Save Our Strays Before It's Too Late

Twenty years ago, we started with a simple but powerful mission “Save Our Strays. Give Them Hope.” Today, that mission has never been more urgent.

At the start of our 20th year, we were filled with hope and pride in our achievements over the last two decades. But behind these positive emotions lay a deep fear.  We're devastated to tell you that we have reached breaking point, and without immediate support, we may no longer be able to save them. 

In common with all charities, our costs have risen dramatically, but at a pace that our income has not kept up. The costs for our vet bills, mortgage, utilities, insurance and NI contributions have all spiraled Every month, our income falls further behind our outgoings, despite doing everything we can to cut costs and raise funds. We’re doing all we can. But it’s not enough.  

In our budgets, we made sacrifices to protect the dogs that need us the most but we’re running out of options and are now at the stage we have to consider cutting service delivery. For us, the devastating decision we are now facing is to remove the lifeline we provide to the unclaimed strays in the pound from Torfaen, Merthyr Tydfil, Blaenau Gwent and Caerphilly. Last year alone that was 131 dogs, aside from our own stray dog contracts and dogs seized from puppy farms. Dogs that no one else can take, and who depend entirely on us to survive or they could be at-risk of being put to sleep.

It’s not our fault as a rescue that these dogs need our help, but the burden falls on us, and it’s an increasingly heavy burden. The majority of the dogs have been deliberately abandoned. We have already asked other rescues to step in but there is simply no capacity or resources, the whole sector is under pressure. We receive no statutory funding for this work. As you can see from the photos of the of the dogs that came over in the past few weeks, many of them have health issues and we have also seen a large increase in dogs arriving with infectious diseases, meaning they need more complex and expensive care.  

We’ve shared our joy with you through our TV show Tails from the Shelter — the wagging tails, the new beginnings, the second chances. But what the cameras don’t show is our struggle to survive, the sleepless nights, the heartache, and the very real fear that we won’t make it through this storm. 

We’re not giving up, not without a fight. But we can’t do this alone. We need you.  

Please, donate to our Crisis Appeal today. Help us keep the doors open to the dogs who have no one else. Help us keep our promise to never give up on the strays who need us most. 

This isn’t just about a short-term fix, your support will help us survive today and safeguard our future against rising costs. 

Donate. Share. Stand with us. 

Because without you, hope may run out.