If you would prefer to read the newsletter in your browser, please click at top right

Last Chance Hotel Animal Rescue & Rehome

There is one thing for sure in rescue, - life is never dull. There is no rest or respite for those at the heart of the rescue, - lives are at risk continually, dogs come and go, visits to the vets never stop, phone calls have to be made, transport runs organised and carried out. Even when team members seek out sunnier climes, or a change or scenery, they are within internet reach and make themselves available whenever they can to ensure as much continuity as possible. To truly ‘switch off’ is not an option, it just doesn’t happen.
But through all the hard and often heartbreaking slog, the reward is tenfold; the knowledge that this sweet girl will now have a loving end of life foster home, instead of wandering the streets, or that neglected boy can live out his life as he deserves, instead of having it cut short because of a poor and senseless decision, - this is priceless. This is what drives all the team members to give up whatever time they can spare, volunteering whatever special skills they have to keep the wheels of the charity turning.
Our vet bill continues to expand, as we have many poorly dogs currently in care, and no doubt there will be many more in the coming months. Fundraising is vital to our existence, and every so often we put out a special appeal for help to pay our bill, which is by far our biggest expense. We are truly grateful for all donations, no matter how small. We now have ‘donation by text’ enabled, simply text TLCH03 £5 to 70070 to donate £5. A regular donation via standing order is even better, as it enables us to budget more effectively. Just the price of a coffee or two each month from each of our supporters would make a huge difference to us and to the dogs needing veterinary attention.
It’s been a cold, harsh week or two, - winter has finally come to Cornwall, and the “Beast from the East” has brought bitter winds and snow to most of us. Some Last Chancers have never seen the white stuff before; our Facebook photo album page has been active with photos and videos of LCH pooches, - some bemused, some tearing about like loonies, and others trying to eat it! Happy dogs in happy homes, and that is what Last Chance Hotel is all about.

New Arrivals

A short month but an eventful one, - February brought two tripaws to our doors, two bitey spaniels, a sweet collie cross pup, and a welfare case as well as responsible private rehome requests and other poundies needing help. Pod, on the right, a tripaw SBT, was found straying, a dear old girl estimated to be about 11 years old, and in very poor condition. She had already had emergency surgery for pyometra, and having now seen our vet, has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. This is such a cruel blow, but Pod will spend her final days in the comfort of her loving foster home, breathing the sweet Cornish air, knowing that not all humans are callous and uncaring. Valerie, pictured below, had been left tied to a lamppost, with a badly broken leg, which sadly had to be amputated. This girl was rescued and treated by New Hope Rescue up country, and we offered her a foster space here, another example of the teamwork between reputable rescues. Nero had been handed in, possibly by his owner. He had a flea allergy which has now been addressed, and is currently in foster, undergoing assessment. Gary pup is settling in with his foster family, gaining confidence; George and Millie spaniels need savvy child free homes due to their bite history. Scamp has already been adopted and Teddy is under assessment. Panza, a 9 year old Rottie, was sentenced to death by the RSPCA, but the vet refused and called us. Panza is now safe and in a loving forever home.

Top pic: Pod

1st row   -  Valerie and Nero

2nd row left to right - Scamp, George, and Millie

3rd row - Teddy and Panza

These are just a few of the incomers for last month. If you would like to follow their progress, and find out more about all the others, please check out our Facebook page and website lastchancehotel.org. We now have a news section on the Home page; dogs are constantly being assessed in their foster homes and information changes regularly.

Not just dogs, - Last Chance Hotel is here for all animals, and in February we had not one but two non canine species needing assistance in homing. Bob the ginger and white cat was found straying in Redruth, and has joined Louisa and her ever expanding menagerie, now settling in nicely with the other inmates. He is such a lovely boy and someone may be missing him, so any help in locating his owner would be much appreciated.

In late February we were asked to assist in finding a forever home for two very friendly Pygmy goats, - a little different from the usual domestic pets, but we are here to help in any way we can with any animal, from rats and mice to ponies and horses.

Happy Departures to New Homes

Lurchers and other sighthounds are much loved; but they can also be much abused too; we always seem to have at least a couple in rescue at any one time, skinny ones, hairy ones, daft ones (aren’t most of them?!) all with their own little quirks and foibles. But February was ‘I Love Lurchers’ month, it seems, as Daisy, Holly, Tinker, and Casper trotted off to their new homes, and Flynn and Oscar’s fosterers joined the famous Failed Fosterers Club, a very special kind of fail. Lacey and Ginger, who came into rescue in January, also found their forever homes. Happy days for all these lovely pooches, and their new families.

