Double Donations Week - 2 weeks to go!
We are now just two weeks away from Double Donations Week! From the 29th of November until the 5th of December, all your donations will be DOUBLED to help towards keeping our animals warm, happy, and healthy this Christmas.
Donations for our NAWT Bedfordshire centre are more crucial than ever, as the current animal facilities are slowly falling apart, becoming unsalvageable, and are in desperate need of your help.
For the past 50 years, the centre has been a lifeline to thousands of homeless dogs who would have otherwise faced an uncertain future, frightened, vulnerable, and alone. Due to the poor condition of our existing dog kennels, we can currently only care for a maximum of 4 dogs at a time, which makes it very difficult when we frequently receive calls to help the stray, abandoned and unwanted animals in and around Bedfordshire.
Nala, a Dutch Shepherd, came into us back at the start of the year due to her current owner being no longer able to cope with her difficult behaviour.
We spent a lot of time working with Nala, who would guard everything around her, making it very difficult for us to responsibly house her into a family home. Being under a year old, she was very young and intelligent, and it became very clear that she thrived when her mind was kept busy.
We were so desperate to find a safe solution for Nala, as her future was now put into jeopardy. Numerous calls were made to various police departments, security companies, search and rescue organisations, the army and breed specialists to try and provide her with the lifestyle she required.
Eventually, our efforts paid off when the dog handling unit at our local police force agreed to meet her at our centre. We all held our breath as they carried out their initial assessments, and we were able to let out a huge sigh of relief when they confirmed she possessed the skills and intelligence they were looking for.
Nala is now thriving as she trains to join the Dog Unit as PD Nala, and we couldn’t be more pleased for her. But it is very concerning to think what could have happened, if we weren’t there to recognise her needs and provide a safe place for her before she headed off to her forever home.
A large sum of money has been pledged to NAWT Bedfordshire by a group of funders to create a matched funding campaign, which aims to raise £100,000 towards a brand-new kennel block. This money can be used to DOUBLE EVERY DONATION the charity receives between 29th November and 5th December 2022. For example, if you donate £5 during this Double Donations Week it will be worth £10 at no extra cost to you.
The new kennel block we hope to install, with your help, will have ten purpose-built kennels. These kennels will meet appropriate welfare standards, and hold double the capacity, to start helping some of the 55 dogs currently on their waiting list.
With so many homeless dogs waiting, it is imperative these new kennels are built to house them as soon as possible. The waiting list is only going to grow over the coming months as the cost-of-living crisis impacts on pet owners.
Please give what you can to ensure that our much-needed Bedfordshire centre remains a part of the community, and so the new kennel block can continue to keep dogs like Nala warm and safe this Christmas.
Whilst the organisational focus for this year's matched funding campaign is a new kennel block at our Bedfordshire centre, our Berkshire, Cornwall, Essex, and Hertfordshire centres also have their own campaigns you can support during Double Donations Week. Should you wish to support your local centre, please follow their individual Facebook pages for more information.
Don’t forget, any donation you make between 29th November and 5th December will be DOUBLED, at no extra cost to you. It’s heart-warming to know, that by donating during Double Donations Week, your money will go even further and have DOUBLE the impact.