One Dog at a Time: Saving the Strays of Helmand

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At Bradshaw’s, we decided that change was overdue in the dog food market and we needed to take what we were good at and make it into something very special indeed.. we want our food to reflect our values. Our model is to create a sustainable stream of giving that helps to feed street dogs around the world by simply feeding our own dogs. Having lost both our beloved dogs a little over two years ago, just five weeks between their passing, we came across 1 Dog At A Time Rescue UK on Facebook. Instantly the decision was made that now was the time to bring another dog into the family, and seeing all the dogs needing a new life; it was pretty much a no-brainer that we didn’t need to look anywhere else. I did not imagine for one minute that all this was going to evolve when I started looking for an older dog (I love the oldies) In 2012 I had just joined Facebook and was mooching around when I saw an old boy who looked a little like my soul dog Dillie. He was from Romania and I had just missed out on adopting him. I had no idea about all the cruelty over there and the plight of the street dogs. I have seen many street dogs on my journeys around the world but none so obviously loathed and treated as vermin. I started to read and became completely determined to help one of these poor souls.

Time was getting closer, and this was when we joined the transport chat; this was a big help as we got to know others in the same boat as we were. Reggie’s people had dropped out, and we were asked to foster him; of course we would; he was and still is beautiful. As the days went by, they grew in both confidence and size. At this point, we were asked about Reggie’s behaviour and habits for those inquiring about adopting him. OH NO, no one is having our Reggie. Yes, we adopted him too! We were now failed fosterers and very proud of it. Lots of people told me to be very careful about Romanian rescue ‘charities’ and the types of dog they would be rehoming. He still barked, but it was less aggressive and more inquisitive. But he’s a big dog, and we had to appreciate some people passing will misunderstand him, so we protect him from them rather than the other way around. People will misunderstand their behaviour – their problem, not yours Lesson 4 Fourteen-month-old Percy arrived in July. He has the sweetest temperament you could imagine. He was such a dream we also got six-month-old Millie in October. She is full of mischievous energy and affection. We have been fortunate to have encountered few issues but know that a wealth of expertise and experience would be on hand if required.Due to the war in the Ukraine, DEFRA temporarily suspended Romanian dogs entering the UK. This was put in place in April and has only just lifted. My first Romanian rescue was my big boy Fozzy. A plea appeared one night on Facebook to help; he had been poisoned and beaten. Try as I might I could not get him out of my mind, his eyes haunted me. So I pressed the comment button and said… “please get him off the streets and to a vet, I will pay and help him…” little did I know this was the start of a lifetime commitment to helping the street dogs. The lady who had posted Fozzy’s appeal and I worked out how to get Fozzy to me in the UK, I then wanted to help more dogs there to find loving homes. I started helping the dogs that had been captured by dogcatchers and taken to the local public shelter to find homes, one at a time and 1 Dog at a Time Rescue UK started just like that… Helping one dog… Nothing really prepared us for Raffles. From day 1 he was so loving, would really lean in like he wanted you to wrap him up and snuggle forever. It’s a good job, as after his initial settling in, he certainly found his feet, and I will not lie, he was a little bit of a challenge. I joined the wonderful 1 Dog at a Time Family in March 17. A simple share on Facebook and my application to adopt Annabel Amber and Jessie was successful. Dilly is honestly the most brilliant, funny, affectionate little wonder, and we absolutely adore him, so much so that we are now set to adopt a baby sister for him from 1 Dog in a few weeks time.

Neuter/spay provided the dog is old enough or well enough. This will be discussed with you if we are not able to get the operation done in Romania. We had never fostered before but felt we were experienced with dogs, having grown up with them, and we had a chocolate lab who had taken about 4 years to calm down so, we felt he was a good induction. After a lot of consideration and planning with the 1 Dog Team we were then able to adopt Negrutu. Negrutu was a long stayer at Happy’s and missed Annabel, Amber and Jessie as he used to play out with them before they left. We built kennels for him as he was a very nervous dog and didn’t think that he would ever adapt to living leaving in a house. After just a week everything changed and Negrutu moved into the house.Hi – I’m Charlotte, I first stumbled across 1 Dog at a Time Rescue UK in 2016. My sister had lost her dog suddenly and unexpectedly and we decided we wanted to make a donation to a dog rescue charity in Henry’s memory. I started searching on the internet and came across 1 Dog,– so we made a donation and that was the end of it – or so I thought! I really wanted to be able to help this wonderful charity more, so I started doing some crafts to donate for the auction to help raise much needed fund. I was very honoured when I was asked to join the fundraising team. But honestly, we wouldn’t have had even a tenth of the support and guidance buying a new puppy in the UK, that we have had with these wonderful, caring supportive people. Fostering provides many advantages and helps to give our dogs the best possible start to their new life. In a foster home situation, the dog’s true personality will have a much better chance of shining through, which is sometimes harder to see in a shelter environment. This foster home gives potential adopters a much more accurate insight into the dog’s temperament and character (the good and the quirks!). Foster also allows the dog to socialise in a family situation with other people, dogs and other types of pets, so that any quirks that need work become apparent. This is a fantastic organisation that makes a huge difference to the plight of street dogs in Romania. They are very thorough in matching the right adopters to the right dog. Their support and aftercare is second to none. I would not hesitate in recommending them to any sincere prospective adopter.