Wangford Veterinary Clinic have just launched their annual Poppies on 4 Paws Appeal which will run until 11th November and in addition to our usual red clip on poppies we have our beautiful purple poppies which have become a symbol of remembrance in the UK for animals that served during wartime.
As usual, we are asking pet owners to show their support by displaying one of these special poppies, red or purple on their dog’s collar or harness. The Purple Poppies are made of a thick embroidered felt and fasten to the collar via Velcro, the red poppies are fluorescent plastic and have a small metal clip to affix to the collar. Both are perfectly suitable for a dog to wear.
Dogs truly are man’s best friend, they have for many years and still do serve alongside human soldiers so it’s appropriate that we should in return, show our support and thanks by commemorating them in this way. Read some true stories about Military Working Dogs here.
The money from the Red poppies will be going to the Royal British Legion and the money raised from the Purple Poppies will go to Hounds for Heroes. The Royal British Legion support serving and ex-serving personnel of the armed forces’ community and their families. Hounds for Heroes provide specially trained assistance dogs to injured and disabled men and women of both the UK Armed Forces and the ‘blue-light’ Emergency Services. Their aim is to provide the help and practical support that leads to enhanced quality of life.
To further show your support for our wonderful charities go to our special gallery and upload your dog’s, cat's or even horse’s photo proudly wearing their poppy.
Poppies are available from our reception at Wangford Vets or via our online shop - these can be posted out to you at a cost of 65p. We also have some poppy bandanas in various sizes available and purple poppy key-rings.
The Purple Poppy has become a symbol of remembrance in the UK for animals that served during wartime.
These poppies are made of thick embroidered felt and fasten to the collar or harness with a strong Velcro.
Poppies are £3 each and £1.50 from the sale of each one will go to Hounds for Heroes, who provide specially trained assistance dogs to injured and disabled men and women of both the UK armed forces and the blue-light emergency services.
Find out more about the Suffolk Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal here.
Find out more about the Royal British Legion here.
Find out more about Hounds for Heroes here.
Whilst dogs have played a special role serving next to our soldiers, other animals have also played their part:
Click here to find out about 15 other animals that went to war.
Fundraising Poppy “Lest We Forget” Dog Bandannas. £1 from every one sold will go to the Royal British Legion. The fluorescent clip on dog collar poppies available for a donation
If you are unable to get to us, then you can send a stamped addressed envelope, a cheque made out to the Royal British Legion and a covering note to tell us what sizes and colours you would like and number required.
Our address is Wangford Veterinary Clinic, Pound Corner, Beccles, Suffolk, NR34 8DJ.
As a size guide for Bandannas - Small is for toy breeds £2.50, Med for Beagles/Cocker Spaniels £3.50, large for Boxers/Labradors £4.50 and XL for all giant breeds £5.50. All sizes come in both Cream and Black.
See all the pictures and upload your own in our ‘Poppies on 4 Paws’ gallery.
Jill is donating copies of her Father's book, ‘Long Time No W.C’ with all proceeds going to appeal. In Brian Asquith’s true story of five years as a prisoner of war, this book gives an insight into the feeling and comradeship that existed throughout the camps.
Obviously not the best five years of his life, he tells how the Polish civilians risked their lives to give what little they had to the prisoners, and talks of their great courage and fortitude.
From the introduction:
On Tuesday evening we were told that we were moving again at 11pm and we arrived in Southampton about midday on Wednesday, where we boarded the Royal Daffodil in the evening only to find ourselves in Dover next morning. A German plane tried to bomb us but missed and was driven off by our destroyer escort. When we reached Calais the docks were already under spasmodic shell-fire but we got ashore unscathed and later our vehicles were unloaded from another ship. A battalion of the riffle brigade had us in their vehicle ship arrived much later, by which time the shelling had increased so much that the ship sailed back to England without unloading and still carrying some of our ammunition. The Queen Victoria Rifles (Territorials) had landed the previous day and were already in action but their vehicles had not even got further than Dover. As someone said: “It’s an extraordinary way to go to war”.
Read more from the introduction and find out about the author here.
The book will be available from Wangford Vets for a donation to the Suffolk Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal. There are only a limited number of copies left so make sure to visit and get your copy soon.
You can also download a copy of the book by clicking here. Please remember to make a donation below in return.
If you can't make it into the clinic but would like to support these fantastic charities anyway, you can make a donation here directly via Paypal.
If you can't make it into the clinic but would like to support these fantastic charities anyway, you can make a donation here directly via Paypal.
Thank you to the following who have generously donated through the website: