Molly Update

November update – BY MOLLY

It’s been nearly 3 months since I told you my story so I just thought I’d give you an update of how things are going.
Firstly let me start of by shouting “I FEEL LIKE A NEW WOMAN”. Now I’ll explain....
It’s been a busy 3 months which started with my mum getting into a bit of a panic which is very unlike her. The reason, me of course and the fact that I started behaving oddly. Mum knew straight away what was wrong though and was on the phone to the vet like a shot. I thought I was having puppies. I had begun nesting and even had milk. Mum took me to the vet and they scanned me but no puppies. It was all in my mind. I thought Mum would be angry but she was the opposite. She was overjoyed. I found this quite strange because where I came from before I had lots of puppies and everyone was always very happy when I was pregnant. I began to wonder just what kind of mad woman I was living with.
Everything at my new home is completely different than what I’m use to. Lenny and Lucy go mad running and playing all over the house and mum just ignores it. I’ve started to join in the play just like mum said I would. They are still a bit rough for me but I’m learning to join in anyway. Mum plays a game where I have to try and catch her hand with my mouth as she taps my legs and nose. I think I am very good at this game because I catch her hand a lot but try very hard not to hurt her.
I am now brave enough to spend most of my day out of my crate. Mum has been spending a lot of time playing with me and cuddling me so I feel much safer and more confident around people. She is trying to prove that you can “teach an old dog new tricks” I think. I can now sit, give paw and take food gently. I walk to heel on the lead and I have perfect recall. Mum says I’m a perfect dog and she tells me I’m a “good girl” all the time. Chick and I are best friends and she takes me up to her room every night. I love cuddling her and I know she loves me. She says I am her dog and although she is only 11 years old she looks after me very well.
I am now getting much fitter. I am walked every day and we all go together. Sometimes we go to different places like the beach (which I love because I love to swim) and up Falkland hill (which is really hard going on my little legs). Mum says it’s important for me to get fit as I’m older and haven’t had any exercise my whole life. I’m making up for it now though. When I’m off the lead I run around like mad trying to chase Lenny who is much taller and faster than me. I run full speed anyway even though I know I won’t catch him.
My eyes are now completely healed and I can see again. Well I can see as good as any bullie can. My cough is away too. I have been to the vet lots if times now but one time was very different from the rest. Mum took me in the morning and left me. While she was gone I had an operation. They spayed me, removed my dew claws and removed my top 2 front teeth. I was very sore afterwards. In fact I was sore for a few days.
The day after my operation I was feeling a bit unwell. That evening I was sick in my bed. I know before that I have got into trouble for being sick so I though I’d best hide it and bury it in my cushion but mum saw me. I thought she was going to be angry with me but she just spoke softly and called to me to come out my crate. I went to Lenny’s bed while mum took my cushion away to be washed but I was sick again. I then went to Lucy’s bed and was sick again. I thought mum was going to be so angry but she wasn’t. She just cleaned it all up and washed all the cushions. Then she went and got more cushions. She slept in the living room with me all night that night. I have never felt so safe in my whole life.
So now my teeth are fine and I can actually eat properly. Before the pain was so bad that I had to swallow everything whole but now I can chew again and eat anything that I’m given. I can’t describe how great it feels not to be in constant pain every minute of every day. I think that’s the biggest reason I feel like a new woman and I feel happy.
The food here is fantastic. We have mince Tuesday which is my favourite day closely followed by chicken Sunday. Every day breakfast is sardines, which I love and mum says is good for my coat. I think we are spoiled here actually but I’m not complaining.
I have never really known what a mum or a family was before I came here. I’m seven years old and feel like my life is just beginning. Mum says when we come to live with her we have to leave our old life on the door step as we walk in the house. It’s like we wipe the slate clean and start again. It feels so great to be cuddled, kissed and loved. I have no idea how I could have lived without it for all those years but I know I will have it for the rest of my life. Thanks to BIN I have a family and a second chance of life.

And finally.....
I had the strangest feeling one day. I was standing in the middle of the living room and I had the biggest urge to just run around in circles really fast. I suddenly stopped in shock and looked at mum who was laughing her head off. My 1st “Bullie Run”.
I know now that I am a Bull Terrier but better than that, I’m a happy Bullie!




Written by Molly with a litttle help from Kay Rooney.

My story... by Molly.

