Burgess Pet Care

We have raced over this trail before but were not ready for what lay ahead.   This was a mud and stone fest and just walking to the start line was a mud fest.    We started off well at full pelt into the first couple of turns and then we hit the open trail of stones with mud and sand and this is where we started to lose time as Diesel didn’t like the surface and backed off to a walk which slowed down the whole team.   We carried on as best we could despite the trail being very stoney, very wet and very muddy.  At about the 2 mile point we were back to the very smooth ground and Diesel picked up his pace and again we were racing at full pelt to the finish line.  Despite the hard going we crossed the line in good spirits covering 2.9 miles in 18:36:98 at an average speed of 9.3 mph. and third in class.

Later that day I took Oska and Storm, the 2 youngsters, over the same trail and by this time it was pouring with rain and much colder than earlier.  The 2 dogs ran like rockets until we reached some small slopes but once up these they were back to full pace.  Oska and Storm  covered the 2.9 miles in 17:25:60 which is amazing for just two dogs.

Mike and the Polaris Sled Dogs Team

The race took place on the 20 November in foggy, quite cold conditions.   The trail for this race is almost totally flat with a double slope about 400 metres from the finish line.   The team consisted of Rusky, Diesel and Shanta who started off like an express train.  We left the start line in a blur of paws, with the dogs being very vocal, and executed the first ninety degree right hand turn well and shot out the other side.  The rest of the trail consisted of nice, easy turns, the odd S bend, and the dogs crack along keeping up a good pace.    We whistles through the last turn which leads to the cheeky double slopes and the finish line.  As we climb the first slope the pace drops off slightly but picks up again on the flat between the 2 slopes and then up the second slope we go, where we manage to maintain a good pace.  We now have about 400 metres to the finish line, the pace picks up again and we cross the line, a very happy team after an incredible run.  We come first in class having covered two miles in 09:47:98 at 12.25 mph.

This race was over a  mix of a grass and very sticky, muddy 3 mile trail and the team consisted of Rusky, Diesel and Shanta.   The first half mile or so was over grass and we progress very well and then we encounter the mud which is at least six inches deep and this really slows us down.   Nevertheless we keep going slipping and sliding all over the place.  Our next challenge was a thirty foot high grassy bank but once at the top we enjoyed a lovely cool breeze but then, of course, we had to come down the bank to enjoy the very sticky mud for the last mile to the finish.  Despite all the mud we had a good race and finished third in our class with a time of 18:41:22.

So far this season we have only covered nine miles in three training runs.   This race involves a pair of mushers doing two legs each.  I teamed up with my partner, Em, who went out first and put the team into the third spot in our class.  I went out at 10:10 in the number two leg, by which time the temperature had risen to 12 degrees celsius, fairly close to our limit of 15 degrees celsius.   We had a good, uneventful, race and crossed the finish line with a time of 15 minutes 30 second which put us in fourth place.  The Sunday race was cancelled due to the heat and humidity.

The Polaris team came fourth out of our class.  I was the only person to run three dogs, when all the other teams were made up of four dogs.   I was very proud of my team’s effort and look forward to the next race in November.

Mike the musher and his team of dogs.

We’ll be showcasing the latest developments from Burgess Excel at The London Vet Show so make sure you come and see us!

Stand number – H20

Dates – Thursday 24^th – Friday 25^th Nov 2011

Venue – The London Olympia – London

Come and see us at Stand 3 at the BVNA Congress 2011 to see the new and exciting news from Burgess Excel and also your chance to win some great prizes!

Matt Brash will also be on the Burgess Excel stand to answer your fibrevore related questions, as well as running his rabbit workshops!

Stand number – 003 – 004

Dates – Friday 7^th till Sunday 9^th Oct 2011

Venue – Kettering Conference Centre – Northamptonshire

PUP AID 2011 will take place once again at the beautiful setting of Stanmer House near Brighton, Sussex on Sunday 18th September 2011.

This very special day will once again give you, the dog-loving public, the golden opportunity to help raise awareness about the UK’s cruel puppy farming trade at the UK’s only charity celebrity judged fun dog show and boutique music festival.

Puppy farming is the mass commercial production of puppies purely for profit and without a thought for the welfare or happiness of the pup, breeding bitch or stud dogs.

Breeding dogs and pups are usually kept in horrific dark conditions, totally unsocialized and riddled with both infectious and inbred often incurable diseases. These poorly pups are then sold en masse to pet shops, online or from free newspaper ads and usually die soon after reaching their new home.

If they do make it they usually require thousands of pounds worth of medical, surgical and/or behavioural treatment to fix them causing even more pain, suffering and heartbeak for both pups and families.

