AUTUMN 2017

Yaps N Yarns

Special points of

interest:

Financial Report

Various Dog Stories

Living with a Teenage

Dog

Inside this issue:

President’s

Report

2

Improvements

on Grounds

3

Fundraising Co-

ordinator

4

SW Report 5

Volunteer Profile

Louise

6

Coming Events 8

Indy - our “Old” Girl:

Thank you

Indy (in the middle) with her fos-ter carers and their other dog, with volunteer, Janine Matthews

Indy (not her real name), had had the worst life. Indy was finally surrendered to the Rangers,

and carried out of her home.

When Indy came to K9 she had closed down. The Vet said she was a poor old girl. I said "but

she is not old, she is 3 years and 11 months old". I don't think anyone believed me! Indy had

no coat, other than spikes, her skin was dreadful and her teeth were broken and worn, with

ulcerated gums. Indy had a Grade 4 - 6 heart murmur. She was in such a bad way the vet did

not think she would come through surgery.

There was a little ray of sunshine when Indy met Gizzy, in the office and Indy for the first time

wagged her tail. Indy's light had been switched on. Indy went into foster care with Robin, and

his rescue dog. After 2 days Robin called me and said Indy was starting to run around and play.

What would Robin do if Indy's heart could not take the exercise? I said "if her heart gave up ,

Indy would have gone to Rainbowland happy".

Over the course of the next few weeks Indy's coat grew back, and Indy became the happy girl

she would have been when she was a puppy. Indy had the surgery on her teeth, which will

never be perfect, but are healthy now. The best news ever was to hear that Indy's heart

murmur has been graded down to a 1 -2, and her age adjusted to 4 years.

I am happy to say our very pretty and special girl Indy, is ready for adoption and ready to get

her very special home. Do you know of anyone that could give Indy that special home?

A very big thanks to Robin, his dog and family for switching the lights back on in Indy, and

giving this not so "old Girl" her life back.

Carol Carter, Pound Liaison Officer

To Murphy’s Irish Pub, Mandurah

for their continued support of our

cause with their many donations,

including $600 when some of the

volunteers had a wonderful din-

ner in December, prior to going

on to see the Wardroper’s Christ-

mas lights display. A great evening

was had by all.

Hi Everyone I hope everyone had a happy and safe Xmas and New Year. On behalf of K9, I welcome to the Committee, Daniel. Daniel is an I.T. Specialist, and now has all our computers running efficiently and our Website is now

looking great. Daniel is also a valuable foster carer and will be helping in the kennels. Our new Volunteer Coordinator is Louise, and she works with a great team made up of Jade, Allyson and Janine. This is a very large and vital role of K9, and we thank Louise and her team for the important work that they do. The role of Treasurer is still vacant as this goes to print, and I would like to thank Yvonne and Gill, for keeping our finances and accounts up to date, in the interim. I am pleased to report that the position of Treasurer will be filled soon. Graeme, our Projects and Building Manager, is always working on projects to improve K9. Mike now has a shed in which to lock all his valuable tools, and our small exercise yard is under renovation. From all our dogs, Graeme, a big thank you. Last year was a hard economic year, with all Rescue's feeling the "pinch". I am happy to report that our dog adoptions, are well and truly on the way up, and our Fundraising Team are doing an amazing Job. A big

thank you to Sonia and your great Team. Mike, Kel and Jim, as always work extremely hard to ensure smooth running of the kennels, and work together as a great Team. Whilst K9 is not a rehabilitation centre, Kel has been working hard with some of our harder and long term dogs. These dogs have never done anything wrong, they just failed to have socialization and training in those most important "puppy days". The work that Kel has put into training is seeing some excellent results, with some of our long term dogs finding furever homes. Murray Cowper has been a great help, finding K9 help with upgrading our walking paths and driveway. Thank you Murray. Our foster carers are our "ghosts" of K9. They are never seen much, but they are a wonderful team of "angels" who look after our old, sick, broken and abused souls, and our puppies. Yes it is hard to send them out into homes, for they do catch your hearts, but it does your heart good, when they walk out proud and happy to their new homes. To all our wonderful Volunteers, whom without, K9 could not operate, the biggest thank you, from all at K9. Sadly, Val., who was a much loved Volunteer, passed away on Christmas Day, after a long battle with illness. RIP Dear Val. On behalf of K9, thank you all for your support, and you are always welcome to call in and say hello and have a coffee.

My kindest Regards Carol Carter, President

A message from the President

Page 2 Yaps N Yarns

Thank you to all our wonderful foster carers. It is not easy fostering a dog, but very rewarding, for both the carer and the dog. I cannot tell you how glad I am, that so many Volunteers have now got on board. Foster Care is simply what it says. The dogs that come into this Scheme, may be sick, cannot handle kennels, and are easily rehabilitated. We are always looking for Foster Carers - can you do this??

