Have you ever really believed in fate? Well if fate was to play a role in our family it did the day we found Spud!! Having sadly just lost our beloved Mollie (a lovely black cross lab from HAWT) I arrived at South Cave very upset and not knowing whether or not getting another dog would be a good idea. That was until I was persuaded to stay and wait for Sue West to bring in 2 puppies for photos. Sue arrived with 2 very small male pups sat looking sad and lonely who couldn’t resist those sad puppy eyes? Well, one seemed to stand out and on having a quick cuddle I discovered his nickname was George (Fate My sons Name!) It must have been love at first sight as I decided to go home and think about it although in my own mind he was about to become our new family pet. But I must admit I did take a couple of photos on my phone just to remind me how lovely he was and to use as emotional blackmail towards my husband Neil should it be needed!!!

I rang Sue later that afternoon and she kindly agreed for myself and daughter to visit her home to see the pups again. We went along excitedly with my mother in law who loves dogs. Whilst visiting Sue we discovered that one of her dogs was called Beryl (Fate my mums name!) we all agreed including Millie, my daughter that Spud was meant for us. Sue told us that the 2 pups had arrived at the centre aged 10 weeks after the owners had sold off the rest of the accidental litter and couldn’t be bothered with the last 2 who were in quite a bad way that was until Sue gave them her loving touch. They had been so lucky to be able to socialize with her dogs who were brilliant with the pups. We collected Spud (named after the funny scarecrow in Bob the Builder!!) the following Tuesday and we haven’t looked back since.

Spud is the most friendly, sociable dog both with dogs, cats and people I have yet to meet and has undertaken and passed his Kennel Club bronze citizenship award at the tender age of 9 months! Pudsey our elderly cat tolerates him but all Spud wants to do is try and please her and get her to play but she thinks she is far too important for that sort of thing! He loves to walk and play with the children and show off his newest trick. He is admired by almost everyone who meets us as they all think he’s a pedigree and are often quite surprised when they find out he’s just a wonderful Heinz 57!! We were even stopped in the Lake District by a lady asking us where the breeder was located as she wanted a dog just like him! We are so lucky to have Spud and maybe hope to give another poor unfortunate pup a loving home later in the year and he/she wont go far wrong if they follow their mentor the ‘The Great Spudlicious’. Just hope fate plays a role in that.

And the final arm of fate Spud was born on my sons Georges 5th birthday!!

Well, we did it again, on going up to South Cave one Saturday morning in June to deliver some food, well ok just to show off Spud, we were persuaded to look at another dog who would be a good companion for him. She was lovely and we were considering adopting her when the following morning we were called to say that her owner wanted her back, great news for her. Needless to say the seed was firmly planted in our minds that we did indeed want another puppy. We were told that Sue had 3 terrier cross pups who had been with her from being a couple of hours old. Mum had been taken in by a kind lady who felt sorry for her when to her surprise she went into labour! In a blind panic she rang HAWT and Sue was dispatched to help out with delivery!! So the following day we went along to Sues and picked up Bella (formerly known as Bitsy) who was s small, cute bundle of black fur. We are still trying to work out quite what breeds might make up Bella but whatever they may be it really doesn’t matter!! Bella has turned out to be a really social little dog with a really big character. Bella is the boss despite Spud trying desperately at times to take charge but he is too laid back to bother about it for long. They both enjoy the training classes and are joy to train. They are both admired by almost everyone who meets them.

The Painter family would like to thank ALL the staff at HAWT for their help and friendship but most of all for bringing us together with Spud and Bella!!!

We adopted Duke in March 2007 when he was only 3-4 months old. His previous owners had handed him over to HAWT, as they had taken him on as a puppy and found him to boisterous for their toddler. They also had an older dog who didn't get along with Duke.

It was love at first sight when we saw him in the kennels, though he was very quiet and unsure, having only been there since the day before. It was obvious he had a lovely nature despite being shy at first. His sweet behaviour won us over straight away and a week later we took him home with us.

We were warned that he'd almost destroyed his kennel by chewing whilst at HAWT and as expected several pairs of shoes were ruined when he was first left by himself! Thankfully he quickly got over his anxiety at being left, and is now quite happy just to sleep whilst home alone.

Duke is now three and he's a much happier and more confident dog. He was very thin when he first came to us, but soon filled out and is now almost double the weight he was then. He's a very handsome boy and often gets admired for his glossy coat. He loves people and other dogs, but he's very loyal and can always be trusted to return to us when he's let off the lead.

