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By april, December 24, 2010

PELHAMS DOG FUN PARK

NEWSLETTER NO. 10

DECEMBER 2010

Hello again everyone,

I would like to start off this newsletter by thanking everyone for their kind words and messages of condolences after the sad loss of my father.  This was much appreciated and very comforting.  Many thanks to Leo (Principessa & Spoc) who helped April out with the boarding dogs when I  had to leave suddenly for the UK.

I, in turn, would like to offer my condolences to Arthur from the Terrazza Restaurant, Spinola Bay (Alfie & Bobby) who also lost his father on 17^th November, our thoughts are with him.

Condolences also to Keith who sadly lost his dog Hope in a traffic accident earlier this month.

Now, on a happier note.

** MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE **

So we have reached the end of our first year at Pelhams and I think you will agree it has been a successful one.  I hope you have all enjoyed the experience as much as we have.

Christmas opening times are as follows:

Monday 20^th & Tuesday 21^st December                              Closed

Wednesday 22^nd Thursday 23^rd and Friday 24^th December    10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Saturday 25^th and Sunday 26^th December Closed

Monday 27^th – Friday 31^st December                         10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Saturday 1^st – Tuesday 4^th January                                    Closed

Normal service resumes Wednesday 5^th January  ie closed every Monday and Tuesday and open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday.

The next round of obedience classes will be starting from 5^th February.  We have two classes on Saturdays and Sunday at 10 a.m. and 11.30 a.m. and one on Wednesdays at 10 a.m.  If you haven’t already put your names down please do so as soon as possible as these will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

I am also thinking about starting an Agility Class as a few people have asked me so if you think your dog is up for that let me know.  I need about 8 dogs so as soon as we have enough we can get started.

From the beginning of February I am going to restart the Agility Course Race.  I sure some of you remember we had quite a bit of fun with that last year with prizes for the fastest times.

I am looking for some sponsors for the Agility Obstacles which are going to be re-arranged in the New Year.  If you have a company or know anyone who might be interested the price of each 50cm x 50cm sign will be 50 euros for the year + the price of the sign.  The signs can either show the name of the company or person with their dogs etc. and will be attached to each obstacle. For Example:

Sponsored by:  Marlon Howes

Pelhams Dog School

Pelham, Golden Retriever

Tel: 99449644

I would still like to get some more banners up around the perimeter wall and on the dog pool to brighten the place up a bit.  The banners are approximately    3 m x 2 m.  If you know anyone who might be interested in advertising please let me know.

Boarding is still extremely busy so if you are going away and need to use this service please book as early as possible and we have had to disappoint a lot of people over the Christmas period.  The price of this service is 20 euros per day with drop off and pick up days counted as 1 full day.  Owners to supply their own dog food beds etc.

Thanks to all of you who come along on Saturday and Sunday afternoons we have got a really good little club going now and I think us humans enjoy it as much as the dogs.

We now have freshly made barbeque burgers on sale at weekends as well as hot and cold drinks.

As you are probably aware the memberships are starting to come up for renewal in January.  New memberships will be 30 euros for one year.  Dog Park Entrance fees and Obedience Classes will remain at 5 euros per session.

A lot of people have been asking me about paying a one off fee for the year without having to pay an entrance fee each time they come (obedience classes not included).

Accordingly we have decided to offer a Gold Membership for 250 euros per year (or 150 euros for six months) which will include as many visits to the dog park as you like including use of the dog pool.

Members who have recently joined who may wish to upgrade to this service can do so, we will just deduct the membership you have already paid.

We will be writing to each member as their membership comes up for renewal in the New Year, or just come along to school if you know your membership is running out.

Finally, members Danny and Linda have a Spanish Boxer that they want to breed with a female dog of the same breed.  If you are interested please contact me for detail.

The Christmas monthly draw winner is Member No. 107

Well, I can’t believe our first year is over already – here’s to 2011!

Good luck everyone

Pelham says:

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all our members.

