Having a ball! Stroud care home resident celebrates 100th birthday with 100 dachshunds

A Stroud care home resident marked her 100^th birthday with a barking-mad celebration.

Laurice Clark, from Care UK’s Scarlet House, on Westward Road, celebrated her 100^th birthday on 17^th June with a garden party to be remembered. 

When the team at Scarlet House learned Laurice has a life-long love for dachshunds, they set out to create a paw-some surprise, issuing a call-out to the local community to try and bring together 100 of the popular sausage dogs. 

On the day, the team threw Laurice a special garden party with bubbles and a specially-made birthday cake as almost 30 waggy-tailed dachshunds trotted excitedly into the home to wish Laurice a happy birthday.

Laurice said: “I had a wonderful time and it was so nice to see everyone enjoy themselves! I’m always talking about dachshunds and I couldn’t believe how many of them there were!”

In her younger days, Laurice and her husband owned and bred dachshunds, sparking her love for them. Their beloved pets were a brother and sister, standard-size, smooth-haired, black and tan duo named Limonite Silver Glance and Limonite Rhodium Gold.

With encouragement from her husband, Laurice began entering her canine-companions into competitions all over the country – including Crufts, where her dogs placed second and third.

Lydnsey Dixon, Home Manager at Scarlet House, said: “Laurice is a much-loved resident at Scarlet House and, when the team came to plan her 100^th birthday, they knew there was only one – or 100 – things for it!

“Laurice is a huge dachshund lover and is always sharing fond memories and stories from her younger days with her own pets, so we knew she’d be delighted to be surrounded by these furry-friends.

“I’d like to extend a big thank you to the team here at Scarlet House for arranging this wonderful surprise, as well as to everyone who came along to help make Laurice’s birthday one to remember. Everyone had a fantastic time and Laurice hasn’t stopped smiling since!” 

To find out more about Scarlet House, contact Katerina Pippi, on 01453 358395, email katerina.pippi@careuk.com or visit careuk.com/scarlet-house

Scarlet House is a state-of-the-art care home which provides full-time residential, nursing, dementia, nursing dementia and short-term respite care. The care home incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities and includes its own cinema, hair salon and café.