Thanks for visiting my JustGiving page. A quick preamble ...

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. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Now the main course!

On 29 March 2020 I'll be running the London Landmarks Half Marathon 2020 to raise funds to help Dogs Trust continue its amazing work - an incredible range of programmes and campaigns, all with dog welfare at its heart.

Originally the Canine Defence League, formed in 1891 and rebranded in 2003 as Dogs Trust, they have an incredible range of hands-on and educational initiatives, carried out with great dedication and skill.

Dogs Trust care for over 15,000 dogs each year through a network of 20 rehoming centres in the UK (many are rehomed after 40 days) and have been involved in every piece of legislation affecting dogs over the past 126 years. Their mission is to bring about the day when all dogs can enjoy a happy life, free from the threat of unnecessary destruction. They never destroy a healthy dog in their care.

Dogs Trust's microchipping and neutering programmes have been running for over 20 years and have catered for nearly 2 million dogs between them. Their Dog School teaches 1800 dogs weekly, practicing reward-based methods. They reach out to inform and educate children about dogs and rolled out over 14,000 school workshops in 2018.

Dogs Trust has supported projects in over 30 countries, including partnership with the Mission Rabies vaccination programme, and are active in countering the trade in illegally imported puppies. Their Freedom and Hope projects respectively foster pets from families escaping domestic abuse and assist dog owners who are homeless or in housing crisis.

Our interest was given an extra boost by our fabulous dog friend, a terrier mix with a huge and wonderful personality, whom we've looked after a lot over the years and whose photos you may see on this page (his owners said he'd be delighted!) - and who is, we all think, in his 18th year. He was a rescue.

And of course, as Stephen Baker wrote, in 1960 (How to Live with a Neurotic Dog), "We humans accept, on hearsay, the premise that 'dog is man's best friend' ... [the dog] knows that, if anything, the reverse is true - man is dog's best friend and as such has certain responsibilities towards his pet."

If you can help with a contribution towards my target (and beyond), that will ensure that Dogs Trust can continue its vital work, caring for dogs from all kinds of situations and in furthering understanding in future generations.

Geoff