The Mayhew Spring 2017
Helping animals and their carers since 1886
What’s in store for 2017 Nature’s playground: Create your own pet enrichment garden Cat flu: All you need to know
Issue 47
Mill Lane Veterinary Surgery Advanced medical care for your pets
Proud to support The Mayhew Animal Home Joshua Rusnak BVSc CertSAS MRCVS 68-70 Mill Lane, London NW6 1NJ www.mill-lane-vet.com
020 7794 1777
SALE! Grab yourself a pawsome bargain from The Mayhew!
Spoil your four-legged friends with many of our treats for cats and dogs now half-price or less, or treat yourself to some gorgeous dog and cat themed gifts – purrfect for animal lovers!
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Telephone orders: 020 8206 5870 2
The Mayhew _ Spring 2017
Welcome
Spring has sprung and that means it’s time for our cats and dogs to enjoy some of the warmer weather coming our way! Whether indoors or outdoors, on page 18 you’ll find tips to enrich your pet’s senses and make the most of nature’s playground! In this, our first edition of 2017, we invite you to take a look back with us at what a fabulous year 2016 was for us in terms of progression and reaching our mission of helping animals in need gain a better quality of life (page 6). We’re also thrilled to share our goals for the year ahead (page 8), all which will of course only be possible thanks to your continued support. We hope you enjoy reading our Spring edition of The Mayhew, filled with expert advice, heart-warming stories of your rescue pets and much more.
Contents News update 4 Our achievements in 2016 6 Our goals in 2017 8 Volunteer ambassador programme 9 Vital work in the community 10 Find me a home 14 Ask the expert: Cat flu 16 Nature’s playground 18 Our events fundraisers 22 Dates for the diary 23
Your letters – adopted & loved 24 My rescue & me 26 Abseil for the animals Back cover
What we do: We help animals in need gain a better quality of life by delivering a broad range of preventative and community-based animal care, education and welfare projects Editor: Claire Gratzke, Claire@mayhewanimalhome.org Design: Grade Design, gradedesign.com Many thanks to our photographers: Yvonne White (for cover photo and more), Jo Moolenschot, Fernando Bonenfant, Jo Sowry, Alissa Johnson, Kriszti Nagy. Please pass on to a friend and recycle after reading. Printed on 100% recycled paper Registered charity no. 1077588 Registered in England and Wales Company limited by guarantee no. 3837732 VAT registration number: 820 4030 87
To make a donation or to get in touch Write to: The Mayhew Animal Home Trenmar Gardens, Kensal Green, London, NW10 6BJ Telephone: 020 8206 5870 Email: support@mayhewanimalhome.org Website: www.themayhew.org Facebook: themayhew Twitter and Instagram: @themayhew
News update Dolly appears on This Morning One of The Mayhew Animal Home’s adorable puppies made her TV debut on ITV’s This Morning last October and captured the hearts of presenters Phillip Schofield and Christine Bleakley. Fourmonth-old Bichon/Shih Tzu cross, Dolly, and our Head of Animal Welfare, Gillian Notton, were invited down to the ITV studios as part of the daytime show’s ‘Puppy Day’ to celebrate ITV’s new show, Puppy Secrets: The First Six Months and to raise awareness of responsible pet ownership. Gorgeous Dolly made a great impression and was adopted shortly after.
TheraPaws dogs spread happiness on Blue Monday Monday 16th January, also known as “Blue Monday”, is reputed to be the most depressing day of the year, but at The Mayhew Animal Home we decided to brighten up this gloomy day and spread some joy to staff members at Bauer Radio and Hearst Magazines UK with visits from our gorgeous TheraPaws dogs! Our volunteers and their four-legged friends created a real buzz on all the office floors they visited! The staff were so excited to see the dogs that they abandoned their desks in order to stroke them, talk to our volunteers and take plenty of selfies with the dogs.
