Issue 40 Jan 2015

RSPCA Little Valley Animal Shelter, Black Hat Lane, Bakers Hill, Exeter EX2 9TA Tel: 01392 439898 www.rspca-littlevalley.org.uk

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Beautiful

Kimiko is still

waiting for a

home. See

inside for

details

2

Shelter News By Jo Evans, Shelter Manager

Happy New Year to everyone and THANK YOU for all the lovely animal food, goodies,

chocolates (for the staff!) and generous dona�ons given over the fes�ve period. The

animals (and staff!) have been spoilt, plus we have a good supply of food in store for the

year ahead. It was a quiet Christmas for us with the Shelter carrying on as normal.

Maintenance are s�ll hard at work ge(ng things finished in �me for Shelter day, which will

be Sunday 28 June—please put the date in your diary! It was nice to see so many of you at

the Christmas Fair and I look forward to seeing you all at Shelter Day. Our next project is to

rebuild the dog kennels, see over the page and future issues for more informa�on on what

you can do to help. On a personal level can I just say thank you for all the kind words a3er

the loss of Anthony, the Shelter’s resident cat.

LITTLE VALLEY ANIMAL SHELTER

RSPCA South, East & West Devon Branch

Black Hat Lane, Bakers Hill, Exeter, EX2 9TA

Registered Charity No: 205154

Telephone: 01392 439898

Email: info@rspca-liFlevalley.org.uk

Website: rspca-liFlevalley.org.uk

Facebook: facebook.com/rspcaliFlevalley

Twi(er: twiFer.com/rspcaexeter

Just Giving: justgiving.com/rspcaexeter

Shelter Opening Times

Open 6 days a week (closed Wednesdays)

11.00am-4.00pm (Last entry: 3.30pm)

24 hour Cruelty and Advice Line:

0300 1234 999

SHOPS

129 Reddenhill Rd, Babbacombe TQ1 3NT

Tel: 01803 323841

1 Market Street, Brixham TQ5 8EU

Tel: 01803 859695

46 High Street, Budleigh EX9 6LJ

Tel: 01395 442349

31 Cowick Street, Exeter EX4 1AL

Tel: 01392 213847

27 Paris Street, Exeter EX1 2JB

Tel: 01392 494759

91 South Street, Exeter EX1 1EN

Tel: 01392 494113

49 Courtenay St, Newton Abbot TQ12 2QN

Tel: 01626 330716

10 Torquay Road, Paignton TQ3 3AB

Tel: 01803 528118

Brutus Centre, Totnes TQ9 5RW

Tel: 01803 866597

3

Dog Sensory Garden We have a couple of empty

compounds for the dogs here at the

Shelter and we’d like to turn them into

dog sensory gardens. These gardens

encourage the dogs to become more

confident in their surroundings and to

reduce the stress they o3en feel when in kennels.

In order to create these areas, we need some items: logs, planks

of wood, old tyres, non-toxic sand/gravel, bark chips, textured

9les, compost, pond liners, plas9c shell paddling pools with lids,

old benches, old traffic cones.

And we will need some plants: birch, catnip, hops, lavender, marigold, meadow sweet,

peppermint, valerian, wheat grass, willow, grass seed etc.

If you can help by dona�ng any of these items, we would love to hear from you!

New Dog Kennels Our dog kennels are nearly 25 years old and are really showing their age in comparison

with the sparkling new caFery and miscellaneous units which were completed last year

This would be quite a straighMorward undertaking except they are likely to cost around £1

million! Ever the op�mists, we all agree that the way forward is to start a dedicated

fundraising campaign (all ideas very welcome) so—watch this space! In the mean�me, here

are some photos of what our kennels look like now—we think you can see that they

desperately need modernising.

4

VIP Shelter Visit The Shelter were very honoured to receive a visit on 30 October 2014 from the

Lord Lieutenant of Devon, who is Her Majesty the Queen’s representa�ve in the

county. It is his first and foremost duty to uphold the dignity of the Crown. The

post is non-poli�cal and unpaid and is currently held by Sir Eric Dancer KCVO CBE

JP. He was very interested to learn more about how a local RSPCA Branch works

and that we are self-funded. He was shown around the Shelter and found it very

informa�ve. The pictures below show (le3 to right) the Lord Lieutenant with Jo

Evans, the Shelter Manager, and the dog team in front of the dog kitchen; with

Branch Chairperson Carol Allan and RSPCA Inspector Frow in Recep�on and

Shelter Manager, Jo Evans, holding Bumble the puppy in the surgery. Bumble has

now gone to his new home.

