This is a scheme that is mainly aimed for dogs with severe behavioural problems. These are the dogs that show aggression for whatever reason, and just need somewhere to relax. A lot of these problems have been caused by people, and by giving these dogs a large area (converted stables) we give them their space and the respect they deserve, whilst gently introducing them back humans and other dogs. It’s often a slow long process, but we ensure we don’t rush the dogs, and everything is done at their pace. The facilities we are using is a farm, with beautiful walks and scenery, and it is a very relaxed setting. They are with us for the remainder of their days, so there really is no rush or need to force issues.
As you can imagine this is a massive commitment for us, as we are paying for these dogs upkeep for the remainder of their lives. We currently pay £5 per dog per day, and at the minute have two dogs, Harlie and Scooby, on this scheme. It is hard for us to calculate figures on how many dogs we can take on this scheme, because at the minute we are running it alongside our usual re-homing. We would love to offer this to a great deal more dogs that lose their lives simply because there is no refuge for them. We are appealing to you for funding to help with this scheme, and to give more of these dogs some good memories rather than a vet’s needle.
As well as dogs with behavioural issues, we also take in those with life long medical problems. For example we have had a German Shepherd and a Rottweiler suffering from CDRM and a German Shepherd with severe skin conditions, all of which have found wonderful families willing to give these dogs a home despite their conditions. Taking on dogs with such debilitating health issues means expensive vets bills and as such SHAK will provide full rescue back up in terms of covering these vets’ costs. We believe that once a dog comes to SHAK, that it becomes a SHAK dog for life, and it is our duty to find them both the perfect home and the best treatment possible.
The cost of this scheme has been taken from our usual re-homing fund, and we are appealing to you for support in providing a fund for the medical bills these dogs create. It is our dream to have a separate fund solely for “Forever Foster” dogs, and I’m sure you can appreciate that despite not being able to predict an exact figure that we will need, every penny is a valuable contribution.