We are very excited to announce that later this month we’ll be back on Channel 5 as we’ve been featured in their brand new series, My Houseful of Animals! The light-hearted TV show, which shares the stories of animal lovers and fellow rescuers alike, airs on the 21stJuly.
Although we had reservations about the initial project, this one came unexpectedly and is a welcome surprise. It more accurately reflects the nature of what we do at Dogs 4 Rescue and offers some lovely insights into what daily life here is like. Most importantly we’re thrilled as it gets the street dogs from abroad some much-needed exposure and enabled us to get across our positive message regarding rescue dogs, in particular those saved from abroad.
What it doesn’t show unfortunately is our fabulous dog park and the progress we’ve made in making it what it is today. We’d like to use this opportunity to ask for another push to help us to achieve our vision – and use the exposure from the Channel 5 feature to help us fund the next stage of our fantastic project!
What does the next stage involve?
Our free running rescue is truly unique – and we’re always thinking of ways to improve and enrich the space we have for the benefit of the dogs.
Over the last year or so we’ve been working hard transforming our outdoor space into what can be described as a doggy heaven! The initial stages (including the log cabin, tyre mountain, trampoline, sand pit and waterfall) are now almost complete, so now we’re working on the next stage, which involves Enrichment Areas. These spaces will house dedicated play apparatus and activities for our dogs to enjoy – areas 1, 2 and 3 will feature a mini water park, agility toys, screwball alley and a chase-me-find-me maze. Area 4 currently houses an old log cabin which is being renovated and refurbished so it will be fit for purpose again.
These dedicated, specially designed enrichment areas will benefit allour doggies – especially those who need time to come out of their shell and overexcited dogs who have endless energy.
Our eventual dream is to have a special site set up specifically for Dogs 4 Rescue, complete with purpose-built doggy play area, living quarters and a visitor centre. At the moment we run the rescue from home, which works well but isn’t ideal. Having a special centre would allow us to save more dogs and welcome more volunteers and more visitors. We would love this to be the start of meaningful change across the rescue industry, setting the standard for everyone else and encouraging the abolition of kennels across the board.
Of course we can’t realise either dream without funding. So far we’ve been overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity we’ve experienced – donations which have helped us to build a cosy log cabin with underfloor heating for the dogs to sleep in, mud-free artificial grass for the park and brand new specialist fencing to split the park up ready for the new Enrichment Areas, amongst other things. Whilst our true goal is to have dedicated premises one day, for now we are continuing to invest in improving the space we have which is coming along really well – and the doggies love it already!
How to get involved
All donations are of course gratefully received. We do however post specific appeals on our Facebook page, where you’ll also find lots of footage and information regarding the dog park and the next stages of our project. If you don’t already follow us on Facebook you can see our page here.
We also welcome volunteers who are up for some hard graft, helping to literally build our dream and make it a reality. We simply couldn’t have got to this stage in our dream without the dedication, hard work and kindness of skilled volunteers such as builders, handymen, plumbers, joiners and electricians. If you have any skills you think we may need at any stage in the project please do get in touch.
Lastly, we’d love to hear from companies supplying building materials or specialist items such as play equipment, garden furniture and flooring – even equipment hire. Donations of this kind help us to free up vital funds for other aspects of the project, as we have to prioritise the cost of the everyday running of the rescue such as vet bills, food and transportation, which means we really do rely on specific donations to keep our vision moving forward.
If you’d like to learn more or have a press enquiry please get in touch via email or Facebook messenger.