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By april, September 29, 2010

PELHAMS DOG FUN PARK

NEWSLETTER NO. 9

SEPTEMBER 2010

Hello again everyone,

I hope you all enjoyed your summer holidays and are ready to get your dogs back into shape.

I have attached the schedule for the next round of dog obedience classes to this newsletter so please have a look and check which class you are in. If you cannot make classes please let me know so that I can offer your place to someone else.

As before the classes will be 5 euros per week for 6 weeks payable in advance (total 30 euros). Please come along and pay ASAP to secure your place as you know the classes have proved very popular and I am trying to keep the numbers down in each class. Places that have not been secured by 9th October will be offered to someone else.

Please make sure that you are on time for your classes as I will be starting promptly at the allocated time as I have a lot of classes to fit in. There will be a kiosk selling cakes, sandwiches burgers etc. with tables and chairs by the office. Can you please wait there with our dog on lead until you are called.

Again, please make sure that one gate is closed before the second gate is opened as we will be getting quite congested at that time and we don’t want any escapees. Also can I please ask everyone to clean up after your dogs, thank you.

Those attending classes please make sure that you practice at least 10 – 15 minutes every day; you cannot expect your dog to become fully trained in one hour per week. I am training you to train your dog!!!

REMEMBER – your dog needs exercise please bring him to the park at least once a week to run around and socialise. If you cannot bring him yourself we can organise a pick up and drop off for you.

From now until 8th October we are open from

• 5 – 8 p.m. Tuesday – Friday and
• 4 – 8 p.m. at weekends when we will have the kiosk available for refreshments.

As from Wednesday 13th October we will resume winter hours which will be as follows:-

• Monday & Tuesday – closed.
• Wednesday, Thursday & Friday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• Saturday & Sunday – classes from 9 – 1.30 – Dog Park open from 2 p.m.

Last but not least, our End of Summer BBQ is on Saturday 9th October. Doors are open from 3 p.m. (Dog Park free) and food will be served from 6 p.m. There will be starters, main course and dessert, a disco, bar area, seating and lighting.

Tickets are on sale from the office €15.00 for adults and €10 for children under 12. Under 5,’s go free.

Please come along and support us, we are hoping to have a lot of fun. Those who attended the Pig Roast will remember it was a great success and this time we are hoping to do even better.

If anyone would like to donate raffle prizes please let me know as this was also a great success last time around.

Many thanks,

MARLON

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By april, September 11, 2010

PELHAMS DOG FUN PARK

NEWSLETTER NO. 8

AUGUST 2010

Hello everyone!

Well, summer is slowly coming to a close and I am looking forward to the winter when the climate is so much better for the dogs.
We are celebrating the end of Summer 2010 with a BBQ on 9th October. As you know the Pig Roast was a great success so I decided to organise another similar event. This time we have caterers coming in to take some of the strain. Gates will open at 3 p.m. with food being served from 6. We have floodlighting as the nights will be drawing in by then. There will be a choice of  different meats with salad potatoes etc. and starters and desert.
There will also be a disco and bar.
As with the last event if anyone would like to donate raffle prizes that would be very much appreciated.
Tickets are on sale now from the dog school. They are 15 euros each for adults and 10 euros for kids under 12. Under 5s go free.
Tickets are limited to 175 so it will be first come first served. Please come along and support your club. The dog park will, of course, be free that day.
Please state your preference for beef or chicken when purchasing your ticket and keep the ticket to hand into the chef for your food on the day.

