‘You want to take them all home but, of course, you can’t’
Deborah Linton goes on the road with Dogs Trust, rescuing the UK’s abused and uncared-for animals
The passengers in Steve Norman’s ambulance are different every day, though they do tend to have one thing in common: four legs. On a drizzly mid-November morning in Penrith, he is on the road with half a dozen: two ex-racing greyhounds, Maui and Laslo; Hickory, a terrified foxhound so nervous he cannot make eye contact; Ice, a Staffordshire bull terrier; a ninemonth-old Pomeranian, Bear; and Charlie, a bichon frise, so badly treated that his matted white fur had to be shaved down to the skin.
The previous day, Dogs Trust – one of this year’s beneficiaries of The Telegraph’s Christmas Charity Appeal – drove them from pounds in Northern Ireland, where they had been found, uncared for on the streets, to be nursed back to health and find a new, permanent home.
Steve, 58, a retired police dog handler who has been driving one of the trust’s five dog ambulances for the past six years, leads them gently on to beds, inside stacked mobile kennels. For the next two hours, they are soothed by the sound of classical music as they make their way to Manchester, and one of the charity’s 22 rehoming centres.
“If we don’t rescue these dogs, they’re put to sleep,” Steve says. “The way I see it, I’m saving a dog’s life and hopefully they’re going to make someone else’s life better too.”
Often, they have come from “awful situations,” he says. “They might have been on the streets, they might have been kicked and gone to the pound. I’ve had cases where I’ve picked them up and they cling to me when we get to the centre even though they’ve only been with me for two days. You want to take them all home but, of course, you can’t.”
In September, Dogs Trust reported a 35 per cent rise in calls from people looking to give up their dogs; visits to the “giving up your dog” page of their website had soared by 180 per cent in July, compared with the previous February – much of which is thought to be down to the unprecedented demand for pets during the lockdowns.
The dog ambulance is a vital part of the rehoming process, moving them safely and reducing stress during the what might otherwise be a difficult transfer for traumatised animals.
“I see the change in them from when I first pick them up,” says Steve. “It’s like a weight has been lifted. Having often arrived depressed with their tail between their legs and their ears low, they become happier dogs. When they’re in my van, I’ve seen tails wag.”
Steve’s usual week begins from his Leeds home with a ferry run to Northern Ireland, bringing new dogs back to Penrith for a night, then taking them on to two or three centres around the country. At these hubs, dogs undergo a seven-day assessment, including vet checks, neutering and vaccinations where needed, and a handling and behaviour review to work out the type of home they’d suit. When safe, their details go on the charity’s website, and new owners are invited to apply and be interviewed. The operation receives no government funding, and relies entirely on donations.
Sometimes, the process can be upsetting, says Steve, who handled and homed seven German shepherds and a springer-collie-cross detection dog during his decades in the police. “The other week, I brought Yorkshire terriers over who were 14 and 15, but when they were checked over by the vets they were too poorly to survive. But at least we tried.”
Many of his charges tug at the heartstrings; at their worst, dogs come in abused, with worn down teeth or fur so matted it can threaten to cut off their blood supply – like little Charlie, who has already warmed to Steve by the time he says goodbye in Manchester. Some require costly X-rays, scans and operations to return them to full health.
The charity also works with victims of domestic violence, finding foster homes for pets while the owners seek refuge, returning the dogs when the time is right.
Carol Margieson, deputy manager at Dogs Trust Manchester, says the work can be emotionally draining when dogs are as afraid as Hickory, the foxhound who cries when it’s time to leave the ambulance. “Who knows what dogs like him have been through,” she says.
“The difference we can make for dogs is massive but without the generosity of donations we can do nothing, we cannot save them. To see a dog who doesn’t want to come off the van out of fear, like him, and then watch them grow in confidence, learn to trust us, to then see them skip out the door when it’s time to go home – there is no better feeling.”
Dogs Trust is one of four charities supported by this year’s Telegraph Christmas Charity Appeal. The others are the Alzheimer’s Society, Maggie’s and The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. To donate, visit telegraph.co.uk/2021appeal or call 0151 284 1927