View Autumn Newsletter - Cheltenham Animal Shelter

GLOUCESTERSHIRE ANIMAL WELFARE ASSOCIATION
AND CHELTENHAM ANIMAL SHELTER
Gardner’s Lane, Swindon Road, Cheltenham, GL51 9JW
Tel: 01242 523521 Fax: 01242 523676
Email: fundraising@gawa.org.uk Web: www.gawa.org.uk
Autumn Newsletter
Cheltenham Animal Shelter is currently caring for
50 dogs, 40 cats, 9 rabbits and 2 chinchillas.
Welcome to the autumn edition of your newsletter, keeping you
informed about Shelter life...
Get great advice from our experts on…



Read about our plans for
Christmas and how you
can be involved!
Bunny Companionship
Canine Body Language
Keeping pets safe this winter
Could you adopt one of these lovely
animals?
PLUS…
News from CASVet, puzzles & games,
Fundraising news, seasonal advice,
upcoming events & much more!
See inside for more details...
/CheltenhamAnimalShelter
@CheltenhamPets
Shelter_life
If you would like to help us reduce printing costs by receiving this newsletter via email, please
visit our website and join the mailing list.
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CAS Spring Newsletter 1
Manager’s Message from General Manager Peter Newcombe
With the nights drawing in and leaves falling from the trees
we’re making some subtle changes to the way we work
here at the Shelter to accommodate the change in seasons.
The animals we care for generally adjust well to changing
weather conditions, but we make sure there are more
blankets available for animals to sleep in, dog coats where
needed and we see a sharp increase in running costs to
cover heating and lighting. Therefore fundraising continues
to be a focus and is especially important at this time.
With this in mind I am delighted to announce that our Fundraiser ,James Clay, has now joined
us permanently. James was recruited temporarily to cover Deb Barron’s maternity leave,
however Deb is relocating abroad with her baby son and husband, and we wish them the
very best for the future. James has been very busy this year and it’s fantastic that he can now
continue that good work. Successful Charity of the Year partnerships with Kohler Mira,
Sainsbury’s and the University of Gloucestershire’s RAG committee are just the start, and
with James overseeing the on-site Charity Shop (which continues to be a huge success in year
two) I know he has many other ideas for the future of fundraising. Watch this space!
Since the last newsletter we have had our most successful Open Day yet, I hope many of you
were able to attend and enjoy the fantastic atmosphere. All the staff had a hand in making
the day a success but special mention must go to Reuben and Gabby for organising the event
and the trustees and volunteers who gave up their time to help. We raised over £3,900
towards the welfare of the animals and planning has already started to make next year bigger
and better. We are also planning a Christmas Fayre for December so look out for details
coming soon.
During the summer we began refurbishing our kennels with one block already completed and
another soon to be finished. We have also upgraded one of our vehicles thanks to two
generous grants from Support Adoption for Pets and our FOCAS (Friends of Cheltenham
Animal Shelter) group.
One challenge we still face is the local council’s changing stray dog policy, which you may
have read about. At the time of writing we still serve Gloucester City and Cotswold District
Councils and have expressed an interest in tendering to three local councils for management
of their Stray Dog service. We remain committed to helping the stray and unwanted animals
of the county and will continue to do so in whatever capacity we can and to the best of our
abilities. I hope we can rely on your continued support now and in to the future.
Best wishes.
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CAS Spring Newsletter 2
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CAS Spring Newsletter 3
Best Behaviour
With Deb Welton-Bloom (Animal Welfare Manager)
We all like to think we understand our dogs, but how often do we get it right?
The poster below will help you know when your pet is stressed, asking for space or
ready to play. It can be fascinating to watch your dog and know how to react to give
them exactly what they want. So take a few moments to learn some of these behaviours
and keep an eye out for them in the coming weeks.
WWW.GAWA.ORG.UK
CAS Spring Newsletter 4
CAN YOU OFFER ONE OF OUR DOGS
A LOVING FOREVER HOME?
All our dogs will be neutered, microchipped and fully vaccinated. They will also have been
wormed and flea treated and will come with 4 weeks free pet insurance.
BARTON, Male, 1-2 years old, Staffie
Barton is a very happy boy, thrilled with life and a complete delight
to be around. A lovely walker with fantastic manners when out he’s
great with other dogs, so there is every chance he could share a
home with existing pets. He loves toys, will always chase and
sometimes even fetch! He needs an active home, is that you?
BERTHA, Female, 3 years+, American Bulldog x
Bertha is a very sweet natured girl with a lot of enthusiasm for life. She
has delightful puppy like mannerisms but is perfectly behaved and
responds brilliantly to training. She loves toys, but is a little unsure of
squeaky ones! Bertha likes being brushed and having her back scratched
makes her go weak at the knees. Perfectly mannered on the lead and
could live with other dogs.
GEORGE, Male, 1+ years old, Staffie x
A very happy-go-lucky young man who just needs a break.
Adores being made a fuss of and very keen on having his belly
scratched! Walks nicely on his harness and well mannered
when out and about. A fan of playing and will chase the odd
ball if it takes his fancy. A very friendly, affection boy who
would be a wonderful addition to any house.
STUMPY, Male, 1-2 years old, Cross Breed
Stumpy isn’t enjoying being a Shelter dog but is very sweet natured
once he’s out of his kennel. He can be quite excited when first out but