5

Friends of Little Valley By Jill Brush, Membership Secretary

Happy New Year to all Friends of LiFle Valley. You will be amazed (and delighted)

to learn that the response to our only raffle this year was beyond anyone's

dreams. Raffle sales and dona�ons in the post amounted to £2,786 and, together

with the £557.10 on the day, made a grand total of £3,343.10—about 80% of the

sum normally raised through two raffles, so a big thank you and a gold star to our

wonderful Friends. Two other really lovely things happened which have stayed in

my mind. Firstly, on the day before our Christmas Fair a Friend arrived on my door-

step with two trays of cupcakes for the cake stall, all beau�fully decorated with

either "LV" or "LiFle Valley"—a lovely gesture. Secondly, I had a phone call from a

lady who wished to deliver a seasonal hamper to the animals but had no�ced the

Shelter was closed for the fes�ve period. She was welcomed to LiFle Valley on

Christmas Eve morning, having travelled from Chard in Somerset with the biggest

hamper comprising all sorts of goodies! Thank you both; you know who you are.

Let us look forward to a good year for the Shelter, health and happiness for all

Friends and fine weather for Shelter Day, please...?

Please feel free to contact me on 01392 661424 or email phillandjillb@aol.com.

Great West Run Success By Neil Popham

I'd been intending to run the Great West Run for 5

years, and this year I decided that it was finally �me

to �ck it off my list. I'd run a few 10k's before, but

never a half marathon. Soon a3er I entered the race

we visited LiFle Valley looking for a companion for

Layla, our rabbit, who had recently lost her sister

Smudge. A3er hearing that LiFle Valley rely on

dona�ons for the day to day running of the Shelter I

decided that I could help by ge(ng sponsored to run.

I eventually managed to raise £220 and also

surpassed my es�mated �me, finishing in under 1hr

37m, 213th of 2,663 finishers. LiFle Valley made great efforts to find Layla a new

friend and I'm very pleased to have helped them in some small way. I can't thank

them enough for the work that they do.

6

University of Exeter Animal Welfare Society We are very honoured to be working closely with the newly set up Animal Welfare Society

at the University of Exeter. When Laura approached us last year with her idea we were very

keen to get on board. We always need help here at the Shelter and the Animal Welfare

Society have been enthusias�cally fundraising for us. A group also came along to the

Shelter on a very soggy day and helped us move lots of field debris around to create a huge

bonfire. They got very muddy but we think they enjoyed it! We look forward to working

with them further this year.

Princesshay Christmas Tree The Princesshay Shopping Centre Manager in Exeter arranged for charity Christmas trees to

be on display along Roman Walk again this year. We were asked to par�cipate again. Here

is our effort! Many thanks to Stephen and Alice Evans for decora�on help and lots of cool

ideas and to Joe Currey and team from the South Street shop for services to pompom-

making and crea�ve input!

7

Giveacar raises money for UK chari9es

by scrapping and selling old cars. They

provide a na9onwide FREE service

which:

- Arranges the collec9on of the vehicle

from your home;

- Depending on its age and condi9on,

recycles it at an authorised facility or

sends it to auc9on.

To arrange dona9on of a car visit

www.giveacar.co.uk or call 020 7736

4242, quo9ng “RSPCA Li(le Valley

Animal Shelter” as your chosen charity.

Please consider sponsoring a dog kennel, cat

pen or rabbit run for as li(le as £3 a month

through our Safe Haven scheme. An applica-

9on form can be found on our website.

If you shop online, please use

Easyfundraising to help us raise even

more money. Lots of well known

retailers are on there and it’s free to

register. Sign up at:

www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/

rspcali(levalley Join the Pets at Home VIP Club to get great

discounts. Select your home store as Exeter,

Exmouth, Torquay or Newton Abbot and you

can opt for Li(le Valley as your chosen

charity so we can receive benefits as you

shop! Register at: h(p://vip.petsathome.com

A legacy to us will provide crucial funds. We

could not carry on our work without such gener-

ous support. Please visit our website to find out

more about leaving a legacy to us.

