The period between Christmas and the New Year is usually a time for lying around feeling rather too full of food and snoozing on the sofa (and thats just the grunds) but the redoubtable Julie Sadler had other ideas for us. She organised another treasure trail, starting and finishing at the Rowington Green Working Mens Club. The route was not the same as last year and remarkably mud free for most of the
way, despite the huge amount of rain that had fallen. As usual Julie's clues were cryptic in the extreme (well beyond me, but thats not saying much!) but the route took us along some lovely lanes and also followed the canal towpath for some distance. Just to make it interesting Julie had organised the walk (as last year) on the same date that Solihull Lions had organised their big charity walk. We shared a common route for part of the way, but in opposite directions to make it interesting. However, the grunds really enjoyed meeting lots of new people and got a lot of attention. On arriving back at the Rowington Club, there was a welcome array of hot drinks, sandwiches and snacks laid on by the club manager and his wife who always make us very welcome. There was also a fun quiz and raffle.
In late January, Karen organised a roadshow at the Swan Centre in Kidderminster,starring her grund Meg. They were busy all day and one chap came up and handed over a huge bag of copper coins he had been collecting which contained over £9! The next day , the Trust took over Sutton Park (or so it seemed!) when the first of Heather Hawkins' walks of 2008 attracted over 70 grunds and their owners Heather wrote; Once again the glorious Spring sunshine joined us for what has become a large and well attended event. New on the agenda was a Portaloo which was a relief to some of our walkers who had travelled a fair distance to join us. We hope that it will become a regular feature.

Paula tirelessly clipped dozens of doggy toes whilst the owners enjoyed the picnic and raffle. Althoug theSamosas were sadly missing due to there being a rush on Indian weddings to cater for, we did have a few plates of delicious sausage rools added to the table.

Thanks for those. Zak was enjoyig his first big walk since losing his toe, but managed as well on 14 as he ever did on 16. Photo shows us taking a breather after the "big hill" before heading back for coffee.
At the start of February Sally Rapson was at 'Pets at Home' New Oscott, promoting grunds as pets and the Trust was also at Wilsons Pet Store in Northfield. One of the homes resulting from this was Steve and Samantha. who gave Natty a home. Since then, Steve and Samantha have helped at several other roadshows. During the Half-Term holiday in February, the Trust were invited to Notcutts Garden Centre in Shirley. A new feature on the stand was a tombola, organised by Ruby Keogh. Every participant picked out a disc with a picture of her grund Lady and the prize depended on what colour jacket Lady was wearing in the picture. Other members of the team of helpers included Janine, Diane, Paul and Margaret, as well as a fairly recent recruit, the Reverend Peter Kay, with his grund Henry.
Towards the end of the month we had the first Saturday walk, held at Waseley Hills Country Park, as some people are not able to get along to Sunday walks. As it was a very damp and dull day we thought about 20 people might turn up, but the turnout was much larger and hopefully we will have a few more
Saturday walks in the future. Also near the end of February , Pam Dewar was asked, at very short notice, to appear on Danny Kelly's Show on Radio West Midlands. Danny has done much to increase the awreness of his listeners to the fate of ex-racing greyhounds and has also been a visitor to the kennels. The following day a dog was homed as a result of one of Danny's listeners getting in touch with the Trust.

Early March saw the Trust returning to Mell Square in Solihull. In the past , this has always been a successful venue and this was to be the case again. Some dogs from Daybreaks Kennels were taken to the roadshow and wore 'I'd love a home' coats. This proved to be an excellent idea, as many homes resulted from the day, including a 10 year old bitch, Blackie, who now has a very loving home. In addition, a street collection raised several hundred pounds to help the work of the Trust. One little story about the follow-up from from Mell Square...... at one stage the kennels were very busy with people who had gone up to pick a grund. It so happened that Ruth had taken some of her own dogs up that day and at one stage Shrew was in one of the compounds wandering around only to be spotted by a visitor who wanted to take her home! (Well wouldn't we all?)

