Canine fun day for charity that finds homes for dogs

A DAY of canine fun is being held this weekend in aid of a dog rescue and rehoming charity.

The Yappy Ever After Fun Day and Dog Show is being held at Elvaston Castle Cricket Ground on Sunday.

The free-to-enter event is described as “more like a Scruffs than a Crufts”, with categories of Best Golden Oldie, Best Large Breed, Best Small Breed, Naughtiest Dog, Best Trick and Best Yappy Rescue.

All are welcome to turn up on the day and enter their dog, for a small fee.

Members of the public are also being invited to watch, support, shop at the stalls and enjoy the canine fun.

Yappy Ever After is a dog rescue charity based in Derby run by volunteers who give their time and homes for free so that costs are minimised, leaving funds raised by the charity to go towards vet bills. The registered charity provides short-term homes for abandoned, unwanted and stray dogs, as well as those whose owners are no longer able to look after them or cannot afford them.

Organisers say the pandemic has seen an increased number of requests to help.

The animals are neutered or spayed and vaccinated, and all are assessed to identify the home that would best suit them, for example with other pets or children.

Yappy Ever After also provides long-term foster homes for dogs with special needs, such as health issues for which they will need medical care for the rest of their lives, or those that have been so badly mistreated that they may never learn to trust people again.

Tony Baker, a volunteer with the charity said: “An experienced foster home can provide more readily a safe, quiet, understanding home and by doing so ensure it’s a forever home, as well as the older dogs who deserve a home to live out the rest of their lives through their golden years.

“With Covid, our ability to undertake collections has been very limited and what we have raised has been far lower.

“This, combined with increased volumes of dogs needing our help, has resulted in vet bills that we need to raise additional funding for, and by doing so we can ensure we can continue to provide our services to the people and dogs of Derby.”

The Yappy Ever After Fun Day and Dog Show is taking place on Sunday from 11am at the Elvaston Castle Cricket Ground.

With Covid, our ability to undertake collections has been very limited and what we have raised has been far lower. Tony Baker