OUR POST

Official Newsletter of Thames Dog Training Club

New Year 2008

From the Chair ........

In my last report for the newsletter I advised the Members that we had been awarded provisional Championship Status in our Obedience show. Well I have (finally) had the letter I was waiting for and we are now OFFICIALLY one of only two Clubs in the country to have the privilege of having Championship status in both Agility and Obedience.

Lucy Clifton with Pie and Natasha Wise with Maddie flew the Thames flag at the Novice and Senior Finals respectively at Olympia this year. Congratulations to you both on getting there. Our own Kate Austin was invited to be the Agility Judge at this highly prestigious event and had the very hard job of setting and judging courses in the massive Olympia arena that would please the competitors and thrill the Olympia audience of many thousands (not forgetting the Television Audiences). She did a fantastic job – by the way, have your feet recovered yet Kate!!? I was also privileged to be asked by “Horse & Country TV” (Sky Channel 280) to do the live and recorded commentaries for the Novice and Senior Finals which I duly did. What was actually aired at the time was the Small finals, and then repeated again the next night?? Was it something I said!!?

The Winter league finally started after the Foot and Mouth scare earlier on in the year. In a nutshell, we need to win all levels and everyone else not turn up if we are to secure overall victory once again. It can be done, but it will be a tight finish to the end.

Finally, as this is the last newsletter before our A.G.M. on the 25th April, can I please take this opportunity to publicly thank all the Committee and Trainers for all their hard work throughout the year. Without you we would not have the Club we have now, and enjoy the successes we have throughout the year in all the disciplines. We, the Committee, retire each year at the A.G.M. and seek re-election; two of the Committee have asked not to be re-elected and they are Andy Wells and Teresa Davies. Thank you both for all your hard work over your time in the Committee. You both leave large boots to fill for whosoever takes on your tasks next year.

Thank you all for another great year with Thames. I make no apologies for sounding like a broken record when I say, It does make me immensely proud to be Chairman of a Club that is “Simply the Best”

All the Very best and many successes for 2008.

Dates for your Diary

Agility Winter League Match - 2^nd February

Thames DTC AGM – 25^th February

Agility Club Closed – 27^th May, 8^th July (TBC), 12^th August, 23rd December

Agility Diploma Nights – TBC

Agility Show – 7^th & 8th June

Obedience Show – 6th September

Agility Christmas Party (with dogs) – 16^th December

Ava & Jeff Holloway, Sam Thorne, Tima Lund, Jenny Lovegrove and The Dickers would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year via this Newsletter as they did not buy Christmas cards this year, but made a donation to the Thames DTC Charity Fund.

Thames DTC Agility Points

The new agility year is now upon us and the competition for the Thames Agility Points Trophies is underway. If you would like to enter your points, please send your results to Alison Wells by emailing alisonwells@ntlworld.com or completing the form attached at the end of this newsletter and hand to Alison at training.

The results for 2007 will be revealed at the AGM!

SHOUT ABOUT SUCCESS!!!!

Congratulations!!! The good news from the obedience section is our very own Teresa Davies and Lu have been selected for Novice in the Southern Team at CRUFTS.

The bad news I wasn't selected!!!! Never mind!!!!!

Sandra Curry

Thames DTC Photo Album

Kate Austin receiving her Olympia judges present from the KC chairman, Ronnie Irving, with Dave Ray in attendance.

(picture courtesy of Dave Jolly)

Dave Jolly at the ‘Mutt Mates’ Christmas Party!

(picture courtesy of Becky Coleman)

INTER CLUB WINTER LEAGUE 2007/2008

The points gained by club members over the two Winter League Matches so far:

		Nov	Jan	Total
Alison Wells	Becky	16	27	43
Shirley Fastnedge	Revel	27	15	42
Lucy Clifton	Pie	15	14	29
Dave Jolly	Mirk	29		29
Andrew Dicker	Tag	12	14	26
Sandra Curry	Jovi	3	17	20
Lucy Clifton	Kip		19	19
Carolyn Van Vlijmen	Copper	9	7	16
Jim Cook	Panda		15	15
Norma Summersby	Crumble	4	11	15
Jeff Holloway	Meg	15		15
Helen Cook	Mitch	14		14
Kate Austin	Moss	14		14
Virginia Harry	Robert		13	13
Virginia Harry	Oz		13	13
Andrew Dicker	JayJay	13		13
Daniel Gee	Mirk		12	12
lyn Finlay-maxwell	Spud		12	12
Russell Trayling	Chester		12	12
Norma Summersby	Mia	11	1	12
Andy Wells	Skye		11	11
Jenny Lovegrove	Deacon	11		11
Daniel Gee	Ada	10		10
Helen Cook	Jonesey		8	8
Kate Austin	Fly	8		8
Carol Dicker	Bo	6		6
Robert Tappin	Becky		3	3
Toni Eyles	Dixie	1		1
		218	224	442