I am doing a 6 part TV series starting some time in October so if anyone wants to put up a banner before then and the BBQ you will be sure to get some good advertising for your company or organisation.
Fees for the dog pool are going to have to go up to 5 euros per dog as the water bowser which I have delivered every 2 weeks to change the water has now trebled in price!
If you want to continue to bring your own refreshments to the park for the time you are welcome to do so until I can finally get a kiosk organised.
Classes are going to start at the end of October/beginning November. These will be on Saturday and Sunday mornings as before with one class on a Wednesday morning and one on a Thursday morning.
As I have about a hundred people waiting for classes I am going to grade the dogs according to age, size and ability. We will be texting/emailing people shortly to let them know which classes they will be in.
All new members starting classes please ensure that you practice what you learn during classes for at least 15 minutes each day. REMEMBER I am training YOU to train your dog. Do not expect your dog to become fully trained in just 45 minutes per week.
We are now fully booked for boarding until the end of the year so book early for 2011.
The monthly draw winner for August is Member No. 221
Good news from Geoff and Nadia whose dog Sierra was hit by a car. She is now on her way to a full recovery and will be a regular back at the dog park shortly.
I have been contacted by someone who is looking for a new home for two one year old border collies so if anyone is interested or knows of anyone who might be interested please let me know.
Thanks to Arthur for making my father welcome on his birthday last week and organising another great meal in Terrazza Restaurant, Spinola Bay where dogs are also welcome.
If anyone is looking for cheap flights to Holland please contact Leo of Principessa Tours premium member of Pelhams Dog School!!!

Best wishes,

MARLON

Pelham says:

To walk me off lead I must first be able to walk properly to heel.

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By april, August 17, 2010

PELHAMS DOG FUN PARK

NEWSLETTER NO. 7

JULY 2010

Hello everyone!

I hope you are all enjoying the summer and not suffering too much in the heat.

Thank you to everyone for your continued support, I think the dogs have been enjoying the dog pool and its been nice sitting somewhere a bit cooler on these summer evenings and watching the dogs play.  Thanks to everyone who has been bringing some well needed refreshments

The field is being sprayed every Saturday morning for Sandfly but do still ensure that your dogs are all also still wearing their sandfly collars.

During the summerI have been concentrating on one to one sessions for owners that have specific problems with their dogs as it is too hot for group classes and we have been very busy.  If anybody wants to book any of these sessions give me a call on 99449644 but give me plenty of notice as I have to try and fit everyone in in the mornings.

The next BBQ will be held on 9^th October.  This will be similar to last time with raffles, a disco bar etc. but we are getting caterers in so that we have a bit more time to talk to everyone.  We are going to open at 3pm with food being served at 6pm.  We are going to have lighting so will be able stay open a bit later this time.

The next round of group obedience classes will now start after the BBQ from 16^th October and we will publish the timetable in the next newsletter.

As mentioned  in the last Newsletter we are very full so far as Boarding is concerned so if you are going away and want to use this service make sure you book early.  We only board the dogs of members so that we are familiar with the dogs before they come.  We also we ask that you fill in a Dog Boarding Form and pay a 50% deposit on booking.  The form can be downloaded from our website www.pelhamdogtraining.com or collected from the office.

As the dogs stay with us in our home when not at the park it is essential that the dogs are house trained and used to staying indoors and sleeping with the family.  This is not a service for dogs that are used living in a yard.  Prices are as follows:-

• Large dogs:                           20 euros per night
• Puppies:                                 20 euros per night
• Small dogs                             15 euros per night

Please note that the daily rate is chargeable for the day of pick up and the day of collection.  All food should be provided by the owner and the dogs can, of course, bring any bedding, toys etc. that they are used to having at home.

Summer opening hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday 6 – 9 p.m.  We have decided to close on Fridays from now on as Fridays have proved to be very quiet.

Please note that we will be shut from Friday 13^th to Monday 16^th August for the Santa Maria Feast.  Re-opening on Tuesday 17^th.

The monthly draw winner for June is Member No. 200

As you may know, Luke, my trainee, took his first class this month and did very well, especially with the added pressure of the press turning up in the middle to take photographs.  I hope you all saw our latest  article in The Independent this week.

Luke will be taking his first exams later this month, both theory and practical so can we have some more volunteers please for his next class.

I am sure Luke will do very well but wish him luck when you see him.

Lastly a quick big thanks to Mario Spiteri (and Sooty) for donating us a generator.

Apologies once again for the late sending of this newsletter but better late than never!!

Well its been short and sweet this month but don’t forget to keep reading so you can keep up with events – more next month.

Best wishes,

MARLON

Pelham says:

Don’t forget – take me for a swim, it’s great exercise and it cools me down!