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The Mayhew _ Spring 2017
In memory In December last year we were deeply saddened to hear about the passing of two of our Mayhew friends, Andrew Sachs and Liz Smith. Andrew was a talented comic performer who was well known for his starring role in Fawlty Towers as the hapless, Spanish waiter Manuel. Andrew once kindly rescued the adorable cat Yogi who was in a bad way and brought him into us where he could find his loving forever home. Liz was a talented TV drama and comic performer who was well known and loved for her starring role as Nana in the popular sitcom, The Royle Family. She was also a caring animal lover. We are extremely honoured to have had their support over the years and our thoughts and sincere condolences are with their families.
Tinsel and Tails event raised a record-breaking £23,000! On December 6th 2016 volunteers, celebrities and supporters of The Mayhew walked the doggy red carpet in Central London at The Mayhew’s glamorous annual Gala Dinner event sponsored by SityWalks. Attendees witnessed some of the incredible achievements The Mayhew has accomplished over the past year and generous supporters helped us to raise vital funds for our work.
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Our achievements in 2016 2016 was an incredible year at The Mayhew and thanks to your support we’ve been able to help hundreds of dogs and cats. Our newly expanded Vet Clinic, The Jeanne Marchig Veterinary Suite and Training Wing was launched at the end of April and includes two new operating theatres to enable us to help even more animals in need. In 2016, we saw a huge 21% increase in Animal Welfare Officer (AWO) cases we responded to. Our Trap, Neuter and Return programme increased by 10.5% so more feral cats were neutered, health-checked and returned to their colonies than the previous year. Our community outreach work ranged from regularly helping Valerie, a 90 year old local lady, look after her two cats (read more on page 11) to rescuing and taking care of the veterinary costs for Lucky, a local homeless man’s beloved dog who had been hit by a car. In 2016 we helped an incredible 48% more homeless animals than in 2015 and our
achievements were recognised in April when we won Petplan’s award for Charity Team of the Year! The growing success of TheraPaws, our visiting animal therapy programme, continued and it now serves 12 boroughs in London. Another success story was Ben, whose owner was living in poverty and was unable to provide proper food, care and medical treatment for him so came to The Mayhew for help. Our AWO’s found Ben, a ten year old Labrador cross, emaciated and lying in a pool of diarrhoea, unable to use his back legs, and suffering from gut and digestion issues. Our Officers immediately brought him back to The Mayhew to receive urgent medical attention from our Vet Team. As soon as he was fully recovered, neutered and ready for adoption, Ben found a loving home.
Above: Opening of new vet clinic with staff and Louis Theroux.
Above: Rescued Ben enjoying his new home.
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The Mayhew _ Spring 2017
2016 IN NUMBERS We responded to Animal Welfare cases
336
CATS REHOMED
1916
1607
94
DOGS FOUND FOREVER HOMES
ANIMALS NEUTERED IN OUR VET CLINIC WE MICROCHIPPED ANIMALS
67
1131
WE REUNITED DOGS WITH THEIR OWNERS
1103
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THERAPAWS VISITS MADE
LONDON BOROUGHS THERAPAWS IS ACTIVE IN
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Our goals for 2017 We’ve got big plans to help more animals and their pet owners in 2017 and beyond.
Grow our community outreach work helping more pets and pet owners and preventing animal welfare problems arising.
Keep improving the lives of the animals in our care and shorten their stay in the shelter so that we can help even more animals.
Increase our rehoming turnover by 5%, helping our animals find their forever homes even sooner.
Be recognised as a leading organisation for animal welfare in the countries where we work.
Train more students on our International Vet Training Programme in London and abroad, empowering veterinary professionals in developing countries.
Start delivering on Mayhew International’s Rabies Vaccination programme and veterinary training in Kabul, Afghanistan.
We will make sure more pets are neutered with our Pick & Snip programme, Vet Clinic expansion and community work to tackle the overpopulation crisis and improve animal welfare.
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The Mayhew _ Spring 2017
Volunteer Ambassadors In October 2016 we launched our Volunteer Ambassador Programme, which sees our enthusiastic and passionate Volunteers help us to spread the word about our vital work.
