Islay dog shelter on brink of closure left stunned after hundreds of people across the country volunteer to save it

The Islay dog charity was terrified they would be forced to close their doors and stop saving dogs from ‘death row’ from a lack of help run the centre.

But after the Cumnock Chronicle broke their story over 250 people contacted the shelter offering to look after the dogs.

They now have a waiting list of people who want to come look after the pups.

This included tradesmen like electricians and joiners who are now carrying out skilled jobs and repairs to get the charity back on their feet.

Workers at the shelter have even noticed a massive difference in the dogs who are now much happier andcomfortable around strangers.

They are enjoying more walks, baths, and always love having someone to play with.

Shelter boss, Lorriane Jardien, 54, said: “The response we got has been fantastic we have had loads and loads of volunteers I can’t believe it.

“We got between 200 and 300 people offering their services which has just been amazing.

“People have come from all over the place it isn’t just local. People have come from Edinburgh and Glasgow as well.

“An electrician came out to help and has even offered to do all the work for free so we just need to raise money to buy the materials in for him to make repairs.

“We have also had joiners, gardeners, and other skilled tradesmen offering to help us out which is amazing.

“We were so close to shutting down until everyone stepped in to save us.

“We are back on our feet again and now the next step is to raise another £2,000 for another block of kennels and raise money for electrician materials.

“We have plenty of food and necessities but if anyone wants to donate toys or money so we can get fun things for the dogs like frisbees that be great.

“The dogs are so much happier now we have loads of volunteers.

“They get walked a lot more and have gotten much more confident around strangers which has been great.

“Two of the dogs who we saved from the meat trade in Thailand used to be terrified of men but now they are a lot more comfortable around them.

“The dogs were really nervous at first but now they couldn’t be happier with all the friendly faces.

“People are also commenting on their rehoming pictures complimenting howwell behaved the dogs are when out on walks and how nice their personalities are which we are hoping encourages people to adopt them.

“My phone just would not stop ringing it was constant with people asking what they could do to help I was blown away.

“I had a hospital appointment for two hours and when I came out I had 28 missed calls and voicemails of people asking when they could come in.

“It has really been phenomenal.

“Our volunteer page went from just around 200 members to over 800 in just a few days we couldn’t believe it.

“We have a rota system set up so everyone can get a shot at coming in.

“It’s crazy because we were about to close and now there’s a waiting list.”