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By april, July 10, 2010

PELHAMS DOG FUN PARK

NEWSLETTER NO. 6

JUNE 2010

Hello everyone, summer is here!

The dog swimming pool is will be open on Tuesday 13^th July 2010. I hope members don’t mind, I am charging a fee of 2 euros per dog for the use of this for as long as you are at the park.  This fee is to cover the running costs.  Every other week I am getting a water bowser in to fill the pool with new fresh water.  I have a proper filterisation system on the pool and am not going to use sea water.

There will be no chlorine used in the pool, we are using a special anti-bacterial solution suitable for dogs.

I believe every dog can swim.  I have made it low enough so you walk your dog up the steps, down the steps and along to teach him to swim.  If you want to get in with your dog to help him – that’s fine with me.  This is a great exercise for every muscle of your dogs body.  If your dog has had an injury this is excellent rehabilitation.

While the dogs are cooling in the pool, I have had a freezer installed with cold drinks on sale to cool down their owners.

I know that the weather is turning very hot now, but we do need our members to continue to support this dog club during the summer months to keep it open.  Hopefully, with the advent of the dog pool and some cold drinks on sale this should be a good incentive to keep you coming.

The field is being sprayed every Saturday morning for Sandfly but do still ensure that your dogs are all also wearing their sandfly collars.

I hope everyone that took part in the classes enjoyed them, don’t forget to sign up for the next course which will be starting at the end of September.  I hope you have all learned something and carry on practising during the summer months.  It takes a long time and plenty of patience to train a dog so please try and practice 15 minutes per day.  I can see that every class I take has made big improvements and I hope you can see that yourselves.

Due to the heat there won’t be any group classes during the summer months but I will be concentrating on one to one sessions for owners that have specific problems with their dogs.  If anybody wants to book any of these sessions give me a call on 99449644.

We had hoped to arrange a BBQ in July but because of  the heat a lot of our members advised us to wait until September/October so we will let you know what date we have decided on nearer the time.

We have had a lot of enquiries about boarding and are now very full so you must book early if you want to use this service.  We only board the dogs of members so that we are familiar with the dogs before they come and we ask that you fill in a Dog Boarding Form and pay a 50% deposit on booking.  The form can be downloaded from our website www.pelhamdogtraining.com or collected from the office.

As the dogs stay with us in our home when not at the park it is essential that the dogs are house trained and used to staying indoors and sleeping with the family.  This is not a service for dogs that are used to living in a yard.  Prices are as follows:-

Large dogs:                           20 euros per night

Puppies:                               20 euros per night

Small dogs                            15 euros per night

Please note that the daily rate is chargeable for the day of pick up and the day of collection.  All food should be provided by the owner and the dogs can, of course, bring any bedding, toys etc. that they are used to having at home.

As there are no classes during the summer we are going to open the park from 6 p.m. till 10 p.m. every evening (closed on Mondays) during July and August as any earlier is just too hot.

We hope Geoff and Nadia’s dog Sierra is recovering well after her accident.  Sierra was a regular visitor to the park and we hope to see her up and about again soon, she is a lovely dog andwe miss her a lot.

On the subject of injured dogs.  As you all know Valerie helped us a lot at the Pig Roast.  Valerie’s dog Missie was poisoned recently and was close to death but is now recovering well.  Again, we wish Missie well and hope she has a speedy recovery.

Valerie is looking for a home for Missie as she is frightened that this may happen again.  Missie is a one year old Golden Labrador, she is very good natured and well trained (at Pelhams Dog School).  So let me know if you think you could help.

I was not previously aware of this but legally in Malta your dog should be registered with the Police every year at a cost of 2.33 euros.  The reason for this is that if anyone makes a complaint against your dog or you need to make a complaint about another dog the Police have the dog’s details on record.  I only found this out this week as one of our members had a complaint made against them and as the dog wasn’t registered the owner had to pay a fine.

In England we have to buy a dog licence for our dogs, but I wasn’t aware of this law over here.  However, I thought it worth while bringing it to everyone’s attention.

The monthly draw winner for June is Member No. 28.

