If you love dogs…
VICTORIA BRYCESON, 33, FROM CARLISLE, IS THE FOUNDER OF MIRACLE’S MISSION
As the vet inspected the one-week-old street dog, he told me the puppy would never survive. It was 2015 and I was in Borneo on holiday.
I couldn’t believe how many stray dogs roamed the streets and this pup, who I named Miracle, had captured my heart. I refused to listen, and Miracle came home with me – she’s still by my side now.
She inspired me to launch Miracle’s Mission, a non-profit animal welfare organisation. We’ve since neutered over 5,000 strays in Borneo and Egypt and rescued and rehomed hundreds of dogs in the UK.
Then, I met Ella. In January 2017 I was in Egypt when I felt something nudge my leg. It was Ella, one back leg missing, the other dragging behind. Shocked by the state she was in, I brought her back to the UK, where a vet told me to put her to sleep.
Instead, I got Ella a set of wheels and she became so happy and active! Every disabled dog we save now is because Ella taught me they’re worth saving.
Now, I’m hoping to build the UK’s first centre for disabled dogs. Currently, 90 per cent of disabled dogs are euthanised. I hope our centre can help the most vulnerable while also educating people on how transformative wheels and prosthetics can be.
I’m crowdfunding £20,000 to secure a centre where animals will receive veterinary assessments, MRIs, surgeries, the fitting of prosthetics and doggy wheels, physiotherapy and hydrotherapy.
There’s so much you can do to help by fundraising from home, such as dressing up for a day, organising a Zoom pub quiz, or doing a sponsored dog walk. Whatever you do, I’ll never be able to thank you enough.
l crowdfunder.co.uk/ disabled-animal-centre--remaining-deposit-needed