Holly Hedge Animal Sanctuary Charity Shop

31/08/2022

30/08/2022

Dogs wearing yellow need space.
Sometimes the world's a little scary for them and a little distance goes a long way.
Your friendly dog is a delight, but please keep them a little further away from our dogs in yellow.
If you own an anxious or reactive dog yellow accessories for your dog act as a visual reminder and are a really powerful way to communicate that your dog needs space.
Consideration makes walking a more pleasurable experience for us all.

Thank you 💛

18/08/2022

15/07/2022

RSPCA PLEA TO PET OWNERS TO KEEP ANIMALS SAFE DURING HEATWAVE

THE MET OFFICE HAS ISSUED A HEAT WARNING FROM SUNDAY TO TUESDAY

The RSPCA says it could be ‘a matter of life or death’ if pet owners do not take extreme caution and familiarise themselves with the signs of heatstroke in animals ahead of the severe heatwave this weekend.

The urgent advice comes as the Met Office has issued an Amber Extreme Heat Warning and a Level 3 UK Health Security Agency Heat Health Alert is in place for parts of England and Wales.

Recent polling revealed that more than a third of people wouldn’t know what action to take if their dog was showing signs of heatstroke.

The RSPCA’s animal welfare experts are urging pet owners to take every precaution possible to protect their pets, from skipping walks and keeping them indoors out of the heat, to making frozen treats to encourage them to keep hydrated.

They are giving the advice as the animal welfare charity also launches its Cancel Out Cruelty summer appeal which highlights how - as the temperatures rise - so do calls to the charity’s cruelty hotline.

The RSPCA sees a rise of animal cruelty in July and August with 245 reports of cruelty every day.

Due to an increase in pet ownership and the cost of living crisis the charity is braced for a summer of suffering and is calling for the public to support its rescue teams to help as many animals as possible.

Esme Wheeler, dog welfare expert at the RSPCA, said: “The hot weather has gone from glorious to extreme, and we can’t stress enough how vital it is that pet owners take the situation seriously.

"That means limiting or skipping walks, only taking very essential car journeys, leaving water available at all times, and preparing damp, cold towels and mats, and frozen treats.

“We’re still getting reports of dogs being left in cars, and seeing a lot of dogs being taken to busy outdoor events like festivals, shows and fetes, and to the beach.

"Don’t be that person who is dragging their panting dog along the pavement or plodding around a garden show.

"We can’t stress this enough - please leave them at home in the cool where they’ll be safe.

“Knowing how to try and prevent heatstroke, and also how to spot the signs of heatstroke in pets could be a matter of life and death, so we’re urging anyone with a pet - whether it’s a dog or cat, a rabbit or guinea pig, and even chickens, horses and exotic animals - to put aside some time today to read up and make plans.”

The RSPCA's frontline teams are working hard to rescue animals in need this summer but they can't do it alone.

To help support the RSPCA, visit www.rspca.org.uk/stopcruelty.

The signs of heatstroke every dog owner needs to know:

- Excessive panting

- Unusual breathing noise

- Lethargy or change in behaviour

- Stumbling

- Blue or grey tinge to gums or tongue

- Contact your vet immediately if you spot any of these signs in your dog

What to do if your dog is showing signs of heatstroke:

- Stop them from exercising

- Move them into the shade or cool space immediately

- Offer water in small amounts

- Lay them in cool but not very cold water and/or pour it over them

- Place a soaked, cool towel over their side and replace if it becomes warm

- Speak to your vet straight away for advice on what to do next

Every summer the RSPCA receives hundreds of reports of animals suffering from heat exposure, including dogs left in hot cars, pets with heat burns on their paws from pavements, dehydrated wild animals after water supplies have dried up, grazing animals with no shade, and dogs over-exercised in the heat.

The welfare charity offers plenty of advice and tips for animal owners to help keep their pets cool and safe, and during extreme heat asks people to look out for wildlife too, by placing bowls of water in gardens and parks for wild animals to rehydrate.

Essential steps to protect animals during extreme heat

Dogs

- Never leave your dog in a vehicle. Dogs die in hot cars. Call 999 in an emergency if you see a dog in a hot car

- For the majority of the daytime hours, keep dogs indoors or wherever it is coolest.

- Skipping walks during extreme weather shouldn’t cause your dog any problems. It’s much safer to skip a walk than put them at risk of heatstroke.

- If you must exercise your dog, aim to keep to gentle, slow walks on the lead, and do this in the very early morning or late evening when temperatures are cooler. Remember: If in doubt, don’t go out.

- Take extra precautions for older dogs, those with thicker coats or flat faces, and those with existing health conditions.

- Keep fresh, cool water available at all times.

- Have a go at making some frozen dog treats to keep your pooch cool.

- Use cold treats from the fridge for added moisture or make an ice lolly for your dog from pet-friendly ingredients.

- Freeze your dog’s water bowl or kong, or add ice cubes to your pet’s bowl.

- Fill a paddling pool or spray a hose for your dog but try to avoid them over-exerting themselves and getting too warm.

- Wrap an ice pack or frozen water bottle in a tea towel, or use damp towels for your pet to lie on

Cats, small furries, fish & pet chickens

- Pop a cool damp towel down in case your cat finds this comfortable to rest on.

- Don’t let your pet get sunburnt - use pet-safe sun cream on ears and other exposed areas if necessary.

- Check small animals, poultry and other pets twice a day for flystrike.

- Keep guinea pigs cool and hydrated by making them a fresh vegetable treat.