Some people are still opening two gates at the same time.  PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU CLOSE THE FIRST GATE BEFORE OPENING THE SECOND.  If you meet a friend entering the park as you are leaving have a chat outside the park not between the gates!!!!!!

If you would like to have a look at some of the pictures of the Pig Roast they are now on our website.  www.pelhamdogtraining.com Click on events, then click on Pig Roast.

Many thanks to Jenny and Bruce (Roo) for providing us with the generator – we now have power!!!!

A big thank you to Sylvester (and Dora) for donating the water tank to the school.  This will certainly make life a lot easier for us.

Thanks also to Arthur and Zoe (Bobby and Alfie) for helping us arrange a plumber for the pool and for donating a jar of coffee biscuits etc.

FINALLY, PLEASE NOTE WE WILL NOT BE OPEN THIS SUNDAY EVENING – 11^th JULY – AS I WILL BE WATCHING THE FOOTBALL WORLD CUP FINAL

And lastly, apologies for the late sending of this newsletter but I wanted to make sure the pool would definitely be open before sending.

That’s all folks.

Best wishes,

MARLON

Pelham says:

Don’t forget – take me for a swim, it’s great exercise and it cools me down!

Comments (2)

By april, June 1, 2010

PELHAMS DOG FUN PARK

NEWSLETTER NO. 5

MAY 2010

Hello again everyone,

Well summer has arrived so don’t forget from 1st June we will be opening from 4 p.m. – 9 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday as it will be too hot for the dogs (let alone us) during the day.  Please note we will be closed on Mondays.

The next lot of classes also begin on 1st June at 7.30 in the evenings, again because of the heat.  Don’t forget to practice what you learn between lessons as you will find that this really pays off.

Can I ask that those of you who want to book for September classes pay on application as we have had to spend a lot of time chasing people up to see who is and who isn’t attending before we can offer the classes to other people.  This way it will be on a first come first served basis.

The dog boarding has proved very popular and we are now booked up until October.  Please note that boarding is payable per day including the day of drop off and the day of collection.

This month’s monthly draw winner is member no. 21, don’t forget to collect your two free dog park sessions before the end of the month.

Once again, please don’t forget when entering or leaving the field to make sure one gate is closed before opening the other so as to prevent escapees!

Work should be completed on the dog plunge pool in the next couple of weeks so the dogs can cool themselves down in the hot weather.

I hope you all enjoyed the pig roast as much as we did.  I think it was a success.  The dogs all mixed really well together and the only little bit of troubnle came from a human!  I am sorry if anybody’s day was spoilt because of one stupid man who wasn’t even a member!  Next time we will be a bit more selective about who we let in.  Thanks to Paul Kennington for his timely speech – much appreciated.

We are hoping to do a summer BBQ (dog pool opening party) at the end of July and this time we will make a few improvements including some extra seating and shade.  We are planning to get outside caterers in next time to give us more time to socialise!

Thanks to everyone who helped out including Estelle, Mrs. Pace, Romina, Joanna and many others.  My thanks also go to Peter from Toyland who provided the BBQ equipment and Paulo from the Car Sales who helped me a lot with the preparation.

Also thanks to May Cassar for lending us the tables and chairs and Joe Spiteri for the freezer van.  Thanks also to the kids for helping out with the bar and raffle – we managed to raise some cash for the dog sanctuaries which I am putting in a pot and will hand over at the end of the summer after our other events in the hope of giving them a big cheque each.

Thanks of course to Flavio and Rodeen for sponsoring the disco which I think you will all agree was most enjoyable.

My biggest thanks goes to Valerie who organised the pig and worked so hard not only on Sunday but on the days leading up to it and without whose help I couldn’t have managed.  Valerie also made the delicious strawberry gateauxs.

I had arranged to present Valerie with some flowers on the day but unfortunately the flower people next door left and took Valeries bouquet with them!  Never mind, thanks anyway Valerie and I will make it up to you this week.