Our very first Community Ambassador, Anne Harvey, kicked off the programme with an insightful and engaging talk at the Harrow Probus Club for retired and semiretired businessmen in October last year. Anne, who has been volunteering with The Mayhew for 25 years and knows the charity inside out, will now be helping us increase awareness and understanding of our role within the community. Anne said: “The talk went very well, and the level of interest shown by the audience will hopefully help to spread the word about The Mayhew Animal Home and its work.” Anne often holds her own fundraising events such as having stalls at fetes and hosting fundraising lunches and has raised a great amount for The Mayhew over the years, so was an obvious choice as our first Ambassador. Volunteer Ambassadors will give talks to local groups, promote our latest fundraising campaigns and events, tell of our animals currently up for adoption and educate on our initiatives which include community outreach work such as Trap, Neuter and Return, TheraPaws, our Community Vet Clinic, as well as our international work. www.themayhew.org
Above: Anne volunteering at Open Day.
Hayley Lynes, Volunteer Coordinator says of the programme: “It is a great initiative that will help spread the word on The Mayhew. We have volunteers who have been with us for many years, so it is a natural next step for them to speak on our behalf at these great events. We’re moving forward with the Ambassador Programme this year, starting with signing up more of our current volunteers.”
If you are interested in volunteering for The Mayhew or becoming a Mayhew Ambassador please visit www.themayhew.org/get-involved
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Vital work in the community Every day our Animal Welfare Officers work in communities across London reaching out to and assisting pet owners, the homeless, the elderly and vulnerable. Those pets that need urgent and routine preventative veterinary treatment are brought to our on-site Community Vet Clinic where our team of vets and vet nurses can treat, neuter and care for them.
Last November, our Vet Team focused on our Animal Welfare Officers’ community outreach initiatives for two weeks. We provided thorough health-checks and preventative veterinary care for the animals covered by our outreach projects including neutering, vaccinations, flea and worming treatments, and microchipping. In 2017 The Mayhew is planning to increase its coverage for Pick & Snip, Trap, Neuter and Return (TNR) and working with vulnerable and marginalised pet owners. Our Animal Welfare Officers and Vet Team have done and continue to do a tremendous job and and here we highlight just a few of the cases they have carried out over the last few months.
In the two weeks alone, our Animal Welfare Officers and Vet Team helped 73 animals in need including: • Three dogs belonging to homeless people • Three dogs that came to us from illegal breeders. We neutered the dogs to prevent further sale of puppies to pet shops • Three Pick & Snip dog welfare cases, including a dog being used to breed for money • 17 Trap, Neuter and Return cases from three feral colonies • 44 Pick & Snip cats. We collected the pets, health checked and neutered them and provided de-fleaing, worming and vaccinations • Three ongoing vulnerable owner welfare cases
Above: The Vet Team in action
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The Mayhew _ Spring 2017
Above: Zoe Ewards with Valerie’s cats
Above: Madison
Valerie, Harry and Bobby
Madison had been sold via a website to a young man who wanted a puppy for his family. He went to see Madison and was met by two men who wanted £295 in cash up-front. The puppy’s mother was not present, she had no siblings around her and was cowering behind the sofa. After buying Madison it turned out that his family didn’t want her, so this poor little girl was taken in by The Mayhew. Our Vet Team discovered Madison had worms, which was causing her diarrhoea. They gave Madison antibiotics, round-theclock care and put her on a special diet. Sadly our Animal Welfare Officers rescue many puppies like Madison who are sold online by illegal breeders with little care taken over their welfare. Many of these puppies are too young to have been taken from their mothers, not in good health and haven’t been vaccinated or de-wormed. After receiving medical attention from our Vet Team and lots of care from our dedicated Kennels staff, Madison got back on her paws and we have since found her a loving home.
For the past two and a half years our Animal Welfare Officers have looked after 90-year-old Valerie’s two cats, Harry and Bobby. Both cats were suffering from a serious flea anaemia condition which caused baldness and severe discomfort. Eventually Valerie, who is house-bound and disabled, contacted us and our Animal Welfare Officers immediately visited her to offer help and advice to ensure that her beloved pets could stay with her at home. Since then our Officers regularly visit Valerie, pick up her two cats and bring them to our Community Vet Clinic where they are given health checks, worming and de-fleaing, and the necessary preventative care to ensure they remain in tip-top health. After treatment they are returned back home to Valerie on the same day.