Top: Tinker

1st row left to right: Oscar, Casper, and Daisy

2nd row left to right: Holly, Ginger and Flynn

Fundraisers

Pencarrow Snowdrop Sunday
A cold wind and a couple of brief hail showers accompanied our first ever appearance at Pencarrow House and Gardens, near Bodmin, on Sunday 11th February. Ours was the first of two Snowdrop Sundays, kindly organised by Pencarrow House and Friends of Pencarrow to support two different charities, and welcome visitors in to admire the carpets of beautiful snowdrops and first signs of Spring. We met many lovely ‘doggy’ people, most of whom had their dogs with them, and enjoyed chatting to them about their pooches as well as our work. Some Last Chancers turned up with their owners to say hello, before taking a stroll in the gardens. It was a fab day, and our thanks go to Pencarrow House for inviting us to take part, and to Janet Hereward for suggesting it, liaising, organising us and helping on the day. Pictured here is St Bernard Maggie, who helped Janet with the meeting and greeting, and did a wonderful job!

LCH Online Auction
Carla Whiting came up trumps yet again in February, with a Flash Auction raising vital funds for our vet bill. Lots of bargains, and great stuff on offer. Thanks to all those who donated items, and bid on them, your support is greatly appreciated! Join the Facebook page Last Chance Hotel Auction to find out when the auctions are on, - they run all through the year.

If you would like to help LCH with a fundraising event, please contact the team with your idea on 01209 281159 or email Louisa on louisa@lastchancehotel.org.

Every dog wool have its day....

Barbara and Margaret are fabulous supporters who knit for us, - mostly cosy blankets, which are wonderful fund raisers for our auctions, shop and fayres. If you have any unwanted wool, please consider donating it to our fervent knitters. You can either drop it into the Hub Shop in Redruth, or email Carla on carlawurlies@hotmail.co.uk to arrange another method of delivery.

It Happened to a Vet

In this occasional feature, Nigel Lunt MRCVS (retired), Trustee to LCH, offers advice from his experiences as a long practicing vet at Lamorna House veterinary practice

Should we neuter our companions?
When I was working in Veterinary practice I was often asked “should I have my companion neutered?”. Whilst there was no definitive answer, I attempted to give as broad a response as possible so that the owner had as much information as they required to come to a decision. The advice that I gave comprised the following.
The bitch that is allowed to remain unspayed tends to come into season every six months and during this time they are very attractive to male dogs and require extra vigilance to prevent straying and possible mismating. Apart from preventing seasons and the obvious inability to have puppies, neutering of bitches also brings benefits from a longer-term health point of view. Spaying surgically removes the uterus and ovaries removing the risk of a potentially life threatening pyometra condition in later life. False pregnancy, a cause of discomfort and behavioural problems due to hormonal changes is no longer a threat to the spayed bitch. The risk of mammary tumours increases with age in the entire individual. It has been shown that bitches that are spayed at a young age are less likely to develop these tumours.
The neutering of the male dog by surgical castration can also give them benefits. Male hormone influenced negative behaviour such as straying in search of bitches in season, hypersexuality towards other dogs and people and aggression with other dogs can be limited by castration. Viewing in the longer term, problems such as tumours involving the testicles and the anal area can be reduced. Prostate problems that again come with age and hormonal influence can also be reduced by earlier castration.
For the sake of balance, it needs to be indicated that in some individuals neutering can result in weight gain, but this can usually be controlled by monitoring the dietary intake together with regular exercise.
From a general health and wellbeing point of view it appears that the benefits of neutering both male and female dogs outweigh the negatives of the surgery. Now as a Trustee for Last Chance Hotel the problems related to not neutering have come to the forefront. We are all aware of the endless task of rescuing dogs that LCH performs. Whilst it cannot be said that neutering is a full answer to this problem, if bitches are neutered at a young age then there would be potentially less unwanted puppies entering the world. Most sensibly bred puppies will have loving and caring homes, being raised and treated as they deserve. Sadly, this cannot be said for all puppies. Bitches in season that stray into a mismating or those bred on a whim can produce unwanted puppies that exacerbate this problem. These puppies may be taken on with no proper thought by new owners who can easily become bored with them when it becomes apparent how much work and time they need to expend to raise that puppy into the dog that is admired by all. Then all too often these dogs are passed from one home to another, ultimately ending in the need to be rescued and, if lucky, being taken under the wing of rescue organisations such as Last Chance Hotel.
So that more and more puppies are not born into a life of need and deprivation that can, on occasion, sadly end in being put to sleep let us encourage neutering at a young age. I believe we will all benefit, the dogs having better lives and ourselves by reducing the numbers of unwanted, ill cared for individuals that need to pass into the care of Last Chance Hotel and similar organisations. NL

