Paws on the Shore Fundraising Walk…safe to say, a success

Photo courtesy of Mike Jackson

Yesterday we spent the day down at Rye Harbour Nature Reserve walking 6 miles for our fundraising event, Paws on the Shore. We were joined by lots of dogs and owners as you can see here. The majority of dogs are rescues with varying backgrounds but mainly from puppy farms, either ex-breeders or once dumped, sick puppies, or in the case of special tripawd boy Martie, a stud dog in a puppy farm. There were other dogs who are delightfully, beautifully “normal”, including standard schnauzer Gus, who at just over four months was the baby of the day.

Photo courtesy of Mike Jackson

 I personally found it incredibly moving to see the damaged dogs that have survived the cruelty and neglect that humans have in the past dished out to them, come and enjoy their day, in all their various stages of health, both physically and psychologically.

The walk has raised well over £400 for the Diana Brimblecombe Animal Rescue Centre which is incredible and something I am quite taken aback by. When I suggested it, I hoped to reach £100 I have been delighted to see people’s generosity and support for DBARC. It’s an amazingly dedicated independent rescue that although small, does phenomenal work for the animals in their care, including three years ago, Susie-Belle. Several members of the DBARC team of volunteers and staff came along yesterday, which was a long way for them to travel from Berkshire, almost 3 hours driving in some cases.

Janet, Susie-Belle’s foster-mum and manager of DBARC brought her current foster girl out for what must be her best, big day out of her life yet….the delightful Tammy is up for adoption and I’ve no doubt she’ll soon find her perfect home, she is a complete doll….

 Janet and Donna surrounded by ex-puppy farm victims, now living wonderful, happy lives with them…

 

Julie was one of the first people I met at DBARC three years ago on my first visit to see Susie-Belle and I remember her gorgeous dogs well, again, puppy farm survivors; little Gracie and Harley with a heart murmur, very poorly when first fostered by Janet. Now, living a superb life with Julie and her family and recently joined by puppy Logan, dumped by his breeder as he too has a heart murmur:

Photo courtesy of Mike Jackson

Photo courtesy of Mike Jackson

Photo courtesy of Mike Jackson

Logan pursuing his new love of the moment, Susie-belle’s sister, Renae

Julie’s daughter, Tasha. Photo courtesy of Mike Jackson

Our friend Zoe, with her beautiful Bella, who was fostered for a short while with Susie-Belle, Bella has similar health issues to Susie-Belle, cataracts, dry-eye and recently her hips have been giving her trouble, all very common, painful, awful problems in puppy farm survivors. Thankfully, Bella is getting the best possible care, and masses of love with Zoe and Richard, and has been joined by Woody, once a blind puppy, now with restored eye-sight following recent cataract surgery:

Zoe is soon undertaking a lot tougher walk than we did yesterday, raising money for Many Tears Animal Rescue and DBARC – she is quite staggeringly going to walk 100k in a day, well, a day and night I suspect. If anyone has a few pounds to donate, I know she would greatly appreciate it, her fundraising page is here.

As well as the DBARC dogs, there were others who came along with various backgrounds. It was great to finally meet people and their dogs who I’ve been in touch with online. Like the wonderful Dexter and Dolly – Dolly has only recently left the puppy farm, the evidence of her last litter is clear as she shows in this profile shot:

Photos courtesy of Mike Jackson

Dexter has been a terrific brother to Dolly, showing her the way to be a normal dog, helping her put her fears and past well behind her. She really has a wonderful future now, safely away from those who used her to make money. Dolly and Dexter live close to Rye and regularly meet Heather, another special, kind person, who has given a home to her 4 puppy farm survivors, one of whom has been with her 6 years, yet remains deeply traumatised by her past abuse. Despite the failing health of two of her elderly girls, they all came out and enjoyed the day, along with Heather’s beautiful whippet/greyhound who was found as a stray a few years back – it was fantastic to be joined by them all:

Susie-Belle and Twinkle both managed a fair portion of the walk, although Susie-Belle did make good use of both my arms and her buggy……

It does look as though Twinkle’s shoulder injury is well and truly on the way to being fully healed, she showed no ill-effects yesterday of walking, although to be on the safe side she stayed and rested with Michel and Susie-Belle whilst we walked on farther…

Although the day was hot, down on the shoreline, it was cooled by a gentle breeze and the sea gave some welcome respite from the heat.

Photo courtesy of Mike Jackson

Then, after walking for a good couple of hours or so, just when you would have thought tiredness might overcome any enthusiasm for wrestling, Renae and Boris, Mike and Sharon’s rather cute young boy, decided they had some energy for a bit of a wrestle:

Photos courtesy of Mike Jackson

It was really a superb day out on so many levels. Seeing the dogs who have been hurt and damaged by humans, get on and enjoy their lives now is humbling. Dogs can bring out the best in people, if only people allow themselves to see their beauty and give them a chance. Looking at the dogs with their various problems, some severe, some less so, all caused by the neglect, cruelty and greed of humans, it would be easy to feel despair and sadness at a world where people can do this, but that is not how I felt at all yesterday. I was buoyed by the warmth and support shown to these dogs, and the depths of kindness that everyone yesterday showed, not least by coming along and through the donations that people who couldn’t come have still felt moved to make. I warmly thank everyone and hope those who came, slept well, we certainly did.