Well September was a busy month again - we're now up to 866 dogs!

Auckland Pet Expo: As some of you know the Pet Expo was held on the weekend of September 18 and 19 at the North Shore Events Centre. It was a huge success for The Trust and attracted over 12,000 people during the weekend. Those who helped erect the stand on the Friday afternoon did a fantastic job; the stand certainly attracted a lot of attention often causing bottle necks in the foot traffic area because so many people had stopped to talk with us and most importantly pet the dogs!

Over the course of the weekend there were 12 dogs representing the Trust; either walking through the throngs of people or sitting quietly in front of the stand gladly accepting treats and belly rubs. Anne's famous chocolate chip cookies were a huge hit and were all sold - all 20 dozen of them thanks to the sales skills of Tania! All in all we made a good amount of money for the trust which will go towards helping even more GSDs in need. Fortunately we were able to find a home for one of the dogs through someone at the Expo seeing his photo. The woman stayed at the stand for quite some considerable length of time talking to us and asking all about the dog. Ultimately they were meant to be together which resulted in his new mum driving to Taupo to collect him! Everyone is happy!

Calendars: The calendars are printed and winging their way to you now. At last report we had only 70 left so if you haven't ordered one - or when you get your own you just have to have another - get your orders in promptly. These calendars are always popular and remain the biggest source of income for the Trust.

The Christmas party isn't far away now - a little over a month away so make sure you have that date marked in your diary - the second Sunday in November. We'll provide more information a little closer to the date.

Seasonal allergies - we touched on this in the last newsletter but I just want to reiterate how important it is to to keep a close watch on your pets during the spring months. Itching, irritated eyes are not pleasant but unfortunately dogs can't tell you their eyes hurt. It can be quite difficult to see a sore red eye lid but if your dog's eyes are tearing or there is any kind of discharge coming from the eyes or nose, or your dog is sneezing (yes they get hayfever!) please don't wait to see if it subsides - take them to your vet.

Denise: And last but by no means least, as some of you know Denise is incapacitated at present with severe nerve pain. She's not particularly mobile and certainly can't sit at a computer so please try to keep any messages regarding adoptions or trust matters to Denise, to a minimum. Liz and I will do our best to field any messages so please direct your queries to us initially (colleen.gsdrescue@actrix.co.nz or liz.gsdrescue@xtra.co.nz. Adoption applications should still be made via the application form on this site.

Until next time stay happy and well and keep those puppies smiling!

Colleen
(Trustee)