Hi everyone,

We are trying to raise enough money to bring a stray little abandoned puppy home from India. Please read on for the story from my daughter.

I found Lola when myself and my friends were riding a scooter through Hampi's countryside. She was a tiny little thing crying on the side of the road when we stopped. She was covered in thick mud and dirt, her skin was damaged. She was a mess and at huge risk being so small and on the crazy roads in India. Eventually we took her with us. She slept in my arms for hours as she was weak and extremely skinny. When I got back to the hostel I gave her some food and water and made her a little bed. Already by this point I was known as this crazy backpacker who is caring for a dog. The local Indians didn't understand at all, dogs are stray animals and are unloved over there as they are in many other places in the world.

I tried desperately to find her a loving home. She would have made a great guesthouse, hostel dog where she could interact with westerners who would give her love as well as having a home to go too. However that didn't work out and the locals do not think the same as westerners when it comes to dogs and pets. I let Lola free on the street at one point, I thought to myself I have to let her go and learn how to be a street dog without me. 10 minutes later and a local guy came to find me to tell me that other people were throwing stones at her and that i should go get her as she wont survive. That was the turning point for me. I could not leave her here, she is too young and doesn't understand or have any guidance on being a street dog.

After researching animal rescue centres I found one in Goa. So I became even more of a crazy dog lady and took Lola on a 10 hour bus journey. The tuk tuk driver who dropped us off at the bus stop told the drivers we had a dog. So as we sat on the bus we got surrounded by 3/4 guys shining torches at us and our bags and asking if we had a dog. We denied it for the whole trip, they kept checking us and under the seats, as well as checking all the other westerners on the bus. They told us if they found a dog we would be kicked off the bus in the middle of nowhere in India in the middle of the night. They even threatened the police doing a check of the bus. However despite me being a nervous wreck, my friend was amazing even though he thought I was totally crazy with this idea. Lola was amazing, she didn't go to the toilet on the bus and slept the whole way, her only request was to have her head out so she could see. She was black so she blended in so well with the dark bus. A nervous, sleepless journey for me but such a relief when we arrived in Goa.

I took Lola to The Animal Rescue Centre (ARC). They were expecting her as I was in contact with them. The centre was overwhelming, infact this whole experience has been. The rescue centre has so many cats, dogs and one beautiful little calf Bella. The extraordinary work at the centre is completed from a handful of paid staff and the rest is done through volunteers. The money to run the centre is purely through donations which is leaving them understaffed and under resourced for the amount of animals that need the help. Poor animals are thrown over the fence overnight and left with injuries that are too upsetting to think about. Please check out The Animal Rescue Centre page and have a look at the amazing work the staff and volunteers do and feel free to donate money, food or resources. (Animal rescue centre, canacona, south goa)

I am looking to raise £1800 which is the total cost to bring Lola back to the UK where she can live a happy life. This includes all of her injections, quarantine, passport, crate to travel in as well as her airfare. The animals at the centre in India rarely get re-homed as they are not seen as pets, this means they grow up in the centre or go off and become stray. I understand that the world is full of stray, unloved animals and I know I cannot help them all. I have fallen in love and done such a huge part of a journey to rescue one little puppy and I would love to finish the job, however I am coming to the end of my travels and funds are extremely low. I am simply asking for a small donation to help towards the final costs!

If you do not agree with donating or are not in a position please check out the work that the Animal Rescue Centre, Canacona, South Goa do and donate some resources, food, money or even just promote the page to help keep the amazing work going.