- Ensure rabbits and guinea pigs have constant access to shade and fresh drinking water at all times, and remember that as the sun moves during the day so too does the shade. Somewhere that was shaded in the morning could be in full sun by the afternoon.

- Freeze a semi-full plastic bottle of water and wrap it in a towel so your pets can lie against it.

- Those with pet chickens can encourage them to stay in shaded areas by hanging up a homemade vegetable garland for chickens.

- Keep fish tanks out of direct sunlight.

Horses and farm animals

- Check water troughs are working properly and clean out any algae or debris.

- For horses stabled during the day out of the heat, try making them our horse and pony boredom buster treat.

- A non-toxic fly repellent spray and a fly mask can help keep horses protected from bugs.

- Plan exercising and travelling horses at either end of the day when temperatures are lower.

- Use pet-safe sunscreen on horses’ muzzles if necessary.

- Know the signs of dehydration in horses so you can contact a vet if needed.

- Make sure pet pigs have plenty of wet mud to wallow in as well as shade.

Wildlife

- Leave a bowl of fresh drinking water in your garden for birds and other wildlife.

- Top up water levels of ponds.

- Keep an eye out for wildlife when using lawnmowers or strimmers.

14/03/2022

Please respect on lead dogs. You have no idea why that dog may be on a lead, he or she may be arthritic/elderly/recovering from surgery/aggressive/fearful … the list of possibilities is endless but there will be a reason WHY he or she is on a lead.

It doesn’t matter if your dog is friendly the on lead dog may not be.

EVERYTIME an off lead dogs runs in at an on lead dog this sets the on lead dog back if he or she has fear or aggression issues.

Sadly ‘friendly’ dogs (ie ones who run in) can inadvertently cause a problem so please show on lead dogs and their owners the courtesy they deserve.

If your dog has poor recall please keep it on a lead in dog heavy areas.

Very young pups out on early walks after vaccination can be traumatised/damaged mentally by ‘friendly’ dogs.

We love to see dogs being able to run freely in appropriate places but with freedom comes responsibility to keep your dog under control. If your dog lacks a recall put it on a lead.

Please be a responsible owner.

⚠️👧 👦 Please also remember that some adults and children are afraid of dogs it’s important to not allow your dogs to scare humans either.

https://www.yellowdoguk.co.uk

🔆Have closed commenting on this post now but thank you to all contributors/sharers who politely put their point across and shared stories. Please continue sharing and let’s keep trying to encourage responsible dog walking.

18/02/2022

Due to the red alert warning from the met office, the Holly Hedge Charity shop will be closed today. We will be open tomorrow as normal. Stay safe everyone.

15/07/2021

Every year, we budget and plan for kitten season, and nearly every year we have more round kitten tummies to fill than we planned for. This year as well as having the financial knock of the pandemic, we had the horrible threat of Pancytopenia. We never want to give our rescues anything less than the best start to their new life so until we knew that no other dry foods were affected, we fed them exclusively on wet food.

As a result we have very healthy, happy kittens, but unfortunately empty cupboards!
Those little mouths, and their mama's mouths can empty a store room of food quicker than you can say "cute" , and so we are asking for your help now.

We are in desperate need of wet kitten food in jelly, which can be dropped at our Sanctuary or at our charity shop in Nailsea. If you are able to add any to your weekly shop and bring them in, or take a look at our amazon wishlist and order from there our kittens would be extremely grateful. Please note that we usually aren't given information from amazon so we cannot thank you as we would like to.

The food our kittens would love are below:
Whiskas kitten food in jelly
Thrive kitten food
Hilife kitten food
Lily's Kitchen kitten food
Bozita kitten food

Unfortunately we cannot take food in gravy as this often causes upset tummies.

Thank you so much for your support and kindness. This shy little sweetheart is Robin, who is looking for a home with his siblings with his brothers, Bill and Ben. The three of them were living as strays and as older kittens hadn't had much human interaction. They are looking for a home together, with a calm and patient human who will continue the work we are doing with them so they learn humans are kind, and cuddles feel nice! You can see their profile below our amazon wishlist.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/2YLUAHUN9RE67?ref_=wl_share

https://hollyhedge.org.uk/our-animals/rehome-a-cat/robin-bill-ben/

02/04/2021

GREAT NEWS!

We are very excited to announce the reopening of our charity shop in Nailsea!!

We will be reopening on MONDAY 12th APRIL!!! (assuming no new announcements from the Government).

Our opening hours will be:
9am until 4pm Monday - Saturday.

There are some changes so that we comply with social distancing and government Covid-19 restrictions. This is to ensure your safety and the safety of our team.

If you, or anyone you may have been in contact with, have any symptoms, please do not visit the shop. Please follow government guidelines regarding symptoms and isolating.

Only 3 people will be allowed in the shop at any time in order to meet the social distancing requirements of 2 metres. Please respect these social distancing requirements when queuing outside too.

We ask all visitors to wear face masks and to use the sanitiser provided at the entrance to the store.

We will be limiting the number of donations to 1 bag or box per day, per customer, with a view to adjusting this in the future. This will enable us the space to quarantine donations for 72 hours before we process them. We would ask you to consider quality over quantity please.

Please wash and dry all clothes donations before dropping them off. We will be limited with space, and the textile recycling collections may not be fully operational yet.

Our changing rooms will not be open. All clothes purchased, if found to be unsuitable once tried on at home, can be returned for a credit note.

Thank you, and we look forward to seeing you all soon.

We have missed you.
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