Foster Carers Thank you from the doggies: We had a little belated Australia Day Lunch, where to wear casual aussie clothes—we had to pay $5 cover charge. I know it is not much as we are quite a small office, but we had $50 to give to K9. We hope other big-ger local businesses could also think about doing similar.

Dianne Maley, Mandurah

Farewell Ruby

Page 3 Yaps N Yarns

Jim, Assistant Kennel

Manager, out

walking the track

Good morning, Kat and I have come up to our 12 month anniversary (14/11/2015) and have attached a lovely photo of her with her little best friend (Ripley - the little black beauty). Kat is my very best friend and we have a lot of love and laughs together - especially 'where's the ball' which is usually under my bed and getting it out usually involves a lot of sloppy doggy kisses and laughs. When she first came into my life, it was after my beautiful girl of 15 years passed away. My life went from incredibly sad and lonely to "oh, my gosh, this little girl is crazy!!!!" What can I say, Kat has turned my life upside down but in a great way. When I first adopted her, she wouldn't get into a car and once she was in, she would try everything to get out ........but now she gets into the car every chance she can - even to go to the Vet, which unfortunately has been quite a lot as she has very bad allergies to most foods. With the help of our lovely vet, we now have her food sorted and her skin and ears are beautifully rash and itch free!!! She is beautiful, clever, loving to everyone and everything (except the rain - doesn't like to get wet - ever!!) .... cats, people, other dogs and especially little kiddies - just loves little kiddies!! Absolutely has to meet and greet everyone/everything when on our twice daily walks. I just want to say a great big thank you from the bottom of my heart for such a beautiful girl and we want you to know that we are both incredibly happy. Kind regards, Margaret & Kat Kirkman

A great big thank you to all our loyal supporters who donate to the doggies via our donation bins which are situated at Coles in Pinjarra, Coles in Warnbro, Woolworths in Greenfields and Better Pets in Port Kennedy. Our wish list as always required at the kennels is Fish Oil Capsules, Bushmans Insect Spray, Glen 20, hand sanitiser, dog treats and good strong toys

Success Story : Kat

COLLECTION BINS

Our grounds have had a lot of work done over the past year and the most recent, to help make the dog walking path safer and usable in all weathers, a load of gravel has been spread making a good solid base which will compact nicely when it gets wet - no more sloshing around in mud.

The entrance driveway has also had gravel added, filling in the potholes and making it an all weather vehicle track for the volunteers when parking on the grounds. There is still more to be done but it’s a great improvement This has involved a lot of work by several volunteers—loan of a bobcat and truck and donation of the gravel Thanks must go to BGC Concrete, Mandurah for donating the gravel and to Vince of WA Firewood Supplies for supplying the truck and the bobcat.

Improvements on grounds:

Fundraising

Page 4 Winter 2016

From the Fundraising Coordinator

What an amazing start to 2017. We have attended a number of events which

wouldn’t have been possible if we didn’t have our fantastic volunteers to make it all

happen. Ashleigh Tod and Natasha Scott are now appointed to lead an event which

is incredible. They have done an amazing job so far. At one of our events in

February our long term Dog called Bundy found his forever home. This has made

a number of people extremely happy.

Events for March – if you would like to help out please contact Sonia on

fundraising@k9dogrescue.or.au

Mary and Alan Wardroper decorated the Mandurah Performing Arts centre and put on a dance routine for K9. I got a group together to shake tins and collect donations. Over 4 nights we raised $432.80.

Huge thank you to all the volunteers who wrapped Christmas gifts at Warnbro and Mandurah shopping

centre. We raised $4,631.20, this wouldn’t have been possible if the volunteers hadn’t given up their

time over the festive period. Sonia Pratt, Fundraising Coordinator

Event Location Date

Sundowner Concert Mandurah 11/03/2017

Baldivis Pet Stock Baldivis 19/03/2017

Mandurah Market Mandurah 26/03/2017

Dear K9 Members, Volunteers and Supporters

It is with a very sad heart I am letting you know K9 Rescue Group made the very difficult decision to

euthanize two dogs with severe mental and behavioural problems. After three expert behavioural assess-

ments for each dog, the decision was made to euthanize both Cosmo and Fred.

Many dogs that come to K9 have experienced some form of abuse, violence, and neglect – and most of

the time we can never know what a dog has endured on a day to day basis at the hands of angry and mis-

guided humans.

When dogs arrive at K9 we take great care of their ailments, provide safety, training, and of course,

bounds of love. K9 staff, volunteers and committee members put enormous effort into caring for our all

dogs and making sure they go to appropriate and loving homes.

Sometimes, not often, dogs just don’t respond to our help – their past traumas are too large, their minds

are too damaged, and they degenerate in the kennel environment – causing them even more psychologi-

cal distress. These dogs, through no fault of their own become dangerous dogs, dangerous to other dogs,

dangerous to volunteers – and most definitely unfit to be re-homed in the community.