People wanting to go can buy tickets at the Pup aid site BY CLICKING HERE.

Dog Show Schedule

9am – 9.55am Dog Show Registration

10am – 10.25am Golden Oldie *Scruffts Heat*

10.30am – 10.55am Prettiest Bitch *Scruffts Heat*

11am – 11.25am Child’s Best Friend *Scruffts Heat*

11.30am – 11.45am Hearing Dogs Display

11.50am – 12.10pm Sweetest Chocolate Labrador

12.15pm – 12.40pm Most Handsome Dog *Scruffts Heat*

12.45pm- 1.10pm Most Stylish Pooch

1.15pm – 1.40pm Best Dancing Dog

1.45pm Parade of Rescued Ex-Puppy Farm Breeding Bitches

Venue

Stanmer House

Stanmer Park

Brighton

East Sussex

BN1 9QA

THE BURGESS WETNOSE ANIMAL RESCUE AWARDS 2012 ARE CALLING FOR NOMINATIONS

The Burgess Wetnose Animal Rescue Awards 2012 are calling on independent rescue centres, in the UK, to step forward and nominate themselves for some much deserved recognition and the chance to win a cash donation for their rescue centre.

The star-studded annual Burgess Wetnose Animal Rescue Awards seek to recognise and raise awareness of the tireless work small rescue centres do in caring for and rehoming abandoned and unwanted animals. The awards are urging independent rescue centres, to nominate themselves to be recognised for their dedication and continued hard work.

If you feel your rescue centre deserves rewarding for its dedication to helping the nation’s abandoned animals you can nominate yourself by visiting www.wetnoseanimalaid.com.

Awards include ’Best Rescue Centre’ for categories such as dogs, cats, small animals (rodents), fibrevores (rabbits, guinea pigs and chinchillas), horses and donkeys and wildlife.  There is also a breed specific category for ‘Best Greyhound Rescue’ as this breed of dog is commonly found in rescues as a result of the racing industry. Each winner receives a trophy and a cash donation towards the on-going cost of running their rescue centre.

The winning rescue centres, judged by a panel that includes representatives from Wetnose Animal Aid, Burgess Pet Care, The London Dog Forum and celebrity supporters Peter Egan and Marc the Vet, will be invited to a star-studded award ceremony in London in March 2012. Last year’s celebrity attendees included supporters Brian May, Martin Clunes, Virginia McKenna, Anthea Turner, Jenny Seagrove, John Altman, Graham Cole, Lorriane Chase and many more.

Andrea Gamby-Boulger, director of Wetnose Animal Aid, says: “In a time of recession in particular, rescue centres are under even more pressure due to an influx of animals and pets that people no longer want, and small independent rescue centres’ vital work often goes unnoticed to that of the better known centres. Many smaller centres lack fundraising abilities, compared to larger centres, and this often results in dedicated individuals going without weekends or holidays to cover the amount of help needed. Many of these centres have had a drop of 45% in donations over the last two years, which means more support is needed for their work to continue.

“The Burgess Wetnose Animal Rescue Awards aim to highlight the work of these passionate individuals, who selflessly devote their time to helping animals in need. Recognition of this hard work can mean the difference between them carrying on and giving up, so it is important to say thank you even just by nominating!”

Naomi Chatterley, marketing manager at Burgess Pet Care, headline sponsors of the awards, said: “We are delighted to sponsor and show our support for the Burgess Wetnose Animal Rescue Awards once again this year. The awards reflect our ethos at Burgess Pet Care perfectly, a dedication to helping and caring for the UK’s pets. We are committed to supporting these smaller, independent rescue centres and have a number of schemes in place specially to help them including food donations, our rescue loyalty scheme and a dedicated website to rehome unwanted pets.”

For further information about Burgess Pet Care’s rescue food and loyalty scheme call 0800 413 969.

To nominate your centre for an award, visit www.wetnoseanimalaid.com and fill in the simple online form, or download it and submit it by post before the closing date of 30/09/2011.

During May we celebrated Rabbit Awareness Week 2011, a nationwide event to promote rabbit welfare and a better understanding of how to care for, house and feed rabbits. The event was sponsored by Burgess Pet Care, RWAF, RSPCA, PDSA, Pet Plan, Panacur Rabbit and The Blue Cross.

To promote the event we travelled the UK with Burgess, our Giant Bunny. Did you Spot him? Here is his photo account of the week:

Day 1 - Lake Windermere

On Day 1 of Rabbit Awareness Week Burgess the Bunny visited the beautiful Lake District in the North of England. He enjoyed a visit to the World of Beatrix Potter attraction. The team enjoyed chatting to rabbit owners about the importance of a fibre packed diet and gave advice on local vet surgeries offering free health checks to local bunnies.

