided a tasty lunch which we had politely declined as we thought it would not be good to stay with Tommy along but the staff said he was very welcome so while Jane and I munched the sandwiches and got the chance to talk to other organisations who were seeking volunteers Tommy tucked into a small sausage roll as a treat for his good behaviour.  Thanks Chase CVS – it was lovely.

Should you want to know more about volunteering with Border Collie Trust please visit the website and look around to find out more – specific volunteer info is to be found in the “Support Us” tab.  Or join us on face book to see what is going on…. https://www.facebook.com/groups/BCTGBfundraisers/

 

 

What a weekend!

Over the weekend we were very busy at Rescue Dog Weekend in Just for Pets, Burton on Trent branch and supported by Easipetcare who have a vet practice in the store.   I would like to give huge thank you to Nicky and team from Easipet for their great support and all their help first marketing the event and then helping throughout the weekend.  Thanks also to Richard and the Just for Pets team who made us so welcome.

The record takings for a charity event in this store before the weekend was £150 and due to the fab support we received from the many followers who came to visit we smashed this record and raised over £423!

The support we received from people who went out of their way to come and join the fun was lovely and I and the team would like to thank everyone of you….. Kate and Kirsty, who came in with a photo of the oldest ever rat to enter the pet show; the man who had been in the services who brought his ex rescue, now assistance, dog to meet us and made us weep with his tales of his and the dogs bravery; Teresa who came in to say hi and stayed to become one of the lovely people who sponsored one of the dogs at the kennels at the event; the family who came bringing snakes on both days which made the event memorable for the people who were lucky enough to be allowed to handle them….. There were so many old friends and new and it was lovely to see every one of you and I look forward to meeting you all again at other events.

The event could not have happened if it was not for the hard work put in by the team –

• Lauren– our youngest volunteer, who came for both days and was never still which is perhaps why she kept getting lost every time Ollie the Collie was around
• Cathy– Had the job of making sure we all knew how to work the printer and made it look so simple and also escorted Ollie the Collie on both days
• Jane – There on both days as well and a great support to me, she really had a knack when it came to getting pets to look at the camera and did a brilliant job running the bric brac stall
• Ged – Master pet photographer (press ganged but not complaining!) who even kept his cool when we had an out of control dog taking a liking to having a little taste of him!
• Susan – Always to be relied on when we need help with this type of thing she did a great job helping on the first day
• Tanya – Did a great job of helping out all over the place and helped on the first day achieving unprecedented takings
• Sam – Rushed around helping out at so many jobs, especially sorting the pet show
• Diane – Our newest volunteer brought her new puppy, the famous and beautiful Frank, along on the second day to the delight of the many people who came in to see him.
• Nathan – Frank’s new “Dad” who was always there when I needed to hand over Tommy’s lead when I was busy – also a new volunteer who I am sure we will see much of over the next few months
• Steven – The often unsung hero who had to stay home and look after Stan for the weekend but was also car loader and unloader extraordinaire!
• The many, many unofficial volunteers on face book and twitter, who shared, cross posted, retweeted and generally made sure the event was published across most of the civilised world – without you we would have had no customers!

“Volunteers are seldom paid – not because they are worthless but because they are priceless.”

Anon

That’s how I view the people listed above; the BCT volunteers.   You are priceless and I, and the trustees, really appreciate all the efforts you put in to raising money and spreading the word about the work that goes on at BCT – you are all great ambassadors of the charity and I hope you continue doing the great work you are doing for many years.

If you would like to join this great team then please do get in touch – we need fundraising volunteers nationwide.  You can get involved even if you have limited spare time as we also need people to send out messages asking for prizes or to help with marketing events which can be done from home.  Email volunteer@bordercollietrustgb.org.uk for more info.

The pet show was very well supported with very varied entires and we judges would have liked to have selected many, many more winners but we had to chose so these are the lucky winners who all got prizes from Just for Pets and Easipetcare – well done and thanks to everyone who entered.

Shadow – Best Golden Oldie

 

Polka with Steve – Best Me and My Pet

 

 

 

 

Bea and Amp – Best Action Shot

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pepper – Best Pet the Judge Would Like to Take Home

Jacob – Runner Up – Best Pet the Judge Would Like to Take Home

Fudge – Runner Up – Best Pet the Judge Would Like to Take Home

 

 

 

 

Here are a couple of pictures of how the weekend went – we will be posting many more on Facebook.