I don’t remember much before I came to live with Kay but I’ll never forget the day that she and Stu came to collect me or what’s happened since.
It was a Saturday about lunchtime when the kennel lady came to get me. I was all excited. I had heard that I was leaving soon but thought it strange as no humans had even looked at me never mind been keen enough to take me home.
I went outside into the sunshine and saw 3 shadows standing in front of me. I was nearly all blind. My eyes were sore and itchy but the more I rubbed them on things the sorer they got. I recognised one of the voices as the kennel man but the other 2 were strange – really strange. I had never heard anyone talk like that before. The female said that we were going to Scotland and I realised that’s why they spoke so funny. I wagged my tail as hard as I could so they would think I was cute and not change their mind about taking me. We went outside and the man lifted in into a car.
I sat quiet in the car and we pulled away. I was desperately trying to understand what they were saying. They were talking about me. Oh no they had noticed that I wasn’t well. I was so frightened that they would take me back that I sat quiet as a mouse. We hadn’t gone far when the car stopped. I sat shaking thinking “that’s it, they have taken me back and I’m going to die” but when they opened the car I wasn’t back there at all. They lifted me out the car and examined me all over. The man held me – Stu was his name. I kissed him but he didn’t seem to like it much so I kissed him again. Somehow that much have told him my teeth hurt cos they both looked in my mouth. The lady spoke softly to me. She kept calling me “baby” and I liked it. That was Kay. She said that she’d take me to the vet tomorrow and make me all better. I just fell in love with her. She was so gentle with me and I felt so safe with them.
It was a long journey to Kay’s house and I was tired when we got there but the house was full of new smells. Kay showed me all round the house and then set up my bed. I dived straight in and settled down. Shortly after another dog appeared. Lucy was her name and she was like me – a Bull Terrier. She was younger, bigger and stronger than me though but very friendly. Then a wee while after meeting Lucy another dog came in. Lenny was his name but he wasn’t like me. Kay called him a boxer. He was friendly too but I knew straight away that he was a big softy.
The next day Kay took me to the vet after she bathed me. I was so frightened when we got in the car. I kept thinking that maybe she had changed her mind and was taking me back. I cried all the way to the vets and the whole time in the waiting room. Kay held me while the vet cut my claws. It was very sore and I yelped with the pain. I tried to get away but she had a tight hold of me although I think I might have hurt her in the struggle. The vet checked me all over and put stuff in my eyes.
After the vets I started to feel better. Kay took good care of me giving me medicine and soaking my sore paws. She put eye drops in my eyes and then gave me a treat for being so good. I barked at her to say “thanks”.
Life at Kay’s is never boring. Lenny and Lucy play fight all day. They are noisy and quite rough. I want to join in but I’m just a bit scarred still. Kay has a daughter who gets called Chick and Robi. You can tell if she’s in trouble by the name that she’s called. She is kind and watches TV with me. She lifts me onto the couch and cuddles me. Last week she was ill and off school for the day so she just spent the whole day on the couch with me rubbing my tummy. It was great. The best day off my life. I didn’t know that living with humans could be so good
Sometimes Rudi and Stu come to visit. Stu calls me his girl and I like it. He plays with me while Rudi joins in with Lenny and Lucy. Kay says that I start to play too when I feel better. Lucy does a mad thing every day that Kay calls a “Bullie Run”. She runs really fast all over the house. It’s very funny. Kay says I’ll do that too when I feel more secure and happy. She doesn’t know it but I’m already happy now I live here.
I can see much better now though. In fact most of me is feeling great. We all go for a walk every night together. I am tired after it though. I’m not use to having a walk. Sometimes I get off the lead to run about and chase Lenny.
Kay and Robi have been trying to get me out of my bed. It was scary at first but I’m getting there now. I have claimed Lenny’s bed as mine as he never used it much anyway and he’s too soft to say anything.
Lenny and Lucy call Kay their mum. I felt a bit jealous to begin with and then all of a sudden she said to me “where’s mummy’s girl?”. My heart about stopped. I just stood and looked at her waiting for her to say it again just in case I’d heard her wrong but no she repeated it “M-o-l-l-y, where’s mum’s girl?”. I just ran right over to her and cuddled her. My prayers have been answered. I have a forever home with a great family and they love me. I can’t believe how lucky I am to have been found by them. Mum says BIN brought us together. I have no idea who BIN are but I know they saved my life and I am forever grateful.

Kay & Molly's story

Molly first appeared on a thread on the “Bullie Bar” as an unnamed desperate appeal for a fosterer. She was in a dog pound/kennel in Doncaster and was due to be put to sleep on the Monday but could be saved if BIN stepped in. I read the thread and offered my home to her. All I knew was she was a 7 year old female bullie.
BIN then started a thread for transport for this girl to get her from Doncaster to my home in Fife. This went very slowly so to speed things up I offered to go down to collect her. Bullystu decided he would come with me to keep me company. This would be the journey from hell but not due to Molly. We managed to arrange another 2 dogs to be transported down to Doncaster to be collect by fellow volunteers and new owners and one of these dogs was a nightmare!!!
We arrived at the dog kennel and advised who we were and why we were there.
“Oh great you’re here for Molly” the lady who worked there said.
“Molly?” I asked “we didn’t realise she had a name”
“Oh yes” replied the lady “she is chipped so we scanned her when she came in. She was registered to a breeder so we contacted him but he didn’t want her. Said that he’d sold her a while a go.
When Molly was brought out I couldn’t believe what my eyes were seeing. I couldn’t get her out of there and in the car quickly enough. We drove off and straight away I phoned my vets to make an appointment for the next day. The stench was unbelievable. In fact I was almost sick when she first got in the car. I pulled the “magic tree” right out of it’s plastic cover to try and disguise the smell. Then we drove along to the nearest services and stopped there to have a good look at her.
This was a poor neglected lady. Her left eye was so filled with green gunk that you couldn’t see her eye at all and the right eye had traces of the gunk. Her coat was nicotine white. Her claws were so over grown that they were actually curled round in growing back into her pads. Her breathe about knocked Stu out when she kissed him and prompted us to venture a look in her mouth. There was a large infection site at the top front of her mouth and in general her teeth were covered in plaque. Her tummy was so baggy that it hung down like a cows udder and we could see that she had definitely been used for breeding and probable been over breed judging by how bad her tummy was.
I had to fight back the tears as we checked her over. I kept thinking that an old lady like this deserved a better life than she obviously had had up til now.
It was a long journey home but Molly sat in the boot of my car and not a sound came from her. You could sense the fear from her. We spoke calm and reassuringly to her all the way home.
Once home I brought the cage that I borrowed from Stu in and set it up. I hadn’t even managed to get the new big padded cushion in , that I’d bought for her, when she dived into the cage and lay down. She was definitely crate trained.
That night I let her settle in before I brought Lenny and Lucy in to see her. I wasn’t sure if she was friendly with other dogs or not. They all had a sniff in turns at each other through crates and tails wagged. We then put leads in and went for a wee walk in the garden. Molly wasn’t use to walking and the over grown claws made it very painful for her so the walk was short.
The first night went well and she had her dinner and went to bed with not a peep out of her. The next day I was suppose to be going to the Falkirk BIN walk but had the appointment at the vets so didn’t make it. I gave Molly a shower as the smell was really getting to be too much. I didn’t want to do it the night before with it being her first night and frightening enough. She stood well for the wash though and I was struggling to find any fault with this lady at all.
The trip to the vet was long and tiring. Molly was in a bad way. She had an ulcer on each eye but her left eye (the one with all the gunk) was badly inflamed and needed steroid treatment. Her claws had to be cut out of her paws and this was very painful and bloody although the relief seemed instantaneous to her. These paws needed bathed in salt water for 7 days to stop infection. She had started coughing that day and had kennel cough which required antibiotics. Her teeth would require to be removed but at a later date as there was just so many other things to fix first.
So began my nurse career. There was 2 types of eye drops – one for each eye. Antibiotics for the kennel cough. Salt water bathing for the paws. I felt it was never ending. She liked to bark at me after getting her eye drops though. I think it was her way of letting me know she didn’t like it.
The hardest part of all this treatment was getting Molly out of her crate. Molly hasn’t got much muscle in her wee body and we believe this is due to the fact that she has spent most of her life sitting in a crate. She is stiff to walk up even one step and struggles to actually stand up sometimes. This also resulted in psychological issues where she was frightened to come out of the crate and would spend all day in her crate coming out only for a walk.
We resorted to bribery with mini scotch eggs. Molly hadn’t had much human contact. She was shy and withdrawn but I did notice that she would come out the crate to spend time with my daughter Robi. Robi and I worked as a team, building Molly’s confidence up and spending time getting her out the crate. Soon we had her up on the couch for “Bullie Lovin” for short periods of time. It’s funny how kids and dogs have a way of bonding with each other. She loves going for a walk. Although only short walks to begin with due to her sore paws and kennel cough but these lengthened as she got better and have even developed into off the lead exercise. I have worked with her and trained her to walk to heel but have to admit she has typical Bullie recall – i.e. I will when I want to!!!
Molly has been with me for about 6 weeks now. She has been given a clean bill of health for her paws, kennel cough and eyes. This week she will get spayed and her 2 top front teeth removed and the infection clean out. She is now so confident that she never goes in her crate at all. She has claimed Lenny’s bed for her own. She still barks at me though and I think that is her way of saying “I’m here”.
She still has a lot of work to be done with her. She is still nervous of going anywhere new. Still a bit timid even wandering around the house. She is now starting to show some Bullie traits which is nice to see.
My daughter Robi has decided that Molly is staying right here with us. To be honest I felt the same. It’s hard to look at her and not fall hopelessly in love with her. She is such a great dog. Good with kids, good with other dogs and house trained.
I keep asking myself “how could such a wonderful lady end up on death row?” and then thanking my lucky stars that BIN stepped in and saved MY MOLLY.

