Ian Dunn, GAP Vehicle Hire, Major Account Manager and his friend Ian Wright are going to cycle from the southern most GAP Vehicle hire branch in Tilbury to the northern most GAP Vehicle Hire branch in Glasgow.  That's 457 miles!!  They are carrying everything they need with them, including their accommodation.  Yes, they are camping en route.  If you want to see the route they are taking please use this link - 

https://www.komoot.com/tour/209419589

They have been inspired by the incredible work done by Happy Paws.  Steve Lees, the Chief Exec for Blue Square Utilities, a keen supporter of HP was discussing his own 4 rescue dogs (pictures in the gallery because he cant stop showing them off) with Ian and mentioned HP.  Ian decided there and then to do something to help.

In these difficult times it is easy to forget that animal cruelty and neglect continue and HP have continued to rescue and recuperate animals from Turkey as well as funding and organising a feeding program for dogs still on the streets.

Below is a story of 2 lucky souls rescued by HP.

Happy Paws – The Dervis and Duncan story

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the
way its animals are treated” – Gandhi

The human race can be cruel, if you don’t believe me now, you will when
you have finished reading this.  I make no apologies for the distress this might cause you; everyone should see the depths our so call civilised race will stoop to.  There is a happy ending though…..

I would like to introduce to you, Lisa, Dervis and Duncan.  Only one is human, the other 2 just think they are now! Please look at the gallery to meet both Dervis and Duncan, before and after!!

Lisa Smart is the founder of Happy Paws Puppy Rescue and she embodies compassion and couples it with tenacity to get things done.  Lisa always tells people that it is a team effort and she is right; however, every great team has an inspirational leader, Lisa is it.  But enough of us humans………………………………………

Meet Dervis and Duncan, two incredible Golden retrievers; This is their
story ( there are before and after pictures in the gallery:

Dervis is a golden retriever and was unlucky enough to be born where as
a dog he has no standing in society and stood a fair chance of being neglected and abused.  We don’t know his back story, so he may have experienced love and attention at some point in his life.  However, Happy Paws found him a public pound where he had been left to die.

He was in a pen with other more aggressive dogs and he simply could not fight for the little food that was given to them.  He was starving to death, just imagine that.  Firstly abandoned, then found, then left to starve.  Some race of people us humans eh!!

Happy Paws acted fast and got him out of that hell hole and to safety,
but it was a very long and slow road to get him back to full health.  He went to one of our foster homes and spent time with vets learning how to eat again. The vets indicated that he was about 24 hours away from death when we rescued him. In total the charity spend £5,000 on his recovery and recuperation and we have managed to find a fantastic forever home in the UK for Dervis to spend the rest of his life.

Duncan was in real trouble when by a stroke of luck his world collided with Happy paws.  He was found tied up on a short chain with no access to water or food. Please think about that.  He wasn’t abandoned, someone was keeping in this state!!  As a healthy male golden Duncan should weigh about 35kg, when we rescued him he was less than half that. His list of problems was huge, these are just some: a skin infection, eye infection, ear infections, kennel cough. He was quite simply at deaths door. He was rushed to a vet and again, similar to Dervis received the very best care the charity could provide. Living in a foster home he slowly made his recovery and he is now a very different dog. The charity doesn’t like to think about how much was spent on his recovery, but it was worth every penny. There is a lovely twist at the end of Duncan's story and it links back to our founder, Lisa. She was so taken by Duncans story and his sheer will to live that she adopted him and he now lives with his two sisters Molly and Maisie. Duncan was one of the worst cruelty cases the charity has ever witnessed but in true Happy Paws style he was given his chance at a happy and healthy life and this is exactly what he has now.

There are many more Dervis and Duncan's out there that need our help and your donation will make a difference to a another lost soul.  Please give generousley.