Madison Our Animal Welfare Officers took in eight-week-old black Labrador puppy, Madison, who was purchased online, but was later no longer wanted. www.themayhew.org
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Toffee
cat population is proactively controlled, and to help prevent spread of disease. Gillian Rich, Head Veterinary Nurse, said: “Adult feral cats are usually not rehomeable as they are not used to human contact. However, we can make sure that they are not able to add to the overpopulation by neutering them and checking them for injuries and disease.” Our free Pick & Snip service aims to help people who have been unable to The Salvation Army neuter their cat due to cost, disability, apathy or transport availability. and Spitalfields Crypt Trust The Mayhew works with several charities We also work with Brent Housing including The Salvation Army and Partnership (BHP) who have launched Spitalfields Crypt Trust, which offer their revised tenancy agreement following support to homeless people in London. recommendations from The Mayhew. Our Officers are on hand to regularly BHP tenants can have pets but to ensure support and provide advice for homeless responsible pet ownership there is certain dog owners including free general health criteria to be followed including neutering, checks, microchipping and giving the microchipping, vaccinations and providing dogs food and coats. They are also offered good welfare for the animals. We offer a free neutering and if a dog has health range of preventative health care at our issues we bring them to our clinic for Community Vet Clinic for all BHP residents tests and treatment. who own a pet to help them meet these criteria. Free Bull Breed neutering is also Neutering offered for eligible bull breed type dogs. Our Officers run a Trap, Neuter and Return (TNR) programme for feral cats in We’re not stopping there! London to help control and contain the The Mayhew’s Animal Welfare Manager, cat population. During the fortnight, our Zoe Edwards, said: “At The Mayhew we Officers brought in 17 feral cats from strive to tackle the companion animal three colonies to our Vet Clinic for a welfare crisis from every possible angle. health check and neutering. Our work That’s why we provide ongoing support to neuter cats that live in feral colonies is to pet owners in difficulty, respond to vital to stem the numbers of kittens born animal welfare issues out in the and adding to the already huge feral community and deliver a range of population in London. In just seven years, initiatives including Trap, Neuter and one female cat and her offspring can Return and the Pick & Snip programme. produce up to 370,000 kittens, so We know that educating the public on neutering is essential to ensure that the animal welfare and the importance of One of the homeless’ dogs we helped during the two weeks is a Staffy called Toffee who lives with his owner at a Salvation Army hostel in East London, where our Animal Welfare Officers regularly visit and offer assistance. We brought him into our Vet Clinic for neutering, flea and worming treatment and a health check.
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The Mayhew _ Spring 2017
Above: The Mayhew’s team of Animal Welfare Officers (from left to right: Zoe, Georgina, Paul, AJ and Tania.
responsible pet ownership is vital to ensuring that animals are not left abandoned or neglected.” Zoe adds: “The Vet Team work extremely hard to help us make an impact on helping some of the animals from our community projects by neutering and treating them for sickness and injury – we can’t thank them enough for doing such an amazing job.” Over these two weeks the Vet Team were dedicated to our Animal Welfare Officers’ community outreach projects and welfare cases, to help as many animals as possible as quickly as possible. This just goes to show how important www.themayhew.org
the community outreach projects are and how many animals in need we can help and neuter from those projects alone. We treated and helped 73 dogs and cats in those two weeks, which is a great achievement and huge success. We look forward to progressing this even more throughout 2017. To find out more about our Animal Welfare Officer’s work within the community please visit www.themayhew.org/about/ local-community-work
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Find me a home Here are just some of the lovely cats and dogs patiently waiting at The Mayhew for their forever home. Please help us to find their new families.
P out lease pu pin-bo and displayll ar o whered or in a wi n a ndow lots of pe will se e me! ople Hope help, o fully, with u y will be r forever h our om found sooner es !
Fonzie: 10 year old (male) Likes: : Being spoilt rotten and enjoying life to the full! Essentials: I would love a garden where I can enjoy going out and about.
Shower: 4 months old (female) Likes: I love lots of affection and attention. Essentials: I love being entertained so would like to be with someone who has the time to keep me occupied.
Charlotte: 7 years old (female) Likes: I like to give head bumps and cuddles. Essentials: I’m on a diet, which is going well and will need to be kept on it in my new home. I also need a garden, but still prefer to use a litter tray indoors.