BIN Reorganisation

The way BIN works has now changed so I am going to try to explain to you what is now happening. Each area will have its own coordinator, this person will be responsible for everything that goes on in that area, homechecks, assessments, supporting fosterers, rehoming dogs etc. They will have their own team of volunteers who will help them with all of these tasks.
Eventually these team leaders will have their contact details on the web page so that you will be able to get in touch with them direct, but until then please use the present contacts and you will be put in touch with the correct person.

The way we are rehoming dogs is also changing, no more will the available dogs be presented on the web page, as they become available they will be matched up to people on the waiting list. So if you are wanting to adopt a dog you must fill in an application and get on the list, then when a dog becomes available that we feel would be suitable for you we will get in touch. This way we can make sure that dogs are placed with the most suitable families and less problems are likely to occur. There may be occasions when we are looking for special homes for special dogs and these dogs will go on the web page.

If you have filled in a questionairre in the past and haven't received a reply please do send in another one, all will be acknowledged within a few days.

We will be continuing to do what we have always done, rehome and rescue bull terriers, but we hope to be offering a better quality of service for the important part of rescue - the dogs.

The Special One

No not him, this is a real special one!

You may have noticed a young lad on the crosses page of the Rescue Centre who has been there a few months now, his name is Sonny. He had a poor start to life, living in a cellar before being rescued by a very kind lady who was having problems finding a rescue who would take him, probably due to his parentage - Staffie x rottweiller. As soon as I heard about him and saw his face I knew I had to help him so offered to take him into my kennel (I have 3 kennels, 1 is BIN's 2 are my own). Little did I know the journey we were starting off on!

He arrived on the back seat of a car sitting on the knees of Lisa and Mandy, they had met the kind lady rescuer at the services and shared their seat with him for a good few miles. After being in a cellar for so long his odour wasn't pleasant, no doubt they were both pleased when they got back home to bath and change!!

Weeks went by and no one showed any interest in this little lad, he settled in well but worried me to start with because he wouldn't sleep in the bed area of his kennel, he preferred to take his bedding into the run, it is covered but obviously not as warm and cosy. I am sure it was because he was just so happy to be outside and not in his cellar. I put a thick rubber mat over the concrete to insulate it and made sure he had plenty of bedding and he was fine.

Weeks turned into months and Sonny became friends with my rescued American Bulldog Rhubi, they became virtually inseperable, so I thought it would be wise to get the 'snip' done as I am waiting for the right time to have Rhubi spayed.

2 weeks ago Sonny went to the vets to be castrated, he had only 1 testicle in the sac but the vet didn't foresee any major problems locating the other one, although did warn us that it may be a bigger operation than normal.

Later that afternoon we rang to see how he was getting on and the vet said that despite all their efforts they hadn't managed to find the missing testicle and the op had been longer than they would have liked because of this and he had more incisions than usual, due to this he had to stay overnight. The next day we collected him and were told that in 2 months time they would check his testosterone level and if it indicated that there was still another testicle they would have to take him in to look for it again, if it wasn't removed it could cause further problems later.

Sonny wasn't himself for several days and he remained in the house where I could keep a closer eye on him, he didn't touch the wounds at all he was really good in that aspect, but the swelling didn't go down. We took him back after a week and the vet thought the internal stitches must have split and caused a hernia, so we booked him in for the following day to have him opened up again and restitched.

The next day off we went again and as usual were told to ring at 2pm to see how he was doing. At 12.30pm the phone rang and a voice said 'don't panic, it's nothing to worry about but its the vet here', she then went on to say that while she had him on the table she thought she may as well just have another look for the missing testicle, but that she didn't find it but found something else instead! My first thought was they had left something in there from the previous op, but she said that what she saw really shocked her and she thought she was seeing things! There was an ovary, a cervix and a uterus, so Sonny is an hermaphrodite!! Something that is not seen often in dogs.

So 2 weeks after being castrated Sonny was spayed!

From the outside he looks like any normal male dog and it came as quite a shock to find out how special he is. He is now a celebrity at our vets, but he hasn't let the fame go to his head, he is still the same lovable little lad!

He will be available to sign pictures at the Fun Day!!

3rd Southern BIN Walk at Porchester Castle

Huge thanks to Kim (Kim and Shelby on the BIN forum) who organised the 3rd Bullies in Need Southern Walk today at Portchester Castle near Fareham in Hampshire.

