Shelley the Lifeboat Labrador (20 page)

What has annoyed me over many years is the introduction of veterinary pet insurance.  I accept it does have advantages and admit I do have it.  Where I think it goes wrong is that it encourages some practices to uses expensive procedures that they would not normally do knowing that it can all be claimed on the insurance.  That is why I have often used a small practice where animals receive the individual attention from the same veterinary surgeon each visit.  Also some practices take on newly qualified staff from colleges that bring with them some of the latest ideas.  I have nothing against this as I know from first hand experience what colleges can do.  These ideas are good but can sometimes be costly and this is then passed onto the patient via their insurance. 

With a small practice and a surgeon of some considerable experience I feel that in the long term it is better for both patient and owner. I recall my first visit with Shelley to the veterinary practice in Halesworth in Suffolk. I rest my case knowing that his initial comments then were right!                              

End of Chapter 26

LIFEBOAT STATION VISITS – CHAPTER 27

Being a well travelled dog Shelley enjoyed her trips out with me.  When away we always tried to stay by the coast this was because I liked the nautical environment and if there was a lifeboat station nearby it gave me the opportunity to meet up with people.  A lot of my friends felt I was lucky doing the travelling I did; however that was not always the case.  Hotels could be lonely places and as was often the case going back to a bleak hotel room was not as nice as returning back to my own flat.  The more I did the less I began to enjoy it hence if I could work from home I would.

Shelley was a great companion and if the truth be known she did help me make friends.  If ever we went into a strange pub someone always came up and said what a nice dog I had; she was a conversation piece!  Mind you it did have disadvantages sometimes I could get stuck with a persons company I did not want. 

If I was able to pop into a lifeboat station I would and was always told where the crew could be found socially.  They were always pleased to see a crew member from another station and a lot of conversation was based on each stations history.  What surprised me was that although there are a lot of stations in the U.K how many of the local crew knew members at other stations. 

Sometimes lifeboats were taken on passage which is when a replacement boat was needed whilst another had gone away for a refit or other times it was a delivery of a new boat.  There was always a waiting list of crews to do this work. It often involved a lot of time at sea with stop overs in different ports which gave the crews good training and of course an opportunity to have a few excellent social evenings in the process.  Delivery crew members were was often put up in a good pub or guest house and sometimes stayed with local crew members. 

I recall once that a relief boat was being taken to Shoreham as ours was going away to Lowestoft for a refit.  The boat was due around lunch time having come itself from the East Coast.  As it arrived our boat was launched and greeted the replacement off Shoreham.  Once it was housed and ours taken to the harbour ready for its transit the following day we all met up back at the boathouse.  What a surprise it was for me to find Roger Trigg on board from Southwold and some of the crew from Aldeburgh.

Who says dogs don’t have memories.  Shelley had not seen Roger for a couple of years so I was interested to see what would happen once he got off the lifeboat. Rodger did know that I had become involved with the Shoreham station as it was he who, in the first place, developed my interest in the RNLI when in Southwold, so it was a welcome greeting for both of us. Shelley made straight to him jumping up with excitement where the affection and comments were duly exchanged.  She would not leave him alone sitting by him all the time (was it the crisps she was waiting for?).  Roger used the Harbour Inn a lot at Southwold and had seen Shelley grow up from a puppy.  That evening bookings had been made for the visiting crew in a couple of local Bed and Breakfasts and we had all agreed to meet for a drink in Shoreham.

Some of the other crew from Aldeburgh knew Eric and Joan well from the towns off licence and up-dated me on their news.  Eric and Joan supported the lifeboat well with collections in their shop and being the only off licence in Aldeburgh it also became a meeting place for the crew from time to time.  They had a small lounge at the back of the shop and when I visited them it was often the case that the coxswain or mechanic would be there having a drink and a chat with both of them.  They had a great shop warning system which was a buzzer in their lounge. Every time anyone entered the premises it went off so they could enjoy their social life along with their work.                Aldeburgh was also a well respected town and like Southwold had a very low crime rate with a local community that based their lives on trust!                                                                        

We all met up that evening in the Royal Sovereign Pub; Shelley included.  There were of course the comments from the regulars about the pub being full of lifeboat personnel.  The Sovereign over the years had had some good landlords. When I first moved into the town it was a Barry Rickby who ran it. He was a very nice person and treated his customers with respect with a dry sense of humour.  When he left Ron and Judy Binstead took over. They had run a nice pub in the country near Lewes for a while and wanted to downsize.

The Sovereign was not large having a good local trade and the food was simple but good.  Ron enjoyed good company and built up an excellent local trade. He had limitations and if you overstepped them you soon knew about it resulting in those involved having to make an apologetic phone call in the morning.  He stayed there for a long time and they both knew and respected Shelley a lot always giving her the odd goodie.  Other locals did have dogs and they were always made welcome but Shelley seemed to think she was number one celebrity making sure all were aware of this.

