GIFT PACKAGES STILL AVAILABLE - For any occasion.  £10.00 inc p & p
With donkey of your choice.
To Include: Fridge Magnet; Key Ring; Badge; Pack of 10 Notelets & Envelopes.

DONKEY SOFT TOY - £10.00 inc p & p

SOFT DONKEY HANDBAG - £8.00 inc p & p

VISIT OUR SHOP AT THE HOLMES
Gifts for sale include:

2008 Sanctuary Calendars – Marilyn Allis Cards;

Sanctuary Tea Towels – Sanctuary Car Stickers

Individual Donkey Fridge Magnets - Key Rings - Badges

Packs of 5 or 10 Notelets & Envelopes featuring sanctuary donkeys

Mouse Mats & Framed Photographs of sanctuary donkeys

Pewter Donkey Pendants – Pin Badges – Phone Charms

Variety of soft donkey toys; Eeyores; Donkey from Shrek; Ceramics

T-SHIRTS WITH SANCTUARY LOGO
Orders taken – Adults £7.50; Childrens £5.00

Sponsor a Donkey. For further information: Telephone : 01835 823468(daytime) or  07773951010

Time goes marching on?

Well, it’s that time of the year again - the leaves are turning every shade of red and brown and are forming carpets as you walk - the mornings are a bit on the nippy side but hopefully, once the sun comes through later in the day, things still look bright and cheerful.  One of the delights of our weekend walks is to view this lovely estate in all seasons of the year and we all have our particular favourite - the pale greens of Springtime; the warm hues of Summer, the kaleidoscope of Autumn and the majestic gauntness of Winter.  Do you have a season you like best?  The view to the River Tweed is particularly lovely just now – have a look once you have passed the mansion house.

The donkeys and other animals at the sanctuary have firmly decided that it is time that they got more than their Summer attendance and are waiting to greet Helen each morning trying their best to convince her that they must have extra food now.  All the fields have been stocked with molasses blocks (a bit like treacle) to give the donkeys a wee boost and they can regulate how much they eat by themselves.  Look out for the sticky brown noses coming over the gates at weekends - you will know who has been having a good lick at the tub!!

Unless there is an early drop in temperatures or a return to wild and wet weather, the winter feeding regime does not normally start until the beginning of November but we keep an eye on the grass in the fields and if we feel that we should start earlier than that, then we do so.  Probably by the time you receive this Newsletter, we will be in full swing.  The donkeys each receive a measured feed of low maintenance diet mix every morning along with free access to good quality hay at all times.  This is sufficient to keep most of them in good health throughout the Winter but of course, there are always one or two who have special requirements - Paddy needs a little bit of extra supplement because of his ongoing liver problems and one or two of the older donkeys may need to have a softer chaff if they cannot manage to chew hay if their teeth have worn down.

With us now having several donkeys aged in their middle twenties at the sanctuary, we are introducing a regular dental check programme in conjunction with our vets.  No, it is not done on the NHS!!!

HEARTBREAK CORNER
Although this has been another superb year for the sanctuary - wonderful donkeys to see and love - great volunteers dedicated to helping out and a host of extremely nice visitors both young and old - it has not been without its very low points.
In January we lost the fight to save our darling Suzie who had been ill for two months and on August 1st we had to say goodbye to our oldest resident, Daisy, a very old lady indeed, at 45 years of age.

We were not, however, prepared for the heartbreak when the news was broken from Royal Dick Vet Hospital that wee SallyLucy had passed away during the early hours of Monday 15th October.

Two weeks earlier, it was noticed that Sally was not so keen on her food and after a couple of days, our vets were called in to examine her teeth.  She was referred to RDVS at Penicuik where the eminent Professor Dixon performed his skills on her. She was brought home and it was thought that she would start eating as soon as her mouth healed but it was not to be and Sally had to be taken back to the Bush on Friday 12th October where she was given 24 hour nursing, I/V drips and fed by stomach tube, all to no avail.  There may have been some hidden underlying cause, with the dental problem only highlighting  the problem but the end result is the same - we have lost our wee Sally and hearts here are in bits.  How we miss the wee soul trotting jauntily across the lawn on the lookout for titbits and the sly smile on her wee face when anyone approached with a head collar - no chance of catching Sally unless she was in the mood!!!  As I have said in previous Newsletters, please smile when you think of Sally, she deserves to be remembered in this way - a pretty, wee soul who loved life to the full.

We also had a fright earlier this year when Sparkle appeared one morning with very dirty eyes.  They were washed with clean water and the normal ointment applied but to our horror, the next morning, Sparkle’s eyes were completely opaque - she was blind!!!  The vet was called straight away and he repeated what we had done the previous day, washed her eyes with clean water and applied the same ointment but he also gave her some antibiotics and this whole treatment was repeated every few days for more than a week.  To our relief, the cloudiness slowly thinned out and Sparkle’s lovely brown eyes emerged once more.  There was no obvious cause of this blindness - all possibilities were considered - there had been no injury; spraying of fields; fly sprays used; change of feeding; introduction of other animals, etc., but thankfully, the treatment worked and Sparkle is back to being her usual happy, bossy self.

What was amazing to watch was that her two companions, Perky and Twinkletoes,  took on the job of guide animals, leading her in and out of the shed to and from the paddock, until she was able to see clearly.  Who says animals are dumb???

