Both Dumfries and Galloway Canine Rescue Centre at Glencaple and the Greyhound Trust in Lockerbie have been seriously affected by the pandemic and have had to make crucial decisions to make sure the animals they take care of will still receive the same treatment.
Several changes have been brought in by Canine Rescue to prevent the spread of the virus, including cancelling their open tours until further notice, as well as their birthday celebrations which were due to take place last Sunday. They have also postponed their Fun Day Dog Show which is scheduled to take place on Saturday August 22. The charity is using social media platforms to stay in touch with their members and are looking to lift spirits by asking people to send in photos and stories of their dogs.
Similar problems are facing the Greyhound Trust, managed by Mandy Bleasdale. She is currently caring for 17 greyhounds and has put a halt to rehoming while the national lockdown continues. Furthermore, she has shut the charity’s shop in Moffat, Alfie’s Dream, which only opened last year, and has seen their fundraisers all called off.
Mandy said: “I have worked for this trust and another one for over ten years and this is by far the most challenging situation that we face. “Luckily the dogs are all doing fine and we managed to rehome seven of them before lockdown was put into place, which included Ruby who had been with the Trust for three years.”
However, she has been delighted at people’s generosity following an appeal for donations of dog food. She said: “The food store cupboard is completely packed, we have enough food for the next two months, I’m so impressed. “I would like to say a massive thank you to the people of Dumfries and Galloway and the rest of Scotland who have donated food to us. It is very much appreciated.” Meanwhile, although the boarding service is closed, Mandy is still prepared to take in emergencies and expects to be busy, adding: “I would say in the next three weeks we may get emergency dogs coming our way.”