The evening went well and of course there were a few stories about me and my life in Southwold that came to the fore which was all taken in good jest.  For those that don’t know Suffolk folk are like Norfolk folk both having a strong dialect often coming across as being not that sociable.  It is never meant, it is just their way. They like to get to know people first as I found out when I moved to Southwold.  Ron of course joined in adding a little more about my activities in Shoreham which linked in well with the Southwold stories. It appeared to all concerned I had not changed at all.  Roger however; did not forget his tradition of giving Shelley some crisps and every now and then a bag went in her direction remembering her way of opening them.

The evening went on to closing time and we all departed. I am glad to say not over the top drink wise as the passage crew had to leave early to take our boat back to Lowestoft.  We went down early the next morning to see them off with me giving a suitable message to Joan and Eric which I was assured would be passed on.                                                                             

I never had the personal experience of being involved on a passage. Mike Fox had and so had Roger Grant plus Ginger.  Those who went were often the more experienced crew members having a firm knowledge of the seas around the British Coastline.  There were also one or two crew that the RNLI used for this specific purpose as well as being relief coxswains.  They were used to rough seas and being off shore and way out to sea.  Another big advantage was that they knew the way into different ports with the experience of being able to navigate both night and day – hence they would rather take senior crew with them.

The same would also happen when a new lifeboat was ready to be handed over to a station.  The main crew would go to collect it with the District Inspector involved and they would often spend a week bringing the boat back to the station. It gave them a chance to get used to it and for the D I to put them though some tough training courses.  When the ‘Hermione Lady Colwyn’ was collected they even had a night in France crossing the Channel the next day going there via The Isle of Wight. It was hard work but a lot was learnt and it is by far the best way to get those involved used to the boat.  It should be remembered once on station a lifeboat is ready to go out on a shout and that could happen right away.  After a period of adjustment most of the station personnel get the chance to go out on the new lifeboat whilst the launch crew get the experience of launching and re-housing the boat.

Very soon after delivery, the ceremonies have come and gone and the lifeboat is in its new home and all those involved are ready to deal with the next call.

All stations in the UK are run along the same lines and that is what is so good about the RNLI – tradition plays an important part as do families; however the RNLI employs people at their headquarters at Poole in Dorset whose job is to run the RNLI as an efficient service.  From the purchasing of equipment,  the design of new lifeboats, fund raising, public relations, crew training to crew development and working within the maritime and fishing industries. The full time staffs, all play an important role in running this charity.                     

Times do change and people move and this can result in a recruitment problem if a station is in a small community.   It is not easy to become part of this respected team and members have to be prepared to put a lot of work into it. There is a massive learning curve which some survive and others don’t. You don’t become a lifeboat man over night – slipways have to be greased – boats washed – boathouses to be cleaned – crew rooms to be kept tidy and many mucky jobs to be done at all hours of the day and night sometimes in terrible conditions due to the weather.  If a member cannot get onto the actual lifeboat crew there are other important jobs to be done within the station.  Opportunities do arise to go on the lifeboat proper whilst others to go on the inshore lifeboat and others to work for the launching team.  The object is to rescue those in peril on the sea and that is what the RNLI does very well indeed.                                                                                                                                                                                         

End of Chapter 27

OPERATION TIME AND A SPEEDY RECOVERY – CHAPTER 28

The time had come for Shelley to have the lump removed on her rear leg. I had been told not to feed her for 12 hours before bringing her in so she must have wondered what she had done to deserve being “starved.”  I took her in the morning to Hove to the veterinary practice and was told what was going to happen which frankly was considered a mild operation but under general anaesthetic.  I left her there with instructions to phone about 3p.m. to see how she was and to get a suitable time to pick her up.

The day passed quickly and I made a few local calls so I could get home early to make the call.  It would be unfair to say I was not worried as frankly I was but knowing how good my veterinary surgeon was I felt sure all would be fine.

I made the call and was told that Shelley was fine and in her recovery kennel and I could pick her up when I wanted.  It was not long before she greeted me with a plastic type collar over her head which was to prevent her from getting to the wound and playing with her stitches.  I was assured all was well and the lump was not attached to anything but they would be sending it away for a biopsy whilst making an appointment to call back in a week to have the stitches removed.

I let Shelley walk to the car and she seemed fine and was more concerned about the plastic collar than anything else.  Back at the flat I had to carry her up a flight of stairs as it was not easy for her to walk.  She went straight to her bed and fell asleep which was due to the anaesthetic sleeping through the night.  The next morning I was woken by her beside my bed probably due to the fact that the collar was restricting her view and causing her to walk into things.  Her appetite was back and I gave her a couple of extra treats for being such a good dog.

We then went out for a walk around the town where she attracted more than her normal attention from those that knew her. By the end of the day I wished I had a tape recorder so I could play the same answer back.  She loved the extra attention.  We both went into the Sovereign for a drink where she tried to get under her normal seat but once again the collar caused a problem making a few locals to laugh at her antics.  I could see that she was still feeling a little groggy and took her back home where we both had a night in watching the television.

The week soon went by and it was not long before she was having her stitches removed and was delighted to see the last of her collar which was removed by the practice nurse.  Shelley seemed to be back to her normal self and ready to explore the byways of Shoreham once again.