Thank you!

Gifts in the post....

Grateful thanks to Jo W for thinking of the equines as well as the dogs in our care, also to Sally-Ann Martin for the fab training lead. All these gifts chosen from our Amazon Wishlist are very much appreciated!

Puppy Steps

Huge thanks to Lindsay Ball at Puppy Steps Training, Falmouth, for the donation of puppy food.

Holsworthy Pet and Garden Supplies

A very big thank you to Dan and staff at Holsworthy Pet and Garden Supplies and to all their customers for the amazing selection of food and accessories donated to LCH. We truly appreciate your support!

In Loving Memory of Scruff

All the Team would like to say a massive thank you to Dave Dewhurst for the generous donation in memory of his beautiful dog Scruff, thank you for thinking of LCH at this sad time.

Did you Know?

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 Amazon, 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.

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.
Thank you from Team LCH and all the animals!

Rainbow Bridge

Alf came into LCH at 14 weeks old two Christmases ago. He was a scatty lurcher pup and was at HQ with Sam and the mob for a while. Alf had been run over and his leg had been badly broken, but his leg was repaired. He was adopted by a fab family but it was soon apparent that there was another problem. He had developed cancer in the other leg, an aggressive tumour. Amputation would have been a temporary solution except that his damaged leg would not have supported his body. For many months Alf’s pain was managed and treatment on his leg ensued, but in the end the pain just got too much for him; his vet and his family made the difficult decision to say goodbye. Alf was about 3 years old…. too young to leave this world. All our love to Angie Rolph and family, who loved him dearly.

Tizzy came to us via the pound, a feisty little terrier with a massive bite history. She fell ill with a cough and so she was rushed to our vets who X-rayed her and put her on a course of strong antibiotics. She picked up quickly, but then suddenly, within days, she just laid down and died…. all very quick and peaceful. Her fab fostermum Wendy was with her and is absolutely devastated. Tizzy was not an easy dog but Wendy worked really hard with her. In fact Tizzy had a really positive meet and greet only the week before; her world was just starting to come together, she was just learning that life is good. She was safe, loved and happy... and now, all of a sudden, she has left us.. with no explanation..no apparent reason... our love and thoughts are with Wendy and her family.. R.I.P Tizzy, you are loved…

A heartfelt tribute to Roo, from her mum: ‘My true friends and family are aware that I can't have children so my babies have always been my dogs. Tomorrow our little girl is going to rainbow bridge to wait for us. Little Roo has had such a horrid life but despite that she has made us so proud as she's learnt to trust, eat, sleep and the greatest thing, wag her tail. I'm proud of her and us and appreciate all of the support we've received from Sam, Theresa and all of the LCH team. We love you Roo. This picture is of her favourite walk xxxx’. TS

Meet the Team!

Volunteering for Last Chance Hotel Animal Rescue

Carolyn Harding has a varied role within LCH; here is her take on why she volunteers for us:

‘What do you do when you return to Cornwall after ten years of living in France? Obviously something truly useful – before it’s all too late. Creating the perfect lawn can only take up so much of one’s time….. Obviously charity work – that was the easy choice. But why Last Chance Hotel in particular? Well, for as long as my husband and I can remember, there were dogs in our two families. So even from the very start of our marriage, we couldn’t imagine a home without them. But we made the decision that whatever dogs we took in, they would all be rescued. By way of example, the two dogs we brought back from France – Bertie and Archie – were found wandering in a Dordogne forest with their five other brothers and sisters along with their abandoned pedigree mother. All because she had a broken leg and had been made pregnant by a local hunting dog.