We have three wishlists — one for dogs, one for cats and the other for

small animals. They list lots of items that our animals really like, such

as treats and toys. You will need an Amazon account to do this but it’s

really easy to set up and it’s free. Go to www.amazon.co.uk. Log into your Amazon account and

type into the search box “RSPCA LiFle Valley Wishlist” and our wishlists will come up! It’s a

great way to help us out and all the animals in our care will be very grateful! And don’t forget to

claim for your purchases using Easyfundraising, as we can raise even more money that way!

8

Happy Endings!

Buddy

Wilbert & new friend Bun Bun

Giles

Guinea Pig Pals Fabio & Salvatore

Buddy

Monty

Pogo & Monty (was Dante)

Long Term Residents The pigs we featured in our last edi�on—Pigwig, Oinkoink and Doodah—are s�ll here.

Please spread the word to help find them a nice home. Kimiko, our beau�ful cover star, is a

bit of a princess who requires well-trained servants to deal with her every whim! She is a

beau�ful 8 year old Japanese Akita looking for a child-free home. On a happier note,

Jeremy the black cat we featured two edi�ons ago has gone to his new home—we are

thrilled for him. It was a long wait!

9

New Homes Required! Great news on the rehoming front from our last newsleFer—all the animals

featured last �me apart from Kimiko have been rehomed! A fantas�c result. All

animals for adop�on are on our website: www.rspca-li(levalley.org.uk.

Buster

Lots of

rats!

Jolene

Aveline

Zachary

Chance

Mokey

Gregory

Maximus

10

Shop News Here is a group photo of all our shop Managers and the Area Retail Manager, who

all recently aFended a Managers’ mee�ng at the Shelter. During the day, the team

celebrated a successful 2014 which raised much needed funds for the welfare of all

the animals at the Shelter as well as the general day-to-day running costs.

The Management team would like to say a massive “Thank you” to every customer

who has been into their shops to support the Shelter, whether they were

purchasing items or dona�ng stock—we couldn’t do it without you!

During 2014 we started Gi3 Aid across most of our shops and

would like to also thank all those customers who have signed

up to Gi3 Aid. We can claim an extra 25p in every £1 from the

items that we sell which are donated by customers that have signed up to Gi3 Aid

from the HMRC. This has been invaluable to LiFle Valley’s income in 2014.

Our shops in Babbacombe, Totnes,

Paris Street Exeter and Cowick Street

Exeter are desperately seeking new

volunteers. Paris Street Exeter are also

looking for jigsaw checkers. If you can

help, please pop into one of these

shops and speak to the Manager or

give them a ring.

All the teams are looking forward to seeing our regular customers in 2015 and

would love to see some new faces visit our shops to see exactly what we do for our

‘local charity’.

11

Staff Focus Meet some more of the Shelter staff!

My name is Rachel Sirdefield and I am the new Deputy Manager. I

have currently been working here at LiFle Valley for 6 months and I

am really enjoying it! I started my career in animal welfare as a

volunteer at Blue Cross, I was then employed as an Animal Welfare

Assistant and then became Opera�onal Supervisor, I worked there

for 5 years. I have a huge passion for bull breeds and have worked

with a lot of challenging bull breed types during my �me in rescue. I

have also been involved in educa�ng the public on issues surrounding animal welfare,

especially neutering and status dogs. I’m very excited to have joined LiFle Valley and am

very much looking forward to the future here!

Hi, my name is Julie Wyman and I’m a member of our cat team. Like

Anna in the last issue, I’ve done a complete job change having previously

worked for 18 years in Finance, Payroll and HR and have now been at

LiFle Valley for 8 years. I enjoy working with and fostering the cats who

have special needs. My speciality is with diabe�c cats as I’m a long

serving diabe�c myself so I do sympathise, but for some reason I do

enjoy obtaining blood from their ears to measure their glucose levels—

does that make me a sadist?! My most recent project was Louis, a kiFen who wasn’t

growing as fast as his sister and having difficulty passing mo�ons. A3er a few enemas (poor

thing!) and ge(ng lots of exercise and s�mula�on at my home with my 4 cats, Louis made a

vast improvement and has now been adopted by Adam, another member of our cat team.

