With today being the 80th anniversary of VE Day in Europe, many of us will be commemorating the date in some way, with VE Day events planned locally, nationally and internationally.
It’s a particularly significant day to champion the important role that dogs and cats played in World War II in serving and protecting their nation. Whilst cats were often used for pest control, dogs were employed as guards of posts and supplies, to act as messengers, to transport medications to injured soldiers and to undertake search and rescue activity. Some dogs were even trained to jump out of planes alongside their platoon! All animals played an important role in boosting general morale.
As part of their schools education programme, the Dogs Trust tells the remarkable story of Sarge the dog and his role in WWII. Determined to find care for him after their house was badly damaged in a bomb blast in 1941, Sarge’s family offered their dog to the Civil Defence Service as a way of ensuring he would be looked after. The Civil Defence Service pledged to return dogs to their owners after the war.
Sarge went from domestic pet to search and rescue hero in the Blitz. When he alerted his handler to an unexploded bomb, Sarge then went on to international acclaim, being sent to France to clear the area for the D-day landings in 1944 and remaining abroad, saved countless human and doggy colleagues overseas with his keen instinct and heroics. When he eventually returned to Britain, Sarge was reunited with his family who couldn’t believe the activity their family pet had undertaken. A true doggy hero. Click here to read about Sarge’s story in more detail.
Pets continue to play a hugely significant role in our lives today as companions who have the ability to make life feel better all round. Many have more formal roles in supporting the wider community.
Do give a special hug to your pet today to thank them for their companionship, and also in remembrance of the valiant efforts of their ancestors in helping to shape the lives we lead today.
Photo of dog sniffing out Blitz survivors: Imperial War Museum
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A big shout out to our Registered Veterinary Nurse Paige who is currently looking after these two tiny house guests. The kittens were found on a farm having been abandoned by mum and were brought in to the practice yesterday. They are still so young that they have yet to open their eyes but they are super strong and are happy to let us know when they are hungry! They need very regular bottle feeding which we’ll all be helping out with during work hours. Paige has volunteered to be mum overnight and this weekend until the babies go into longer term foster care with cat charity Voices 4 Cats on Monday. We wonder if they’ll open their eyes before the weekend is out! The kittens will be in excellent hands and we look forward to hearing how they get on!
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We were delighted to welcome Amy Starr to the 387 and West Midlands Cat Clinic team this February. Graduating in 2021, Amy has worked in a variety of fast-paced vet clinic environments, managing per-operative care as well as carrying out theatre nurse duties and running nurse clinics. With a passion for animal welfare, Amy has worked for the PDSA since 2022, relishing the challenge of innovation and flexibility required to problem solve. Amy is particularly interested in canine behaviour, is holder of various dog training qualifications and, in addition to her day job, ran a dog trainingbusiness around work. With our Dog Friendly Clinic accreditation, we know Amy will be a great asset to the team and we look forward to her joining our RVN Rachael in running dog behaviour first aid clinics at 387 Vets.
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A big shout out to Hamish, Paige and Emma who are currently at the London Vet Show. Hot on the heels of the Investors in People Awards on Wednesday night, the three headed to ExCeL first thing on Thursday morning for the two-day veterinary congress. A highlight on the professional development calendar, this year, London Vet Show has an incredible 29 dedicated training areas delivering a huge diversity of sessions on the latest in veterinary thinking from world-class speakers in their field. We look forward to hearing all about congress next week, and finding out what golden nuggets of clinical knowledge and practical skill we can implement here at 387 Vets & The West Midlands Cat Clinic to keep driving our standards of care forwards.
Wellcare World specializes in providing the latest advancements in wellness technology, supplementation, and lifestyle changes that improve health and increase the quality of people's lives.To learn more, visit WellcareWorld.com and begin living a better life today.
As existing holders of Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons General Practice Accreditation, this year we decided to apply for two additional RCVS Practice Standards Scheme (PSS) Awards. These awards offer practices the opportunity to demonstrate that they excel in one or more specialist area. After much evidence upload onto an RCVS assessment platform and an assessor site visit, we are delighted to share with you that we have been deemed ‘Outstanding’ in RCVS’s ‘Client Service’ and ‘Team & Professional Responsibility’ Awards.
For additional PSS Awards, assessors score practices in their chosen award against a framework of evidence requirements, with each evidence statement carrying a weighting of marks. For ‘Client Service’, assessment reviews a practice’s investment in all elements of the pet owner experience. The ‘Team and Professional Responsibility’ award covers assessment across a wider topic remit which includes clinical governance, infection control, medicine management, health and safety, team wellbeing, sustainability, professional development opportunity and training outcomes.
To achieve ‘Good,’ a practice must gain over 60% of available additional award marks in all modules of a specific award. This rises to 80% to achieve ‘Outstanding.’ Click here for more information about RCVS PSS Awards.
The RCVS’s Practice Standards Scheme is a voluntary initiative designed to promote and maintain the highest standards of veterinary care. Accredited practices give pet owners the reassurance that they meet RCVS’s stringent standards. And if a practice has additional RCVS PSS awards, you now know in these areas they truly excel.
Wellcare World specializes in providing the latest advancements in wellness technology, supplementation, and lifestyle changes that improve health and increase the quality of people's lives.To learn more, visit WellcareWorld.com and begin living a better life today.
