Archived News - Appledown Kennels
Family are so grateful that Cookie's alive after blaze
Meet Cookie, a young border collie whose tail's finally wagging again after a terrible ordeal.
Cookie was one of the dogs caught up in the horrific blaze at Appledown Kennels at Eaton Bray last Wednesday, which claimed the lives of three pets.
He was staying there while his owners holidayed in Spain, and it was his boarding block that caught fire in the early hours of the morning.
Firefighters rescued him from his pen, and he was dramatically revived using an oxygen mask.
Staff and volunteers still feared Cookie wouldn't make it, but the young dog, who celebrated his second birthday last week, showed his resilience.
His owner, Sandra Dear of Mill End Close, Eaton Bray, said it has been "an emotional rollercoaster" and stressed how grateful she was to everyone who aided Cookie's miraculous recovery.
"He doesn't seem traumatised by it at all, he's amazing," she said.
"I want to say a big thank you to all the people involved."
Sandra and her family went straight to the kennels after touching down at Gatwick airport, and they were shocked to learn about the fire.
"My boys were absolutely gutted when they heard the news," she said.
"They'd phoned my dad but he didn't want to phone me with the bad news while I was on holiday."
Panic turned into relief when they found out that Cookie was alive, but vets still feared that he was going to lose his sight.
Thankfully that didn't turn out to be the case, and the young canine's now being treated with eye-drops to help him recover fully.
Cookie was treated at the Julia M. Boness Veterinary Hospital in Barton Le Clay, where staff sat with him 24 hours a day until he'd recovered.
Even after the trauma of the past few days, Sandra said she wouldn't think twice about taking Cookie back to Appledown.
Julie Shelton, who owns the Harling Road kennels, said: "It's so great because everyone thought he hadn't made it. It's fantastic news."
Julie was on holiday when she heard about the blaze, and she jumped straight on a plane home, leaving her family behind in Canada.
She said that staff at the kennels were devastated that three dogs had died in the blaze, which has been put down to a freak accident.
A German shepherd and a rottweiler died at the scene, and experts were unable to save a labrador, which died later.
The kennel owner said: "It was an awful thing to happen, it's really traumatic."
But she added that she'd been touched by the response the kennels have had from the local community, where lots of people have pitched in to lend a hand.
"It's been heart-warming that people have come in and helped us, it's unbelievable," she said.
"Still we're having phone calls. The majority of people are asking what we need. It's out of this world."
Ms Shelton said her staff had done a superb job and was full of praise for Kim Hutchinson and manager Stephanie Flisher for their reaction to the crisis.
"The fire services were amazing. We're just trying to find out how to thank them - they need to know how wonderful we think they are," she said.
Appledown is continuing to honour existing bookings, and Ms Shelton said that dog owners have been very understanding.
The kennels have been absolved of any blame by fire investigators, and the fire isn't being viewed as suspicious.
Source: Dave Burke, Leighton Buzzard Observer, 14 August 2007
Hound Heroes
A German Shepherd and a Rottweiler died as a result of the fire at Appledown Kennels in Harling Road, but many more animals were carried to safety, thanks to a huge rescue operation.
The blaze broke out in a boarding block, which was housing around 40 pets while their owners were away on holiday. Sixty other dogs in different buildings were unaffected by the drama.
Kennel staff have been praised for their quick response to the fire, and a number of volunteers pitched in to lend a hand.
Among them was a driver heading home from work, who helped firefighters and staff get the pets to safety.
Fire crews were able to quell the blaze, which broke out at around lam yesterday, and move around 40 dogs to safety.
Four of them were unconscious, and two of them were dramatically revived using oxygen packs.
But sadly two pets died as a result of the flames.
Group Commander Ade Feben, who led the fire service operation, said: "I thought we were going to get 10 to 15 dogs killed when we got there.
"I honestly didn't think we'd get away with just two."
He was full of praise for his firefighters, who went into the burning building to rescue the dogs from their pens.
"They did really well, it was incredibly hard work but they did it really well," Mr Feben said.
The fire chief added that most dogs were very quiet and restrained as they were being rescued, but quickly perked up when they were outside.
