Animal rescue on verge of closure has just '£30 in the bank'

Hundreds of dogs could be at risk as a Liverpool based animal rescue charity faces closure. Liverpool Dog and Animal Rescue could be at risk of closing if funding isn’t found to save it.

The rescue, which runs mostly off profits from its charity shop on County Road in Walton, has seen finances drop by over a third in the last 18 months, putting the hundreds of animals it saves every year at risk.

Founder of the rescue centre, Lisa Rhodes, 56, from Heswall, told the ECHO how at the moment they have just “£30 in the bank.” She said: “The shop’s takings have dropped by a third over the last 18 months, yet a lot of our bills have doubled, such as gas and electric. We’ve got water rates, wages, building insurance, public liability insurance, as well as boarding kennel fees and vet fees, which can run into thousands, to pay.

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“So we're really struggling. We don’t have kennels like we used to anymore because we can’t afford to pay for them and I’m only to take dogs in on a very small scale because our vet bills run into the thousands. We’re trying to rehome dogs in peoples' homes but that is really hard, and that means I’m struggling to take any dogs in.”

The rescue centre has helped thousands of dogs since it opened in 2011, including Henry, who Lisa says came to her “in a terrible state.” She said: “He has the saddest eyes but I eventually got him to full health.

“Henry cost us around £4,000 in vet fees and a lot of work to get him back to full health, it looked like he had been used in dog fighting, he was full of infected wounds and had to have some of his tail amputated, it was that bad”

Another example of the dog's lives Lisa has saved is Rocco, who came to her in an “absolutely horrendous state.” She told the ECHO: “He had to have major dental surgery and have numerous tumours removed. The vet actually called me while he was on the operating table and asked if I wanted them to carry on as it would cost thousands, he was in such a terrible state.

“I was in tears and told them he had to know what love was and at least have some happy years with the wonderful home I had lined up for him. He was on the operating table for over three hours but thankfully fully recovered and went to live with his foster family who absolutely adored him. He had a great life with their other dogs. Sadly, he died two years later as his tumour came back but I was just glad he got to live a happy life for some time.”

Lisa’s last resort is to appeal to the public for help saving the rescue. She says: “I’ve put a lot of money into the rescue myself, but we’re [Lisa and her husband] not millionaires, we can only do so much and the profits of the charity shop itself isn’t doing enough.

“I don't want to ask for money but we need it to make the rescue survive. We don’t want to be in debt with the vets but lately I'm a bit behind because we’re struggling. I’m appealing for donations and fundraisers to get us back on our feet.

“Even if it could help us rent a few kennels because without them I can’t take anymore dogs in. I’ve also had to stop taking in horses because the vet fees for them cost too much.”

Lisa, who has been rescuing dogs for over 30 years, fears having to close if they can’t raise the money to get the centre back on its feet. She added: “The worst case scenario is that we close down and that would break my heart. We’ve helped thousands of dogs over the years since we started and if we closed that would mean hundreds of dogs would be affected every year.

“It's heart breaking but I don't know what else to do. I’m getting calls every day from people asking for my help and asking me to take dogs in, it's so upsetting that I can't help at the moment.”