walks very nicely once he’s calmed down. He’s a fast learner who
loves a game of fetch, he’s picking up lots of commands too. You may
need a little patience when you first take Stumpy home but he will
soon be your best friend. He desperately wants out of here!
Also available...
To meet any of our dogs contact rehoming on dogs@gawa.org.uk or 01242 523521
Or visit the Shelter between 12pm & 4pm every day except Wednesday
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CAS Spring Newsletter 5
Rachel’s Smalls
With Rachel Millard (small animal rehomer)
We recently had a case where two rabbits, who came in
separately and were kept in hutches next to each other,
bonded through the wall of their pens. Clover and Thumper
ended up living and playing together in one pen and were
rehomed as a pair shortly after.
This case highlights the social nature of rabbits, and why we
promote having two rabbits if your space will allow it.
Although a single rabbit can be happy with interacting just with an owner (and it is important to
interact with your rabbit, no one likes to be lonely!) having a play mate to jump over, wash and curl
up with is much better for them.
Any combination of neutered rabbits can live together, although the most common is a male and
female pair. It is important your rabbits are neutered though, to reduce the risk of unwanted babies
or territorial behaviour. ( All Shelter rabbits are now neutered before rehoming)
We like to help you with the mixing of rabbits and therefore offer the opportunity to bring your
rabbit in to us for the day to be introduced to a potential hutch buddy. The pair will be carefully
monitored to ensure they are both happy and hopefully it will be love at first sight!
If you are considering a second rabbit (and we really can’t recommend it enough) then contact our
small animals team and they can match our animals to your requirements. We promise having two
pets is twice as rewarding and much more fun to watch!
OTTO & ANNIE, Male and female,Age unknown, Dwarf Lop
A perfect example of a bonded pair these two came in seperately but are now inseperable and are
looking for a home together. Brought in as strays, not
much is known about these two but both are very friendly
and love having a cuddle. Otto is too lazy to move much
when he’s handled. Annie is a bit more energetic though
and likes to be chased around the pen before her cuddle
time, but once in hand she settles down and laps up the
fuss. They make a great pair and entertain each other but
still need a home where they will be handled regularly.
WILLOW, Female, Crossbreed, Age unknown
Willow is an energetic young lady who loves to stretch her legs. She’s a
friendly girl, but a little nervous and would benefit from a lot of handling.
She enjoys a cuddle, however trying to catch her is play time for her so
you have to be quick!
If you are interested in re-homing any of our small animals please call 01242 523521 or
Email smallanimals@gawa.org.uk for more information.
WWW.GAWA.ORG.UK
CAS Spring Newsletter 6
Paws For Puzzles
WORDSEARCH
This month, how many times can you find the word CAT in the grid below?
It could be forwards, backwards, horizontal, vertical or diagonal!
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ANAGRAMS
Can you unscramble these famous dogs from TV, books & films?
TUOPL
IDBYG
MTYITHO
YWNSO
TOOT
OPSONY
SILSAE
OHHCO
UNOCREB
GULOAD
SUDUKO
Fill the grids so that every column, every row and every
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Professor Paws has the
answers on page 13
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CAS Spring Newsletter 7
Cat’s Corner
With Nicole Jones (Rehoming officer)
Lots of advice on keeping your animals safe in this season’s newsletter, and it’s no
different for cats! With the cold weather comes new challenges to protect your fluffy
friends.
As with dogs, rock salt and anti-freeze are both toxic to cats. There are pet friendly
versions available which you may want to seek out, and also we advise taking the time
to clean your pets paws when they’ve been out rather than letting them lick potentially
harmful products for themselves. There are many symptoms of ingesting toxic
substances including vomiting, seizures, panting and even burns to the mouth. If you
have any concerns about your animal call the vet immediately and let them advise.
Also in these colder months cats naturally seek somewhere warm and cosy to shelter.
This is fine in the house, but outside could mean car wheel arches, engine bays or
sheds and outbuildings. Anywhere they are protected from the elements. Please be
vigilant when going to your car (especially if it’s not been parked for long and is still
warm) and perhaps check outbuildings occasionally to make sure you have no
uninvited guests. If you lose your cat, ask neighbours to check their sheds and garages,
cats can pop through open doors for shelter and get trapped without people realising.
Could you rehome any of these beautiful cats?
SHERBERT - Male, 8-10 yrs , Dmh
Grey and White
Hi I'm Sherbert. I would love to find a lovely new home
where there would be a nice garden for me to play in. I love
to run around but I also like to laze in the sun. I am a friendly
chap and would like to have a loving human to care for me.
MCMILLAN - Male, 6-8 yrs, Dsh Black (white tail tip)
Hi, my name is McMillan and I’m looking for a home where I
can get out and explore lots. I’m a very friendly chap and love
fuss, so much so I would prefer to be the only cat and get all
the attention myself!
BEAUTY - Female, 5 yrs, Dsh
White and black
Hello, I’m Beauty. I can be quite an independent lady but
when it’s time for a cuddle I’ll let you know. I’m not too steady
on my feet so I don’t go far, but a safe enclosed garden would
suit me perfectly, especially if I could laze around in the sun.
I’m not a fan of other cats so just me and you please.
If interested in adopting a cat please contact cats@gawa.org.uk or 01242 523521