Marley: 5 months old (male) Likes: Being showered with love and affection so I can show off my super loud purr! Essentials: I would like a nice chilled out forever home so I can find my paws and get used to my new family in my own time.
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The Mayhew _ Spring 2017
Chico: 6 years old (male) Breed: Terrier mix Likes: They call me “Cheeky Chico” as I’m full of character. I’m active, out-going and playful and always enjoy a good game with my toys. I especially love playing with them while snuggling up next to you. Essentials: I will need to be the only dog in the home and would prefer my new home to be in a rural, semi-rural or low dog populated area.
Tara: 1 year old (female) Breed: German shepherd Likes: I have hip dysplasia, which means the ball and socket joint is malformed. I will need surgery on my hips in the future but I’ll be able to come back to The Mayhew to have it done.
To find out more about these animals and other Mayhew residents please visit: Cats: www.themayhew.org/cats Dogs: www.themayhew.org/dogs Or telephone: 020 8962 8000
You can help us rescue more dogs and cats and find them loving homes by making a donation: www.themayhew.org/donate
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Ask the expert It’s not just humans who suffer from colds and flu. Our Chief Vet Ursula Goetz, MRCVS, GPCert (SAS), explains what cat flu is, how it can be avoided and the best course of action should your pet be struck down with the illness.
Q. What is is cat flu?
Q. What are the symptoms?
Cat flu, or Upper Respiratory Infection (URI), is a common disease in cats that can vary considerably in severity –much like the human cold and flu. A virus like this in cats can be difficult to treat and is likely to remain in the system for a long period of time. Symptoms of the infection may not always be apparent which means your cat could be a flu carrier without realising it.
Signs of cat flu can include: • Sneezing • Discharge from nose and/or eyes • Conjunctivitis • Loss of appetite • Mouth or eye ulcers • Coughing • Excessive drooling
Q. How does a cat get it? Cat flu is usually caused by one of two types of virus (Feline Herpes Virus or Calicivirus), or sometimes by certain types of bacteria. Cats living in large groups, kittens, un-vaccinated cats or immunosuppressed cats are at a greater risk of the virus. A cat can catch cat flu from another sick cat (when it sneezes or drools the virus can be spread), or from a cat showing no symptoms at all but who is a carrier of the virus. It can easily be spread by contact with infected feeding bowls, bedding, toys, and even people’s clothing after being in contact with a cat with flu. 16
The Mayhew _ Spring 2017
Q. How do I treat it? Treatment for cats with URI’s is normally supportive. It will include keeping the cat’s eyes clean and removing any discharge, continued vaccination against the virus and eye drops or medication in persistent
Above: Our Chief Vet Ursula Goetz
cases. Early treatment when any of the signs show is the best form of defence and reducing stress levels may help symptoms from appearing. Make sure your cat keeps hydrated.
Q. Can it be prevented? Cat flu/URI is much better prevented than treated. Highly effective vaccines are available and all cats and kittens should be vaccinated. Any of our adoptive cats will be vaccinated against Leukaemia (FeLV), Flu & Enteritis (FIE) as part of the protocol at The Mayhew. There are lots of different strains of virus, and, just as with human flu, the vaccine is not effective against them all. Two doses of vaccine are needed initially, followed by regular boosters. www.themayhew.org
If you have a question you’d like our team of experts to answer in our next edition of the magazine, please get in touch: support@themayhewanimalhome.org
or call 020 820 65870.
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Nature’s playground Cats and dogs arrive at The Mayhew for a variety of reasons, in desperate need of our help. Here are some of the ideas we use to help reduce stress and anxiety in those animals, which you could easily recreate in your own home and garden this Spring.
Kitten Garden Our Kitten Garden was designed to provide lots of sensory enrichment for our kittens to ensure they grow into confident and happy adult cats.
Smells We plant bamboo, sunflowers, wheat grass, cat mint and cat nip around the kitten garden which they love to smell, nibble on and play with. They also attract butterflies which keep the kittens entertained for hours!
