New van helps drive dog rescues
(L-R) Caroline Johnston, Paula Blane and Paula Wythe by new van with rescued dogs Uri and Vader
(CNS Local Life): Canines rescued by One Dog at a Time (ODAAT) can now ride in style thanks to the purchase of a van funded by various sponsors. The group, which started four years ago and is run solely by volunteers, relies heavily on public support and various fundraisers to operate, as it awaits approval of its application for charity status.
Mike Laurenson, one of ODAAT’s main supporters and the owner of Elite Marble and Granite, stepped in with an injection of cash to help purchase the van. In addition, ODAAT member Lucy Ann Brewer ran the half marathon last year, picking up sponsorship on behalf of the organisation.
The van is used to collect donations to the group’s fundraising efforts, and transfer rescue dogs to their foster homes and to the airport if they are being sent to rescue partners in Canada or the US.
Paula Wythe, one of ODAAT’s founders, said, “When we started, we managed to rescue 20 dogs in the first year. Now, in year four in just April we are at 55 dogs rescued. We can only do it with the support of the public.”
Caroline Johnston, who joined the group more than three years ago, is a regular foster mum. “I love dogs and I always think, if you have one dog, why not have more?” she said. “I often have two or three foster dogs and puppies at my house, as well as three of my own, as we have plenty of space for them all to play and run around. It allows us to place the perfect dog with the ideal family as we know and live with the dogs we rescue.”
The group is always looking for new foster families to help with the dogs, and everything is provided.
If members of the public are flying to New York, with just two weeks notice ODAAT can organise dogs to fly. “The process is simple,” said Paula Blane, another founder. “We meet the flyer at the airport, we check the dogs in and ensure that they are on the plane. “At the other end, a porter will bring the dogs to our flyer from the cargo area and then help deliver them in their crates to the waiting contact in New York. The more dogs we fly, the more on Death Row that are saved.”
Category: Donations
This is wonderful.