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CAS Spring Newsletter 8
Could you help raise pennies for paws?
When shopping across Gloucestershire you may have seen our green
charity collection tins in various stores, these help to bring in vital
donations from across the county. More than £3,700 was collected in
2013 alone!
Do you own or work in a shop that would allow you to place one of our
collection tins by the counter? What about your local pub? Please help us
to raise necessary funds to help the animals in our care.
For more information on collection tins please contact Reuben in the
Fundraising team by emailing events@gawa.co.uk or call 01242 523521
Open:
9am-4.30pm Monday to Friday
12pm-4.30pm Saturday
Closed Sunday & Bank Holidays
Our on site charity shop boasts lots of wonderful items for sale including clothes for men
and women, lots of jewellery, fiction and non-fiction books, plenty of toys, ornaments,
pictures, greeting cards, puzzles, games, kitchenware and lots, lots more!
FREE PARKING!
We always welcome donations, please feel free to drop off any unwanted gifts, clothes or
bric-a-brac anytime the shop is open.
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CAS Spring Newsletter 9
Fundraising News
What have our supporters been up to?
Open Day Draws In The Crowds
July 5th saw our biggest and best Open Day to
date, with hundreds of supporters visiting the
Shelter and helping us to raise over £3,900! All
the stores did well, the dog show classes were all
full and we sold out
of cake, that’s what
we call a success.
Thanks to Eddie “The
Eagle” Edwards for opening the event and all the volunteers
who helped on the day. Planning has already started for
Open Day 2015 and information will be released next year,
but you can put July 4th in your diaries now and we’ll see
you there.
On The Road With FOCAS
Thanks to a kind donation from Friends of Cheltenham
Animal Shelter and Pet Plan we have been able to
replace one of the Shelter vehicles. The new Vauxhall
Zafira allows us to move animals and people much
easier and will contribute to our educational work as
well as daily transport needs. Thank you!
Pets At Home Help Pets At The Shelter
We are extremely lucky to receive support from
the two local Pets At Home stores, and recently
they’ve been especially generous! Thanks to a
donation of £300 in vouchers from a Shelter
supporter and our Pets At Home Lifelines
vouchers we were able to do a trolley dash at the
Kingsditch store and spend a fantastic £528 on
food, toys and treats for all the animals here!
This was followed by a visit to the Hatherley store who
had a pallet of dog and cat food waiting for us along
with a cheque for £1000! Thank you to the staff of both
stores for their support and remember, if you are a VIP
member you can donate points to the Shelter every
time you shop.
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CAS Spring Newsletter 10
Fundraising News
What have our supporters been up to?
RAG Raises For Shelter
We are very excited to announce that Cheltenham Animal
Shelter have been chosen as Charity of the Year by the
University of Gloucestershire Raising and Giving Society. One of
two benefiting charities, the students of the university will be
fundraising and volunteering for us throughout the academic
year, including the traditional RAG Week activities in early
February. Fundraiser James Clay said “this is a fantastic
opportunity for us to engage with a whole new group of
supporters. Many students are animal lovers who can’t have
pets in their accommodation so giving them the chance to visit
our animals is great”. Shelter long stay Alice was there to launch
the partnership at the university’s Freshers Fair, her last
engagement before going to her new home. Thanks Alice!
Behaviour Room Becomes A Reality
It has been a lengthy process, but we can finally announce that planning permission has
been approved for our new Behavioural Assessment Room. You’ll hear much more on
this soon as building work gets underway, but we are excited about the what this means
for the future of the animals in our care and how quickly we can rehome them.
On Board With Battersea
Cheltenham Animal Shelter is delighted to have joined Battersea Dogs & Cats Home in
their campaign to show the nation and people of Gloucestershire the softer side to the
adorable Staffordshire Bull Terrier. We will be doing a lot of work over the coming
months to highlight all that is great about owning a staffie and welcome your stories. You
can read more about this exciting project at www.gawa.org.uk/staffies
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CAS Spring Newsletter 11
What would you like to see in your newsletter?
Do you have a story to share about one of our rescues?
We’d love to hear from you!
This is your chance to help shape the future of our newsletters. Let us know what you’d like more of
and if we’re missing anything, so we can give you what you want. Also. If you have adopted one of
our dogs, cats or small animals, we would love to hear from you! The staff love hearing about happy
rescues in their new homes, we try and share every story on our website and the best could make it
on to these pages! Simply email dogs@gawa.org.uk with your stories, pictures and suggestions and
look out for them in future editions of the Shelter newsletter.
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CAS Spring Newsletter 12
Vet’s View
WELCOME TO…
REMEMBER REMEMBER…
...Our new principal veterinary surgeon, Toby Travis.
...YOUR PETS THIS NOVEMBER.
Toby has many years of local veterinary experience,
As we enter the fireworks season we all know it
joining us after over 7 years at Honeybourne Vets,
can be a stressful time for our pets. There are
and said “I’m thrilled to be here and the staff I’ve
measures you can take to reduce the impact of
joined are delightful”. More from Toby soon...
fireworks this year, we hope these help.