Day 2, beneath the Humber Bridge in Hull

Day 2 saw Burgess travelling from West to East. Here he is waiting patiently by the Humber Bridge before meeting up with people to stres the importance of companionship and play. Rabbits need lots of space to hop and play and hate being confined to a hutch all day!

Day 3, Heaton Park, Manchester, with school children

Day 3, Heaton Park, Manchester, with Apricot the Rescue Bunny

On Day 3 Burgess the Bunny headed over to Manchester’s Heaton Park. This day was great fun, not only becuase of all the free range space to hop and play, but also becuase Burgess and the team got to chat with the school children from a local school. Several of the children had rabbits as pets, so we passed on lots of tips and advice.

Day 4, at Bunny Primary School, Bunny, Notts

Day 4, the children of Bunny School read up on RAW2011

Day 4, and the giant Bunny headed over to Bunny. Surely the best named town in all of the UK!! We chatted with children from Bunny C of E Primary school, who learned a lot about rabbits, feeding, behaviour, play and emotional well being.

Day 5 in Edinburgh, meeting Scottish rabbit owners

Day 5 and Burgess the Bunny headed up North to beautiful Edinburgh. We enjoyed a prize spot on the famous Pricess St and the bunny caught the eye of plenty of passers by! Here he is with a Scottish friend who has promised to spread the word about RAW.

The Giant Bunny spent a Windy Weekend at Wood Green Shelters

To finish the week Burgess the Giant Bunny visited our friends at Wood Green Animal Shelters and spent the weekend with their friendly team.

Wood Green Shelters are a key sponsor of Rabbit Awareness Week and every year they rescue and rehome hundreds of rabbits (in addition to cats, dogs, guinea pigs, ferrets, goats and a variety of other field animals).

It was a windy weekend (as you can see in the photo) but we had a great time chatting to potential new rabbit owners about rabbit ownership and how to correctly care for these wonderful pets.

A HUGE thanks to all who have supported RAW this year and many thanks to the members of the public who took the time to come and see our Giant Bunny. The team have really enjoyed meeting you. Now for Rabbit Awareness Week 2012… Watch this space!

Omlet is best known for its Eglu chicken houses and for resurrecting the popularity of keeping chickens in the back garden. But did you know they also make Eglus for rabbits too? For the second year running, Omlet have dedicated their newsletter to Rabbit Awareness Week and the nations beautiful bunnies. To view the newsletter please click here.

The newsletter is packed full of rabbit related news and information, including a short piece on the world’s smallest rabbit, the Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbit (and check out the adorable photo) and an informative article on the importance of fibre in your rabbit’s daily diet.

Omlet are also asking you to join in with their fantastic Online Treasure Hunt, where you can be in with a chance of winning rabbit goodies worth over £500!

The prize bundle includes

• A Rabbit Eglu and run in your choice of colour
  
• One month’s supply of Burgess Excel food
• Other goodies to help keep your rabbit happy and healthy

Join the Online Treasure Hunt!

Want to win this wonderful prize? Here is how to enter…

Over the next week you will need to visit different pages to pick up our secret passwords. There will be one password to collect at 10am on each day of RAW, and you will need to pick up each one to find the clue to the next one. Once you have collected all five passwords you just need to send them along with your name, address and phone number, to stephanie@omlet.co.uk. If you missed a day don’t panic, because the passwords will all remain in their secret spots until Sunday 29th May. You have until midnight on the 29th to send in your entries. The winner will be chosen at random, and there are two runner-up prizes up for grabs too.

Clue Number One:

You’ll find your first clue and password on the Omlet Facebook page on Monday 23^rd April. You can view this page here http://www.facebook.com/pages/Omlet-Chickens-Bees-and-Rabbits/263228290641.

(Don’t worry if you don’t have a Facebook account because you can still view the page without one).

Make a note of the name of the famous rabbit and the next place to visit. There are five clues to find throughout the week. Good Luck!

About the Omlet Eglu

The Eglu is a twist on the traditional rabbit hutch. It is a modern easy to clean and safe home for your favourite furry little friends. Developed with leading animal behaviourists and thousands of hours of testing, its unique design enables your rabbits to express their natural instincts, making ownership more rewarding and enjoyable. It has two main areas: the house and a secure outside run. These two areas are available for your rabbits to use at all times, they can spend time in the house when they want some privacy or use the run for exercise or simply to watch the world go by. Together the house and run create a fun and stimulating environment for your rabbits. The Eglu Pet was designed to offer bunnies a clean, safe and fox-resistant home that allows them to express their natural instincts and offers a stimulating environment for them to live in.