Frankie was our star visitor with his new mum – our new volunteer – Diane.

Lots of people had photos taken to enter the pet show.

 

The snakes were very popular

Some dogs were very happy when they came for a photo…

Tommy was VERY happy to be back with his little friend and Frankie was over the moon to see his “mummy” dog!

 

Stan’s hurt paw

Yesterday we had great fun playing in the garden as it was nice and sunny – oh I mean the dogs played while I helped Ged tidy up   It was lovely in the sunshine for a change and we dug holes, played ball, sniffed around under bushes and towards the end they had a mad game of chase with seemed to require running in very fast circles for no apparent reason other than because it is fun.  I only have a small garden but still they managed to get up to quiet a speed with some tight cornering.

It was this last mad game at the end of a fun day that caused Stan problems.  He grazed the pad of one of his front paws and it bled.  It was very sore and he didn’t even want me to have a look at it.  I insisted which caused a few growls of displeasure but in the end he let me have a quick look which was enough to see that it was very sore but that it was indeed just a graze, albeit a fairly bad one.  What he needed was rest and TLC and to keep it clean for it to heal.

Whenever Stan is hurt or sick we have a problem as he won’t let anyone other than me near him which makes vet visits very hard.  This being the case I have done a dog first aid course and I have also built up a good relationship with our local vet – now if he is hurt I examine him and the vet gives advice – not ideal but with a dog that is so scared of people you have to make allowances.   This time I decided he was not going to the vet yet as it was not needed but we will be keeping a close eye on him for signs of infection and we will be off to the vet if there are any problems.

Stan and I took a dog towel and nice fluffy throw and headed for the sofa – the towel was spread out to protect from any blood stains but it wasn’t a problem really as he soon stopped bleeding.  The throw was for us to snuggle in. We settled down to make sure he got a rest.  Tommy joined us which was a surprise as he prefers to lie on his own chair or in his bed most evenings.  After a while I offered Stan food and drink – the food he declined the drink he took while still on the  sofa – he is such a baby when he is hurt and loves to be spoilt!

That night I had intended carrying him up to bed after he had made a visit to the water bowl and then the garden but he declined the water and the loo break and hopped off up to bed on three legs by himself!  This morning he was still sore but there had been no more bleeding – I carried him down to the kitchen, and the other dogs, and put him down by the water bowl.  He ignored the water and hopped into a dog crate with Tommy following.  Later he took water and a snack while in the crate with his nurse in attendance.

Tommy would not come out of the crate once he had settled with Stan and despite them looking as bit uncomfy here they did snuggle down a bit more soon after and they are still in there now with Tommy looking after his pal!

I’ll be keeping an eye on Stan over the next few days but it does look as though he is happy to rest and it healing well already.

Happy Valentines

We had a great day out today raising funds for Border Collie Trust.  Frank was giving out snuggles for donations and we were selling gift wrapped valentines biscuits for dogs.  We were in Just for Pets in Burton and even though we were only there for 4 hours we made £50 for the rescue dogs which is great news.

I want to say thanks to the team at Just for Pets for making us welcome as always and also to the team at the in store vets – Easipet – who were running a promotion with half price vaccinations which was great as it meant the store was very busy so we got to see lots of people and their lovely dogs.

This is the stand we had today – nice and simple and easy to set up. There is small picnic table under the table-cloth and I made the biscuits at home and displayed them on a stand from a pound shop. perhaps this is something you could try in a local shop to help raise funds for us. If you fancy giving it a try please get in touch.

These visitors were on their way to visit the friendly Easipet team and stopped first to help with Frank’s socialisation.

Outings like this are great for socialising little Frank but not all meetings are as happy as when he runs to meet other dogs and people….

Here Frank meets a chicken but he is a little worried by the bird and stays firmly in the arms of one of the staff members.

Frank especially liked meeting this little chap who came in dressed as Scooby Doo.

We will be back at Just for Pets again VERY soon as today was the first day of the photographic pet show they are running with Easipet which is to raise funds for Border Collie Trust.  To enter you need to take a photo of your pet into the store with your entry fee which is a £1 donation.