Have a den for your pets, a quiet dark
TAKE CARE WITH FESTIVE TREATS
space they can hide in. A crate covered
We love Christmas, but every year we see
with heavy blankets will help your pet feel
seasonal pet injuries and illness caused by
safer and deaden the bangs of fireworks.
festive treats and decorations. These are

Turn on TVs or radios to mask the sound
avoidable with a little planning and can make
of explosions. Turn them up to a
sure your pets enjoy Christmas as much as you!
comfortably loud volume, but not too high
Firstly, remember that human treats can be bad
as this can be equally distressing to dogs
for your pets and keep them out of reach. Food
with their superior hearing.
such as chocolate, raisins (in cake especially),

Change your walking schedule to be in
nuts, stoned fruit (peaches/plums) and alcohol
after dark (you may need to make feeding
can all be bad for your pets, as can turkey bones
time earlier as well). If you cannot walk
and leg meat (breast meat is a fine treat though!)
during the day consider asking family or
Trees that drop needles can lead to sore paw
friends to help.
pads, and twinkling lights can lead to cats

Consider placing puppy pads or paper
climbing trees! Try and keep enticing decorations
down just in case your dog does need to
a little way from the floor. If you are having a
go whilst there are fireworks outside.
party at home this year consider your pets needs

Distract your dog with some light training
as well, give them somewhere quiet to escape to
if they are not too stressed. Especially if
and something to keep them entertained like a
there are treats involved! Chewing
Kong.
relieves stress.
Dangers exist outside as well. Be aware that

Reassure, cuddle and stroke your dog
some dogs are not designed for cold weather
lots!
and may need a coat for walks, and if walking on

Remember stress can change a dogs
gritted roads be sure to clean paws when you get
temperament, so act early to relieve
home.
stress but be prepared to leave your
If you have any concerns or think your pet has
animal alone if they appear
eaten something they shouldn’t, get in touch as
uncomfortable.
soon as possible. Have a Merry Christmas!
PUZZLE ANSWERS
ANAGRAMS: PLUTO, DIGBY, TIMOTHY, SNOWY, TOTO, SNOOPY, LASSIE, HOOCH, BOUNCER, DOUGAL
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The word cat appears 17 times
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CAS Spring Newsletter 13
It’s almost that time again…
Our Christmas shoe box
appeal will be launching in
November. Details of collection
points will be available at
www.gawa.org.uk and on our
Facebook page.
Can we beat last year’s 400
parcels for the animals here at
the Shelter???
Thank you to our latest kennel sponsors; Lone
Wolf Management, My Accounts Office, Katie
Kingsley and Craig Johns & Rosie Crutchley.
For more information on kennel sponsorship
contact our Fundraising Team today.
fundraising@gawa.org.uk
01242 548775
WWW.GAWA.ORG.UK
CAS Spring Newsletter 14
If you would like to support the work done by the Shelter to care for and rehome the unwanted pets of
Gloucestershire please complete the form below and return it to the Shelter. Thank you
N/L Autumn14
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CAS Spring Newsletter 15