“I’ve spent £300k rescuing dogs”
After saving thousands of canines and with 98 of her own to care for, Mary Muscroft’s retirement is anything but relaxing
When Mary Muscroft jetted W off on holiday to India, she planned on a two-week adventure. But after adopting two stray dogs, she never came home. Instead, Mary and her husband, Steve, 59, ploughed their life savings – a total of £300,000 – into opening a rescue centre for abandoned pups. Now, over ten years on, Mary and Steve have cared for thousands of stray dogs – and have adopted 98 of their own.
SHOCKING TREATMENT
Mary, 49, says, “I wouldn’t have wanted to spend our savings any other way. We don’t have much money left these days. I rely on hand-me-downs from friends and I’ll wear dresses until they’re worn out. Then I’ll use the material for dog toys. We just couldn’t have left India knowing these animals needed our help.”
Before moving to Kerala, in southern India, Mary, from Bradford, worked in HR, while Steve was in manufacturing. They were huge animal lovers, both had dogs when growing up and Mary volunteered at her local RSPCA shelter.
With their own home and plenty of savings, they decided to retire early and travel. The pair booked a two-week holiday in March 2008. But upon arrival, they were shocked by the poor treatment of strays.
Mary says, “There were so many street dogs and people here don’t treat dogs with the same affection we do. It’s not uncommon for people to throw stones at them or even put out poison. We began volunteering at an animal sanctuary and fell in love with two puppies, Chitty and Legsy.
“When our holiday was over, we couldn’t bring ourselves to leave them. We didn’t take more than a minute to decide that the dogs here needed our help, so we missed our flight home and stayed put. Once we told friends and family our reasons, they weren’t surprised by our decision because we are such animal lovers. We rented out our home, and sold or gave away all our belongings.”
LIVING FRUGALLY
In June 2013, Mary and Steve launched Street Dog Watch Association, which rescues, feeds, vaccinates and sterilises stray dogs in Kerala.
Mary explains, “We’ve spent over £300,000 of our own money. The big expense is food, as well as sterilising. We also have to pay vet bills and buy medicine. But our money doesn’t cover all the costs. Animal lovers both locally and in the UK sponsor dogs. Over the years, we have adopted dozens and now have 98. We get up at 5.30am every morning to feed them and, four years ago, we moved to a bigger house, with a huge garden, to give the pups we’ve adopted more room to run around.”
Mary and Steve’s retirement pot is dwindling, but Mary is happy to live frugally.
She explains, “Steve worries much more about money than I do. We don’t go out much, and we still get an income from renting out our house in the UK – but I don’t think about the future too much. We’re happy to make the sacrifice. These dogs need our help.”
❛WE’VE HAD TO MAKE SACRIFICES – BUT THESE PUPS NEED OUR HELP❜