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It's been a hard month. Difficult to know where to begin with the introduction so I will leave it to the individual articles and pictures. It's not all bad though; despite being constantly reminded of how selfish, callous and downright cruel some people can be, there is the other side of the coin when the good, the kind, the generous, the caring come forward to restore our faith in humankind. And that in itself is a kind of much needed healing, after being close to breaking point. 

With Christmas just a few weeks away (how did that happen?) and Autumn storms still raging, catch up with the Sanctuary latest, and read about our latest incomers and happy endings, along with other snippets of news, in the 40th edition of our newsletter.

New Arrivals

Casper

Followers of our Facebook page have been taking a very keen and emotional interest in Casper's story, and you can see why from this picture of him. This poor boy was thrown over the gate of a Merseyside rescue centre on Halloween Night. He was taken into the temporary care of Steph at the centre, until he could be transported down to the peace and safety of the LCH Sanctuary. His health is somewhat compromised; he has the beginnings of heart disease, but thankfully not so bad that he can't undergo a full dental in a week or so. As the newsletter goes out, he has put on 2Kg in weight, and has settled so well at the Sanctuary. We will do whatever we can for this dear lurcher boy, so that he can have the life he deserves, - a full belly, a gentle hand, and much love. 

If you could help with Casper's current vet bill, around £600, we would be very grateful. Donations can be made directly to his vets at Cornish Paws, tel 01326 450900. Thank you.

Casper's story featured in the Daily Mail online, click here to read it.

Our last newsletter featured pug Ena, an ex breeding girl, surrendered by her owner, and now needing very costly surgery. Within a fortnight, two more owner surrenders, both of them very economical with the truth about their dogs' health....

Blu, just 1 year old and with a bite history because he 'stacks' very easily. He had been in two homes in less than a week, taken for a grooming session on the first day in his new home, and couldn't cope, so nipped and growled... too much too soon, - that, in basic terms, is 'stacking'... This little boy also had a nasty ear infection and a bad skin condition, both now being treated. Blu is now in a foster home where he can settle and chill for a while.

If you would like to read more about 'stacking', our 'Lead On' web page has a link to an explanatory article.

Dear Cindy.... what this poor girl had to endure at the hands of her breeder owner is almost too much to contemplate. 14 years old, surrendered to us amidst lies and deceit, with huge ugly masses in her mouth, pushing her teeth out, mammary tumours, a horrible ear infection which affected her balance, and a well advanced UTI. 

Cindy had very likely earned her owner a tidy sum, producing litter after litter, and yet she was cast off to a charity when it looked like she would become a financial burden to them. This beautiful girl is now in a perfect foster home, living the life, in comfort and safety, surrounded by love.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to everyone who responded to our appeal for donations to help with our vet bills for Ena, Cindy, Casper, Blu and also Zeus, who needed urgent attention for his skin condition. We are truly grateful to each and every one of you.

We can't leave New Arrivals without mentioning Walter... as he has now been named. This old boy ended up in the pound; his owners were contacted but they didn't want him back.... he had served his 7 days and wasn't coping. This is a photo of him at the pound.

Walter is currently residing at the Sanctuary, where his flea infestation, undernourishment and overgrown claws are being addressed, and is booked in for a dental this Monday, 18th. Ideally he needs a very quiet 'end of life' foster home close to our vets in Penryn. Walter is another incomer who has touched the hearts of our supporters; he will find his special someone very soon, we hope.

You can find more information on our other dogs by visiting our website pages: for foster or for adoption. Also our Facebook page.

Waggy Tail Endings

Our merry band of fosterers are the lifeblood of LCH, - without them we could not function. Many of them have fostered scores of dogs, and every pooch that comes into their homes is special. A fosterer will always have the first option of adopting their charge, if they feel they cannot bear to be parted from them... this is what we call 'a failed foster', where failure is a beautiful positive for all parties. Some fail on their first foster, others may see many dogs come and go before one just fits in so well that it was always meant to be, and then there are the ones who seem to make it their life's work to keep failing.

As well as adopting Monty a while back, Cassy and family have fostered 10 other Last Chancers. Last month Freddie appeared on the scene and it wasn't long before this cute chap had wiggled his way into their affections, resulting in a big 'fail', and the new name of 'Wolfgang' which suits him perfectly.