• Competition opens 14th Feb and ends 3rd March
• Entries must be a genuine photo of your own pet and need to be handed to staff in store – or bring in the pet on 2nd or 3rd March and we will take the photo for you
• Competition is open to ALL breeds and species of pet!
• Winner must give permission to use pics on Just for Pets or Easipet or BCT websites and/or promo material
• Great prizes – FREE Easipetcare vouchers, pet goodies and winners rosettes!

Categories are

• Best action pet shot
• Me and my pet picture
• Golden oldie
• Pet the staff would most like to take home

Start hunting for the perfect photo now – or get your camera out.   Photos can be taken into store any time between now and 3rd March and will be displayed ion store until judging takes place.

There will be much more going on 2nd and 3rd March in the store to raise funds for Border Collie Trust and we need as many helpers as we can get so if you can help out then get in touch.  Also we need as many people as possible to enter the competition or visit over the weekend so tell all your friends if they are local.

 

 

 

 

 

What a difference a week makes!

This time last week, when I woke up in the morning, two very spoilt and much-loved pooches lived in this house with me, my husband Ged and my teenage children Cathy and Steven.   This was to change dramatically by the end of the day!  At lunchtime I picked up the tiny little Frank.  His back story has been well documented on Facebook, twitter, briefly on here and on the website for Border Collie Trust so I will just give a quick over view here for those readers who may be stopping by for the first time….. get the tissues out or skip the next paragraph:)

Frank was around 8 weeks old and he was suffering the effects of neglect and malnutrition.  He had been half-starved which had resulted in him developing rickets and possible other bone deformities which we will find out about as the weeks proghress and he visits the vets for more examinations.  He was a very unhappy little chap and as if they had not already stuffed up his short life enough his owners then decided they needed to dispose of him.  He was put into a carrier bag and thrown from the window of a moving vehicle.  Lucky for Frank someone saw this happen and his rescue story began…..

So lets now take a look at the various effects Frank’s early life had on him and see what a week of love and good food has done……

A week ago Franks coat looked dull and he was defiantly on the thin side!  (Understatement!) Now his coat shines and he looks like a normal, plump and cuddly little puppy.

Good quality rest has also been important – here ~Tommy makes sure he is not disturbed as they grab a quick nap in Stan’s bed.

His back legs were bowed and added to his mobility problems.  Now he can run and jump and his back legs look the same as any other little guy’s.  This is the result of the healing powers of a balanced diet together with the exercise he gets with his new pals – Stan and Tommy.

As well as good food Frank has lots of love, here Tommy snuggles him while Stan stands guard to make sure he can rest ready to play again soon.

The biggest medical worry was his front legs which were very bowed and caused him some pain.  He was not keen to walk more than a few feet and would only do so if he was excited.  When eating he could not stand at his bowl to finish his meal and would lie down to eat.   Now he runs around like a mad thing before flopping down to sleep in the way only puppies can!   He jumps, climbs, runs and generally causes mayhem, even once running up the stairs very fast when he escaped from the kitchen.  He still does have misshapen legs but they seem not to cause him problems for now – we will be visiting the orthopedic vet again soon and wait to see what he suggests to improve them further.

Here you can see his right leg especially is held in an awkward looking position. Still the “circle” we could see when he sat as his legs were so bowed is no longer there – a massive improvement in just a week.

Other issues that we can’t capture so well on photographs include his insecurity.  He was very distress if he was left in a room alone but now he is already much more confident.  He wimpers a bit if he can’t get to me but a week ago he would scream very loud if I left the room.  He also hated the car, not surprising considering what happened to him, but now he will sit in the crate in the boot and wait to see where we are going.  We take a short drive in the car every day to help with this.

In a week I have come to care very much for this little fella, not because he has had a rough time but because he is such a loving sweet little man.  He has also built a strong bond with Tommy and even with Stan, who usually wants to keep his distance.  He will need a lot of care to get him fully recovered and this could cost a lot of money but with the support of Border Collie Trust he will have a great life and I can’t help looking to the future and thinking could I overcome the space and time issues and keep him here with me and my family.  For now he remains my very special foster baby until he is well but one thing I know for sure is that he will make a fantastic pet for the right owner once he is recovered.