We all met up today at midday and went for a walk around the old castle and along the watermeadows.

The weather was lovely and warm so the location was great as we had a gentle breeze coming in from the sea.

All the bullies (and honoury bullies) were so well behaved, I don't think I saw or heard one angry word between the dogs. They all were a credit to the breed.

Today was my BIN boy Dweeb's first 'public doggie event' and he was such a good boy. He mixed well with the other bullies and took everything in his stride. I was really proud of him.

The dogs all enjoyed their walk and many of us (bullies included) stopped for an ice-cream when we got back to the carpark.

From the walk entry fee's (£2 per dog) and from the sale of BIN merchandise we raised £65 for Bullies in Need.

So a huge thank you to everyone (and all the dogs!) who attended.

BIN Fundraising Walks are being held accross the country at various locations - Please see the main webpage or our forum for more details.

Comrades Marathon

3 very fit and brave men are putting themselves through a very gruelling marathon in South Africa and are trying to raise some money for our spaying and neutering bills. This is a very special race and only the fittest and most determined can take part. You can even follow the stages they are at through the Comrades web site ; http://www.comrades.com . If you feel able to add your support by sponsoring them both BIN and the lads will be most grateful.

Thank you James, Reuben and Isaac for publicising BIN in this way and good luck.

Pudsey represents BIN at Crufts 2008

Hello everyone

Pudsey here and it’s been another day in my dog’s life but for some reason mum was dead excited??!!! She got me up early...too early to be honest I was quite happy snoozing. I watched her loading stuff into the car and packing her handbag up...I thought we were going to the beach but mummy kept saying we were going to wufts again.....Wufts??? I don’t remember going to a Wufts and getting dirty! With kisses to Jarvis and Baby of we set in the car...didn’t take that long and there we were...at a giant car park...this didn’t look very exciting at all mother.

After a bit of a walk I could smell the smell of a thousand dogs and the hustle and bustle of lots of people. We met a lovely lady called Margaret who took us through a giant hall of goodies...I’m pretty sure we passed a beautiful pink studded harness in my size and array of kongs that I was most upset mummy didn’t stop and buy me...but anyway we carried on and ended up at a stand. This was the Dogs Theft Action stand and I listened closely as mummy talked to a very nice lady who has lost her bully and got him back 4 years later.....4 years.....omg what would I do without my mummy for 4 years!!! After my introductions to everyone we went for a wander up to the Discover Dogs stand and I met some more mini bullys and Dolly their mummy and had my photo taken by lots of people passing by...I couldn’t see all the fuss...I’m beautiful..Of course they wanted to take my picture. Mum kept telling me what a good girl I was...tell me something I don’t already know.

After wondering around for a bit more and a bit of a stop to play with my toy and some bacon crisps we went back over to see Margaret and the other girls at Dogs Theft. There was a bit of a crowd gathering and MORE people wanted to take my photo. Mum explained that we were taking home a scanner so that other bullys with microchips like me would be able to be returned back to their mummies and daddies sooner with this piece of equipment...so of course...I had to do my bit..After all if it wasn’t for BIN I wouldn’t have my mummy now. I met a lovely man called Roy Barraclough and a lady called Debbie Mathews and had my photo taken with them and I posed like a good bully should. I showed Roy where you need to check for the chip so he knew...well...I felt it my duty.
After all these people had gone mummy took my back down the stalls and bought me the kong I had my eye on earlier...then we set off back in the car home.
Now I’ve had a wonderful day out...but a diva needs her beauty sleep.
Look forward to speaking to you all again soon.
Woofs and kisses

Pudsey (and her eternally loving mum Lynsey)

xxxx

mika

this is mika she came in with me today, 1/3/08 she is around 5 to 7 years old. i got a phone call off a kennels who we regually pick bullys up from to say they had a lovely red and white girl in but she was obease. so off i went in my van and could not get this girl out of my mind, i had not even met her and all ready i was in love. all that kept coming to my mind was the song by mika big girls you are beautiful. yep i can here you all singing it now hence i new what her name was going to be very fitting. i was not prepared for the sight i was going to see little mika (well huge mika) came waddling out she was huge bless her pictures do not do this girl justice to the size she really is but i loved her have you ever had that over whelming feeling that rush of love for something that you know needs you so much well i felt that today with mika they said she had a hernia but not the hernia i saw it is the size of a football, no lie i felt for her instantly thinking is she in pain she has kennel cough as well after trying to squeeze her into a crate i put the huge one up for her. well she nearly broke me back lifting her in all the time she was looking at me right into my eyes as if to say thanks mum. but i am not her mum i wish i was as she would never have been left to get like she is for sure. My words that came out of my mouth as i do to all of them that travel to me this is the start of the rest of your life well i hope mika has a rest of a life, a life she can go on to call her own with a loving family she adores children just wants to kiss them and stand by them. she is not overly keen on dogs doesnt attack them just vocal and will ignore them bless her, she does not like cats at all hehehehehe. she is at the vet on monday i will update this blog on monday to let you all know what her weigh in is she will be having full blood test just to make sure it not a thyroid problem she has and to see what can be done with her hernia so for now folks i will leave you these beautiful pictures of mika she is a big girl and yes she is beautiful. p.s some of the pictures you might find upsetting etc added mika went to the vits she weighs in at a whopping 51.3kg bless her she has real bad kennel cough and is about 8 to 9 year old bless her she is so sweet natured her hernia will be repaired once her kennel cough has gone. So fingers crossed guys that she makes a full recovery bless her she loves her foos but she is on a strict diet and will be up for rehoming with in the next month or so if your interested in mika then fill in the questionaire and send it off to me, she does not like other dogs tho bless her so would have to be an only dog with no small furrys either she is so sweet natured with no faults lisa

