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Happy November!
The cold has really started to set in, but have no fear, our dogs and cats stay warm and snuggly with plenty of blankets and heating. Although we are struggling financially, maintaining a high standard of care for them and treating each of them as the individual they are is and always will be our priority. Our kennels have underfloor heating and our cat chalets have a wall-mounted heat pad keeping them cosy throughout their stay with us.
This month we've got some lovely news for you below as well as our Star Rescues of the month looking for their forever home. This lovely news is only made possible by you, our devoted and caring supporters. We hope you're all well and keeping safe, hopefully it won't be long before we can see you all again. As always there are some wonderful ways you can help our rescues, from purchasing Christmas Trees to online pet competitions...grab a cup of tea and make yourselves comfy!
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Thanks to you all, Yogi gets his happy ending!
In our last email we told you about Yogi, the little dog from Romania with cancer who needed a very special home to live out the rest of his days knowing what a home and love felt like. We sent out an email to you all, and you got to work, passing along his heartfelt plea until it was seen by Emily and Tom.
Emily and Tom passed our home check with flying colours, and it has been a dream come true for Yogi since.
Our hearts sang when we received these photos and a happy update: 
"He's doing so great. Wonderful in the house - really settled now. He's so calm and friendly with everyone he's met. We are working on his reactiveness with other dogs but we go for lots of quiet walks and still pop down the use the Holly Hedge field. He's so intelligent and is doing so well with his clicker training!!"
We could not have imagined a more perfect home, with such caring and compassionate people for Yogi to live out the rest of his days with. Thank you all for making that happen for our sweet boy!
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Meet Socks, a little lady looking for her forever home.
This beautiful lady is a collie cross, full of character, fun, and life. She is 10 years old, but shhhhhh.....don't tell her!
Socks is a lovely lady with great recall and she is great at picking up new commands. Out in the field, she is off for a sniffari (yep a sniffing safari) and regularly checks back to see we are still there. Once she knows you she has started to trust you, she really is your bestie! Always very happy to see us with a happy waggy tail and the highest honour she will give you is a kiss on the face! She loves a tummy rub and cuddles too.
She is however quite nervous, especially in new environments and with new people, and she will need an experienced home with someone willing to help her build up confidence and trust in these things. She is very affectionate and requires a lot of reassurance from people she knows in unfamiliar environments, like a new home, and the vets. As she can get overstimulated and she's an older lady we are looking for an adult only quiet home, ideally with a single adult or a couple who have experience with nervous dogs and possibly collies in particular.
For more information about Socks please take a look at her profile here.
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Felix meets the Spotlight!
Remember handsome Felix from last month's newsletter? Well his story has made it into the papers, and we're so close to reaching his fundraising goal!
Felix is going from strength to strength, and we hope to have a happy update to share with you soon! If you'd like to read the article from Bristol Post you can do so by clicking here.
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Axel learns to accept love, and is ready for his forever home!
When Axel first came into our care in June, he was a hissy, swipey boy who was terrified of humans after living on the streets for years. But we love a challenge, and at Holly Hedge if there is a glimmer of hope that even the grumpiest cat can find their forever home, we throw everything we have into trying to make it work.
Axel is no longer the sad, scared cat he was when he first came to Holly Hedge. He has made wonderful progress thanks to our amazing team, and after months of working with him, he now loves a gentle head scratch. As he lived outside for so long, he will take some time to adjust to a home environment, so will need a patient person who understands he will take some time to get used to his new home and family.
Axel has had a tough life, and had his fair share of fights over resources. As a result, he does have FIV, a lifelong autoimmune deficiency. FIV can only be transferred to other cats and through deep bite wounds, so Axel will need a home where he is the only cat, with a catio or enclosed garden so he can enjoy the great outdoors without ever needing to worry about other cats invading his territory. Many cats with FIV are put to sleep immediately in other shelters, but at Holly Hedge we don't believe it is a death sentence. We have seen cats with FIV live long, healthy lives, and we believe Axel deserves that opportunity too.
If there is a place in your heart for this boy, or you would like to read more about him, you can find Axel's profile here.
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ProDog Raw have an Ultimutt Fundraiser - ending tonight!
We are so grateful to our friends over at ProDog Raw for once again making an incredible fundraiser to help rescues. The team at ProDog Raw have worked hard to put together a raffle bursting with awesome prizes, worth over £2.5k's!!!
You could win:
A trip out walking with Europes' leading Canine Expert Anneka Svenska - and then meeting her wolves!
An hours consultation time with Dr Nick Thompson Holistic Vet!
Just to name just a few more, there's a luxury dog bed, dog activity trackers, lessons, accessories, pet nutrition consultation with Caroline Griffith and of course lots of goodies from ProDog Raw themselves!
All money raised through the Ultimutt Mega Draw and Wheel Of Furtune are being donated to us and All Dogs Matter, a fantastic charity we are honoured to stand alongside! Already over £2,000 has been raised!
Everyone can enjoy the Dog Friday event knowing that the money raised will be going to help those dogs most in need - so why not hop over to their website here and see what you could win!
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Our Christmas Fair goes Virtual!
Although we couldn't have the Christmas Fair we were dreaming of, our champion volunteer fundraiser Pip Sharp was determined to bring you all as much festive cheer as she could using the power of the internet!
Our Virtual Christmas Fair can be found here and is full of fun activities and local traders with beautiful wares.
On top of that there is a fantastic raffle and a virtual pet show with three categories:- dog, cat & small furries.
And as always, there are pretty excellent prizes to be won, including these lovely trinkets by Trouble Twins Trinkets!
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Our Christmas Auction is Live!
Running now until Sunday 6th December at 6pm, the Auction is back for a 5th year, but for the first time at Christmas! It's full of even more goodies - 280 to be exact!
To take a look at the auction and get Christmas shopping, take a look here.
To bid just comment on the picture of the lot, saying how much you are bidding for, in whole £'s please. If someone has already bid, please add a new comment with your higher bid price. There is a minimum starting bid for each lot, so please start there if you are first to bid.
All proceeds raised from this auction will go to help the animals in our care, so please think of their little faces when you are looking, and please bid generously. Thank you.
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Christmas Trees that Change Lives!
Our friends at The Prince's Motto have found a local Christmas tree farmer with an impeccable history of growing high quality trees on a farm in the Quantocks for sale in and around the Bristol/North Somerset area
From the sale of every Christmas tree, £5 will be donated towards Holly Hedge Animal Sanctuary!
To get your order in, all you need to do is email orders@princesmotto.co.uk with what you would like, and they will let you know when you can come and collect your lovely tree!
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Cards, Gifts & More!
As well as the cards we have available now, the beautiful cards above will be available to buy on our website in the next couple of days, and we have some amazing e-gifts that give so much love to our rescues. You will be able to purchase lifechanging gifts such as Sponsorship of a Kennel or Cat Chalet for a year, and receive a welcome video from one of our residents!
Our charity shop and reception also have some lovely gifts (for humans and furry family members!) and cards, both of which you'll be able to visit from 2nd December.
We ask that you please wear a mask, and observe the capacity limit we have in place. Your safety and the safety of our team and volunteers is our priority.
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