SHAK saves two dogs facing death

And the charity has said that it would have been an ‘absolute crime’ if they had lost their lives.

Stephen Wylie, who founded the Alnwick-based dog sanctuary almost 12 years ago, said: “Recently, we have spent the majority of our time saving the lives of two dogs, showing just how important it is that we are there when needed.

“Both of these cases were facing destruction and had a date to meet their maker confirmed – not a threat or an attempt to try to convince us to take them.

“We have a reputation for taking big, aggressive dogs and we certainly have our fair share of large breeds with issues, but I think that the fact these two were so close to being murdered will shock you.

“Nelly – as we’ve called her – was in a local pound. Describe as so aggressive that she wouldn’t let anyone get her out of her kennel. This photo (far right) was taken less than 24 hours after we saved her.

“Does it look like she should have lost her life?

“Just a couple of days later, I received a call from a local vet as a collie-terrier cross was there to be destroyed having bitten his owner. He is 15.

“Both of these dogs will be fine with us now and the search is already under way to find them both a rescue place with one of our trusted partners. We were there when they really needed us, they were so close to being gone. That is why we have the policy we have.”

Because of work like this, SHAK is inundated with calls for help, often from the public. But Stephen has said that the charity only deals with certain cases and organisations.

He said: “The demand for our expertise is growing beyond a level that is manageable. We are a victim of our own success and having about 70 dogs in our care, we are always stretched beyond our limit.

“For the past 12 years, we have dealt very closely with vets taking destruction cases, local councils taking strays and a few recognised partnered charities that we have built up strong relationships with – and this is still the case.

“Space and resources are very short, resulting in us being unable to take dogs from members of the public and due to time we are unable to deal with the public in any way.

“We are also not looking to extend our pool of partnered charities or organisations, so cannot take dogs from groups we haven’t worked with before.

“It is not out of ignorance, but due to concentrating our time on our own dogs, no unsolicited emails, phone calls or Facebook messages will be returned. Thank you for understanding.”