To view the online slideshow of images from the day

 please click here

BORDER TERRIER WELFARE AT BUCKHAM FAIR AUGUST 2012

A Border Terrier Welfare 'thank you' to everyone involved with the fund-raising at Buckham Fair.
This is in no particular order and I hope I haven't left anyone out but
if I have please let me know.Firstly, for anyone who is not aware of the reasons why BTW began attending events to raise awareness and funds for breed rescue here is a reminder….It all started for me when a very sick little bitch called Nellie came to me in Somerset two years ago. 
She was five years old, in a very poor state suffering from Cushings
disease but with first class treatment from my local vet Kingfishers and
excellent care from the Ponderosa Kennels Nellie improved and was able to berehomed with her lovely new owner Molly.
Her treatment is on-going but this sweet little bitch lives today because
of all your kind contributions.  Without your help she would have died, suffering greatly, a long time ago.  So thank you to all those who contributed to her journey and helped pay for her medication.
Nellie is just one example but,sadly, there will always be more. 

BTW say 'thank you' to Martin and Philippa Clunes for allowing our small registered charity to be part of the greatest show in Dorset, with the finest view….

Thank you to the hard-working team, all of whom are so dedicated to the good of Buckham Fair and beyond.  I would like to say a special thanks to
Rosemary Young who is the back-bone of Dorset's dog world and to Diana Clark for her help and great interest in our charity.

To find out that a dog I had put through had won the Rescue/Re-homed Dog of the Year was truly heart-warming.   Like all the other breed rescue charities and dog homes BTW have many dogs coming through welfare. This is a great event to bring the rescue message home. Photographer Annie Dent's lovely gallery of the show final also helps to highlight dog rescue.  Well done to all involved.

Thank you to Stephen and Penny Stokes who generously paid for our stall.

Thank you to the companies: Fish4Dogs - you were so kind and generous with your lovely products; Burns - your food and in particular the booklets were so popular; James Wellbeloved - thanks for such lovely offers at shows. The bins were used for our lucky dip; Dorwest Herbs and Roly for his support of BorderTerriers;

Pet Log - thanks to Rachel Foster for helping us on the day and also for all they do for charities with micro-chipping; Lily's Kitchen - the much sort after hamper made a great star prize and the visiting dogs loved the biscuits; Jonathan Self of Honey's Real Dog Food - the signed books were a huge hit. Thank you for the voucher and thanks to Linda Vintcent for making the arrangements for the hamper to be delivered; Butchers Dog Food - thanks to Mr Glenn Norton for being so helpful; The Kennel Club - thanks to David Robson for his on-going help; Marks and Spencer , Yeovil - thanks for the voucher; Futures - a local food company who happen to have the same company colours as BTW!; Wing of St Mawes - who donated a Fruits de Mer voucher with the lucky winner receiving the prize delivered direct to their door.

Now thank you to all the individuals: Sue Bowditch for her work and being her lovely self; James and Celia Espey and Christine Ross, my family, who all helped; Chris and Denise Blackie for their help with the preparations; Tony and Brenda Warman for once again providing at least a third of the lucky dip; Kathy Wilkinson of the Border Terrier Club for donating and organising everything in the North and also to Margaret Curtis, Majorie Staveley and Euan Castel; Fiona Matthews, Marie Sharp, Colin and Sandra Girling and the Benattivo dogs who gave up their big food prize!; Linda Westland, Patch South, Michelle Barnett, Jan Gale, Tracey Anscombe, the late Jan Rabin ( we miss you so much), Des and Diane Martin, Sally
Waller, Trudi Baird for bringing gifts back from Bjorn Sandstrom and Rosa
Frisegards all the way from Sweden. (A special thank you to Trudi Baird and Tony Warman for travelling all the way from deepest Cornwall.  BTW appreciate you leaving at the crack of dawn to arrive so early.); Neil Straw for being the stall dog adviser after a long, tiring day at the Welsh Kennel Club and for continuing to support our breed; Elspeth Jackson (aka Mrs Parkinson), her husband Steve and her mother Jean, Bev Marsh, Lizzie Prior and the Isle of Wight group, Norfolk rep Vicky Docwra, Dave and Alison Matthews (hope this brightened your holiday!); the Atyeo family, Mark, Lynne, Kelly and Shaun also Jasmine Newby who all helped me wrap prizes before and on the day. A special thank you for all your time and charity - I could not have managed without you;  our stall manager, main worker and charity champion Mrs Joan Bristow; artist Hazel Smith for her work in person and for her art work; my husband, Frank, who allows Border Terrier Welfare to take over our home and life….. and finally to the lady who very generously bought our gazebo but wishes to remain anonymous.