He said: "They were all scared, but in all fairness they were fairly overcome by the smoke and that's what made them docile until we got them out.
"In all my time I haven't dealt with so many animals in one fire."
Mr Feben also said that kennel staff did a great job under intense pressure.
There were two staff members on the site when the fire broke out, and they alerted the fire service.
As the Herald&Post went to press, investigations seemed to indicate that an electrical fault was the most likely cause of the blaze.
A police spokesman yesterday confirmed that it wasn't being treated as suspicious.
The kennel's owner, Julie Shelton, was on holiday in Canada when it happened, but she jumped on a plane as soon as she heard the bad news.
Her mum, Pam Perry, said the response from volunteers was overwhelming.
She said: "It's horrific, but everyone's been brilliant.
"It just goes to show what a good place this is, the fact that so many people came to help."
The RSPCA were called in to check the animals were safe.
Yesterday an RSPCA spokeswoman said that kennel staff had done a "sterling job", and said: "We were very pleased to be there and to be able to help the animals that we did."
Owners with pets at the kennel were being contacted yesterday, and all animals were checked by a vet before leaving.
Source: Dave Burke, Herald & Post, 2 August 2007
Charlie has found an ideal home
Only two weeks ago, we ran a story about pooches at an Eaton Bray kennels in search of new owners.
We featured four hounds at Appledown Kennels but there were many more looking for a place to settle.
One of the most popular dogs was Charlie, pictured, a five-year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, who had a pretty bad start in life as a stuf dog on a puppy farm in Ireland.
Charlie, deaf and with one of his eyes in need of permanent medication, was taken by a dog lover who could be with him all day.
Appledown owner Julie Shelton said: "The lady had looked after special needs children so she was absolutely fine with him and just loves him.
"We had a lot of people phone about Charlie. We had about seven or eight good homes come forward for him but this one was just perfect for his needs and it's working out well."
And two other dogs, not featured in the newspaper, were also given a new start by readers who visited the kennels after reading about the needy pets.
There is a constant flow of discarded dogs coming into the site and as many as 40 are still looking for someone to provide them with a fresh beginning and a loving home.
Anyone interested in providing a dog with a new home should call Appledown Kennels, Harling Road, Eaton Bray, on 01525 220383.
Source: Andy Gayler, Dunstable Gazette, 14 March 2007
Make it a happy dogs life
The discarded pooches are all being kept at Appledown Kennels while new owners are found and bosses there are hoping readers will be willing to help.
They are asking people to take a look at these lovable hounds and consider making one of them a member of their family.
But it's not just the four mutts in need of a new start, there is a constant flow of dogs coming through the kennels with the fashionable Staffs topping the list of over-bred and notneeded pets.
The dogs appealing to readers this week are - Dylan, Bexley, Charlie and Dandy.
Anyone interested in providing one with a new home should call Appledown Kennels, Harling Road, Eaton Bray, on 01525 220383.
Dandy is one of a number Staffordshire bull terrier crosses at Appledown. He was a stray about to be put to sleep and is about two years old. Kennel boss Julie says he wonderful with other dogs. "His temperament is great and he appears to be clean:' she says. "Dandy will chew his own legs if he gets bored, so he needs to be with someone who is at home for most of the day."
Dylan is a three- or four-year-old castrated cross-breed. Appledown boss Julie Shelton says he is one of a few very large crossbreeds they have and he is very good natured and very clean in his kennel. "He is tolerant of other dogs, but would be better living alone;" says Julie "He spends much of his day in bed, but he loves a good walk."
Charlie, a five-year old Cavalier King Charles spaniel, is said to have a wonderful temperament. He was a stud dog on a puppy farm in Ireland so had a pretty bad start in life. Deaf and with one of his eyes in need of permanent medication, he is nevertheless said to be "a very happy little dog".
Bexley is a 10-month-old labrador cross saved from "death row". He is a happy, lively medium-sized dog who loves everyone and everything and is very responsive to training and travels well. "Bexley would make a great family pet, but we expect he would chew until he grows up a bit;' the kennel owner says.
Source: Andy Gayler, Dunstable Gazette, 28 February 2007