Early March is also the time for Crufts. There were a few problems behind the scenes in the run-up to the event and, despite having a lot of other problems on his plate at the time, Robbie Boswell put a huge amount of time and effort into ensuring that , on the day, it all went smoothly. This year, the Perry Barr Trust had been asked to provide dogs for the Head Office of the RGT's stand, as well as its own, so there were lots of volunteers needed - Pam, who organised the rota of helpers and dogs for both
stands estimated that over 50 people helped out over the four days. A big thank you goes to all those who gave up their time to promote the cause of grunds at Crufts. The Perry Barr Trust had a rafflle - the prize was a top of the range Dyson vacuum, donated by the Fivelands Veterinary Practice, who have also been great supporters of Daybreaks Kennels.
The driving force behind selling the raffle tickets were Paul and Chris , who organised yet another team of volunteers, and raised a huge amount of money for the Trust. The winner was Elizabeth Lovie from Peterhead in Scotland (pictured above).The stand itself did very well selling merchandise - this was organised by Wanda Robberds.

Wanda is now organising the merchandise for Perry Barr Trust and rumour has it that one room of her house is now filled with merchandise!

Heather writes : On 15th March our band of mostly Irish dogs joined the St Patricks Day celebrations in Erdington with Shamrocks stuck to their bottoms! One dog was claiming Antipodean origins to avoid thus being adorned, but i would like to see the proof! The weather was kind and the crowds turned out in their droves and much cuddling went on. We raised a massive £450 for which we are very grateful. Once again Zak claimed the best bed on the stand, but as he has a broken toe we let him off. Thanks go to all the volunteers and their dogs for making this event such a success.

Easter Sunday saw the Trust back at Notcutts. Once again, Ruby's Easter tombola was a great attraction and the dogs were also great crowd pullers. The roadshows that Pam has organised could not happen without help from volunteers and she is very grateful for the way people have been generous in their efforts of help. A special mention must go to Tim, Jane, Janine and Mike. Duncan Dewar

Saturday 31st May

Another month has gone by and more greys have come and gone. It was a sad day when Keano was returned after having been in a home for a long time. We pride ourselves in having very few returnees however, it is just something we have to deal with and it usually ends up being the best thing for the dog. It didn't take Keano long to settle back in and he is a joy to have at the kennels as he is clean every night - we have just got to teach him to make his own bed! It was with great joy when he got reserved along with Goldie (who had also been returned) his kennel mate who he adores. They go to their new home today and hope they are not given up on again.

The kennels are being covered by Kerry as we head to Cornwall for a week. Kerry is looking after Max and Foxy and we expect to see her with grey hair on our return!

Thanks to Lisa at James Wellbeloved, we have a new sign outside the kennels so people can find us easier!

We are still desperate to find a home for 'limping Lucy' who is currently in a foster home. Lucy broke a hock which finished her racing career. Not wanted by her owners, her trainer kindly paid for her operation to fix her leg. Now repaired, Lucy gets around just fine but with a limp every so often. She is fine with other dogs when out on her walks but would prefer to be an only dog. She is VERY loving and would make an ideal companion for an older owner. If you are interested, please call 0121 782 7702.

Wednesday 16th April

Time really flies by and already we are approaching Summer! Daybreaks Kennels have had a fresh coat of paint along with other improvements. Thanks to Heather for cheering up the place with all the plants - it looks really pretty now. We have homed over 70 dogs already this year and we have had a lot of interest from our recent roadshows. This is thanks to all the volunteers who help and more recently our team has grown rapidly!!

March was a busy time with Crufts and all those who came along really enjoyed the show. Thanks go to Fivelands Vets who donated a Dyson for our raffle which raised over £1,000.

At the Midland Greyhound Ball held at the end of March, Pam Dewar was awarded the Home Finder of the Year award winning over nominees from Hall Green, Monmore Green and Oxford branches.

Danny Diamond and Stitch who were both in long term foster homes - finally were adopted...... by their foster carers!! Tony who was a 'long stayer' was also adopted and his new owners are enjoying the antics of his vertical leaps!