I am thinking of starting “Frank’s Fund” to help pay for his vets bills, which are currently being met by Border Collie Trust, and later to hopefully continue to raise funds in his name to fund the care of other rescue dogs admitted to BCT with health issues.  That’s all for the future though – for now I am busy giving him the TLC he needs to recover from his bad start.

Fun on the sofa with his new “mummy” Tommy who will be celebrating his 1st Birthday next month.

Below we can see him sneaking into Tommy’s bed for a cuddle – I have to stop this sometimes as he won’t let Tommy rest and further down the page Stan shows him the way back into the house after nipping out to the loo – he is 90% there with toilet training and is clean all night which is great at such a young age.

 

Pets at Home Fund raising visit

I’d like to say a big thank you to Pets at Home in Ashby where we went for a visit again on Saturday to raise funds for Border Collie Trust.

Tommy our border collie cross puppy was working on the stand as usual and he did a very good job entertaining people and playing with customer’s children.  He was given an extra job this time; the staff asked him to guard the rabbits.  He found this a tiring task and was soon lying down on the job!

Tommy the puppy was very relaxed even though he had been given an important job to do!

Luckily the rabbits didn’t notice that Tommy was so chilled out and none of them made a break for freedom

Several people chose to sponsor a dog while we were there and they will be receiving pictures of their chosen dog in the post in a few days time.  The trust relies on money received from supporters who sponsor dogs to provide for all the dogs needs.  Have a look at the website where you will find details about Pepper, Shaun, Fin and Jess and full information on how you too could sponsor one of these lovely dogs.  When you sponsor a dog you recieve a free Ollie the Collie soft toy and your chosen dog will send you a letter twice a year to keep you updated on their progress.  You also recieve a complimnentary copy of Border Collie World Magazine four times a year.

Fin – one of the favourite of the staff at the kennels, Fin’s hobby is keeping a close eye on things that move – he would have been good at helping Tommy watch the rabbits!

This pretty girl is the first female sponsor dog at the trust. She has spent 4 out of her 10 years in kennels but she loves people.

Shaun takes his C.I.D role very seriously (Collie in disguise) and he watches over the other dogs and reports back on their behaviour to the trustees and kennel staff.

Jess loves to practice his special skill – carrying a bone over long distances!

We would like to say a big thankyou to the customers at Pets at Home who sponsored one or more of these very special dogs.

As usual Tommy made good friends with the staff – he knows they have biscuits!

We will be back again with our fund raising table in the very near future as we know we can be assured of a warm welcome by the customers in Ashby.  Thank you to everyone who gave donations and especially to all the children who made it such a fun outing for Tommy.

Here is Tommy waiting to sell some tombola tickets to the customers.  He gets extra biscuits if he reaches his sales target

Tommy sends his love to Clare the deputy manager who was due to go on maternity leave after our visit – good luck to her and the expected new arrival.

A year!

This is a very special day – so special that this post will be brief as I can’t spend too long here…..

Today it is exactly one year since Stan joined our home and family.  So much has happened since then, so many high lights and a few low lights as well, to make us appreciate the highs -

• The first low was when Stan tried to attack Steven when he came home from school and we realised very soon after this that he was in fact going to attack everyone who came within one mile of him
• Then there was a high when he managed to walk past someone without lunging at them – they were on the other side of the road
• One of the best highs was the day he met Rachel from Border Collie Trust and he did rush towards her but not to attack, he demanded fuss!  He has been one of her friends ever since and she is the only person outside of our home who he has ever allowed to pick him up
• Another great high was his first time off lead with another dog – to start with all other dogs were attacked no matter how big or small – this dog was TJ, the bull terrier and I will always be grateful to his owner Alan, ex RAF dog handler, who helped a lot to make this happen
• Tommy’s arrival in the family was another massive high – Stan had rejected one attempt to get him a friend and I expected Tommy to be at risk but Stan was prepared to tolerate him – he did growl if the pup came anywhere near the sofa for the first few weeks and there were several difficult moments when he snarled at Tommy but with time they became good pals – now they are inseparable and play non stop

Stan still has problems with meeting new people and can be over defensive.  He loves the people in his family and has a few friends outside the house but he needs to be approached with caution and although this gets better as each week goes by I expect he will always be worried by outsiders and a bit grumpy if he is outside his comfort zone.  He loves walkies and dog training class.  He will do anything for Wagg treats.  He likes to snuggle on the sofa and would follow me across hot coals.  He is without a doubt part of my family and I now pity the people who abused him before he became mine rather than being angry with them – they have missed out on the amazing relationship I have with Stan who is without a doubt the most amazing, loving, loyal and clever dog in the whole world.

