Helping animals and people

Have you been watching Crufts?   I just absolutely adored the flat coat retriever, Dublin - especially the way he was busy getting all the make-up off his handler and commentator Clare Baldwin afterwards. 

One of my favourite bits of Crufts which always moves me hugely is the Friends for Life competition.  Crufts says, " the competition celebrates heart-warming stories of friendship in adversity, and how humans and dogs transform and enrich each other’s lives."

This year, the competitors include dogs from Canine Partners, Folly, then there was Ellie-May who keeps residents at a care home happy, Clare and Pal,  and Amanda, Kyle and Miracle.

There's no doubt in my mind of the benefits our animal friends bring to us.  And  of how animals can help people in all sorts of ways.   If you'd like to get involved in helping with the charities which train assistance dogs, there's plenty to do! 

There are lots of charities which help people through training animals to help them.   One of my websites, Get Active with Animals, has a listing of some of them, so you can check all the charities out and find out all about them.  

Getting involved with assistance dog charities or organisations such as the Cinnamon Trust, the Donkey Sanctuary and Riding for the Disabled, gives you the chance to help people and animals at the same time. 

Get stuck in and lend a paw!

Can you knit or crochet? The Donkey Sanctuary needs you!

The Donkey Sanctuary is looking for volunteer knitters to knit Woolley Donkeys to help them with their fund-raising. 

The charity is an international animal welfare charity and aims to protect donkeys and mules and promote their welfare worldwide.  They have 29 project countries including the United Kingdom, Cyprus, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, Mexico and Spain. 

We've visited both the UK centre in Sidmouth and El Refugio del Burrito in Spain, and they are both amazing and well worth a visit.   They both take in rescue donkeys, some of whom arrive in pretty bad shape owing to the conditions they were kept in, and the Sanctuary works to care for the donkeys and bring them back to good health.  




If you're in Spain, do visit El Refugio del Burrito
and give the donkeys your support!

Woolley and his gorgeous knitted donkey friends have become more popular every year. They are knitted by supporters.  The Donkey Sanctuary then sells them in their visitors centre and online shop to help raise money to support the charity.

So if you can knit (or crochet for that matter), please get in touch with the Donkey Sanctuary.  One amazing supporter has knitted 100 Woolley donkeys!

And they are collecting used postage stamps - just send your used stamps in an envelope (please remember to put enough postage on to post them and mark it Used Stamps) to The Donkey Sanctuary, Sidmouth, Devon, EX10 0NU.