Gemma went into foster with Carla and her family of Staffies in January. Recently diagnosed with Cushing's Disease, Gemma had been waiting for her special someone to help manage her condition and look after her in her old age. But no more waiting, because her special someone was right under her nose, and she is staying put with Carla. Here she is serving as a chin rest for dear old Odo, another LCH Lifer.

In addition to fostering numerous Last Chancers, LCH team member Lisa and husband Leon have failed many times;  Ena Sharples is their 7th failed foster to date. Ena is due to have the operation on her larynx very soon, and we are all rooting for a good outcome so that she may have many more years with her new family. Pictured here with Ena, (hogging the TV remote), is failed foster number 2, Maia. The chin rest thing seems to be a Staffie trait!

OUR CHRISTMAS AUCTION IS UP AND RUNNING!

Currently over 500 lots up for grabs, loads of amazing stuff, ideal for Christmas presents for your pooches, yourself and your friends (not necessarily in that order). Most items can be posted, so don't let distance put you off. Pop along to the LCH Auction page, join the group and get bidding!! Every penny raised goes to the animals in our care.

The auction ends 8pm Thursday 28th November.

A hero indeed....

Christmas is coming... a reminder

that the fab Kd Kelly of The Dog House, Helston has initiated another Christmas Shoebox Appeal, for rescue dogs, with various drop off points around Cornwall. If you would like to contribute, pop along to our events website page for more details.

Please vote for us!

Grants and awards from corporations are extremely valuable, and we have been lucky to benefit in the past from this type of assistance. Quite often, all it takes is garnering enough votes from our supporters, a couple of minutes to register a nomination on a website. Currently, there are two such initiatives running, - SEIB Giving and Ecclesiastical Insurance 12 Days of Giving Awards. If you have the time to spare, please click the links below, you will need our charity number which is 1157684. Thank you!

SEIB votes need to be in by 28th November; 12 Days of Giving last votes are midnight 19th December.

SEIB Giving

Ecclesiastical Insurance 12 Days of Giving

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

Sunday 15th December - 11.30am - 4pm. Last Chance Hotel Christmas Fun Dog Show

Crofthandy Village Hall TR16 5JQ

More information on our website Events page.

Sanctuary News

Towards the end of October we were reflecting on our first full year here at the Sanctuary.

Just before we officially moved on site we took back under our wing Rosie and Roscoe from their previous foster family.

It was felt at that time that due to her ageing years (mid thirties), arthritis and poor teeth Rosie may not cope well with the approaching winter.

How wrong could we be?

With the support of regular vet visits (Rosevean, Jenna) medications, dentistry and sympathetic diet she has thrived as you can see from these lovely pictures, taken on one of the recent rare sunny autumnal days.
Her rug is ready and waiting for when she needs it and her dry cosy shelter (kindly paid for by donations) is bulging with hay nets full of sweet hay and tasty carrots.
And of course her constant companion Roscoe to snuggle up to, himself approaching his twenties which we suppose technically still makes him her toyboy 😍
Her favourite treat is still gingernut biscuits which she can easily sprint across the field to enjoy before we leave.....
What else would this grand old lady need?
Go Rosie

Sanctuary volunteer Laura Crouch writes about Orinocco, who was adopted recently....

'I had the pleasure of delivering Orinocco to his new home this week.
Having known him since he was around 6 months old, now 2 1/2 yrs old, to say I was proud would be an understatement.
He hasn’t had much asked of him in these two years but these last two days he has.....

He loaded quietly (alone) onto my big lorry, travelled like he has been doing it regularly, stepped out into a whole new world the other end.
Steadily down the ramp he came, straight into his new paddock and was greeted through the fence by his two new field mates, Zennor and Wally, also rescue ponies.
Today I did a follow up visit to see how he was settling in, I think the pictures speak for themselves, don’t you?
He enjoyed a little pampering ear trim, hooves picked out and of course a cuddle or two.
So very proud of our Noco, happy times ahead little man.'

Fundraisers

Personal fundraising comes in a variety of forms, and plays a vital part in rescue. From youngsters to ‘old hands’, we are so grateful for your contributions, and hope that along the way, you and others enjoy taking part.

Two very young ladies, Ruby and Summer, aged 10 and 8, took part in the 5Km ‘Glow in the Park Fun Run’ at Exeter recently, also raising funds for LCH through sponsorship. Ruby’s canine companion Sammy is a Last Chancer, and she wanted to help with our vet bills. The girls “smashed it” according to Ruby’s mum Leanne; what a fab duo,- it's a great feeling to know that there are youngsters like Ruby and Summer, aware and willing to help those in need.  