Danny Kelly from Radio WM came along to visit the kennels and fell in love with one of the greyhounds. Danny is a great supporter of greyhounds and we are grateful for all his support.

Ex-Perry Barr retired greyhound Lakers Kaz, now called Lady and owned by Katharyne and Marc (who was recently photographed with Jason Lyons on a speedway motorbike) was invited to a publicity photo shoot held for Kerrang Radio. After the shoot we were invited for a tour of the studio and Lady along with the help of Ruth had fun being radio presenters!!!!

The next issue of the Grapevine is almost completed which includes and article by Danny Kelly and will be posted out soon so watch your letterbox!

Tuesday 15th January

I know there have been a couple of months where I have not reported on the happenings of Daybreaks. We have been so very busy but of note, we held our kennels Christmas party for the greys mid December. We raised over £200 along with the Christmas Tree Bauble appeal and tombola. A great big thank you to everyone who came along and brought treats and blankets for the dogs and thanks also to Julian the manager at Notcutts Garden Centre in Shirley for donating a lovely tree and to Lisa at James Wellbeloved for tombola prizes. During 2007 we found homes for 280 greys.

I had an early start on Tuesday 8th January and was at Birmingham Airport at 3.30am to see CJ off to his new home in Spain. They allowed me to settle him into his very spacious, purpose built crate (as he is horse-like in size!) and see him be x-rayed. He has gone to live with Stewart and Jane, members of the Trust, who sadly lost Ben their lovely gentle greyhound recently.

We are still anxious to hear news about Mollie who we homed to a family in Rugby as she escaped out of their front door last week. You cannot stop the worrying, especially with the weather this time of year. Lets hope she gets found safe........

Today I did a follow up visit for Flower who was homed close to Stanford Hall in Northampton. She certainly is like Lady of the Mannor and is a lucky little lady.

The Grapevine newsletter will be out very soon and you can read about more things we have been up to.........

Tuesday 23rd October

Gosh, how time flies......! We have been so very busy and a month ago we homed our 350th dog since opening the kennels last July. We have so many volunteers and every week there is a new face to join our team which is fabulous.

Following the dog show at the beginning of September, all of our blue ribbon dogs found homes and it is with great joy that Jack our long stayer has finally found a family.

Fivelands Vets organised a talk to help pet owners get their pets through the firework season. It is a terrifying time for some animals, but with advice and help they can get through it. If you would like an information sheet, please contact us by email. Fivelands donated all the proceeds from the evening to us amounting to over £300. Thank you Fivelands!

Some of you will know that Freckles who used to come up to the kennels often with me lost her fight with secondaries at the beginning of October. Thanks to Lorna at Fivelands for helping her at the end - it seems very quiet without her as she had a huge personality for an oldie!

Tuesday 21st August

I am sure most of you will know by now that we finally were granted a Certificate of Lawfullness by Solihull Council allowing us to have 16 greyhounds on site. The decision gave us absolute relief and we can now concentrate on what we are trying to do - home dogs!

We have had a fabulous time with Radio WM who nominated us as one of their charities for their 2007 Animal Appeal. Mollie Green who presents the early morning show came along to the kennels and brought food, treats, toys and blankets for the Daybreaks greys. We are so very grateful to Radio WM and their team for their support both with their Animal Appeal and media coverage whilst we were dealing with the Council.

Paul Rabone, the General Manager from Batleys Pet Food Warehouse and some of his staff came along to the kennels and presented us with a cheque for £2,300!! They have been fundraising to support Max's Mission and we also really appreciate their support.

The Grapevine is now at the printers and should be posted out soon. TTFN.

Tuesday 24th July

Just to let everyone know that tomorrow Solihull Council will make their decision about the kennels as to whether they can stay open. The meeting is at 6.00pm at Solihull Council House and if anyone can come along and show their support it would be very much appreciated.

Wednesday 11th July

After a quiet June, July has been so busy so far with a grey going out each day. We had fun in the office whilst doing the paperwork with George and Velvet - they obviously wanted to help with their adoption by both jumping on the desk - Velvet was even behind the computer at one point! I waited with baited breath to hear news about how they got on after their first night - relief to hear they are fine so far, but keeping the family amused with their antics!