To finish…all those who tried to get there but were unable to because of traffic problems, sorry Craig and family, Cathy and crew; thanks , of course, must go to the many show, rescue and pet dogs who helped on the stall; lastly to Kara for editing my epic….thank you.

Thanks to all who give and support us in any way.

Helen Freeman

Border Terrier Welfare Rep for Dorset,
Devon and Somerset

The first item on our new webpage is the story and photographs of the 3-Peaks' adventure that took place in August this year.

Hello there.

We cannot put in to words how proud we are of each of us for completing the walk.

 

 

We set off from the car park at 7.50am Sammi, Becky, Jack, Keeley, Andy (Oh and let's not forget Nena and Mavis the two doggies) each with a spring in our step until we began the first incline and the first comment came from Becky "If there's one thing I can't stand it's Hill's".  Very funny and it made us all laugh.

 

We marched on and were soon at the top of a very foggy Pen-y-ghent, only about 21 miles to go!!!! A quick cup of tea on the top and away we went again. Picking our way down the Hill and looking waaaaaay into the distance at a very tiny Ribblehead viaduct, lunch would be there. It seemed such a long and gruelling journey across moorland mile after mile of bog, Jack practising his long jump skills and Keeley floating across the bog like a fairy princess.

 

 

We finally made it to Ribblehead to be met by Geoff, Sammi's dad, who had warm soup, crisps and sandwiches, yummy, much needed food!

 

Off we went again this time bound for the long backed whernside. By this point a few blisters had started raising their ugly heads and our pace slowed a little, not so for the pups though, they were marching on duracell bunny styley. This Hill really took it out of all of us, it was hard work. Looking from the top across where we had come from was a proud moment but at the same time looking across at Ingleborough knowing we still had to make it there and climb it was soul destroying.

 

 

We pressed on though and eventually hit the bottom of Whernside again to be met by Geoff. We all set off to Ingleborough a few bits offloaded and left with Geoff including our Little Miss Mavis for a well deserved rest; she did really well. The climb up Ingleborough was painstakingly hard work: each step a huge effort, Nena stuck to heal all the way but with the famous Border Terrier trait checking behind to see where everyone was every now and again.

 

 

Trig point reached a massive sigh of relief and a tear in my eye. Quick drink of water for us and off we went again back down the Hill. From hitting the bottom of Ingleborough across the fields that lay ahead we really thought of all the many reasons why this walk was important to us and naturally our Border Terrier friends sprung to mind, I thought about making a difference to the life of so many little BT's I truly hope we do.

 

Blisters burst, knee paining and every ounce of us being pushed to the limit.

 

Thank you so much to all the Border terriers that pushed us to do this and the fantastic group of people we had the pleasure of completing it with You're all brilliant. 

 

Sammi and Rebecca

 

I WOULD LIKE TO CONGRATULATE THEM AGAIN FOR THEIR AMAZING ACHIEVEMENT, WHICH INCLUDED SAMMI'S AWARD OF THE 3-PEAK MEMBERSHIP AFTER HAVING COMPLETED THE CLIMB IN UNDER 12 HOURS AND TO THANK THEM FOR FUNDS RAISED FOR BTW.  THEY ACHIEVED A STAGGERING £538.10! THANK YOU ON BEHALF OF ALL OUR BTS OUT THERE.