Gizmo's round up of the Year 2012

It has not been a great year for yours truly I had a kidney stone which was obstructing my pee pee tube and I had to have surgery to remove the stone.
Then a few weeks later a dog decided to take a big chunk out of my leg which resulted in 6 trips to the vets and going under anaesthetic each time. Fortunately I am a young pooch and my heart is strong so I was able to withstand the sedation.

Once my leg was well on its way to be healed, Nikki then found a lump on my back so back to the vet again. The lump fortunately was nothing serious , but you can imagine Nikki and Richard were getting really exhausted with worry and strain. Just to finish my list of medical problems I had an ear infection which Nikki spotted as she thought my ears were really hot, so yet another trip to the vet !

I am just hoping that though I really think the guys at Centro El Madronal and El Medano clinic are really wooftastic and I can't praise them enough for helping me. I am hoping that I don't need to see so much of them in the new year. There is soo much inserting of a thermometer up the butt  that a dog can tolerate !

Anyhow enough about me, on to the big news in the Tenerife dog rescue world this year. The  new refuge at Fasnia 'Tierra Blanca" officially opened last week it took a while to complete, but is now from looking at the photos and hearing positive feedback from people who have visited,  a clean and safe shelter for the doggies. What a great Christmas present for the stray dogs.

Of course it would be great if no refuges were needed and people took more responsibility for their furry friends , but it's a not a perfect world and so refuges are unfortunately necessary.

More very important  news was the first case of animal abuse being brought to the courts  in the Canaries, and which took place in Santa Cruz , Tenerife.  The 80 year old man who maltreated the German shephard by half starving her to death, beating her brutally, and pouring abrasive liquid on to her coat - was sent to prison for three months and compensation of around 6,000 euros was awarded.

Addanca helped to bring this case to court and looked after Vela through her recovery.
This was a landmark case for animal abuse in the Canaries and hopefully will start changing the views of what is NOT acceptable treatment of animals..!

The director of Accion-del-sol Marion continued to visit schools this year with her educational program which is a fantastic project which teaches the young humans about pet responsibility . I contributed to this project by being photographed for the posters which told my story of how I was rescued from the streets and gave advice on how to care for dogs.

It hasn't been easy this year for any of the dog rescue refuges in Tenerife. Due to the crisis more people are abandoning their dogs and less people are adopting dogs but the refuges are still battling on doggedly :)

If anyone would like to help the stray dogs of Tenerife by making a donation or volunteering your time please check out this link for the list of refuges .

Have a Wooftastic New Year mis amigos..!

Tips for Christmas to keep your doggie safe

Here are some tips for xmas to keep your pooch safe.

Note down the telephone number of a vet which is open in the holiday season. Hopefully you will not need the vets services but it's always best to be prepared !

Make sure you keep your tree lights away from your dog's reach or your pooch might want to investigate and have a chew through the electrical cord. It's not much fun for your pooch having a few hundred volts of electricity shooting through his tail and it really plays havoc with his  fur-cut !

The dangly decorations on the tree are also quite attractive for doggies an accident might occur if your pooch, for example tries to reach up to a xmas bauble and topples the tree over.
Decorations also tend to look better on the tree rather than your furry friend wearing them around the house.

Mistletoe, pot pourrie and poinsettias are toxic so please keep out of your dogs reach and seek immediate vet advice if you think your dog has swallowed any of these plants.

Spray snow - check your dog isn't interested in licking it, as of course spray snow is a chemical and so can be poisonous

Candles - make sure your dog's waggy tail is out of the way of a lightened candle.

Chocolate is a definite big NO NO as it contains a chemical called Theobromine and is actually poisonous to dogs.

Grapes, raisins and sultanas should not be fed to your dog, these are now known to be toxic to dogs and can cause poisoning. Other foods liquorice, avocados, onions and some nuts can also cause problems.

Being safety conscious will ensure a fun xmas with your furry friend -

....and Merry Christmas mis amigas and amigos and a big wooftastic thanks to all the wonderful humans working in the dog rescue shelters and to the foster carers and anyone who has adopted a rescue pooch this year :) xx