BEST Friends Animal Rescue is appealing for tin-shakers and dog lovers to help save abandoned and abused pets from euthanasia.
The street appeal for the Hills not-for-profit organisation will take place on August 19 across the metropolitan area.
Founder Jeane Howes said money raised would also go towards providing a two-hec tare rescue and retirement home for senior dogs.
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READ NOW“The area is already fenced off and we’re looking for any tradies with time to help us lay the foundations and build a pet shelter,” she said.
“We want to provide a lasting and happy final home for really old or sick dogs.
“Some of the dogs we rescue have come from a pound, others may be in our care because owners have moved and the dog is too old to make the journey.”
Valley View restaurant in Henley Brook is supporting the appeal by donating $12 for every meal deal sold.
Ms Howes started the animal rescue centre with her mother in 2006 and aided by volunteers, has rehomed more than 700 dogs over the years.
“As a child, I lived in England in the late ’60s.
“There were lots of stray dogs and my mother used to send me out with bags of bone to feed the hungry dogs,” she said. “Some dogs would follow us home and they became part of the family, living with us until they died. I always said to my mum I would buy a big house and she could fill it with strays when I grew up.”
Ms Howes made her childhood dream come true when she moved to Perth in 1996.
She gained valuable knowledge and experience by volunteering at rescue centres and studying vet nursing and animal behaviour.
The centre currently has about 30 dogs waiting to be rehomed or long-term fostered.
Among them is Ralph, a 12-year-old maltese shitzu who has spent much of his life on a paved courtyard in a kennel.
He arrived at the rescue centre with untreated skin allergies, mostly caused by a poor diet and soon remedied under the care of the rescue centre.
He is seen here with Pepsi, a 13-year-old toy poodle who loves a cuddle and Dozer, an elderly Blue Heeler with personality.
For more details about the Best Friends’ appeal, call Jeane on 0415 779 610.