This was the day we met – I knew he was going to be my dog the instant I saw him. What I didn’t know was how close our bond would become.

He claimed the sofa as his fav seat immediately – preferably snuggled up to me.

 

We tried lots of things to get him to calm down enough to learn that not everyone was trying to hurt him – this thunder shirt failed as he thought he had to hold still while he wore it! He had a DAP collar next and that had great results.

He soon relaxed with Steven who loves him very much

This big bone was a gift for his 1st birthday – Dec 7th. He loved it and carried it around for days!

When Tommy arrived he wanted to share everything with him – except the sofa – that took longer!

When Stan first joined us he was very aggressive but now, with Tommy, he loves to play fight which is great fun to watch. Strange dogs would still be in trouble if they appeared when this is happening but he does have a few doggie friends.

Stan supports Border Collie Trust – he is an official Collie in Disguise – CID

He supports England when watching football and rugby – he thinks cricket is a bit pointless but don’t tell his dad!

He is very patriotic and he enjoyed the Jubilee and the Olympics

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did I say this post would be short….. I’m having fun looking through a years worth of photos!  Still it must end soon as I want to spend the day with my boy!

There was a “whose bed is this” mix up on his first camping trip – I had thought this was my bed….

At Doodlefest he won 1st prize for best rescue dog! He didn’t growl once at the other dogs – a great weekend!

He got a job in the summer – as a food critic; here he is reviewing his fav treats from Wagg

We found he loves the beach – shame we live in the Midlands

Eventually he was even prepared to share his sofa with Tommy and now the three of us can be found each evening piled up in a warm comfy heap on there, relaxing after a hard day of walkies and biscuit eating.

 

 

 

 

Aquatic, Pet and Garden Warehouse

I would like to say a massive thank you to everyone at Aquatic, Pet and Garden Warehouse in Swadlincote following our visit today.

We had a great time and Tommy loved all the attention he got from customers.  We will be back again to visit just before Christmas – Saturday 22nd December and Tommy will be hoping to play some festive games with all his new friends.

This little girl won a toy border collie puppy as a prize in the scratch card game – Tommy was keen to have his photo with her and she gave him lots of tickles!

 

The scratch card game was as popular as ever – if you didn’t win a toy border collie don’t worry we have plenty left and will be back on 22nd Dec when you can try again.

 

 

Pop in and visit when you are in the area and you can be sure of a warm welcome – have a look at their Facebook page and be sure to click “like.”

Follow them on Facebook – Aquatic Pet and Garden Warehouse Facebook page

BCTGB Volunteers have more fun!

Yesterday we had a great day at Just for Pets in Burton on Trent.  A group of us went along to meet people and tell them about the work of Border Collie Trust and we had a good laugh with everyone enjoying the day and entering intom the spirit of the event in between the important business of talking to the public and collecting donations.

This is the second Just for Pets store we have visited with our fund-raising table and we will be back – VERY SOON.  We were given a warm welcome by manager Richard and his team and Tommy was spoilt rotten as usual.  Our next outing with Tommy will be very soon at Just for Pets in Swadlincote – keep an eye out for date if you want to come along.

Tommy showed off his new skills catching biscuits, “giving 5″ to small children and chasing his ball and he sold lots of scratch cards where people could win a border collie puppy – (a stuffed one, not a real one!)  He then retired to his crate for a rest while the humans took over selling scratch cards and tombola tickets.

Tommy demonstrated how important it is for working dogs to get quality rest after working for a while on our charity table!

Cathy and Lauren worked very hard all day – thank you for the support girls

Lauren entertained the customers when Tommy took a nap, Cathy even did some juggling!

If you did come and see us – thank you, we raised over £80 which will be used to help the collies.  We also had a great time and it was lovely to meet so many people who have given homes to collies from the trust over the years.

If you would like to get involved and help us as a volunteer fund-raiser then please get in touch, you don’t need to commit to giving up lots of time, even a couple of hours every few weeks will be helpful.  It’s fun, it’s rewarding and for the collies it is life changing, or even life saving.