well hello

well i have had the van a month now and already it has clocked up over a 1,000 miles so well worth every penny and it sure makes me transporting the dogs so much easier, well since my last blog i have a new addtion to my house hold in the name of maddison she is a british bull dog brindle and white, she was given to me from a dear friend who had just lost her own bulldog the slug, she was not ready for another one in her life i was so over joyed when she asked me and trusted me to have her i have wanted a british bull dog for as long as i can rememer madison slotted right in with us and my tribe she is a pleasure to have, well this weekend has been eventful we have had 6 puppies come into us all under the age of 15 weeks they are beautiful, thanks mandy and gary for transporting them to me, and thanks nette for taking 2 girls into foster it was a right laugh taking them all to the vets to have them vaccinated wormed and weighed, 3 have very bad over shot jaws and little heart murmurs 2 have little bit more heart murmurs and have to be watched as they grow but they are all little minxs, so i am busy at the moment last month and this month has been none stop up to now we have had though our books 63 english bull terriers and 5 english bull terrier crosses, and a american bull dog and sonny, and every day another 2 or 3 come in, so this is a reall busy time, but hey all in a days work, my troy who made me who i am has been really poorly he has had liver problems it got so bad o thought i would have had him put to sleep but no he still here my vet says he is like tha cat with nine lives keeps bouncing back so with medication he is doing just fine, still shakes his head when new dogs come in and he adores maddison who wouldnt she is beautiful, well i am picking the signage up on thursday from anns and i will make sure i get a picture up here for all to see when it is done i carnt wait to see what it looks like so take care all till next time lisa

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A FOSTER

Hi my name is Nette and I have been lucky enough to foster for BIN for a few months now. I have a wonderful husband who supports me in what I do as he is as crazy about bullies as I am. I have had a few dogs come through me one of which I had to keep as He just fitted in so perfectly.
Here is an example of a normal day fostering.

5am. get up and let pups out one by one for toilet. Remove bedding from pups crate and clean it out. put fresh bedding in and washing machine on. then put pups away clean up any little puddles they have left as not yet house trained.
Now its time to let my own dogs out for toilet.
grab a coffee to wake up if i have time
6am. feeding time for the pups. 10mins and its all gone.......all over the floor. try to catch pups to clean them up after removing shoe from one mouth and remote control from the other. pups get put out to go to toilet again. 20mins later success they have finally gone. Clean up mess in kitchen. wash floor again.
7am. walk time. my dogs go for an hours walk so that takes us up to
8am. pack son off to school and get pups out for toilet again. one has a wee the other just wants to play. 15mins later they have both been. now its time for cream for sore spots. cream up my arms in my hair but finally managed to get it on wriggling belly
wash all food and water bowls and refill water for each dog.
9am grab coffee stomachs rumbling but now its tie to get pups used to a harness.
in lounge harnesses finally on trying to get pups to walk on lead.
10.30. all dogs away its time for some housework.
11.15 had to stop housework as one of the dogs was sick. again change bedding and wash dirty stuff. tumble dryer on overload.
12. puppy feeding time again. then back to bed for snooze after being put out for toilet.
1pm. walk my dogs as they like a good lunch time stroll.
2pm. pups out trying to teach them the sit command. in between running to the back door everytime one of them wee's.
By now my stomach is telling me to eat. so grab some crisps.
3pm. all dogs asleep so pop to shop
3.15 cream time again
4pm now its time to try and cook family tea. both pups asleep but my own dogs are having bullie runs around the lounge.
6pm hubby takes our two for a walk. im feeding the pups and doing the whole toilet thing again.
7pm time for all the dogs to get used to each other. its total mayhem
8pm get everything ready for tomorrow school uniform lunch boxes etc.
9pm finally get to sit down with hubby and son for while till one of pups had another accident.
10pm PURE BLISS both hubby and I are sat on a sofa each with one of our dogs and a puppy getting wonderful hugs and kisses.
11pm. dogs bed time so its toilet time first then put our two away. bring pups upstairs to bedroom crate. pups wont settle so end up with one each in our arms in bed
2am. Dog downstairs barking to go out. pups put in crate in bedroom and let my dog out.
3.30 one of pups is restless and whining. settle it down and crael into bed at 3.55 ready for 5am to wake up again.
in between this i keep popping online to give or receive advice and support and also to find out if transport has been arranged for another foster I have coming this week and to arrange a transport run im doing from the south of england to the midlands in 2weeks time.
It may sound a hectic life but every single cuddle or happy dog that leaves to go to its forever home makes it so worthwhile. I WOULD NOT CHANGE A THING

Sad News

We all had some sad news this week, but at the same time it is heart warming, everyone involved with BIN would like to Thank Alison and Darron for helping out a man and his dog in his hour of need. Alisons words tell it all, I know Buck will be happy with Alison and George will rest in peace knowing that you are there for him.

We have lost a special friend in George - a man who was not only devoted to his beloved Buck but who dearly loved Bull Terrirers. He was a lovely man - and we shall miss him dearly. George had always wanted a Bullie, but unfortunately had to wait until his twilight years and when living alone before he was able to get one. George studied the breed and travelled from London to Yorkshire for his puppy, - one of the puppies chose George - but this puppy had a problem - the breeder was honest with George telling him that the pup had a deformity in one of his legs (due to the mother being given too much calcium whilst carrying the puppies), and said as long as he gave Buck a good home he could take him free of charge. George travelled back to London with the 6½ week puppy tucked into his jacket, and gave him all the love and devotion that you could wish for - he spoilt him rotten! Thankfully George found Homeopathy and after 3 years of failed medication the homeopathic remedies prescribed not only improved his leg considerably they began to heal the skin troubles that he had suffered following his first vaccination booster.It was at Di's funeral last year that Lisa told me about George - and I offered to go and visit him. George was terribly concerned that if he went into hospital or become unable to care for Buck that he would be taken away and destroyed. Thankfully through his homeopath and the Bull Terrier Monthly he had heard about BIN and when he spoke with Lisa she was able to assure him that Buck would be cared for. I visited George last January and our friendship soon grew, we would often chat on the phone and on the few occassions when George had to spend the day in hospital I sat with Buck in his home; on other occassions when he was in for longer periods Buck came to stay with us. In November we thought Buck was coming to stay for another of his holiday's but sadly George didn't seem to recover from the minor op. he had, and two weeks ago he collapsed at home and was rushed into hospital. We soon learned how ill he was, and reassured George that we would care for Buck. Our request was granted when last Tuesday the Macmillan Nurse contacted us and said she had arranged for us to sneak Buck into the Cardiac Ward of the hospital (you can imagine the looks we got as we marched through the hospital!) we were lucky to be able to stay with George for 5 hours - allowing George some quality time with his 'Best Mate'. He was transferred to a Hospice on Wedesday where sadly his condition deteriorated fairly rapidly, his family contacted us and asked us to visit with Buck again, and on Friday evening Buck got on the bed with George so that he could give him his final cuddles. We know how happy those visits from Buck made George, and feel content in the knowledge that he has gone to help Di look after all of those Bullies - yours and mine that have passed to the Bridge and are waiting for the day that we will meet again. Bless you George for all the love and care you showed your beloved Buck - we will look after him as we promised. May you walk in the sunshine with the gentle breeze tickling your face - I won't forget and can see your smile my friend! RIP from Alison and Darron xxx


