I'm posting this on behalf of my sister (Christine) and nephew (Kian). They regularly undertake charity events organised by the Endurance Charity Challenges group. For this latest challenge (due to finish on December 31st) they were allowed to select their own charity and Kian chose the German Shepherd Dog Welfare Fund - a charity where I volunteer, and who rescued the dog I adopted last year - Wellington. 

Kian takes after his mum and loves horse riding - it's a good job really as there's a lot of it in this challenge! To complete the challenge, 9 year old Kian must cover 75 miles of hacking/riding and finish 15 hours of groundwork. This doesn't all need to be done at once, but needs to be done before the end of the year - although they're hoping to be done a bit earlier so the dogs will have an early Christmas present. 

Mum will accompany him with tips, encouragement, and ice cream apparently. She'll also keep us updated on how Kian is doing, and we all hope to raise lots of money for all the dogs in the GSD Welfare Fund's Care.

Currently the charity has over 100 dogs in it's care, far more than at any time since its formation in 1975. 20% of those dogs are in permanent care because they are not suitable for rehoming either through complex health issues, or behavioural problems. We don't believe in putting down a dog unless absolutely necessary, and certainly not because they can't find a forever home. We believe that all dogs deserve a decent life, and not the one's many endure before rescue.