My 4 cats have their own liFle problems but they never complain when I bring a needy cat

home for a short stay—I get the look of ‘here we go again’ but they carry on regardless

nonetheless!

My name is Kate Smith and I’m an Animal Care Assistant working with

dogs. I’ve been here for nearly 11 years and I’m the longest serving

member of the dog team. I really enjoy working with the more nervy

dogs that come in and find it so rewarding—gaining their trust, helping

them to build their confidence and eventually seeing them off to a new

forever home. Each member of the dog team has at least one project

dog whom we work with in depth. Kimiko (featured on front cover) is

currently one of my project dogs. When she first came in she was very

unsure of people but now she really enjoys having a fuss and we are now seeing her playful

personality. However, my photo shows me with Ginger. My own pets come from LiFle

Valley—Charlie, my dog, was born here and Millie, my cat, also came from here—it’s

difficult to work here and not take someone home! It was great to see the new cat and

small animal blocks open; now I’m really hoping we can raise the money to build new dog

housing—that would really make my day!

12

Unusual Creatures—Part 1! There was much excitement at LiFle Valley in November! The “Animals Coming In”

board in Recep�on said: “HeFy, pygmy hedgehog”! We had never had one of

those before. I promptly looked them up on the internet, saw a lot of photos and

videos of these adorable animals and how

to look a3er them and I was thinking that

it would be lovely to adopt HeFy. She

arrived at the Shelter when I was working

in Recep�on. The lady who owned HeFy

was very fond of her and devastated

about having to rehome her, but

unfortunately had found that her allergy

to cats and dogs applied to hedgehogs as

well. She had obviously done some

research on how to look a3er pygmy

hedgehogs, and brought with her all the

equipment needed. I was quite enthusias�c

about adop�ng HeFy, so she came home with

me. Pygmy hedgehogs hate to be disturbed

during the day as they are nocturnal and do

not like a change of rou�ne. This is expressed

by a lot of huffing noises and curling up. In the

beginning I let her seFle and tried to disturb

her as liFle as possible. I made sure she was

warm enough, kept clean and fed. Then

gradually I started picking her up, spending some �me with her

on my lap and le(ng her ge(ng used to me. There is s�ll a bit of huffing and

rolling into a ball, but she is gradually doing this less and becoming quite inquisi�ve

when out of her cage. She does this regularly to get some exercise, which she also

gets at night on her exercise wheel. She is extremely fond of meal worms, and it is

quite amusing to see her liFle nose appear from her bed when she can smell that I

have some for her. She is absolutely adorable and I feel very privileged to have

adopted her.

Dominique—Shelter Recep�onist and carer for a menagerie of creatures!

13

Unusual Creatures—Part 2! As well as the usual domes�c animals and

exo�c pets, LiFle Valley can also play host to a

variety of wildlife. These are rescued by

Inspectors and will come into us as a holding

centre, some�mes overnight, before being

moved up to RSPCA West Hatch in Taunton

which has a wildlife sec�on.

Here are a couple of interes�ng creatures we

saw towards the end of last year. On the right

is an owl—we were told it is an eagle owl but

they are

quite rare

in the UK so

we’re not

sure! It was rather impressive though. What do

you think it is? We have no informa�on about

how it ended up being captured by an RSPCA

Inspector!

On the le3 is a bat, we believe it is a Pipistrelle

but let us know if you think otherwise. It’s

difficult to tell as it is facing away from us. He

was a liFle unwell so we hope he survived.

Young Fundraiser This photo shows 10 year old Emily Pa(son of Exton.

Emily wants to be a vet when she grows up and is a big

supporter of LiFle Valley. She decided to ask for money

instead of presents for her birthday to donate to us! She

managed to raise an incredible £106 and was kind

enough to come in and see us to donate the money.

Thank you Emily – you are a star!