As you can see Duke loves nothing better than playing in the snow! He finds chasing after people sledging great fun and also likes to play fetch with snowballs. He is a typical collie cross and is very lively and he gets plenty of long walks to let off steam running around. He also adores being taken on bike rides and swimming. When he's in the house however he becomes a completely different dog, very lazy and sleepy with an attachment to anyone's bed he can get away with sleeping on! He won't sleep in his own bed at night, and instead lies on the feet of whoever his favourite person is that day.

We couldn't imagine life without him.

The Drenon Family

Alfie and Senna Hello, we are Alfie and Senna, dogs of a certain age and had been together for about nine years when we lost our home. We came into the kennels and notice other dogs coming and going, when would it be our turn? As the weeks and months passed by we began to change our minds, who would want two big old dogs that wanted to stay together?

Eventually the answer came in the form of Sue and Dave who introduced us to our other dog friends Jenny and Tigger. Now we run and chase all over the field near our house and we have great fun – not bad for old ones!

When we go home we have big soft beds to sleep on, these days we sleep a fair bit whilst waiting for our next meal or walk.

Our life is good now and there’s plenty of life left in us yet.

Alfie and Senna

I am writing to let you know the happy ending to Marmite's life.

I have had her now about three years but when I went to look round the kennels for a dog I went to look for a girl and I wanted a first cross border collie as that is what I have always had but due to been disabled the ones that were in the kennels were far to boisterous and when I tried to walk one of them they took me of my feet that was know good plus I use an electric scooter and I need a relaxed dog that would walk beside me.

I was just about to give up when we went outside to see them all in the kennels and their was this dog in a corner with another dog bothering her and she was fed up with it I said to the lady I like her she said she had been in the kennels six months found wondering around Bilton Grange and everyone who saw her didn't want her because she wasn't a designer dog that didn't bother me at all.

I gave her a walk and I knew she was the one. She isn't a border collie but that didn't matter I just fell in love with her she is a cross datssi rotti long body short stubbi legs black and tan with a white flash on her chest. She loves cuddles and hugs walks with my scooter all over the place. She hates cats and chases squirrels. We pack up and go to the park and of course Marmite hopes the ice cream van turns up she loves a cornet.

We have to have a blood test done and she is allergic to beef, pork, chicken and mites. So we feed her on Turkey dried food which she loves. There is no way I would return her to the kennels because of her allergy she shuffles her bum and licks a lot but I know she costs a lot to keep her but I love her so much I will look after her for however much life she has to live she will always have a home with me.

She is so special. She is my reason for getting up on a morning she is my best friend. I think the day we saw each other at the kennels it was meant for a reason it was Fate. I think she was sent for a reason because just as I picked Marmite not long after my mum died and Marmite has been a great comfort.

She is my soul mate my best friend. I love her so much. A big thank you to the Staff for letting me have her.

Denise

Hello to everyone at Sunnydene,

We came and adopted Ken back in December 2008, he is a Labrador cross Rottweiler. Once home we decided to rename him Bruno, which we feel suits him wonderfully. He soon settled into our home and followed our daughter everywhere and ate some of her toys!! We never thought that he would stop growing and now a year on he seems to have stopped. Bruno loves to go for long walks through Hessle Foreshore and loves to go for a swim and soak everyone in the process.

He is a wonderful dog, so kind and loving and just wants cuddling all the time, which can sometimes be difficult with his size. Him and our 2 year old daughter are the best of friends and go everywhere together and seem to get up to all sorts of mischief. He really is a super dog and when walking along people will stop us and say what a lovely looking dog he is and ask how we keep his coat so lovely looking.

A big thank you to everyone at the Hull Animal Welfare Trust and we just wish we could adopt more.


Rebecca, Jason and Hannah Black

Dear Hull Animal Welfare,

We adopted Mimick from Hull Animal Welfare about April 2009 and ever since she has been a pleasure to have.

Mimick is very friendly and is great with the dog and okay with the rabbit.

Mimick often has chats with Mum regularly and we always call her "Nim" now thanks to Isobel, my sister.

Nim's favourite toy is the fluffy mouse which she swipes and messes around with and she also likes the scratch post too.

Her favourite food is meat.

We are not quite sure what happened to Nim before.

Mimick is a lovely cat and we all adore her, also my Mum is a child minder and all the babies, toddlers and kids make a BIG fuss of her.

Paw prints and snoozes,

Ellie