BALTOS dog rescue

We are in trouble

We have been operating as a rescue for almost 10 years now and have been involved in the rescue and life time care, and support for hundreds of dogs. We have never shied away from taking the ‘difficult’ ones, the ones that everyone else had said no to.

The majority of our dogs have gone on to have happy fulfilled lives in the traditional sense, some we ultimately purchased sanctuary space for and there are the few we can’t safely rehome but are living the best we can provide for them.

But what do you do when you can no longer provide that life?

I could talk about how the world has changed over the last few years, the decision of helping the ‘difficult’ ones have gone, indeed the days of helping any dog at all are potentially over.

For me life changed dramatically 3 years ago, diagnosed with cancer followed by 2.5 years of treatment, surgeries, loss of the ability to speak or eat. 2 major reconstructive surgeries, feeding tubes, life of painkillers and the death of my mum, well let’s just say it changes things. I don’t fear death half as much as I fear my life currently.

When I got really sick the amazing Wendy took over the reins of Balto, I’m still here when I can stay awake long enough to be of any help! But Wendy is the one, Wendy herself isn’t in great health, kidney failure does that to you, but she is a warrior, never complains, never backs down and never hides from anything.

Until now

When your best mate in the world calls you but doesn’t speak and you can hear the sound of sobbing that’s a truly scarey thing. But it’s been coming for a while. Everything ultimately lands on Wendy, the buck has to stop somewhere and Wendy is our somewhere.

Our basic running costs without vet bills stands at over £3K a month. This is to fund some of our longer-term dogs like Koda, Rupert, Blue, Mollie, Copper, Pookah and now Hector again ☹ who has been let down spectacularly by his foster, though no fault of his own.

Rupert has been in our care since November 2018, a baby when we took him, already so badly damaged by humans he can never live in a home. We tried, we funded him through rehab for nearly 2 years but sadly there’s no undoing the damage done to our beautiful boy. But he’s happy where he is, he lives his life in a way that suits him and he loves Ellie and David and the team at Abbey Boarding Kennels.

But we don’t have much of an income, we receive £40 in regular standing orders but it’s no where near enough.

Day after day we see GoFundMe’s popping up fundraising for privately rehomed dogs that raise thousands. There’s no doubt that’s affecting registered rescues, not just us. We put up a fundraiser and we raise a fraction of what these GoFundMe’s raise.

Wendy has managed to keep up with the majority of bills to date and the fundraising team on our group have been working hard to raise funds but could do with much more support.

I could talk about the unrealistic expectations of foster homes, about the way society seems to see mans best friend as disposable, about the dogs we see killed daily because there are no rescue spaces. Balto was my dream but its like the world is saying ‘FxxK your dream’ and the dogs along with it.

We are now out of options to pay our bills. What do you do when the only option is unthinkable? Where do you go when there are no pieces of your heart left to be broken.

I repeatedly think if the dogs have to go they won’t go alone, I will go with them. We have always said no dog in our care fights alone they are our family and you simply don’t abandon your family in this life or next.

I’m sorry if this is long but right now we are done and I don’t know how to get undone.

I don’t want to have my friend crying, I don’t want to see the faces of anyore dogs abandoned and facing death in the pound and above all I don’t want to let down any of our dogs but most especially Rupert (pictured). Rupert is Balto, he is everything we have always stood for, without us and his Sanctuary family he has no options.

I have ten days to raise around £5,000 this will get us through this month as we have emergency vet bills including Stars, which is over £500. We are hoping to get a grant in the next six weeks which will buy us breathing space and a kind of peace. And it will help us to help more dogs once we get through this.

We could set up a GoFundMe but neither of us know how, we could set up a Donate button but it takes 45 days for the funds to come through and we need help now.

If you can help us, no matter how small in our hour of need we would be so grateful.

Bank details in the cover photo, paypal is [email redacted]. We will also accept pledges towards vet bills.