We have kept our ‘Little and Large’ Appeal running to raise funds for dogs in our care that need expensive veterinary treatment. Although we are a little charity, we have a large heart and work hard to that save dogs from put to sleep or emergency situations, irrespective of breed, age, medical condition – or size!

The bills we face keep climbing as more and more cases come to us that need our help – we cannot turn them away as we are so often their last hope.

Some of the dogs that need help are only young, like little Sparkle who is only 13 weeks old. She has touched our hearts and we set up a special JustGiving page just for her. A deaf and blind puppy, Sparkle has yet more problems to overcome as she has now become quite poorly with some worrying symptoms, both physically and in her behaviour. She needs to be referred to a specialist neurologist and for an MRI scan. The bill is expected to be at least £1300 but we cannot give up until we’ve done everything we can for her.

Eva is a Westie and only 12 months old. She came to us after being surrendered at a vets. Poor Eva has been suffering from untreated allergies, with extensive hair loss and very sore skin. She is now receiving the treatment she needs and is safe in a Hope foster home. Eva has not been socialised with people or other dogs, so had clearly led a very lonely and miserable life before Hope.

Joey is another very sad case. He is an 8 year old German Shepherd Cross who came into our care very underweight and with badly matted fur. He was placed in a wonderful Hope foster home where he has been given a lot of TLC. Poor Joey has many health problems including partial deafness, severe arthritis, vestibular syndrome and a shadow on his lung that has recently been confirmed as cancer. After suffering such obvious neglect, he has found a loving foster family and will be given palliative care for as long as he has left. No expense will be spared to make sure that Joey has a happy and comfortable life, for however long that may be.

These are only 3 examples and are by no means exceptional. There is an obvious trend of dogs being abandoned or surrendered, as well as those taken to vets to be euthanised, because they have medical conditions that require costly treatment. This is placing an ever increasing burden on already stretched resources. Small charities like us find it increasingly difficult to find the money needed as we rely so heavily on the generosity of the public to fund our work. With so many dogs needing expert care, the cost implications are huge but we are committed to do everything we can to help the dogs that would otherwise have no chance at all.

No matter how small the donation, everything you can give will help the dogs - whether they be little or large!

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Thank you so much – the Hope dogs are so grateful for your support.