We can all see why this gorgeous boy meant so much to George

The past week

Since my last entry plenty has happened in my corner of BIN, last Sunday I took in another foster dog, yet again not a bullie, but one who desperately needed help. She was due to be put to sleep and with the combined efforts of people on the Bullie Bar and the Rescue Helpers United Forum we arranged a transport chain to get her from Wales to Lincolnshire. So what breed is she I hear you ask!! She is an American Bulldog and her name is now Rhubin - Rhubi for short, I am sure you can work out where her name has come from! She is around 2 years of age and has recently had a litter.

I am rather concerned about the amount of American Bulldogs that are in rescue at the moment, there doesn't seem to be any dedicated breed rescue, I just hope people in the breed organise something soon as we are getting more and more requests for help and there is nowhere to refer them to. We just don't have the resources to help them all.

If you check our Ebay shop regularly you will know about the series of coffee mugs that we are producing, this week I have been sorting out the picture for the next one that is due in February. I do still have a couple of the December ones left and a few of the January ones if you would like to start collecting them. This is the picture for the Feb one, it goes on one side of the mug and the BIN logo on the other side. You can collect all of them or just the ones you particularly like, and they make great gifts too!!

A fair bit of my time is taken up with answering e-mails and telephone calls. Some people have problems with their dogs but don't really want to rehome them, we do our best to work with them to help solve the problem so that they can keep their much loved pet which of course is much better all round. We also get calls from people who go to great lengths telling you all about their dog and they are adamant that they need it to go, we sort out someone to do an assessment on the dog and then we will get a call from the owner to say they have changed their mind. 2 days later they will call again and have decided that the dog has to go, we arrange for someone to pick it up and also go through the list of prospective owners, picking out someone who is suitable for that particular dog. Everything is sorted out and on the morning the dog is due to be collected phone rings, they have changed their mind again! Luckily a similar dog has come in as a stray and will suit the earmarked family, so we make arrangements to get that dog from the foster home to the adoptive family. No sooner has that dog gone than the original person rings and this time says she won't change her mind again but the dog has to go. Overall a fair amount of time and phone calls has already gone into this dog, but what can we do? We can wash our hands of it and say 'enough is enough', and let the woman fend for herself and her dog, but it is the dog we have to think about, it isn't him who keeps changing his mind, he doesn't have any say in it. I like to be able to sleep at night, not to lay awake worrying about what has happened to this dog we have turned away, or the elderly one we don't think we can find a home for, or to turn away a dog that is going to cost a bit in vets bills. This is why BIN doesn't refuse to help any bull terrier, we do it for the dog, not the owner. When we take on a dog that is a different breed we don't take the money out of the BIN funds as we don't want to deceive people who donate to help bull terriers, hence a raffle was set up to pay for Rhubi's expenses and so far all of Sonny's expenses have been paid for by myself.

I have also been looking into what attractions we may have at this years fun day, the rodeo bull was enjoyed by many last year and this year we want something a bit different so I have been doing a bit of research.

One of my own dogs has been ill since before Christmas and this week he spent a day at the vets having more tests and x-rays. When looking at his chest x-ray the vet thought he had the film the wrong way round because the heart was on the wrong side of the chest, but when he checked he realised he had it the right way! It isn't just a little bit over to the right, but right over that side. I would be very interested to hear from anyone who has also had a dog with this problem.

Thanks for reading my latest entry, if there is anything in particular you would like us to write about please do let us know.

A week in the life of a B.I.N Fosterer

George chilllin in the sun!

Hi my name is Joanne, I have been fostering for Bullies in Need for about 18 months. I am a proud to say I am a member of the failed foster club. It didn’t take long; George was my second foster dog he was 7 years old and through no fault of his own was given up by his previous owners. He had a few medical problems when he arrived so he stayed while he was recuperating. He was such a cuddle monster I could not let him go.

Bertie

Just after Christmas, Lisa the co-ordinator asked if we could foster a stray bull terrier that had been handed in at a Rescue Centre down south. The Rescue Centre had named him Big Bertie! He had a long journey to make up to Sheffield but it was all in preparation for finding him a new forever home. The volunteers of BIN did a great job with the transport run, he left the rescue centre at 10 am and he arrived at mine around 6pm. After the introductions we walked him around his new surroundings. The Rescue Centre were spot on he was one big dog! That evening he settled great in the BIN kennel. Bertie was a handful; he had so much energy and was very boisterous. We worked on his behaviours and he did calm down as the days went by. Lisa had sent me a questionnaire from someone who was interested in Bertie, so I gave them a call and arranged for them to visit at the weekend. The lady realised that Bertie wasn’t the dog for her as he had a lot of energy. He was like a whirlwind! I was very disappointed for Bertie, he deserved a forever home. Later that day I let Lisa know that the visit had not been a success. She had a few more questionnaires completed for Bertie so I made a few more phone calls. I called a family from Cheshire who was eager to meet him the following day. I knew we had a great volunteer in Cheshire who had completed the final part of the transport run for Bertie so I gave her a call to see if she could do the home assessment for the Family. They arranged to visit the Family's home the Sunday morning before they came to meet him. Things were looking up for Bertie.
The family were great with Bertie, we took him for a walk and the Dad kept him under control all the way round, Bertie really could pull on a lead when he wanted to! They stayed at mine for a few hours; the teenage kids were good with him too. They took him home later that Sunday. He was going to live with another female Bullie called Suki. I said my goodbyes and he never looked back. In the evening I got a called from the family to say that they had arrived home safely and he was playing great in the garden with his new girlfriend Suki!