Total Club Points so far:

	Nov	Jan	Total
Cippenham	281	263	544
Vyne	273	216	489
Thames	218	224	442
Cranbourne	202	220	422
Watford	199	196	395

First Aid and your pet

First aid is the term used to describe the immediate treatment given to an injured animal by the first person to arrive at the scene. Most owners probably hope or assume that disasters and accidents happen to other people's pets. That is human nature. But an accident could involve your pet, and if you are well prepared you may be able to advert a tragedy, and even save a life. This guidance approaches the topic of first aid to give you the essential facts that you, as a pet owner, should know in case you are ever have to deal with an emergency.

What is first aid?...........It is:-

· The Preservation of life

· The prevention of suffering

· The prevention of the deterioration of the patients condition

· The relief of acute conditions.

First aid can be defined as the emergency treatment of an animal suffering the effects of an accident or sudden illness before medical or surgical help is available. There are some golden rules which you should stick to. They are mostly common sense, but are worth stressing here.

Rules to remember

· Airways

· Breathing

· Circulation

· Safety of personal

· Try to keep calm and don't panic, otherwise you will be unable to help the animal or people around you.

· Contact a Vet as soon as possible, even telephone advice may be life-saving.

· Maintain an airway, An animal which cannot breath will die very quickly.

· Stop any bleeding (haemorrhage). An animal that loses too much blood from a major vessel may go into irreversible shock before expert treatment can be given.

· Protect yourself from injury. An injured or distressed animal is much more likely to bite.

An approach to first aid.

If you are going to help an injured or sick animal it would be helpful if you were familiar with the vital signs in a normal, healthy animal. Vital signs are the signs of life, that is pulse, respiration (breathing) and temperature.

What to keep in your first aid kit.

You can buy this equipment from you Vet, pharmacist or Pet First Aid specialist and I suggest that you make sure it is kept in a box in one place and everybody knows where it is. There is nothing worse than having a crises and not being able to find the vital equipment to deal with it.

If you are an active dog walker or frequent traveller, you may consider keeping a second kit in your car in case of an emergency while you are out with your dogs.

Shock and how to recognise it

Shock is a term to describe a complicated syndrome which may be seen in a sick or injured animal. irreversible shock is fatal, and is the main cause of death following road traffic accidents. it may also arise following heatstroke, electrocution and serious burns.

Animals suffering from shock my be in a weak or even collapsed state, their breathing may be rapid or shallow, the gums are pale, the extremities are cold, and they may have a rapid heartbeat and weak pulse.

Dealing with accidents

First of all it is important to remember to stay calm and assess the situation. remember your rules and follow them.

Firstly, assess the situation and move the animal if it is in a situation which could endanger either you or the animal. e.g., the middle of the road. To do this' slide the animal onto a blanket or sheet, use two people to carry the animal safely, (if you don't have a blanket, use the parcel shelf if fitted to your car). However, do note that a conscious animal in pain may bite, so be prepared to muzzle it with tape from your first aid kit. Do not muzzle a animal that is unconscious or having difficulty breathing.

· Access the animal's general condition, that is breathing, is the heart beating, is the animal grasping for breath, if it is, it is likely to be in shock.

· Check there is no airway obstruction, (which could be the tongue, saliva or blood) Pull the tongue forward and look into the mouth if you can do safely.

· Lie the animal in the recovery position, which is flat out, on its side, with its head and neck extended.

· Check for external bleeding and try to stop it,. The best way to do this is by using a pressure bandage. ideally you should apply a sterile wound dressing with a pad of cotton wool above it., the bandage and finally plaster over the bleeding point. In an emergency, you could improvise with a clean towel, torn up sheet, handkerchiefs or even J-cloths, as long as they are clean. If the bleeding persists do not remove the first dressing but apply another above and on top of the first dressing as firmly as possible.

