The German Shepherd Rescue Trust

August Newsletter

Ah don’t ya just love the rainy season; muddy paw prints, damp dog smell, an abundance of towels that need washing, dog fur that sticks to the walls from that good old shake your baby has after coming back inside from that reluctant toilet break – and don’t forget the impulsive cuddles from your best friends just BEFORE you manage to get the towel out!

This month we have a number of things to talk about least of which is the upcoming Auckland Animal and Pet Expo! We have been offered a stand at the Expo which we have gladly accepted. Write these dates in your diary now – Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 September. The venue is the North Shore Events Centre and gates are open between 10.00am and 5.00pm each day. For those of you who have not previously attended a pet expo – it’s an exhibition and lifestyle event tailored specifically to cater for the needs and wants of pet owners and their pets. Check out the website http://www.petanimalexpo.co.nz

Who is Exhibiting? - Accessory and Equipment, Financial Institutions, Government Organisations, Grooming, Healthcare Products, Hygiene, Industry Associations, Insurance, Investment, Marine Animals, Media, Minding, Museums, Nature Conservation, Pet Food and Animal Nutrition, Pet Internet Services, Pet Pest Control, Pet Shops, Pet Supplies, Pet Wholesalers/Retailers, Photography, Ponds/Fountains, Promotional Products, Publications, Research and Development, Reptiles, Riding Schools, Safety, Toys and Games, Trailers/Transportation, Unusual Animals, Vaccines and Veterinary Products, Videos, Waste Disposal, Wildlife and Ecology, Zoological Parks & Sanctuaries Suppliers, Advisory Services, Agric- hemical/Pharmaceutical, Animal Cemeteries/Funerals, Animal Training, Animal Identification, Animal Psychology, Animal Sports: Greyhounds, Horse-Trotting/Equestrian, Arts and Craft, Animal Welfare Agencies, Aquariums and Aquarium Suppliers, Birds, Boarding Kennels, Books/Literature, Breeds Cages/Aviaries, Catteries, Cleaning Equipment, Clothing, Commercial Animals, Detection Animals, Dietary Products, Eco Tourism, Entertainment, Equine: Saddlery, Equipment, Educational Bodies, Farm Holidays Fencing and Enclosures – pretty extensive list huh?

We’re working towards having a number of people ‘manning’ the stand over the course of the two days and hope to be able to raise a bit of money for the Trust at the same time. We’ve had a number of good ideas come through as to how we might do this and have a fairly enthusiastic response from rescue group members so we hope to see you all there.


Adoptions - Zak and Duke, our two handsome boys on the homes needed page, have now been neutered and will be ready to go to a new home in a few weeks, if a suitable one becomes available. Their foster dad is very pleased with their progress saying;

“They have been good, no problems with them. Love their sticks/balls and have taken to cycling with them in tow, are really good and just run next to me. Have a local track through farmlands that is sealed off from vehicles so quite handy. Don’t seem to have any problem with cattle, except barking at them. Lucky they are only in the paddock next door a couple times a month. Seem to be well socialised dogs, with little interest in other dogs, cattle or children, and know the meaning of NO which is handy”.

They certainly seem to have adjusted back into family living after the sad and sudden passing of their owner. This resulted in the ‘the boys’ having to spend time in a boarding kennel for several months. Both dogs will make wonderful additions to families. Ideally we’d like to place them together; they have been inseparable since birth, but realistically this might not happen. Because of this we are gently getting them used to them being separated so if individual placement is necessary it won’t be such a wrench for them.

Two of our foster dogs have found their forever homes without needing to go on the website; Oslo and Mia are both well settled into their new surroundings.

On the up side of rescue, recently we were able to reunite a dog with it’s rightful owner based on the tattoo ID – and this happened during the final days of the dog’s pound stay.

We also recently took into foster care a 4 year-old bitch after she had been surrendered to the pound because of her elderly owner’s failing health. She was extremely underweight and a bit nervy but is relaxing now under the excellent care of one of our foster families. This young girl will need to be in care for some time in order to get her back to a healthy weight. Because she is in such an emaciated condition she will have a full vet check later this week to rule out any underlying health problems.

Minimum donation for adoption - $150.00 As reluctant as we have been (especially Denise) to take this step it has now become necessary to request a minimum donation from adopting families. After much discussion and careful consideration it was agreed by the Trustees that a minimum donation of $150.00 per dog will be required. We need to defray some of the costs incurred during foster care and medical care for dogs prior to adoption and after researching other sites it became obvious that we were amongst a limited few who do not currently request a minimum amount. We have also taken the step to introduce a surrender fee of $50.00 for non-rescue dogs who need new homes i.e. families travelling overseas etc. This fee will help to cover the costs of assessment, travelling to and from, home checks, placement follow-ups and often toll calls – in a lot of cases foster care is needed. Individual circumstances will be taken into consideration though.

Polar Fleece jackets, vests and tee shirts with the GSD Rescue logo on them are now available for order. Details will be posted on our website. Feedback from those who have already purchased these jackets has been great regarding the quality and fit of the jackets.

2011 Calendar We’ll be moving into full gear very soon for this year’s calendar. We have already received some photos from our adopters and they are great. Sadly we will have quite a number dogs on the memory page this year as several of our older dogs have passed away; we are grateful that they knew how life should have been throughout their life times; sad though that some had to wait so long to find the love and kindness they deserved.

If you would like to pre-order your copy of the 2011 calendar let us know. The price will remain the same as last year ($30.00) despite the increase in GST and postage. We only have a limited number of calendars printed but the last two years they were sold out in 6 weeks (except for a few this year that were ordered but not collected or paid for; however, we did recently sell those at reduced cost).

So there you go – another month has whistled by. Keep yourselves safe, warm and dry and enjoy those sneaky winter cuddles with those whose lives we’ve changed and saved.

Colleen Johnson
on behalf of the Trustee's