Merlin's Magicians January Flyball & Agility Newsletter
JANUARY NEWSLETTER – FERRYSIDE.
Not much to say this month as we don’t restart until February 6th. We are hoping for some new members though. We have been busy with publicity, Debbie and Christine in the Swansea and Llanelli areas, myself in and around Carmarthen. From this we are looking forward to meeting three new people with their dogs, and, the Carmarthen Journal is to get back to me with a view to doing a piece about us in their Sports Section!!
We have also been invited to display at an ‘Equine & Canine Event’ Pembrey Country Park, sometime in May, I am awaiting further details before putting it to you all for consideration.
Our home page picture this month is a tribute to a grand old lady. Liz’s Kez did Flyball many years ago, she died on her eighteenth birthday, and had been playing ball earlier that day. The picture was taken only three months ago by Bob Grainger Photography, Kez was playing in her sedate way after watching the ‘youngsters’ at Flyball training.
On a personal note, isn’t January just the most miserable month? Added to the seasonal downer, I had poor old Charlie Brown castrated and whilst he was ‘under’ his large loose dew claws removed from his back legs. Well, any other dog would be fine with this. Charlie Brown is like a teenager on speed!!! So for the sake of healing has had to wear a muzzle and be confined to a crate for a week! This is depressing for all of us, we can’t go for our normal walks as if I leave the room he screams the place down (fine whilst I’m in there and no way can he come) throws himself at the sides of the crate and makes like I am the cruellest person this side of anywhere. And, I feel it!! Despite the fact that he has been confined and the ground, thank the Lord, has been dry, one of his dew claw sites isn’t healing as well as I would like. Since his surgery I have had to sleep downstairs on the futon, which is doing my back no good at all!
Roll on February 6th. I can’t wait to ‘live again’. Hopefully, oh please.............let Charlie Brown’s wounds be healed by then.
Cheers!! June
Beulah, Ceredigion.
Well, It’s Newsletter time again, but nothing to report from Beulah on the Flyball side of things as there has been no training over the winter. There have been some lovely sunny days, but the evenings are sub-zero, meaning the ground is still solid and could cause damage to the dogs. If you have already subscribed to the Google Calendar keep watching it as we will put on a possible start date soon hopefully, if you are not already subscribed then drop an email to ukc802262637@btconnect.com and you will be sent an invitation to join it. We will email out to everyone on the list as well as update the calendar when we have a date.
TINNED DOG FOOD TREATS
1 3/4 cups canned dog food (2 16 oz. cans)
1 cup unprocessed bran
1 cup old fashioned oatmeal
1/2 vegetable oil
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. In a medium bowl mash the dog food and remove all lumps. Mix in the bran and oatmeal. Slowly add the oil, mixing to a consistency that is easy to mold into patties or roll and cut into bone shapes. Add more oil if the mixture is too dry. Arrange biscuits on and ungreased baking sheet and bake for 3 1/2 hours, or until hard. cool; store in a covered canister. If refrigerated, the treats will keep for about 1 month. Makes 16 medium size biscuits
A bit of news from my lot – I appear to be up to 5 dogs! Our rescue took in a very very very petrified little dog who has been extremely abused in the past. Kelly and Sandra at Kelsion Kennels (shameless plug as they worked a miracle) spent a lot of time gaining his trust to the extent he no longer ran at the back wall and turned somersaults to get away if anyone even went near the kennel door. They put one of the other small dogs in with him to help him, and due to all the hard work and hours spent simply sitting still within eyesight he calmed down enough to be just very very petrified of everything. I offered to foster him with my lot who have a super abundance of confidence, and he has now been with me 2 weeks. The change in him is amazing – 99% due to my dogs showing him there is nothing to be scared of, and in fact on the “home” side of the garden gate he is almost brave unless I go to touch him. It has been decided that he will be staying with me on a lifetime foster, simply because before when he was so scared he snapped and bit, and we cannot take the risk of rehoming him in case he does the same again. To give you an idea of how badly he has been neglected in the past, Brenda thinks he is probably around 3 or 4 but he had to have TWELVE teeth out on Wednesday due to the appalling state of them.
Now the really really really important bit – he will of course be in my car while the big boys are training, he will also be coming with us camping etc. Please do NOT stop and look at him unless I am there. You are welcome to just say “hello Reggie” as you walk past the car, and a quick glance is fine, but if you stop and look or talk more than that he gets very scared again and at present he sees the car as a safe haven and I need to keep it that way. I won’t be nasty but if anyone does more than that they will feel the full measure of m y displeasure. This little dog was almost pts because he was just so scared we wondered if it was fair to him to carry on in such an awful state.... I do not want all of the work that has been put into rehabilitating him to be undone by someone scaring him (even with the best intentions of trying to make him feel wanted) and if he sees someone looking he WILL get scared. He trusts me so please do not do anything more than murmur hello as you walk past unless I am there to reassure him. Thank you.
Reggie http://s1224.photobucket.com/albums/ee375/caredogs/Reggie%20day%203/?albumview=slideshow
Georgina