This was posted Facebook. I feel I have to post this on here, as it sums up what an impression these dogs that have been discarded and written off by people can have when you give them time. Thanks Claire Dalgarno-Todd:
Anyone who knows me will know I'm a big fan of dogs, especially big dogs. I first found out about SHAK after seeing posters & flags from a caravan stood on the driveway of a house at the beach (where I walk my dogs). This guy raises money selling tea & coffee to dog walkers every weekend & all proceeds go to SHAK. I went home & goo...gled SHAK only to be heart broken by some of the things I read. Let me just try & briefly tell you about this amazing charity. Shak was founded by one guy with a HUGE heart, this guy is Stephen Wylie. Stephen has rescued hundreds of dogs from being abused or just dumped on the streets by their owners to fend for them selves. He drives the length & breadth of the country rescuing these dogs, some which have been used as bating dogs for organised dog fighting, some on death row ready to be destroyed. Shak's ethos is to give them another chance, to give them hope & a life of kindness.
Shak has survived on public donations & no doubt Stephen's own personal funds. It is just a small charity but is growing at a nice pace where the public are becoming more & more aware thanks to TV & radio broadcasts. This doesn't mean to say they still dont need as much help as possible, even just the smallest of donations is always welcome & can help toward feeding & vets fees for these beautiful animals.
I first met with Stephen last year & arranged to meet some of the dogs & photograph them. I found that all these dogs want is to be loved & played with. Give them a ball & they'll play for hours. I was told some disturbing stories about some of the dogs that really do make you wonder how some people are ever allowed to own a pet. On my second visit I met a little bull type girl who had been used as a bating dog for dogs fights, she was so nervous & scared from past bites, thankfully after a little love from Stephen & the other volunteers she has come out of her shell & quite a happy little thing now.
There are some happy ending stories as some of the dogs after rehabilitation find forever foster homes :o)
But without the help of the public this charity could not survive. There are many animal charities out there but this one really does need our help. Every penny raised goes straight into the cost to keep these dogs alive, Shak doesn't have TV adverts with HUGE costs or billboard posters again with HUGE costs, or even monthly letters, postcards & little fluffy stuffed toys sent out to sponsors.........ALL money goes into the charity to keep the dogs.
This September my husband & I are going to bike the Coast to Coast challenge to raise money for Shak, currently we dont have a sponsor page as yet set up but keep checking back for it, or if you visit Shak's website you can donate direct to help keep another pooch from death row.
Thank you for taking the time to read about Shak.
Claire x