Last but not least, thanks to everyone who donated the fantastic raffle prizes:

• • Pace Fire Prevention Services
  • Munchy Moose Xemxija
  • Trattoria Fiorino D’oro Restaurant Salina
  • Heaven Hair Salon – Naxxar
  • Flower Power
  • Rainforrest Pet Shop
  • Badger Karting
  • Terrazza Restaurant Spinola Bay
  • Angelo’s Restaurant Bugibba
  • Petnutrition Qormi
  • Martins Bar Attard
  • Mario Spiteri
  • Garden Shop Zebbeigh
  • Mgarr Farmers Market Zebbeigh
  • Rockna Restaurant – Paceville
  • Go Mobile (Lorraine)
  • Paul Howes – Malta Powerboat Association

I took some great pictures on the day and hopefully they should be on the website in the next few days

www.pelhamdogtraining.com

We now have another new sponsor Feelwell dog treats which are available to buy at dog school.

Holder of Membership No. 1 Olga Bonnici has opened a branch of SAGS (stray animals support group) at 34 Nicolo’ Isouard Street Mosta.  Please give her your support by either donating goods for sale or calling into the shop which is open Mondays to Saturdays 9.30 to 1.30.

As most of you are probably aware, Prescott and Blossom have now moved in with their new owners Mary and Graham on Gozo.  Mary and Graham are reporting back to us regularly with Prescott and Blossom’s progress.  They have settled in very well and have become popular residents at Marsaforn.  We are planning to visit them soon and they have promised to come back and see us regularly.

AGILITY COURSE COMPETITION

Well, she finally did it!  Lorraine with Didi the fox terrier fought off the competition with the best time of 31.84 seconds for the Agility Course.  This month we included the weave poles and it must have been those swivelling hips that did the trick.

Congratulations Lorraine you win this month’s free bag of Almo Nature Dog food courtesy of Petnutriltion.

Thanks again to everyone for your support and to everyone who helped at the Pig Roast, I hope I havn’t forgotten anyone but please forgive me if I have.  (Sorry Anthony for forgetting to thank you last month for attending the Melleiha animalfest with us – I will try harder in the future.)

All the best

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By april, April 3, 2010

PELHAMS DOG FUN PARK

NEWSLETTER NO. 3

MARCH 2010

Another month has passed already and our membership is still growing steadily.  Thank you to everyone for helping me keep this club going and a special welcome to all our new members.  I have some very good plans for the club which will hopefully include a dog pool, cafe and much more, just bear with us.

I hope you all enjoyed the article in the Circle Magazine of 7th March.

The second round of obedience classes are now coming to a close and we are already oversubscribed for round 3 which starts on 10th April and end on 16th May.  We have started a waiting list for the next lot of classes starting in June which will be held on weekday evenings according to the summer timetable – details to follow.

All of you attending lessons please make sure you practice for at least 10 minutes per day.  Once we have enough dogs walking off-lead next to owner on left-hand side we can start doing some more advanced classes.

Please note that as from 7th April I will have a Trainee Dog Trainer, Luca Taliara who I am going to be teaching.  Luca is very interested in all animals, especially dogs, so please give him your support and as much help as you can telling him about your dog’s history, habits etc.  He will be with me on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays to observe the classes and help us all.

At the end of his 6 months’ training I will be setting him an exam, practical and theory so that he can obtain his basic Dog Trainer’s certificate and he will therefore need as much help as you can give him during this period.

We will be open on Easter Saturday and Sunday and will not be holding any training sessions so please come and enjoy the park anytime from 10 – 5.

We will be closed on Good Friday but will remain open on Wednesday 31st March.

Look out for the Almo Nature dog food advertisement on television which was filmed at Pelhams and will be going out 3 times a day.

For those of you that have not already seen it our website  www.pelhamdogtraining.com is now up and running, take a look and tell your friends.