Above: Cats can have hours of fun with dangly toys!
marking. Cats love to use them to have a good old stretch after waking up from We make our own puzzle feeders using a nap, so best to place it near its favourite cardboard boxes, egg boxes and cardboard sleeping spot! Spraying some catnip onto toilet roll tubes. Simply place dry food in a post provides great stimulation as they’ll them and the cat can bat the food out rub all over and scratch the post. as a game! We also hang wind catchers and sun Sounds catchers (you can also use old CDs) that We have a mini solar-powered drinking the kittens like to chase. Dangly toys are fountain (great to keep your cat hydrated!) an absolute must for exercise, especially and wind chimes to provide soothing and for the indoor cat, as it helps release relaxing sounds. Natural noises such as endorphins too! these have a real calming effect. You can Every cat home should have a scratch also play classical music at a low volume post or mat. Scratching isn’t just about to help reduce anxiety, which is great for conditioning the claws, it’s about scent indoor cats too.
Activities
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The Mayhew _ Spring 2017
Textures Tinkling bells, crinkly sounds, squeaks and catnip-scented toys appeal to most cats. Textures can include plastic, rubber, cardboard, feathers and different fabrics for cats to dig their claws into. You can also give your cat a sensory experience with foliage, artificial grass, soft mats, soil, fabrics and wooden areas.
For the indoor cat An indoor cat will not get to experience everything that an outdoor cat enjoys such as climbing trees and eating foliage, but you can still make sure their senses are enriched by adapting the above tips and including some of the following ideas given by our Cattery team! Greenery like grass can be beneficial for cats because it helps with digestion. We grow catnip, cat mint, and wheat grass indoors in the cattery for the cats to nibble on and play with during Spring and Summer, and throughout the year.
Indoor window boxes are a great idea, but make sure any foliage is safe before introducing it to the home. Check our website on www.themayhew.org/ toxic-plants to see what plants are safe for cats as many are toxic. Let your indoor kitty enjoy watching nature’s playground by hanging bird feeders near windows for them to sit and watch from indoors. Keep an eye on your cat’s behaviour though, as some can become frustrated that they can’t catch the bird, so move the feeders out of kitty’s sight if this happens. Multi-level resting areas are particularly important for indoor cats. Shelves can easily be mounted on walls and perches can be set up at windowsills and bookcases. This can also be applied to gardens to make it more exciting for outdoor cats to explore. Offer your cat a shaded area to retreat to and play in when temperatures get too hot.
Above: Give your cat different heights indoors, like in our Kitten Garden.
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Above: Hiding treats in logs provides fun stimulation.
Above: A paddling pool really helps keep dogs cool in the hot months.
Dog Sensory Garden
Activities
The Sensory Garden in our kennels can help dogs become more secure in their surroundings and provide additional stimulation on a daily basis during their time with us.
Toys and games such as a log with treats hidden in it provide mental stimulation and enjoyment and are some of the things you can easily make at home for your pooch to spend hours playing with. Smells Interactive toys (also called enrichment Dogs love nothing more than having a dog toys) such as a Kong or Buster Cube sniff about. There is a variety of scented are available to buy in most pet shops plants which have a beneficial effect and online. You can fill these toys with that you’ll see in our Sensory Garden treats for your pooch for them to work this summer. Numerous plants have a to get them out, providing mental calming effect on anxious dogs including stimulation and a fun way to get food. Catnip, Hops, Lavender, Mimulus, Valerian It’s easy to make a DIY alternative by and Violets which are particularly effective. popping your dog’s favourite treat into Chamomile is great for dogs suffering a clear plastic water bottle with some from anxiety or skin/stomach upsets and holes cut in the sides for the treats to fall the Marshmallow plant is known to help out of. Make sure that you keep the cap animals with delicate stomachs. off this homemade toy so that your dog Why not try growing some of these in is safe from choking. your own garden for your dog to enjoy Often dogs like digging, so if you this spring? For a whole list of suitable don’t have a lawn (or if you do but want plants and their benefits visit our to keep it hole free!) then why not build website: www.themayhew.org/ a sand pit for your dog to play and bury sensorygarden his toys in? 20
The Mayhew _ Spring 2017
Above: You can plant your own pet-friendly herbs and plants.
Above: Dogs love having a good old sniff around!