To finish off this homily on veterinary matters, Hamish still worries some visitors when they notice the sarcoid which he has at the top of his neck at his throat.  We have treated other sarcoids successfully at the sanctuary but the situation of this one causes its own problems.  When Hamish leans over a fence or gate he catches the sarcoid and often knocks the skin off, causing it to leak or bleed.

It does not hurt him at all - there is no feeling in a sarcoid - but it can look unsightly, especially if he does it just when the visitors are arriving - “Look at me” says Hamish, “ I am a poor wounded donkey who must be given lots of attention and preferably, carrots”!!!!   The sarcoid is in a bad place for surgery and these growths are often best left well alone.  Our other affected donkeys have been treated with a cytotoxic cream which kills the growth off but if Hamish was to rub himself on a fence after this treatment and then another donkey or even a person got the cream on themselves, it could cause serious problems.  We watch the sarcoid carefully and if anything ever needs to be done, we can assure you that it will happen.

PROGRESS ON SITE & WE HAVE WHEELS!!!!
Since the last Newsletter, three new field shelters have been finished and are now in use. 
Early in August, a small white van was purchased and this has proved to be a boon for carrying out sanctuary work.  Helen’s husband is delighted – the new family car will not smell like a stable/ feed store and he will actually be able to get his golf clubs in without having to move buckets, medicines, bags of carrots, etc.  The van is decorated with our logo and contact details so we are also being advertised as we take to the road.

MENAGERIE NEWS!
The piglets that were born in July had to be kept at the sanctuary much longer than we anticipated as the new owners could not take them because of the FMD epidemic.  By the time this Newsletter is in your hands, they should be away to their new homes and mummy pig, Cinderella, should be having a well earned rest from her fast growing brood.

Two superb Toggenburg goats, named Feleen and Bambi have arrived and if they settle with our other three goats, then they will join the menagerie at the sanctuary permanently.

A NEED FOR COTTON WOOL PADDING???
As we all know, our founder, Mrs .Dale, had an horrific accident in July when her skull was fractured after a fall, walking her dogs.  She made a miraculous recovery from that and was almost back to health when, after putting two wayward cockerels to bed late one evening, she slipped down the grassy banking opposite the mansion house and broke her ankle in two places.  She was only persuaded to go to hospital 24 hours later, (having walked about on it for a day) and has been in plaster ever since.  They say everything comes in threes - come on, Mrs Dale, tell us what you have planned for us next!!!!

AND NOW FOR THE GOOD NEWS------
Some very good fortune has come the way of the sanctuary - our charity has been the recipient of a legacy from the estate of the lady who owned  Sparkle, Perky and Twinkletoes.  We certainly did not seek any payment for giving these lovely donkeys a home - indeed, it has been a pleasure to see them settle in and blossom in their new surroundings - but this wonderful monetary boost will ensure that we can go ahead with necessary veterinary treatment, such as Sally’s, or perhaps a planned project, without having to check if we can afford to do so.  A superb safety net and we are extremely grateful to the Estate Trustees for their generosity.

Milestone Garden & Leisure Centre at Newtown St. Boswells has nominated us as their official charity for 2008.  All funds raised at their Extravaganzas during the year will go to the sanctuary so be sure to get along to Milestone and help them to support us.  They have a wide variety of goods on offer and we can personally recommend the restaurant - especially before or after the tour of the donkeys!!!
Munchee Animal Feeds, Barnahill Farm, Cunninghamhead held a Special Sale Evening and Raffle on 25th October - we must thank the proprietors and staff  sincerely for donating  the proceeds of the raffle to our charity.  I am told they have a number of donkeys at the farm and are just as besotted as we are with these delightful animals.

Jane Stuart, our chief fund raiser, has not found our Borders summer to be very helpful this year.  She moved from Inverness last year and thought she was moving to a drier part of the country - she got a shock this year!!!  Each event that Jane has booked to attend has been a literal washout!!!  Peebles Show was bad enough but the Rally at Sunderland Hall was a step too far and we chose not to attend.

Luckily, the Car Boot Sale held in conjunction with Arthurshiel Rescue Centre on the same morning as Peebles Show was over before the rain started and we raised nearly £200 from our share of the Rents and also Sales on the day.

The Pipe Band Championships in Melrose the following week was a little better with Jane’s team raising  £150.00.  These events provide good advertising for the sanctuary as well as hopefully raising some money and if you can be of any assistance to Jane in manning them or in any other way, please contact her on 01835864606.  We know she is presently on the lookout for Raffle Prizes for an event in November and would be very happy to hear from you.

Our collecting boxes at outlets all over the Borders are also proving to be a very good form of fund-raising.  Do you know of an outlet which might take a box for us?  Please get in touch.

Christmas is coming – Don’t tell our Geese!!!
All talents are put to use and we are fortunate that a contact, Sarenka Schwab, a celebrated artist, has kindly agreed to commission a Christmas Card for us.  We very much like the design and we hope to have them on sale in the shop very soon.  We can also post them out if you wish to contact the office.
Having said that, last year, several supporters did not send any Christmas Cards and made a donation to our charity instead. They also Gift Aided the donation, increasing it by nearly 30%.  This idea seems to be catching on - less trees being cut down to make cards and  envelopes and less profits for Royal Mail!!! And Charities benefit!!!!
The house looks a bit bare, though, without the strings of cards hanging up!!

Above is our annual Christmas Gift Pack list - if there is anything you like, please get in touch or come along to the sanctuary to browse the shop.  Nearer Christmas, Helen will be on hand during the week to open the shop but it would be helpful if you could let us know you are coming so that she can also carry on with the other work at the sanctuary.