Dog sanctuary makes an appeal for more support

The dog that was left at a church gate on Christmas Day.

It has already been a busy start to 2017 for SHAK, which has seen the arrival of three pooches in a matter of days.

The new intake includes two strays that were rescued from Blyth, including one found tied to the gates of a church on December 25.

The registered charity, which has its headquarters in Alnwick, has around 85 dogs in its care, including fosters, and founder Stephen Wylie says that the more animals it looks after, the more help is required.

He said: “More dogs means more work and funds needed. So more volunteers and money would be brilliant.

“I felt that in 2017 we would need people’s help more than ever. As of January 3, we had the arrival of the two strays, and then at the end of last week, a dog that was due to be destroyed came to us.

“We are early in 2017, but we are under immense pressure, but what else can we do? We refuse to give up on them.”

It comes after a tough 2016. Stephen said: “We celebrated our 10th anniversary last year, but I think it is fair to say that it was without doubt the toughest of those 10 years.

“There were times when I thought we weren’t going to make it, but we did, and I am proud of that achievement and of the people that got us there.

“But it never stops and I can’t help but feel that in 2017 we’re going to have to rely on supporters even more as the world of rescue just gets more and more difficult.

“Being right at the cutting edge of life and death means it isn’t going to get any easier for us and I really hope people can support us through it.”

To help, email [email protected] or visit www.shak.org.uk