Annie fans won’t have failed to notice that we give a lot of support to Doris Banham Dog Rescue. So how did that come about? And what kind of support do they need?
In early 2019, we were approached by a volunteer for Doris Banham, asking for a raffle prize. We thought this was a lovely idea, to support an animal rescue charity and we knew that our customers would get behind us. Since them we have supported them regularly with prizes and donations.
This year we worked together to produce our Puppy Pops. The charity had been approached a few times about wedding favours that would include a much needed donation. We came up with the Puppy Pops but decided to make them available to everyone so they are listed on our website. At just £1 each, they are a perfect little present for children and adults alike and taste all the better for knowing that 30p from the sale of each one is paid directly to the charity. Every ten sold pays for a night’s kennelling.
So who are Doris Banham Dog Resuce? The charity was founded in 2001 by Trudie James, in memory of her mum Doris. Trudie says “When she died in 2001 I set up Doris Banham Dog Rescue to honour her memory and to encompass all her wonderful qualities, in particular her unconditional love and care for the most vulnerable creatures – and who is more vulnerable than the forgotten pound dog, not visible on our streets but suffering and dying behind closed doors, hidden from public view?”
The dogs in the council pounds only have seven days to be claimed or rehomed or they are put to sleep. It’s a horrible reality but local authorities don’t have the resources to keep them all indefinitely. They may be strays, lost without microchips or abandoned due to growing medical needs. DBDR will collect as many as they can on their ‘final’ day and take care of them until they can be found a loving forever home.
It’s a costly business, which is why we do our bit to support the charity – they receive no central funding and rely purely on donations – the volunteers take no expenses and more often than not they are putting their hands in their own pockets to pay for things like food and vet bills.
But over the years, the lives of more than 15,000 dogs have been saved! Each of these beautiful creatures has been rescued at the 11th hour and taken cake of with love and kindness by the amazing volunteers that run the kennels. They often devote themselves round the clock for needy animals and they do this with the kindness of their oversized hearts.
We would like to take all the dogs home – but that’s not possible so we help in other ways. You can find out more about Doris Banham Dog Rescue by visiting their website. If you can find it in your heart to sponsor a kennel, even if only for a few nights, it makes a difference. You can also help by checking to see if your ink cartridges can be recycled or maybe signing up to the ecard service.
At Annie’s, we are proud to help save lives like Teddy’s – who still needs to find his forever home…