14

CHRISTMAS FAIR UPDATE A huge thank you to everyone who came along to our Christmas Fair at Clyst St

Mary back in November. We raised a staggering £3,449.11, which mainly consisted

of �cket sales for our Grand Christmas Draw. Below is a list of the winners:

1 Steven Alford, Exeter (donated back) 11 Mrs Bazley, Exeter

2 Mr & Mrs Wilkinson, Torquay 12 Mr D Atkins, Exmouth

3 Pete Keig, Christow 13 Mrs Iris Peakman, Exmouth

4

Sue Seward, Broadhembury 14 Mrs M C Barker, Dunchideock

5 Rosemary Shepherd, Exeter 15 Connie Marsden, Honiton

6 Bernie Smale, Dunsford 16 Mrs M Manion, Galmpton

7 Chris�ne WaF, Brixham 17 Rachel Wills, Torbay

8 Maureen Burgoyne, Exeter 18 Mrs Bazley, Exeter

9 Pat Edworthy, Exeter 19 Mrs Vivien, Teignmouth

10 A K Skinner, Sidford 20 G E Haswell, Budleigh Salterton

(donated back)

A special thank you to an enthusias�c team of students from the University of

Exeter’s Animal Welfare Society who came along to help us. We have an idea to

have this year’s Christmas Fair at the Shelter—we will keep you informed on that

one. In the mean�me, here are some photos from the event.

15

Sarah Moss MCFHP MAFHP Foot Health Professional

Exmouth-based foot health profession-al caring for your feet in the comfort of

your own home, residential home, nursing home or hospital.

Call 01395 269300 or 07765 671941

THE FAMILY MASSAGE CENTRE Established 1994

Annie Samuels (Hons.) −−−− a holis9c approach to health care

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Deep �ssue massage, sports injury therapy, Hopi ear candle

treatment, aromatherapy

1 hour to 3 hour treatments from £30 to £70

Available 7 days a week (9.30am to 5.30pm) by appointment

only

Gi3 vouchers available for cash or cheque only

7 Piazza Terracina (river basin), Haven Road, Exeter EX2 8GT

Tel: 01392 203182 (answerphone)

16

Events 2015 Saturday 21 February—Rummage Sale, Exmouth

10am to 12 noon—All Saints Church Hall, 2 Church Road, Exmouth EX8 1RZ

Details: Dave Phillips on 01395 278604

Saturday 28 March—Dave & Pat’s Fish & Chips Quiz Night, Exmouth

Arrive 6.15pm (Tickets £7.50 including meal from 01395 267711, entrance by pre-purchased 9cket

only)—Harbour View Café, Queen’s Drive, Exmouth EX8 2AY

April 2015—Easter Event at the Shelter

Please keep your diary free—details to follow

Saturday 30 May—Bumper Sale, Budleigh Salterton

10am to 12 noon—Venue: Budleigh Salterton Town Hall, Sta9on Road, Budleigh Salterton EX9 6RJ

Details: Dave Phillips on 01395 278604

Monday 1 June to Sunday 7 June—RPSCA Week 2015

Collec9ons at various local Tesco Stores throughout our Branch area—details to follow

Saturday 13 June—Flag Day, Exmouth

Details: Dave Phillips on 01395 278604

Sunday 28 June—Shelter Day

11am to 4pm—Li(le Valley Animal Shelter, Black Hat Lane, Bakers Hill, Exeter EX2 9TA

Saturday 25 July—Summer Fete, Exmouth

10am to 12 noon—All Saints Church Hall, 2 Church Road, Exmouth EX8 1RZ

Details: Dave Phillips on 01395 278604

September 2015 – RSPCA Big Walkies

Please keep your diary free—details to follow

Saturday 12 September—Flag Day, Budleigh Salterton

Details: Dave Phillips on 01395 278604

Sunday 4 October—Sponsored Beach Dog Walk, Exmouth

10am to 12 noon—Star9ng at Harbour View Café, Queen’s Drive, Exmouth EX8 2AY

Details: Dave Phillips on 01395 278604

Saturday 21 November—Christmas Fayre, Exmouth

10am to 12 noon—All Saints Church Hall, 2 Church Road, Exmouth EX8 1RZ

Details: Dave Phillips on 01395 278604

All our events can be found on our website at www.rspca-li(levalley.org.uk. We look forward to

seeing you at an event soon. If you can volunteer at any events, please let us know.

Canine Remedial Massage A complementary therapy which uses the manipulation of soft tissue to promote the physiological and psycho-logical well-being of dogs — regardless of age, size or breed. Veterinary consent is required prior to treatment.

For further information or to request a consent form, contact Linda Rogers ITEC Dip ICAT Tel: 07732 688383. Email: linda@handsandhounds.co.uk