In simple terms it was my love of dogs that brought me to Last Chance Hotel. But it is something completely different that keeps me involved. All the volunteers are unpaid, - they give their time freely. Every pound raised goes towards the animals in our care. Then there is the almost indescribable joy of placing a once-abandoned or maybe even abused dog, with a loving, caring family. Sometimes it is difficult to work out who is the happiest, the dog or the new owners.

I have been amazed at the lengths the charity will go to in order to save and protect dogs. The fact that the volunteers do all this for love, makes me proud to be a part of it; I feel LCH deserves all the support that comes its way, now and in the future.

Much of my time is spent home checking, - visiting people who want to adopt or foster one of our dogs. Apart from talking to the potential owners to see if they understand what it might involve, we also check the security of their gardens. So many rescue dogs have known nothing but fear and their first instinct is to run, making high fences and a strong gate essential. These visits also give me a chance to explain more about the way the charity works, and allows applicants a chance to ask any questions, as well as reminisce about the pets they have had in the past.

Last year LCH was instrumental in finding homes for over three hundred dogs and other animals. Getting them ready for their new families costs a lot of money. Our vet bills alone would make most people catch their breath. One of our best earners is the charity’s Hub Shop in Redruth where I do a session each week. Apart from raising vital funds it can be great fun. I’m often coming home with stories of four legged visitors to the shop and their antics. There’s always a bag of doggie treats under the counter and the visiting dogs know just where to find them. Feeding them biscuits is a great delight. The shop is always full of bargains and it’s a pleasure to help people to find that certain something. It is also a source of information about the latest dogs who have come into our care, and it’s handy for those who aren’t online, and therefore can’t follow social media or our website.

Along with other volunteers, I collect donations for the shop so if you are thinking about having a spring clean and clear out, please see if anything would be suitable for sale in the shop. It is impossible, unfortunately, to take large items of furniture – space is limited – but we’ll happily collect smaller items and bagged clothes and ornaments. You can call the shop Monday to Saturday 10 am to 4 pm on 01209 315547.

As a retired NHS manager I have been used to speaking in public and making presentations so I was pleased to help the charity by giving talks to various audiences - ranging from over a hundred at an University of the Third Age meeting to a classroom of young children to introduce them to our own rescued dogs as a thank you for collecting presents for our foster dogs at Christmas.

Finally, my husband and I foster dogs for LCH. At the moment we are looking after Dolly who is supposed to be an “end of life foster”. She’s 13 now, but hasn’t read the memo. Since arriving last April she’s brightened up considerably, to the extent that she is ready to join in all the doggy games with our two French mutts, including racing around the house, bouncing on and off the bed, and of course the famous bitey-face game. And all this despite her being almost three times the age of our resident munchkins.'

Carolyn will be happy to come and talk about the work of Last Chance Hotel - with or without dogs - to spread the word about all the charity’s activities and also to discuss the wider issues of animal legislation and how we can all help to protect animals. If you would like her to come and speak to your group please contact us via email info@lastchancehotel.org, or tel 01209 281159, giving an estimation of the size of the group, a suggested date and the type of audience and she will be pleased to get in touch with you to fix a date in the diary.

SAFETY FIRST!

Please heed the advice of the Coastguard and keep your dogs on a lead when walking them on the Cornish cliffs. It only takes a moment of distraction, a sudden spook, a dropped or a mis-thrown ball to take them over the edge. Several lives have been lost already this year, - don’t let your precious pooch be the next.

Happy Gotcha Day!

“Gotcha Day” is the name given to the day a lucky hound first came into his or her forever home. 

Dates for your Diary

Saturday 17th March 10am - 4pm
Newquay Campus, Cornwall College, Wildflower Lane, Newquay TR7 2LZ. Students are organising a dog agility course, raising funds for LCH, and we will be there with an information stall.

Saturday/Sunday 14/15th April
Trebah Garden, Mawnan Smith, Falmouth TR11 5JZ
Come and visit these beautiful dog friendly gardens. LCH team members will be there with an info stall and various LCH goodies.

Sunday 3rd June 10am - 4pm SAVE THE DATE!!!
Crofthandy Village Hall, Nr St Day, TR16 5JQ.
Our Spring Fayre and Companion and Fun Dog Show. Anyone wishing to book a stall please contact us on info@lastchancehotel.org or ring 01209 281159. Please check website nearer the day for details of classes.

Details of these events can be found on our website Events page.

My goal in life is to become as wonderful as my dog thinks I am

Unknown