Sounds A solar-powered fountain for your doggy to drink from and wooden wind chimes provide soothing and relaxing sounds for the dogs to listen to. Non-invasive sounds like these have a calming effect, making the dog feel at ease and reducing stress levels.
Textures An area of astro-turf and a wooden bark trough of water provide different and interesting things for the dogs to sniff, feel and touch and a paddling pool is a great way for your dog to play and cool off in the summer time! Don’t forget to provide a shaded spot for your dog to cool down in and escape from the sun and offer your pet a good supply of drinking water in a weighted bowl that can’t be knocked over. We hope you enjoy making your own sensory delight for your dog in your garden this summer!
www.themayhew.org
Above: Our longest stayer, Prince, enjoying some playtime in our sensory garden.
Why not share a photo with us of your pet enjoying the above tips this Spring time on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram @themayhew
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Our events fundraisers Raising funds for The Mayhew is not only rewarding as you are helping the care of hundreds of animals in need each year, but it’s also a whole lot of fun! But don’t just take our word for it; see what our past events volunteers have to say. Sue and Holby “This year I am raising funds for The Mayhew, Run Free Alliance and MENCAP. My target is £10k and I’m nearly half way there! By supporting The Mayhew I can help somebody out there find their pet that will bring them the same joy as I have in my adopted ex-Mayhew fur kid, Holby.” Lucy and Shadow “I’m really impressed with the work The Mayhew does in the community. I like the fact they help homeless people with their dogs. They also do a great job with looking after and rehoming dogs and cats. We took part in the W.A.L.K at Hampstead Heath and had a great family day out and we raised £335!”
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The Mayhew _ Spring 2017
Flora and Percy “I chose to support The Mayhew Animal Home because of the fantastic work they do to support animals that need a home. I’m not a natural runner so 10km was a challenge! I raised £400 and really enjoyed the event. The buzz of the crowd really helped to keep me going and Percy was waiting at the finish line!”
ut our Check o vents ge upcomin rt in! a to take p
Dates for the diary Check out the list below for our upcoming 2017 event dates to pop in your diary.
April 30th 2017 Abseil The ArcelorMittal Orbit Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park This adrenaline pumping abseil challenges you to take on the highest sculpture in the UK.
May 21st 2017 Mayhew Open Day The Mayhew Animal Home Visit The Mayhew for an exclusive behind-the-scenes day packed with fun, entertainment and music with a street party vibe.
July 16th 2017 Hounds on The Heath Hampstead Heath A pawsome day out including dog show, agility course and our ever popular temptation alley.
October 8th 2017 W.A.L.K Hampstead Heath Join The Mayhew and other dogs and families for a very special sponsored dog walk to celebrate World Animal Day!
We regu lar website ly update our wit exciting h new and events t so keep oo a n eye ou , www.th t at emayhe w.org/ev ents www.themayhew.org
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Your letters – adopted & loved We love to hear about how our ex-Mayhew animals are doing in their new homes, it’s so rewarding to see them happy and loving life! Here are a few of our favourite updates we’ve received over the last few months.