Dog Cat

Respiratory rate 10-30 10-30

Heart rate / pulse

(At rest) 70-160* 70-180

Temperature 38.3 - 38.7°C 38.0 - 38.5°C

(100.9 - 101.7°F 100.4 - 101.6°F)

Mucus membranes are normal salmon pink and are easily observed by looking at the gums under the upper lip, or inside the eye lid.

The extremities:- the ears and feet should feel warm

*Small breeds have a faster heart rate than large breeds

By Steve Devaney

The continuing story of Faith

After Ean nicked Faith's bone, sliding herself over to where Ean was enjoying his spoils, Faith grabbed Ean by the neck and shook him a couple of times, retrieved her bone, and made her way back to where she had been laying as though nothing had happened. Ean quickly decided to keep his distance from Faith for the rest of the day. As the evening fell, with it came forgiveness, although Faith wasn't going to share her bone with Ean, she did share her blanket, peace again.

If you are not aware, Oklahoma has it's fair share of snow, one day the kids and Ean were playing in the back garden when Faith decided she wanted to go outside to see what was going on, I picked her up and put her in the snow, I felt guilty about what I was doing, and Faith must have wandered why I had put her out in the cold wet snow, but after a few minutes Faith raised herself up and sat like a bunny rabbit, I quickly ran to get my camera thinking she would do something that would be camera worthy, I was right, Faith wanted to join in the fun, but didn't know how too, after a few minutes, Faith stood up on her hind legs, SNAP, I got the picture.

Then desperate to join in the fun, Faith took her first big hop, as she did, she was immediately picked up by one of the girls who made the biggest fuss over her that anybody could imagine, loads of hugs and kisses and told her how great she was and took her inside.

It snowed several times in the coming weeks, but after encouraging Faith outside, it was slow going trying to get her to take another step. Like most humans, if they are born with a handicap, they normally have a above average sensitivity to sound, sight or smell. In Faith's case it was an incredible grip, once she had hold of anything with her jaws it was imposable to get it back, I used an old sock to encourage her to try and take a few more steps, so tight was her grip I could lift her off her feet, and often did, but this was all done to give her confidence, she learned to love the snow as she knew we were going to have a game, it was fun, but most importantly, because Faith was enjoying herself. She started to bark with excitement, and because it made Faith happy, I said, “God, let it snow! let it snow! Let it snow!”.

Faith didn't realise it, but what I was trying to do was to rehabilitate her. We were literary trying to do something that isn't supposed to be done, but hoped it could be done if trained carefully, and with patience.

We had to teach her to use muscle groups that are not ordinarily used for propping up dogs, or to allow them to stand in an upright position permanently. Most dogs will sit up and beg for a few seconds, but this was different, we had to try teach her to keep her balance, and get her to propel herself forward to resemble a rabbit hopping at the same time.

Firstly, we had to keep her head high, so every time she raised her head she was rewarded, nobody knew how long this was going to take, but every time she began to look up she was rewarded, we kept on with this therapy for weeks and weeks, then one day she surprised us all. My daughter left a spoonful of peanut butter on a plate on her bed, Faith couldn't see the peanut butter but she could smell it, Ean was lying by the side of the bed as normal, using Ean as a dog step ladder she jumped on to the bed, Faith had literary walked over to the bed, climbed on top of Ean to find the prize, what a truly amazing girl.

The determination of Faith was regarded as persistence, or pure doggedness. After having Faith for about five months, she was finally finding he feet, she managed to walk a few steps upright to get her just reward, I was so proud of Faith and told her that she was just as normal as any other dog. It wouldn't be the first time I cried with happiness about Faiths achievements.

Produced with kind permission from Jude Springfellow, edited extract from her diary

Photo was taken on my camera phone at the Orange County Convention Centre 2007

I will continue the progress of Faith, a truly amazing dog in the next Newsletter. Steve Devaney

Club Clothing

For those of you who may not be aware, there is a large range of clothing such as fleece jackets and polo shirts emboidered with the club logo available to purchase. The catalogue is shown below: The order form is attached separately.

Thames DTC Clothing Catalogue overview

Heavyweight T-Shirt

Gildan Ultra Cotton™ T- Shirt