STOKENCHURCH Dog Rescue has some good news for its supporters in the Bucks and Oxfordshire area it serves. A problem is being licked.

In the last 12 months, hundreds of forlorn dogs have been taken in at our kennels – but nearly all have been adopted into new homes and left us with their tails wagging led by their happy owners.

Most of the credit is due to Alan Durrant, who started as our new dog welfare manager in January last year, plus Nigel Rose, our administrator, and a small team of dedicated staff and volunteers. Before Alan arrived we usually rehomed an average of eight dogs a month. In recent months, the number of adoptions has risen to about 24 a month.

This has all happened at a time when there have been tales of woe about the recession possibly leading to fewer people keeping pets because of likely job losses, plus higher vet and pet food bills.

Dogs are part of happy family life but they are a commitment which must be considered before taking on a pet – regular walks, occasional vet fees and in some cases a need to book them into kennels while families take a holiday.

At Stokenchurch Dog Rescue we have been giving Alan Durrant and others a big pat on the back – but it has also led to joking speculation that some of the improvement in the last two months is because of ‘Harvey.’ Who’s Harvey? He appears in that award-winning TV ad that shows a sad-looking little black and white dog behind the wire in a rescue centre. The ad has a mix of humour and tear-jerking as Harvey makes a screen appeal that he could be very handy round the house with ironing, getting youngsters out of bed, playing chess, gardening, cooking, driving kids to school etc, etc. The end scene is him plucking at our heart-strings as he sits forlornly in his cage with a suitcase packed while a couple look down at him with their hearts melting to adopt him.

The ad has been repeated dozens of times in recent months.

Harvey, a former rescue dog who has been trained to perfection, can now also be regularly seen in the new TV series of Midsomer Murders, with much of it filmed in Bucks.

He is the cheeky pet of the new Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby.

Another real benefit of the increased adoptions from SDR is that it has saved many of those dogs from a premature death.

Each time we have had a vacancy in our capacity to accommodate up to 50 dogs, Alan calls other dog rescue centres which are overflowing with new stray and unwanted dogs arriving. When some of those kennels reach an accommodation crisis they have to put healthy dogs to sleep.

Alan has been taking those dogs in from ‘death rows’ and they have been found happy new homes in our area. We have a policy to never put a healthy dog to sleep and have a few long-term residents who will probably stay with us till age takes its toll.

Lastly, we are not being complacent. We need to raise more money to pay for recent modernisation of kennel and treatment blocks and to take in and feed more ‘Harveys’.

We rely on regular fund raising events, legacies and donations. We have a little shop now on our site selling good quality new and secondhand goods. Where possible we hope that some of our income also comes via ‘gift aid’ contributions.

We also need more regular or occasional helpers to expand our charity work.

Call us on 01494 482695 or via our website at: www.stokenchurchdogrescue.co.uk

Geoff Perfitt, Stokenchurch Dog Rescue, Oxford Road, Stokenchurch.