The fostering is very rewarding, I love the happy endings. If you are interested in fostering for Bullies In Need please get in touch with Lisa, her details are on the website

manchester walk

well we all went for a walk in clifton park on sunday the 13th jan our first for this yr. What a turn out 20+ english bull terrriers were there and not one cross word even tho it was muddy no one complained, it was nice to chat to other bully owners and about there dogs and nice to see b.i.n dogs there that have found a home, i took a b.i.n dog with me called albert and while he was there he baged him self a loving home they are being homechecked this week and with a bit of luck will be in his home by weekend lounging it up. please keep an eye on the web site for more walks in the north west next time tho the walk is again in clifton park on 24th feb and the manchester evening news is going to be there how cool is that, good press for our beloved breed i was estatic to learn this as mandy sent the picture that i have put up to them and they were interested in running an article, and the papers are now involved in most of the walks this should be great for our breed well enough talking from me please keep an eye out on the walks doesnt have to be a bull terrier to come and enjoy your selves come a long and join in the fun, even if you dont own a dog and just want to see what a bully is like please come along i am sure we can educate you on what we do what we are about and especially about the bull terrier signing off lisa

Hello from Sarah

Hi everyone,

I'm Sarah and I live in Staffordshire. I became involved with Bullies In Need in May 2005, when we adopted our beautiful girl Soli. I joined the Bullie Bar forum then and began to volunteer to help with homechecks and dog assessments. I now regularly do both across the whole of the Midlands area whenever I can fit them in round my full-time job. We adopted another BIN bullie in November 2006, my lovely boy Ozzy. I also try to attend as many fund-raising days as I can around the country , helping out where possible and ran the Dog Show at the last BIN Funday in Mablethorpe last August.

Had a busy bullie day today, as I had an assessment to do on a male bullie currently living about 40 miles away from me who needs to find a new home. It was lovely to meet him as he is a very friendly boy. Spent some time with him, asking his current owner many questions and seeing how he responded to me and took plenty of pictures to use on his write-up for the BIN website.

On the way home, I stopped off at a friends house who is a fosterer for BIN, as well as having her own bullie girl. She has just taken in a new foster dog who was a stray from a pound, so I went to see how she is getting on with him and to meet him of course ! Although in pretty poor health at the moment, he is a smashing boy. We wrote up an assessment together and I took some pictures of him too for the website , as his foster mum has no internet access at the moment. After plenty of kisses for him and her bullie girl too, set off home to do the full write-ups for the website and send them and the photographs to Lisa and then to spend some quality time with my two babies.

A busy but enjoyable day - cuddles from 5 bullies, what could be nicer !!

Where does the time go?

There is one thing about being so involved with BIN, you never get bored, there just isn't time!

If you read the blog regularly you will know that Lisa and Mandy bought me a new foster dog on Sunday, his name is now Sonny, new life, new name. That is him on the left, he is such a lovely little fella, but so very active, he has obviously not had any training so I have been spending time with him teaching him a few manners and we are getting somewhere.

He has spent most of his life in a cellar and I think that now he is out in the wide world he doesn't want to be enclosed again. His kennel has a lovely spacious sleeping area with a bed and cushions and blankets, however, he drags them out into the run part and lays on them out there, not the best thing to do when it has been raining, it means my washing machine is on the go constantly to keep up with a supply of dry blankets. If anyone knows of an old working twin tub hidden away somewhere both Lisa and I could do with one for our kennel dogs, the constant use of our own washing machines isn't good for them and our own clothes are all embedded with dog hairs !!

I have also still been busy getting diaries, calendars and other merchandise ready for posting. Printing labels and getting packages ready is quite time consuming, so the shop system is shortly to be changed. I shall be in charge of getting the merchandise but it will be going to Helen in the main for her to distribute it, this should give me much more time for embroidering the t-shirts and other items, she will then keep a stock and when a certain garment is getting low on stock I can replenish it. Hopefully this will mean you will get things much more quickly.

I have several new designs coming out for this summer, one to look out for is a Hawaain bullie pup, with shirt and shades on, this will be on the front of the t-shirts and on the back is the rear view of the pup with shorts on!! This is a smaller version of the designs. Don't ask me for them yet though because it will be a few weeks before they are ready

I also start the preparations for the fun day now, it may seem a long way of but certain things have to be booked early otherwise they are difficult to come by. I will try to get an ice cream van that will actually turn up this year! The firm we usually use were all booked up last year so I tried a different one, unfortunately vandals broke in wrecking some of the vans a few days before the fun day and they didn't let me know, so on one of the hottest days of the summer we had no ice cream, if I had known I could have made alternative arrangements. The poor girl who usually brings the dog wash broke down on the way so there was nothing we could do about that. And of course the usual venue couldn't be used because with all the rain the farmer had been unable to get the grass cut in time, all in all a bit of a stressful time, but it all went ok on the day, apart from all the gazebos being wrecked in the wind of course.

Another task that takes up a lot of my time is replying to e-mails, I get many each day asking for information on aspects of BIN, I usually reply to them in order of urgency, unless a 2 or 3 word answer will suffice, so if you send an e-mail to me and don't get a reply for a while don't worry I do usually get round to them eventually, if you don't get a reply in a few days do please send again because it may mean it hasn't actually got to me. I don't often ignore them, only if someone is being downright rude (yes I do get ones like that too).

I also now take the general enquiries phone calls, this frees Lisa's time up a bit for the rehoming related calls, some people call at funny times to ask the most peculiar questions! One day I will collate a few of them for your amusement! Of course I would never laugh at the genuine calls, as some people do get concerned over things that to me seem normal, but I mean the sort of things that aren't related to what we do at all.

At the beginning of the week I had an electrician and his apprentice here for a couple of days, they were putting a new fuse box in and then the supply out to the kennel, they couldn't have picked a muddier time to do it, they had to dig a channel to put the cable in and now I have more of a bog at the back instead of a lawn, at least there is now heating and lighting in the kennel though and that is the main thing. It is done just in time for the next occupant due here in the middle of the week - watch this space.