Belle (previously Elizabeth) Hi Matthew. We just wanted to send you a note to update you on Elizabeth (now Belle) who we adopted from you in July. Belle has taken really well to her new home, has learnt to use a cat flap and adores her new cat neighbours. Belle is a great character and has been going out (and coming back) since around the end of August. Although she loves going out, she mainly loves hanging out with us. Wherever we are, she is usually close by, being nosey and getting into mischief! Thank you again for letting us adopt such a gorgeous girl. Kindest regards, Amanda, Sebastien & Belle (Elizabeth)
Lacey Good morning Lisa, Here’s our latest Lacey update. She’s settled in wonderfully. Has taken to training very well and has enriched all our lives. She’s even made a friend. His name is Luis (a Sharpei) who was a previous resident at The Mayhew. So thanks again to all of you at The Mayhew. Will update you again in a month or two. Lee, Angela, Sarah and Lacey
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The Mayhew _ Spring 2017
Ernie (previously Chubbs) Hi Lisa, Thought you may like to see some pictures of Ernie, formerly Chubbs! (He does stay awake sometimes, honest). He’s doing really well and enjoying lots of walks, toys and snoring his way through the night. He’ll bark once or twice when we go to bed, then has been sleeping through the night, which feels like a good sign. He’s also met LOTS of new dogs on his longline lead. He’s been a perfect gentleman and has made friends with some Italian greyhounds, a sausage dog and a corgi. We love him to pieces already and are so happy we were able to adopt him! Thanks again for all your help. Martha x
Dotey and Happy Hi Matthew, Just thought I would update you on the cats. They have really settled in well and having a great time exploring their new surroundings. We were hoping to go on holiday, but they had other ideas (see photo)! Thanks to all at The Mayhew. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Regards, Trevor and Kathy
To share your stories, contact us on Facebook, write to The Mayhew Animal Home, Trenmar Gardens, Kensal Green, London, NW10 6BJ or email support@mayhewanimalhome.org
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My rescue & me Tracey, who works for a local authority, lives in Essex with husband John and three children, Jack, Sam and Louise. They adopted gentle giant Daisy from The Mayhew back in 2010. After 6 joyful years together, beloved Daisy sadly passed away, but the memories she left behind are plentiful.
“In 2010, we had been without dogs for about five years. I had two bullmastiffs, Tess and Bosun, before I got married and the children had grown up with them and our three cats. We felt that it was time to think about another dog, as we had one cat at that point, Ben, who was 13. After my manager at the time, Anita, retired, she volunteered at The Mayhew. She told me about The Mayhew and we happened to look at the website and there was Daisy. I drove down to The Mayhew that day, met Daisy and fell in love. Anita said she felt Daisy had a good aura and she was right. After all of the checks we brought her home. Not long after we got her, she chased Ben out of the room (she wanted to play) and no sooner had she disappeared, she was back in with him chasing her. She was always in awe of Ben, who was definitely the boss. He would sit at the back door so she couldn’t get in and we would hear her whimper and have to go and rescue her. They used to sleep together though (he loved her when she wasn’t bouncing around) and she adored him. When he died she missed him terribly. 26
The Mayhew _ Spring 2017
Above: Gorgeous Daisy thought of herself as a lapdog.
My daughter Louise is disabled and uses a wheelchair and Daisy was incredibly careful with Louise. When the boys came home, she would get excited and jump around them, but with Louise it was as if she knew that she had poor balance and would always wait for her to come in and sit down before she smothered her with kisses. Daisy kept me company through the day as I work from home. She hated going out if it was wet and cold and it was virtually impossible to get her to move if she didn’t want to. Her idea of a good walk was the drive to the park... she loved sitting in the back seat of the car looking out of the window. She was a beautiful girl, but her tongue never really fitted in her mouth and it always lulled out of the side. She
Daisy enjoyed days at the beach (top), but also loved her home comforts! (below).
Above: Daisy was a real gentle giant.
used her tongue almost as dextrously as unconditionally and we miss her more an elephant uses a trunk to grab food than I can even begin to say. that wasn’t hers. She loved oranges and We will always be grateful to The Mayhew could smell them a mile away. for letting us have her in our lives.” Her idea of bliss when we were on holiday in St. Ives was sitting with me If you’ve recently lost a pet, why and Louise, watching John and the not share your story and fond boys playing football or messing about memories with us as a way to in the sea. But she loved her home honour your time together. comforts and despite me saying I Please email wouldn’t let her on the chairs or the support@mayhewanimalhome.org bed, within a day she was lounging across the sofa and sleeping in my bed! You can also make a donation Daisy was the first rescue dog we had to The Mayhew in memoriam of and I was worried about how she would your loved one. Your donation settle, but I know I wouldn’t have will go towards helping our adapted as well as Daisy did. I always felt cats and dogs in need. Visit she loved us that little bit more because www.themayhew.org/donate she was a rescue dog. She was loyal, funny and full of love, which she gave us
Abseil The ArcelorMittal Orbit for The Mayhew Animal Home
30th April 2017 Registration fee: ÂŁ30 Minimum sponsorship: ÂŁ250
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London
For more information and to sign up visit www.themayhew.org/abseil or call 0208 206 5872 Registered Charity No 1077588