<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_HcW1R2xVTKA/SxaCCQsPwLI/AAAAAAAAA4U/C7W1hd4p0G4/s640/94%20December070.jpg" border="0" width="640" height="488" /></p> <p style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">"A dog is for life, not just for Christmas."</span></p> <p style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">{National Canine Defense League Slogan}</span></p> <p style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_HcW1R2xVTKA/SoRbCU4YhqI/AAAAAAAAARg/h7IDIhYxESg/s512/Sam%20Jan%2009.jpg" border="0" width="384" height="512" /></p> <p style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">This is Sam</span> <span style="font-size: small;">who had gone blind before this picture was taken last year.</span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_HcW1R2xVTKA/S2craN5zicI/AAAAAAAAA7k/QKCOSMwLX0E/s640/O6%20Aug005.jpg" border="0" width="640" height="483" /></p> <p style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"If a dog's prayers were answered, bones would rain from the sky."</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">[Old Proverb]</span></p>

<p><span style="font-size: medium;">While we were in the USA in May Sam my daughter's blind dog had to be put to sleep, I have just received this poem from her:</span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_HcW1R2xVTKA/SoRbCU4YhqI/AAAAAAAAARg/h7IDIhYxESg/s512/Sam%20Jan%2009.jpg" border="0" width="384" height="512" /></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning /> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas /> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables /> <w:SnapToGridInCell /> <w:WrapTextWithPunct /> <w:UseAsianBreakRules /> <w:DontGrowAutofit /> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]> <span class="mceItemObject" classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id=ieooui> </span> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Georgia; panose-1:2 4 5 2 5 4 5 2 3 3; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-size: 18pt; font-family: Georgia;">Sam Was My Good Boy</span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">Sam was my first dog. He was such a good boy.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">Good? Maybe not&mdash;at least not at his first home in Troy.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">The words &ldquo;come&rdquo; and &ldquo;no&rdquo; and the electric fence meant nothing to him.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">And he was a lab, yet he couldn&rsquo;t fetch, retrieve, or even swim.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">&nbsp;</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">Sam was my first dog. Okay, maybe he was &ldquo;kind of&rdquo; good.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">Chasing deer in their new home, he and Moo would escape through the wood</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">They&rsquo;d come home with deer parts, possums and the occasional mouse<span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">And traipse their big dirty paws throughout the whole house.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">&nbsp;</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">Sam was my first dog. But he really was good.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">He never fought for food, chewed up shoes, or rolled in mud.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">When the new rescue dog, Jack, tried to eat his food and bite his nose--he didn&rsquo;t mind.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">When Jack was sick, it was always Sam who would lie with him&mdash;he was SO kind.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">&nbsp;</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">Sam was my first dog. And, YES, he was a good boy.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">From the day we chose each other, he brought me so much joy.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">Even when he went blind and had to live in the dark,</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">He still took himself for walks and played, and, boy, did he still love to bark.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">&nbsp;</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">Sam was my first dog. He was good and I love him still</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">He holds a place in my heart that no one will ever fill.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning /> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas /> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables /> <w:SnapToGridInCell /> <w:WrapTextWithPunct /> <w:UseAsianBreakRules /> <w:DontGrowAutofit /> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]> <span class="mceItemObject" classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id=ieooui> </span> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:35.4pt; mso-footer-margin:35.4pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span>&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>You don&rsquo;t have to follow Victoria Beckham or even Coleen Rooney to be a WAG fan.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>&nbsp;</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>Wag! is the magazine for the Dogs Trust. I picked up a copy this week at a talk on their work at a Books and Banter session at Stockton Library.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>&nbsp;</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>Founded in 1891, it used to be The Canine Defence League but changed its name to the Dogs Trust.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>&nbsp;</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>It&rsquo;s the Trust&rsquo;s proud statement that they never put a healthy dog down. They handle around 16000 dogs a year in 18 re-homing centres; only 3% are lost due to old age or put down as a result of poor health conditions. They even have an Old Dogs Home,</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>&nbsp;</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>The Roden Centre in Shropshire is to be rebuilt using green technology which includes triple glazed windows and electricity generated from solar panels. A ground source heat coupling system will provide warm and cool air and the roof will be insulated by natural vegetation (grass and wild flowers).</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>&nbsp;</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;">The Dogs Trust microchips all its dogs and runs neutering and education campaigns. There&rsquo;s a Facebook page, a blog and a website at <a href="http://www.dogstrust.org.uk.">www.dogstrust.org.uk.</a></span></span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p>