If you enjoy reading this blog please do leave your comments, or if there is something you would like us to write about then let us know, we do read them.

Have a great weekend and give them bullies a big cuddle from me!

Hi my name is Helen.......

Hi I am Helen (Karmadog on the forum) and I have been involved with Bullies in Need since near on the start. I joined the Bullie Bar forum when my first bullie was a young puppy and have been addicted ever since. I am now Assistant Admin for the forum so get to spend even longer on there!



Over the years I have made some great friends through B.I.N and I hope to play an active part for many years to come.

I have taken in numerous foster bullies over the years and also carry out homechecks and dog assessments in the Hampshire and Southern areas.

I seem to take in the foster bullies that need that bit of extra tlc and regular medication and vets trips.

You never know what will happen from one day to the next as I can sometimes spend all day on the phone trying to find homes/transport etc for various B.I.N dogs or giving worried owners advice about dog skin problems.

However my main 'job' at Bullies in Need is fundraising.

Bullies in Need need a regular income coming in. Each week we have yet more dogs being signed over to us all of whom will need at least one trip to the vets and more often than not will need spaying or nuetering.

I have been holding auctions on the Bullie Bar forum now since the early summer. I try to hold at least one a month. The auctions are great fun as well as a fantastic way to raise a few needy pounds.

Forum members have been so kind in donating items for us to auction. We usually have a good selection of goods including Bull Terrier novelties and B.I.N merchandise.

I have been busy over the last couple of weeks organising the current auction. We now have over 60 items up for grabs and the bids are flying in. The current auction will end on Monday 14th January at 6pm.

The auctions and more information about how to take part can be found in the auction section of the Bullie Bar forum. .

I also run the Bullies in Need eBay shop and try to keep it up to date with our latest merchandise. We currently have different coloured B.I.N dog bandanas, B.I.N Calenders, Diaries, Mug's etc for sale.

A great achievement!

Yesterday I met a friend for the very first time, I have known Mandy via the internet for years, but had never actually met her, that has now changed, it was lovely to finally see her. She came with Lisa on her regular trip, she visits me every few weeks and collects food and other supplies for her kennel dogs, we discuss various aspects of BIN work and often she either brings or collects a foster dog. This time she collected a lovely young Staffy cross on her way that I had agreed to help out, he is the most lovable boy you could wish to meet, you will soon see him on the web site.

This time Lisa also collected something that bit extra special, most of you will know that we have been raising funds for a van, the situation was becoming rather desperate but we didn't want to get anything that wasn't in really good condition. Well a supporter of ours told us that if we could raise a decent deposit they would take out a loan to cover the rest of the cost, we could then make the payments when we could afford it. They agreed that they would cover the costs if we were unable to cover the payments. It is nice to know that there won't be any pressure on us if we get a particularly heavy month with vets bills, but we will be doing our very best to raise enough money to cover it.

Here I am handing the keys over to Lisa, unfortunately the graphics weren't put on in time for Lisa to collect, but as soon as they are on another picture will be taken.

I would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone who has worked so hard to enable us to get this van, many of you have done fund raising and without you we would never have been able to achieve this.

Another busy day

Once again unwanted bullies are coming out of the woodwork, strays are appearing all over the country. If you have lost your bullie please do get in contact with us as you never know your luck. we do keep an eye on Dogs Lost web site, but it is always better to be safe than sorry.

Today I have been preparing a kennel for a new dog that is coming in with me tomorrow, I always look forward to getting new dogs because I know it is the begining of a wonderful new life for them. It is very easy to become attached to foster dogs, but there is no better feeling than to know you have helped a dog on the road to his new life, seeing them go off with their new families really gives you a buzz.
If you would like to become a foster home for us then please do get in contact and someone will talk to you about it. You do get support from experienced fosterers and expenses are paid too. If you are worried about having a foster dog for a lengthy period and can't manage then then no worries, we do also need short term emergency places too. Sometimes it is essential to find a place of safety for a dog and are only given a few hours to sort it out. To know that there is somewhere for that dog to go would be a tremendous help.

Lisa is bringing my new dog tomorrow, I have been busy getting a few pieces of merchandise ready for her to take back with her to take on the north west bullie walk. If you don't belong to the Bullie Bar forum you won't know about these regional walks. Every now and again a walk is arranged in various regions of the country, people and their bullies meet up to have a nice walk together and a chit chat. Everyone is most welcome, if you are interested leave a message in the comments part of this message and someone will be in touch, just put which region you are in so the right person contacts you. We are trying to make sure that there is a small selection of merchandise available to purchase on the day.
Lisa is also coming over to collect something else, it is really exciting and I can't wait to tell you about it, but I am going to keep you in suspense for at least another day!! Watch this space!

ALL ABOUT B.I.N FUN DAY

Every year we have one special day that dedicates the whole day to b.i.n dogs people come from as far as Scotland to come to this day, we all have a great weekend either camping or in doggy friendly hotels, in and around Mablethorpe .

This years b.i.n fun day is august the 3rd again in Mablethorpe venue i will add later. Anyone with any kind of dog can come as it is fun, we have competitions on like best 6 legs, dog looks most like the owner, most handsome dog, most prettiest bitch, and lots more.

Every bit of money that we raise goes back into the needy bullies that come our way like castration, spaying, other vet bills - blood tests etc. these all mount up, but on the day it is all about the dogs.

We have a bullies in need parade where all the dogs that have been helped one way or another all join in a circle this is the point i always cry ..... butttttt it is tears of happiness of all the lucky dogs that now have new homes, out of all of them we pick one special dog that melted a lot of peoples hearts and that dog becomes b.i.n dog of the year and a special prize is awarded.

We also have b.i.n helper of the year to 1 person who stands out the most who helps tirelessly home checking, assessments, transport runs with no thought of there own this is always a difficult one as every body in some way or another helps out.

All in all it is a fantastic day don't think about coming, just come I guarantee a fabulous day out if you don't laugh or cry or join in the fun you have not had a good day there are other attractions there as well each year it just gets bigger and bigger so if you own a dog doesn't have to be a Bully come along and join in the fun and see how crazy we all are and devoted to this breed Lisa