Will everyone please ensure that when entering or leaving the field you close one gate behind you before opening the second so that no dogs can get out unless they are on a lead with their owners.  Thank you,

Our first social function is scheduled to take place on Sunday 23rd May in the afternoon.  We are holding a Pig Roast with a Pasta Starter.  Tickets will be on sale at the office (10 euros for adults and 5 euros for children) and some of the money for these will be donated to the dog sanctuaries.  The dog park will be free for those attending the Pig Roast but owners will have to be responsible for their own dogs as I will very busy that day.  There will be seating in the parking area, music and a bar serving beer, wine and soft drinks

Again, depending on weather, I will be starting summer opening hours sometime towards the end of May, beginning of June.  I will be opening six days a week, including public holidays (closed on Mondays) from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.

From 1st May I am arranging to have the field sprayed regularly for Sandfly.

There was a very close encounter at theAgility Course on the last day of March when Road Runner Brendan went into first place with a time of 24.10 with his dog Bruce.  Then, at 3.15 Sylvester the Cat turned up with Dora wearing shorts T-shirt and trainers (Sylvester not Dora) and put in an amazing time of 23.66.  Road Runner Brendan then had one last try at 3 p.m.  Bruce flew around the course and we all thought that he had won but unfortunately he stayed in the tunnel for an extra second and finished with a time of 23.79 losing out to Dora by just 0.13 of a second.  All I can put it down to is the shorts and trainers!!  I am sure Brendan and Bruce will be back next month to try and knock Sylvester and Dora off the top spot.  Maybe you should invest in a pair of running spikes Brendan!!  Well done to both of you.

However, we mustn’t forget Lorraine and Didi who were knocked into third place with a (still fantastic) time of 28.37.  I think Lorraine will be training hard next month, you never know we might see her in shorts and trainers!!

Well done to everyone who took place results as follows:-

1. Dora                                        23.66
2. Bruce                                      23.79
3. Didi                                         28.37
4. Jacko                                      31.56

Also worth a mention.

1. Miya the Lab                                35.00
2. Robbie the beagle puppy       46.72
3. Tasha the cross Lab                 50.81
4. Layka a mixed breed               55.00 and
5. Thneur the pug with             1 min 31 seconds

A special thankyou to Matthew at Petnutrition for sponsoring the Agility Competition and donating a bag of Almo Nature dog food to the winner.

A special thanks also to Kevin and Judith from REMAX who are going to be one of our sponsors and are putting a banner up later this month.  Call REMAX for all your property needs.

The Pug Club continues to gain momentum with new members coming every Sunday.  Thank you to everyone for your support.

If you have a pug come along on Sundays at 11.45 or if your have friends with pugs spread the word!

For those of you that were interested in our boarding service we are getting very booked up so if you are going away and want us to look after your dogs you need to let us know as soon as possible so that we can reserve the dates for you.  We charge 15 euros per night (collection before 11 a.m.) for 1 dog or 25 euros per night for two dogs (from the same family).  Boarding forms need to be completed and these are available from the office.  We shall require copies of vaccination certificates for boarders and also a deposit when bookings are made as once we have booked your dog in we will be turning away others.

We are starting a pick up service from 1st April whereby we collect your dogs from home at a specified time in the morning and drop them back later in the day.  For this service we will charge 20 euros per day for pick ups between Mellieha and Sliema.

The winner of  March’s monthly draw is member no. 139  who wins two free dog park sessions, and a half hour one to one tuition with Marlon.  Well done.  Look out for next month’s winner in the next Newsletter.

Once again, if you have any suggestions for further services or events at the Dog Park please let us know as we are always looking for new ideas.

Before I sign off a few special notices:

Thank you to Tony Guillaumier for donating a megaphone to Pelhams and for saving my voice.

Many thanks to Joe Spitteri for the umbrella giving us some much needed shade.

Thanks to Lorraine and Roane and to Marie for donating a jar of coffee each and also to Estelle and Andy for the numerous sweet refreshments.  Not forgetting Olga for her home cooked delights!

Also thanks to Lorraine P for generously paying our son Sky for his services when he was supposed to be giving them free of charge!  Hope he doesn’t expect the same from us!!

On a more serious note I hope Molly, Judith’s King Charles Spaniel gets well after his operation.

Also good luck to Steve Zammit I hope he is soon feeling better after his accident at work and that Miya his German Shepherd is aiding his recovery.