After months of deliberation, and after analysing the evidence provided by veterinarians and dog behav-

iourists, rather than keeping Cosmo and Fred in a small kennel for the remainder of their lives and caus-

ing further damage - the K9 committee decided that the humane thing to do would be to euthanize them.

This was not an easy decision, and one that remains with us to this day.

Cosmo and Fred are gone and their ashes are with volunteers who loved them. Whilst we never want to

make these decisions again, no doubt we will need to. In the mean time we keep helping dogs to heal and

find new homes. More often than not, there are happier endings to these stories.

Rest in peace Cosmo and Fred.

Carol Carter President

For more information about behavioural euthanasia, look up this link:

http://www.drjensdogblog.com/harsh-truths-and-difficult-choices-the-reality-of-behavioral-euthanasia/

Page 5 Yaps N Yarns

Hello everyone! Although my primary volunteer work at K9 is bookkeeping I also enjoy helping out the very busy fundraising team. Sonia will fill you in on the

activities over the last few months and all the money that has been made. One of the most enjoyable parts of fundraising, whether it’s gift wrapping, dog adoption days or community events K9 has been invited to, is talking to the many people about the K9 dog (or dogs) they’ve adopted. K9 has been in operation for over 25 years so it stands to reason that many people have adopted several times and it’s wonderful to hear their stories. Also the generosity of people towards K9 is fantastic even though money is tighter now, people still want to give what they can to help the dogs. Before the dogs can be adopted they are all vaccinated, sterilised, microchipped and provided with whatever other veterinary care they need so they are ready to join their new families. This can range from expensive ligament surgery, dental work or delicate eye surgery. Halls Head Small Animal Clinic are very supportive of K9 Rescue but even with very generous discounts for all veterinary work, K9’s vet bill averages over $7,000 a month. K9 received a generous bequest of $10,000, a wonderful gesture by a gentleman who adopted his beloved dog from K9 some years ago. This bequest is so important to K9 and will help us continue to rescue and care for many more dogs. It is because of the wonderful support we get from dog lovers like you that we are able to continue this important work and find our rescue dogs the home they deserve. Thank you so much for your support. Cheers

Yvonne - K9’s Bookkeeper

K9 Rescue Southwest Financial Report

It’s that time again to tell you what’s new in the Southwest. As usual it has been busy and we have had a lot of small dogs up for adoption. The good thing is that a lot

more people are opting to adopt “Rescue” dogs rather than get puppies or buy from breeders. This is great news as there are always plenty of dogs looking for happy, forever homes. On another note we were given a very generous donation from Supa IGA of $1000 which was very much appreciated. We also sold 200 K9 calendars which is brilliant considering all the other types of calendars that other organisations sell, so a big thank-you to everyone who bought one. The next fundraising project will be an Easter Raffle….everyone loves chocolate so that sells itself. Well that’s it for now so until next time, take care and bye for now. From Rhona - K9 Rescue SW Coordinator

THANK YOU to ...

Fundraising

Page 6 Winter 2016

Hello, my name is Louise. I am Volunteer Coordinator for K9,

with Alyson and Jade helping along the way.

I am studying to be a Veterinary nurse, hoping to work in the

industry when I qualify assisting in veterinary surgeries and any

other jobs that present themselves in a busy surgery. At present

I am on work experience two days a week with a local vet and I

am enjoying the experience very much.

I started as a volunteer at K9 in September 2016, and took on the role of Volunteer Coordinator at the end

of January 2017. I receive invaluable help from the kennel Team Leaders Kel and Jim, also Carol Carter, our

President. I still work a shift at the kennels, as I want to be near the dogs and help out by taking them for a

walk.

Alyson and Jade are also very giving of their time, Alyson with the all-important paperwork/records and Jade

with volunteer moral, aiming to keep the volunteers happy with bbq gatherings and movie ticket donations. I

couldn’t do my job successfully without the people mentioned helping me.

My hobbies are acrylic painting, face painting and arts and crafts. I get a lot of pleasure out of up-cycling –

making over old furniture into something more pleasing and modern.

At present I have a small rescue dog, Ella. When I move into a place of my own I intend to get another

rescue dog as a companion to Ella and myself of course.

As you can see I am a very busy young woman, my life is full and I am enjoying it immensely.

Louise

Give Now— K9 is most appreciative of those wonderful supporters who donate monthly via the Give Now

link on our website, along with all those who do so from time to time. Every donation helps with the work we do.

AVS Mechanical, Mandurah - for a wonderful price when servicing the K9 SW van. This good price

is offered to anyone from K9—that means volunteers, members and employees—a very serious discount.

Wardropers—Once again Alan and Mary from Meadow Springs put on an incredible Christmas display

and raised over a barking $7,000, even more than last year. This couple are truly amazing and so kind.

