SHAK’s behind-the-scenes army who keep the ball rolling

There is so much more goes on behind the scenes in rescue than I think originally meets the eye.

It really is a full-time job trying to save the lives of dogs that are going to be destroyed, with so many people involved then the hard part, finding them somewhere to go.

Over the years I have worked with a lot of other rescues up and down the country, and even further afield as far as Romania. All of us with the same goal, trying to save a dog and give them a second chance. Rescue has become such a complex world, with so many dogs now in need of spaces, that it is almost impossible to keep all the dogs from your area. It is a national problem and that’s why trusting rescues that specialise in a certain type of dog is so important.

Of course somebody needs to get the dogs to their safe place and again there is an army of amazing people who simply transport. Driving the length and breadth of the country picking up and dropping off, they may even sleep in their vans to make sure they can move as many as possible in one go. They do it all for free and only accept the cost of the fuel. Amazing people that are so important to the whole operation.

This week is a perfect example of this, as we prepare for the arrival of a dog that is travelling all the way up from Kent. We were asked to help him as we specialise in his issues and he really did have nowhere else to go. In return, we have five of our pals moving south. All came when they needed us, and all are now ready to hopefully go on and find forever homes.

It’s always a time of mixed emotions. However, they leave us very proud of how much they have progressed, and testament once again of how they can begin life all over again with just a little love, patience and trust.