Since a young child I've had a keen interest in animals, mostly dogs and horses.
At age 12 I joined the local dog training club with our family dog Skip. By the time I was 14 I was attending three obedience clubs on evenings and competing in obedience at weekends. We were never that successful but poor Skip was handicapped with his handler. When I was 16 I began to help run the local dog training club and I continued with this for 10 years.
The rest of my story is told on the About Us page so I won't repeat it.
The rescue started in 2011 and since then I have learned a lot about dogs, people and myself. I've had the misfortune to meet some awful, mean characters but that has been balanced by meeting the most genuine, honest and kind-hearted people.
Initially I was heavily involved in every aspect of the rescue - transporting, cleaning kennels, training, finding homes, assessments - I did it all with help from others. Unfortunately, since Christmas 2016 I have been a wheelchair user so my input is much less physical now. Without the band of volunteers who give up their own time we would not exist.
My dream for the future of the rescue?? Mmm well I have a few.
- A lottery win would take away the everyday worry about paying bills.
- A retractable roof on the arena would be amazing.
- An end to backyard breeding.
- The Kennel Club re-evaluating every breed standard to ensure good health and longevity for all dogs.
Meanwhile, in the absence of all the above, I pray for good adopters to take pur dogs and love them forever.