Hi my name is Mark. This is my Christmas Tail................

My dog, Buddy (a 10 month old Spaniel), spent two months at the Snowdonia Animal Sanctuary in 2016 as he was displaying serious behavioural problems, I was unable to cope and made the decision to find someone who would help to rehome him.

Buddy out with one of the volunteers on a walk

It was absolutely heart-breaking to give him up. I would say it was one of the hardest times in my life (to-date).

However, this distressing experience led me to the Snowdonia Animal Sanctuary and to an incredible lady called, Anne Du Berry.  Anne has run the santuary since 2002, there are currently over 50 dogs in her care, they all get regular walks and time in the paddock to play and socialise.

Anne is an expert in dog bevaviour and can communicate and work with dogs that everyone else has given up on. I have seen first hand the remarkable turn around in each dog's behaiour. 

Anne does this on her own with the help of one part-time employee and a small group of dedicated volunteers. She has done this for the last 14 years, come rain or shine. She has re-trained and re-homed 100s of dogs, ensuring they go on to have the best life possible.

Anne with Shloe who has just found his forever home.

Over the two months Buddy was at the sanctuary I drove up on weekends to see him - Anne also had to deal with me calling every day to find out how he was!

Through my visits I got to see first-hand the amazing job that Anne and her team do - its truly hard work, its a 24/7 vocation - in the winter months its particularly hard.  Anne works from 7am to 7pm and is reliant on a few loyal AMAZING volunteers.

Its also financially challenging and I know if we don’t support Anne and sanctuary now,  then more and more dogs will have to be turned away in the future. The sanctuary is totally reliant on donations to survive.

Why donate to this appeal?

I know that every penny donated goes towards food, bedding, kennels etc. It all goes on supporting the dogs - there is no fundraising team, no admin, no finance department, no Chief Exec!

Having spent 15 years working in the charity sector I understand it’s hard to always evidence how the money is spent (overheads etc) and how frustrating it can be when as a funder you can't be sure where your donation is going.
 
Well, the greatest thing about donating to the Snowdonia Animal Sanctuary is that I can guarantee that EVERY penny will go directly to the dogs in Anne's care.

We really need your help....

Some of the dogs she takes in may never be able to move on. Anne works to rehabilitate them so that they can join the pack and stay at the sanctuary permanently.

Anne relies on help from volunteers to carry out maintenance work on the kennels and communal areas, but this is all dependent on volunteers availability and Anne often has to carry out the repairs herself.

Anne’s main priority for the next six months is refurbishing the kennels. It has been some year’s since they were last refurbished and they are in urgent need of an upgrade to ensure the dogs have the most comfortable stay whilst they are being re-trained and waiting to be re-homed.

My Christmas Tail has a happy ending........

Buddy came home with me last week and is currently curled up in his bed asleep - safe, warm and happy.

My view as I write this appeal :-)

Thanks to the support and training he received he is doing really well. He's a different dog. Without Anne I would have probably lost Buddy forever and I am eternally grateful!

With your help and generosity I would like to help raise £5,000 for Snowdonia Animal Sanctuary to ensure the 50+ dogs are warm, safe and comfortable until they are able to go onto their next adventure.

I would love it if you could support this appeal so that we can help Anne give the dogs in her care a lovely Christmas and good start to the New Year.

Thank you and Merry Christmas

Mark
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