A Quiz Night at Lanivet Community Centre was enjoyed by all, with proceeds going to LCH and the local minibus appeal. Many very kind and generous people (and pooches!) also donated to our Christmas Shoebox Appeal; no less than 15Kg of food and toys were gifted in total, an amazing, heartwarming gesture, - thank you all so much. Special thanks to Dawn Roberts for organising this fun night out. 

Thank you!

Amazonians, near and far

Huge thanks to Sally Morrison, Sharon Moore, and Jody Clark (from the USA, who saw the Daily Mail article about Casper) for these fabulous gifts from our Amazon wishlist. The heat mats for our bats are warmly welcomed but sadly we don’t know for sure who donated them,  - thank you so much whoever you may be. Thank you everyone, for your generosity, it is truly appreciated.

Love wool find a way

‘Wool needed for Rescues’ is one of many Facebook pages that raise funds for animals in need. After seeing Cindy’s story, the team organised a raffle of a beautiful hand crafted blanket and double sided crocheted cushion cover, lovingly made by Diane Duncan. Later we also received some gorgeous woolly goodies in the post! A lovely group of people making a difference, thank you all so much.

Facebook Fundraisers!

A big thank you to one of our fab fosterers Cassy Entwistle for thinking of LCH for her birthday, and asking her friends to donate to help with our vet bill instead of giving her presents.

Facebook fundraisers are a super way to raise funds for our animals in need, and we are always very grateful to those who turn their special day into something special for LCH. 

Comfort for Cindy

Our dear Cindy received an early Christmas present from the fab peeps at Ivy and Duke, - not one but TWO beautiful, comfy Pedigree beds for her to rest her aching bones upon… Thank you so much Ivy and Duke for your amazing generosity, you can see how Cindy absolutely loves her plush new red bed!

Happy Gotcha Day!

“Gotcha Day” is the name given to the day a lucky hound first came into his or her forever home. Here are some tributes of that celebration of love

Did you Know?

We have a NEW LAST CHANCE HOTEL FACEBOOK PAGE, which aims to keep you updated with all the latest news on the dogs and much more. Please click on the link and ‘like’ our page.

We have other Facebook groups: LAST CHANCE HOTEL AUCTION runs auctions throughout the year, with loads of fab stuff up for grabs, raising vital funds for our vet bill.

Our Amazon Wishlist, by which you can purchase specific goodies and have them delivered to us, is a lovely way to send a present for our animals! The link will take you straight there for a browse of all sorts of goodies from toys and chews to harnesses, coats and lovely food.

There are also ways to help raise funds for us whilst you’re shopping online, which don’t cost you a penny. Easyfundraising is a scheme whereby you can shop at many popular retailers such as John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, and they will donate a small percentage (usually 1%) of your order to the charity of your choice, with no extra expense to you. Giveasyoulive is a similar scheme, with over 4000 retailers involved.

AMAZON run their own scheme called Amazon Smile, please use this if you shop with them.

Like all charities, we depend almost entirely upon the generosity of our wonderful supporters. We have several ways in which monetary donations can be made: PayPal is easy and convenient for the many people who hold an account.

JustGiving provides another way of donating and also an opportunity for individuals to fundraise for us through sponsorship of a personal challenge. In addition, it allows us to claim back the Gift Aid part of the donation which can add vital pennies.

If neither of these methods are suitable, then we are more than happy to accept donations via direct bank transfer using the following information:

Barclays
Last Chance Hotel
Sort code: 20-67-19
Account no: 73797503
(Do drop us a quick email with your details so we can say thanks!)

or cheques, if sent to our Treasurer, at the address given at the bottom of this newsletter.

These and other ways to donate, such as direct to our vets, are listed in detail on our website donations page.

Legacies are also a vital source of support and we now have a dedicated page on our website which provides information on legacies and about leaving a gift in your Will to Last Chance Hotel. All donations enable us to continue our work in rescue, rehabilitation, and rehoming, and legacies provide a future for the charity, as well as giving us further opportunity to educate, inform and promote responsible pet ownership.

Thank you from Team LCH and all the animals!

"Do things for people not because of who they are or what they do in return, but because of who you are.”

– Harold S. Kushner