Keeping in touch with our friends

Dear Friends and Supporters
"a wintery hello from the Rain Rescue volunteers"
We thought it was a good time to get sat down at the computer and start writing to you all. As most of you will know when checking out the site - we have now managed to buy the van. We can now get 11 dogs squeezed into it. It cost just under £3000 to get it onto the road - and it does 25 miles to the gallon. THANK YOU!!!!!!!
We save around 40 dogs every week from destruction dogs pounds in Yorkshire. Mostly West Yorkshire where we can't find any rescue groups to help out. We are desperate for the people of West Yorkshire to be aware what is happening to their dogs which end up in the dog pounds up there. We can't continue for much longer as the stray dogs and the dogs dumped in the pound by the owners or relatives of the owners is growing every week. Too many dogs are being bred - which ends up in the ones that nobody wants being put to sleep unnecessarily. We can't bear to let these dogs die- who usually have no more problems than just being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
We are now approaching companies to see if they would like advertising space on our van. The van does around a 1000 miles each week taking dogs up and down the country. If you can think of anyone that would like to sponsor us and receive advertising space on the van and on our web site - please let us know.
Hopefully more and more people are realising that the Staffordshire Bull Terrier and Staffy x's, are now being so massively bred, that there aren't anywhere near enough homes for them. We can't get staffy's or staffy x's into rescue places anywhere. There are just too many. Please - spread the word for people to stop breeding these dogs - if they have one - please get it neutered and so end the killing of this lovely breed. Think - what it will be like to be a staffy at Christmas - all types of dogs get put to sleep at Christmas - the Staffy even more so - just to make room for the rest.

This is a picture of HARRY. He was a young German Shepherd dog which we had seen in the pound. Harry had been picked up in West Yorkshire as a stray. Collected by the RSPCA for the police. But the RSPCA don't take in stray dogs - so Harry was taken to the pound. Where he stayed for a few weeks with paper bedding and weeping sores. When we got him out, Harry had hardly any hair on his body. His toes and joints were swollen with the infection. This didn't happen to Harry overnight - he got into this state whilst out on the streets - but Harry should not have been left for weeks in this state.
Our driver couldn't leave him once he was released and so he was brought to Rain Rescue. Initially we thought it was mange, a contagious disease. Nobody would take him in for fear of it being spread to either their staff or their other dogs. We had the vet out to him, and gave him a wash and some treatment and some anti-biotics. Just 1 day later, the sores weren't as red and painful. JUST ONE DAY ON TREATMENT and he wasn't in as much pain. We paid for skin tests and it showed he wasn't contagious - it was a bacterial infection which had been left a long time - Harry continued on his drugs. Not one of the big national rescue centres would take Harry in. Small voluntary groups like Rain Rescue and The Doris Banham Sanctuary are left to care for and pay for treatment of dogs like this. Nobody cares about stray dogs like Harry. Its small groups like us who see the pain and fear - every single day that have to care.

Meet BEAR -

A rottie who had been in Sheffield Council pound. Nobody wanted him. They contacted us and asked if we could help. One of our group loves rotties and said she would take him if he had no issues. So we went and picked him up and drove him to his new rescue place ready for rehoming. Bear has lots of issues. He was crippled on his back legs, and it looks as thoughhe has got wobbler syndrome starting. We don't think Bear will ever be re-homed. Who would take on a poorly older dog? Only us. We have got to find that money now for the rest of his life - along with other poorly or old ones in our care. As most of you know - it wont be cheap. The volume of dogs that we are having to save and to move is huge - too huge for the few volunteers that we have and too huge for the money that we have. If you can think of anyone who has a clean driving license and would be interested in committing to helping with driving the van - please let me know - the drivers that we do have are spending so much of their own time - they can't carry on. If you can think of any way that we could raise more money to pay for vet fees and petrol - please tell me - we really do need it to carry on. There are lots of generous people out there - but many don't realise the work that we do and just what needs to be done. The money that goes into large centres - but that won't help the dogs dying in dog pounds today in the UK. The Dogs Trust are one of the only ones that do go into dog pounds and getsome dogs out - we couldn't survive without them. But where are the rest????
If you haven't already done so - please think about joining our lottery - its a way of helping us to continue with a regular amount, and also a way of you winning back more than you put in. Each month there is a draw and some lucky winner will win 50% of the takings that month. Please be a regular supporter.
With Christmas looming - older dogs are already being dumped - ready for the puppy as a present. It may seem a joke - but believe me its not.
CAN WE TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SAY A GREAT BIG 'THANK YOU'
TO ALL OUR GREAT SUPPORTERS AND VOLUNTEERS AND REGULAR DONATORS
YOU ALL KNOW WHO YOU ARE - COS YOU KEEP HELPING
WITHOUT YOU WE WOULDN'T HAVE OUR VAN - OR HAVE SAVED SO MANY DOGS LIVES
THANK YOU SO SO MUCH
TAKE CARE EVERYONE AND A BIG HUG TO YOUR DOGGIES OLD AND NEW
Jacquie & Sue
07946618011
admin@rainrescue.co.uk
www.rainrescue.co.uk