Hope Rescue
Since 2005 Hope Rescue has been saving the lives of stray, abandoned and unwanted dogs that, through no fault of their own, need a second chance. We commit to take all the stray dogs from six Local Authorities in South Wales – Merthyr Tydfil, Torfaen, Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Vale of Glamorgan and Rhondda Cynon Taf – irrespective of their age, breed or medical condition. We also help owners in crisis who need to surrender their dogs, giving them peace of mind that their dogs will be rehomed responsibly.
We currently help around 800 dogs a year. As well as rehoming from our rescue centre, we also work with other rescues, including Blue Cross, Dogs Trust, to take our dogs. This enables us to significantly increase the number of dogs we can help.
In 2019, we helped 907 dogs, of which 569 were strays. Last year we were busier than ever, helping over 589 dogs, of which 199 were surrenders; when an owner must give up their dog due to changes in lifestyle, personal and financial commitments. We saw a significant rise in surrenders due to the pandemic.
Incredibly, since the first lockdown began at the end of March and despite all the challenges we faced, we still managed to rehome over 160 dogs. We had a massive 4571 adoption applications made compared to 1356 in 2019. We have more dogs in foster homes than ever before, enabling us to provide them with the best possible care.
The impact of the pandemic has been dramatic, with our rescue centre closed to the public and volunteers; our charity shop, still reeling from the effects of Storm Dennis, was closed and in need of a full refurbishment. With our fundraising events cancelled, the boarding kennels closed, and our shop out of action, we took a significant and immediate hit on our income, losing around £1,000 a day.
BRAVE’S STORY
Brave was found on a remote mountain road in Rhondda Cynon Taf by a member of the public on their way to work early in the morning. He was covered in thousands of maggots that were eating him alive. He was extremely weak and underweight with muscle wastage. Despite the odds being stacked against him, Brave has made an amazing recovery. His skin healed and he built up strength with a good diet, gentle exercise, physiotherapy and hydrotherapy. He is a wonderful, gentle chap who loves his home comforts. After recovering in one of our dedicated foster homes, he has now found his forever home – we love a happy ending!
To read more about Hope’s stories, please follow us on Facebook @HopeRescueWales Instagram @HopeRescueWales and Twitter @HopeRescue. To sign up to our newsletter please visit www.hoperescue.org.uk