Thank you from all the furry paws at

K9, Alan and Mary.

Volunteer Profile - Louise Alliss

Thank You to:

Page 7 Yaps N Yarns

Remember, they are not giving you a hard time, they are having a hard time. Most new dog owners find puppyhood challenging but at least they are getting the support of a puppy class as these classes have become mainstream. There is also the novelty and the children, who desperately wanted a puppy, are still on board. But once the cute pup turns into an adolescent delinquent, things start to fall apart. Stopping a puppy’s education with a puppy pre-school is a bit like thinking kindergarten will get your child into university... It takes a lot more to help the cute puppy develop in a well-adjusted canine citizen than attending puppy pre school. Owners seem ill-prepared for the challenges of a teenage dog: the emotional response and over the top reaction to some stimuli, forgotten training, increased exercise requirements, need for more mental stimulation, ongoing socialisation and training take most owners by surprise. SO, WHAT IS HAPPENING TO YOUR TEENAGE DOG? The dogs don’t do it on purpose but their brain - to put it casually - is still under construction. We have to be aware that they are not giving us a hard time but THEY are having a hard time. Like in humans, part of the cortex matures at different rates. The more basic functions mature first whereas the parts in the brain responsible for controlling impulse or planning mature later. Emotional responses, especially the urgency and intensity of the emotional reaction are affected during this time. Hormonal changes are another factor, even in neutered dogs. The dog is also figuring out his place in your family and the wider community. This has nothing to do with the notion of "pack". The young dogs now spend more and more time at home in the backyard because they are too boisterous to walk and often refuse to come back at the off leash dog park. They also have gotten into a few run-ins with other dogs. They have become unemployed and will soon be self-employed, meaning they will dig up the backyard, eat the pool lights and bark at anything that moves! It is downhill from there and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. We do not take them out anymore, their social skills deteriorate and their world becomes very small. They stop interacting with new people or dogs and they ‘forget’ how to deal with new situations or might get scared. Scared dogs are dogs who react inappropriately or show aggression towards unknown dogs or people. This pattern can be fatal! Behavioural problems seem to be the number one reason for euthanasia of a dog of any age and “it is still the largest cause of death of puppies under one year of age. Indeed, the average age of dogs in Australia, and worldwide, is estimated to be around 3.5 years, which is well below their potential biological age.”

A large number of dogs are surrendered to shelters each year. One study puts the figure at a staggering 20%. Anecdotal evidence suggests that dogs are most likely surrendered when they reach social maturity around 2 years of age and often earlier.

DO'S & DON'TS OF LIVING WITH A TEENAGE DOG

Keep socialising, find a balance between mental and physical stimulation, don’t run them into the ground, keep training them and make sure the whole family is enforcing the same rules.

This is from author Barbara Hodel’s “Goodog Positive Dog Training" and extract from "Living with a Teenage Dog - Keep Training" first published at www.australiandoglover.com You can read the whole story by visiting the website along with many other interesting articles.

LIVING WITH A TEENAGE DOG?

Caption describing picture or graphic.

Postal address:

P O Box 220

Mandurah WA 6210

Kennels & Office

58 Sunshine Place Nambeelup WA

6207

Phone:

(08) 9581 9005 E-mail:

info@k9dogrescue.

org.au

K9 Dog Rescue is a not-for-profit organisation established in 1990 to rescue, treat and re-home dogs, and to educate the community about responsible dog owner-ship. K9 Dog Rescue provides a regional service to the Peel, Rockingham, Kwi-

nana and Cockburn areas At K9 we strive to create an environment where a dog is treated as a right-

ful and respected member of the community We have over a hundred volunteers who work tirelessly to successfully re-

home around 500 dogs every year We all love dogs and know the significant benefits that pet ownership

brings to a community The demand for our service is continuing to grow

K9 RESCUE

GROUP INC

Because every dog deserves a place to call home

K9 Rescue Group

We’re on the web

www.k9.dogrescue.org.au

How to find us.... 58 Sunshine Place, Nambeelup WA ( near Mandurah)

Phone: (08) 9581 9005

OPEN Mon, Tue, Wed, Fri 10am - 3pm Weekends 1pm - 5pm

CLOSED Thursdays, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day,

DATES IN MARCH FOR YOUR DIARY:

Saturday 11th—Mandurah Sundowner Concert Sunday 19th—Baldivis Baldivis Pet Stock Sunday 26th—Mandurah Mandurah Markets

To help out, or find more information,

please contact Sonia on

fundraising@k9dogrescue.or.au

Seniors Card

K9 Rescue Group provides WA Seniors Card members with a discount when adopting an

abandoned companion animal. Please visit www.k9dogrescue.org.au to view the dogs

that are available for adoption or call 9581 9005 to enquire