Still no news from the Council - thank you to everyone who asks - we will keep you posted.

The Marston Green Dog show was a soggy, muddy event but despite this we raised much needed money - Freckles won Reserve Best in Show!! Ha Ha - all of those who know Freckles probably know she probably gave her best performance to make the judge feel sorry for her! The open day to celebrate a year of Daybreaks was a great success. With 280 dogs homed in the year we have been open, we had a great day with sunshine (and a few showers) and 6 greys reserved throughout the day. Lisa from James Wellbeloved came along to give out freebies and for all those who had a go on the raffle - we had fun hunting for the tickets - all day!

Yesterday a beautiful grey arrived - a 10 year old who has been in a home since 2000. Her family are moving to the USA and couldn't take her. She spent the day shaking in the office but settled down at our house on the evening and slept well. We hope to find her a special home to be loved for the rest of her days........

Monday 18th June

Rain, rain & more rain.... the greys are not enjoying this weather at all (neither are we!) The council meeting planned for the 13th June once again has been postponed and we await to hear as to when the new date will be. We have been desperately trying to find a home for Blu who came back into the kennels after being in a home for nearly 2 years following a marriage split. He is housetrained but nervous of other dogs as he was bitten just before being returned. Blu is nearly 7, has a cataract and is finding it difficult being back in kennels.

Thanks go to everyone especially Fliss who covered the kennels for us during the first week of June to allow us to have a much needed break.

Sunday 27th May

Today was a very sad day. Tara our greyhound lost her fight to bone cancer and she slipped away peacefully at midday. She was our first greyhound and has changed our lives so much it is unbelievable. We found out her racing name was Daybreaks Beauty and hence named the kennels after her. Only a week to go to her 10th birthday, we could not let her suffer. She was a wonderful, beautiful girl who has brought us so many happy times and we shall be so lost without her.

Sunday 20th May

We had a fantastic time at Boxtrees Craft Centre yesterday for the dog show and raised over £400. Such a pity the weather wasn't so kind to us all day but inbetween the showers we awarded rosettes to a wonderful crowd of soggy greyhounds! The next show will be on 30th June at Marston Green.

The van is now looking fantastic after being signwritten by CGI visuals. We are certainly going to get noticed more now as we travel around on our daily runs around Birmingham. Thanks to James for spending his Saturday doing this for us!

Today, whilst the kennels were covered for us by Kerry and Vicky, we joined the walk at Sutton Park. Beautiful sun - good food and good company. Massive thanks to Heather and her family for organising this. The kennels have been as usual busy this weekend with 2 going to homes and 8 being reserved.

We have been notified that the public meeting at Solihull Council to decide the fate of Daybreaks Kennels will take place on Wednesday 13th June. We will keep you posted to let you know what their decision is.

Tuesday 24th April 2007

I know there has been a long gap but it has been an eventful few months. An unexpected trip into hospital took me away from the kennels but after a couple of weeks, I was back into the flow of things. Massive thanks to all the volunteers who came up and covered for me.

Many more hounds have been picked with a fantastic 95 into homes this year already. March brought us Crufts and also a visit from over 30 Japanese dog trainers who are currently visiting Warwick College. They enjoyed their visit and the dogs enjoyed a lot of attention that day!

We had a disasterous day when the front of the washing machine fell off!!!! However DogWatch UK came to our rescue and bought us a lovely 7.5kg Aquarious washing machine. Thanks also go to Denise and the team at DogWatch and also to Borsch Electric.

May should bring a verdict with Solihull Council so watch this space and we will keep you posted. Many thanks for all those who have signed the petition either on-line or at the kennels.

Until next time.......

 

Monday 12th February 2007

It was 'tidy up' day today and the bedding store was 'attacked'! Jess and Jordan our work experience students, Amy and I set to work to sort the bags of donated blankets, towels and duvets into order. The spiders were sent their marching orders and the room looked great when we had finished! The David Bromley House residents came up with their carers and the greys had a fab time despite the rain.