Happy Easter to everyone and I hope to see you all soon.

Thanks

Comments (2)

By april, March 3, 2010

PELHAMS DOG FUN PARK

NEWSLETTER NO. 2

FEBRUARY 2010

Hello, once again I would like to thank everyone for their continued support, we have gained another 30 members in February and the obedience classes are now virtually all booked up until May.

Well done to everyone who has completed the first obedience classes and collected their certificates.  Those who want to begin or continue classes should let us know as soon as possible as we are getting booked up very quickly.  I am also running a class on a Wednesday morning now for those who don’t have work commitments.

We have now been interviewed and photographed for The Circle magazine out with next Sunday’s (7th March) Malta Times so hopefully that will make for interesting reading.

Our own website www.pelhamdogtraining.com is now up and running.  Many thanks to Fred Morgan for doing such a fantastic job.

For those of you that have not been to the school in the last week or so we have now had an aditional gate fitted for extra safety.  When entering or leaving the field please ensure that you close one gate before opening the second so that even if any nimble dogs get through the first gate they are still contained in the pen.  Thank you,

I will let you know later this month as soon as I have sorted out the details for the BBQ/Pig Roast which is going to be sometime in April.  If this works out well then we will make it a monthly event during the spring/summer months.

PLEASE NOTE THAT PELHAMS WILL BE CLOSED ON TUESDAY 16th MARCH

We are keep our opening times the same at the moment and these are as follows:-

Saturday and Sunday mornings are reserved for group classes.

We will let you know as soon as we decide to change these for the warmer months and longer evenings and once again your suggestions would be much appreciated.

We will also be open from 9 – 5 on all public holidays.

As I told you last month we started running the monthly Agility Course Competition in February and this months winner of a 15 kg bag of Almo Nature Dog Food and a Pelhams Dog School T-shirt is Sylvester Cassar with his English Pointer Dora in an unbelievable time of 28.19.  Hot on his tail was Lorraine Falzon and her fox terrier cross Didi with a time of 31.19 (better luck next month Lorraine!) just pushing new member Brendan Borg with his Labrador cross Bruce into third place with another brilliant time of 31.88.

Well done to everyone who took part, it was a lot of fun and I can’t wait for next month’s competition, lets see who can beat Dora!  Don’t forget a 15 kg bag of Almo Nature Dog Food and a Pelhams Dog School T-shirt to the winner,

Still on this subject a special mention to our Junior Member MATTIAS CALLUS GATT who took his Pug Butch around the whole course in a fantanstic time of 49 seconds.  Well done Mattias and Butch keep up the good work.  A Pelhams Dog School T-shirt goes to you.

The Pug Club has now started so every Sunday morning at 11.45 for one hour the park is open to Pugs only.  The last couple of weeks we have had a lot of fun with our pug races and just watching the pugs play together while their owners chat about the pros and cons of living with a pug.

It would be nice if a few more members could attend the Pug Club so that we could incorporate a few more activities into the hour.  So if you have a pug come along on Sundays at 11.45 or if your have friends with pugs spread the word!

Prescott and Blossom are still with us although their owners should be returning from Hong Kong very soon.  We will be very sorry to see them go – hopefully they will come back for regular visits.  In the meantime we have had a lot of enquiries about our boarding service so if you are going away and want us to look after your dogs let us know as soon as possible so that we can reserve the dates for you.

Once again, if you have any suggestions for services or events at the Dog Park please let us know as we are always looking for new ideas.

We are thinking of starting up a pick up service whereby we collect your dogs from home at a specified time in the morning and drop them back later in the day.  We will probably offer a half day or full day service but have yet to work out prices schedules etc. more details next month.  Let us know your thoughts.

The winner of  February’s monthly draw is member no. 67 Claude Camilleri (and Milo).  Claude wins two free dog park sessions, a Pelhams Dog School T-shirt and a half hour one to one tuition with Marlon.  Well done Claude.  Look out for next month’s winner in the next Newsletter.

Thats all for this month, hope to see you all soon.

Thanks