Dog

Only half way through February and within two weeks we have rehomed an amazing 36 animals and birds.

Pony the Peahen, Blacky the old hen, Abigail Angel, Frosty Lidea, Merci, Mistletoe, Polly, Roxie and Sherry the cats, Lucky, Meg and Storm the dogs, Baby Jusse, George, Goodie, Hope, Nat, Peace, Puffin and Spirit the guinea pigs, Ash, Brian, Chaos, Grumbles, Henri, Lewis, Lucy, Mo, Pedro, Ryan, Tosti and Woddy the hedgehogs and not forgetting George and Ringo the rats have all gone to new homes.

It has been announced that every dog owner in England will have to microchip their animal by April 2016 to help cut the growing number of strays.  The government says owners who refuse to comply with changes to the Animal Welfare Act face fines of up to £500.

In the UK Government figures reveal that more than 100,000 dogs are dumped, stray or lost each year, at a cost of £57m to the taxpayer and welfare charities and organisations.

The GSPCA would like to thank everyone that helped sharing and retweeting the appeal for the owner of this lost husky that came in on Saturday.

We are pleased to announce that he is now back home and we really appreciate everyone's help.

The GSPCA would like to remind all dog owners that all dogs should have a collar and tag with the owners details and that we microchip dogs and cats for only £4.99 at the Shelter.

With cold weather coming and potential sleet and snow on the way the GSPCA want pet owners to consider all the animals of Guernsey. During a cold snap the GSPCA are on full alert, ready to deal with a variety of animals affected by the low temperatures.

But you can also do your bit to prevent animals suffering over the cold period.

Do you have a pond?

If you have a pond, make sure you check it every day for ice, as toxic gases can build up in the water of a frozen pond. These can kill fish or frogs that are hibernating at the bottom.

The Douzaines of five parishes; St Peter Port, Castel, St Saviour, St Pierre du Bois and St Martins have agreed to support the GSPCA’s dog microchipping and registration initiative in 2013 by meeting the initial cost of microchipping through the dog licence fee.

The scheme is entirely voluntary but the Douzaines hope dog owners will avail themselves of this opportunity to ensure their dogs can be easily and quickly identified should they stray or be involved in an accident.

For only five pounds you can buy a gift certificate that will give one of the animals in our care a fantastic Christmas.

That’s right you will receive a certificate for yourself or someone you care for and that will enable us at the Shelter to give the animals in our care a very special Christmas Day.

Help us to continue to keep them safe!

Thankfully the incidents of animals being injured by fireworks & bonfires in Guernsey are few and far between; but we mustn’t get too complacent. Below are some basic guidelines that will enable you to help all of our furry and feathered friends to stay calm and safe on and around Bonfire night.

The GSPCA would like to announce that we have a new shower for the dogs at the Shelter.

Thanks to a small contribution from the Pedigree Adoption Drive earlier this year and local businesses supporting the Shelter with the supplies, staff at the GSPCA have constructed a lovely new shower where both the dogs in for boarding and those looking for new homes can be pampered and washed.

On Saturday we held our Fun Dog Show and Summer Fayre.

We say summer but unfortunately the heavens opened and it rained for most of the day.  Despite the wet weather the show went ahead.

As we had to fit owners and dogs into the training room at the Shelter the decision had to be made to go from 13 classes to 1 big class which was judged by Channelonline presenter Rob Moore.

Over 50 dogs attended and Rob met each dog and chatted to all the owners.  From chihuahuas to boxers, staffies to cross breeds, there were dogs of all shapes and sizes.

The GSPCA since the launch of our special offer of £4.99p has microchipped over 100 dogs and cats.  With nearly 1 in 2 stray cats and dogs that come into the Shelter have no form of ID the GSPCA launched an offer to try and ensure as many pets are chipped as possible.

Steve Byrne GSPCA Manager said 'We are so pleased with the number we have chipped so far but there are tens of thousands of dogs and cats in Guernsey and if there are only half that are chipped we still have a long way to go.'

Below are some of the details, facts and figures released last month -