At the weekend we had delivery of goodies from Pheasey Park Farm School and the kitchen was stacked high with food and treats. We had to hide the squeaky toys from Jack though!

The snow has all cleared and we feel Spring is on its way again. We had a great weekend with Tom, Louise, Kaz, Molly, Toby, Maggie and Sally all going to their new homes.

We have a busy time ahead with Crufts in March and visitors from Japan who are dog specialists coming to visit the kennels from Warwick College.

One of our new residents called Skinny who came with a limp had surgery last Friday to remove an infected bone from his foot. Already during his post op recovery he has learnt that being in a home is wonderful and has already become toilet trained. This poor black boy just loves cuddles so if you have plenty of love to give - please consider this lovely lad and give us a call.

Wednesday 17th January 2007

We have had such a busy time since Christmas and have already homed 14 dogs this month. Four new arrivals were settled in to Daybreaks this afternoon with four more arriving on Sunday. We have had two massive deliveries of donated food and treats, firstly from Petsearch and secondly Animal Allsorts for which we are really grateful. Rebecca, one of our work experience students set to work grooming the new arrivals.

Poor Toby is off to have his tail amputated on Friday as this poor lad frantically wags his tail and despite continuous dressings, we are fighting a losing battle.

The Grapevine magazine has gone off to the printers and will be on your doorstep soon. If you would like to receive one of our newsletters (and don't already) please send us an email with your address.

Jack the racer continues to improve and is enjoying all the attention he receives from visitors to the kennels.

At long last Henry who was returned to the kennels in December after being in a home for several months, has found a home. He was returned as he used to mess in the house but we had an email from his owners who said he has settled in happily and been golden with only one accident.

Last Saturday was extremely hectic and more of our greys were reserved. It felt like New Street Station!!! With a roadshow in Sutton on Saturday, we expect we are going to be continuously busy and hope to beat our homing figures for last year which totalled 187. Hopefully Hamish, Toby, Lucky and Jack will be chosen soon as they need someone to love them.....

Wednesday 13th December 2006

The kennels are becoming quieter now that we have 'closed' for homing due to Christmas coming along. Suzy and Humphrey have settled into their new homes and Luke is still in a foster home with Mr and Mrs Stevens until he finds a home.

We had a visit Molly Green, presenter on Radio WM on Sunday who loved the kennels and hopes to come up again to visit us soon. We are holding a Christmas party for the residents of Daybreaks on Saturday 16th December from 1.00pm at the kennels, so please feel free to pop along and bring a treat for the dogs and have a mince pie also!

Jack the racer who was in the accident last month continues to improve - as his racing days are over, he will be looking for a home once fully recovered.

Wednesday 22nd November 2006

Welcome to the first entry in our new kennel news section. This is due to many requests for this to appear. Since opening Daybreaks Kennels on the 1st July 2006 we have been very busy and to date we have homed 125 - this gives a yearly total of 174! For the first time ever we exhausted the waiting list at the track, so we have been taking dogs from where we can get them.... a couple from Barnes Hill Hospital RSPCA, four from Oxford RGT, a couple from Ireland, and seven from Hall Green. As the nights are getting colder and darker, the greys in our care now have their heaters on and fleecy coats - keeping them nice and toasty! Our volunteers are numerous and all enjoy seeing Tara or Freckles who come to the kennels most days. Thanks to Kerry and her family of cats, we are able to go cat testing as soon as we get new greys in as the majority of people who request a greyhound have a cat! Ben and Tara, the brother and sister greyhounds are still waiting for a chance of a home together......

For those of you who have visited the kennels, most of you will know 'Jack the racer'. Unfortunately he was coming back from the track driven by his trainer the other evening when the van was forced off the road into a ditch. Jack is quite sore around his shoulder but still managing to steal treats through the kitchen window!

The Christmas tree which has been donated by Notcutts Garden Centre is going up very soon and I hope you will all be able to support our bauble appeal. (For details please call the Trust on 0121 782 7702) You are welcome to come along to see your bauble and have a Christmas drink with us.

Until next time. Ruth