From Rescue to Lifeline
In May 2018, after rehoming 717 hounds in 11 years, the trustees of Southern Lurcher Rescue were forced to take the sad decision to close their doors as a rehoming charity.
Over the last few years, the number of foster homes available compared with the number of dogs ready to come in made running the rescue very stressful for both the trustees and SLR committee members. The trustees had hoped to find somebody to step in and follow in SLR founder Jenny's footsteps when she retired, but unfortunately that wasn't to be. Matters finally reached a head at the end of 2017, when several of the trustees decided that their deteriorating health meant they could no longer deal with the everyday stresses of running a rescue.
However, none of them wanted to give up on helping hounds completely and, with 7 lifetime sponsors to take care of, they therefore decided to take the organisation in a slightly different direction and so on 30th May 2018 Southern Lurcher Rescue became Southern Lurcher Lifeline. As well as overseeing the care of the existing sponsor hounds, they plan to continue fundraising, with the aim of helping sighthounds (of every shape and size) in desperate need of veterinary care that the pet insurance companies refuse to pay for.
It also means that, should any of the former SLR adopters find themselves in dire straits with their hounds, they need not feel alone! Because, whilst Southern Lurcher Lifeline may not have foster homes on standby to take dogs in, the team will still be available to offer advice and references to organisations that can provide practical support.
The SLR team are sad that they are no longer able to take dogs into foster. They are proud of what they accomplished over the years and will be forever grateful to all those who helped them with their mission. They would like to thank every single one of their supporters, especially the fosterers, fundraisers, transporters and homecheckers, as they would not have succeeded without them. Their hope is that, having followed all the necessary professional steps (consulting with the Charity Commission, informing corporate sponsors etc.) people will continue to support them on their new journey as Southern Lurcher Lifeline.
Over the last few years, the number of foster homes available compared with the number of dogs ready to come in made running the rescue very stressful for both the trustees and SLR committee members. The trustees had hoped to find somebody to step in and follow in SLR founder Jenny's footsteps when she retired, but unfortunately that wasn't to be. Matters finally reached a head at the end of 2017, when several of the trustees decided that their deteriorating health meant they could no longer deal with the everyday stresses of running a rescue.
However, none of them wanted to give up on helping hounds completely and, with 7 lifetime sponsors to take care of, they therefore decided to take the organisation in a slightly different direction and so on 30th May 2018 Southern Lurcher Rescue became Southern Lurcher Lifeline. As well as overseeing the care of the existing sponsor hounds, they plan to continue fundraising, with the aim of helping sighthounds (of every shape and size) in desperate need of veterinary care that the pet insurance companies refuse to pay for.
It also means that, should any of the former SLR adopters find themselves in dire straits with their hounds, they need not feel alone! Because, whilst Southern Lurcher Lifeline may not have foster homes on standby to take dogs in, the team will still be available to offer advice and references to organisations that can provide practical support.
The SLR team are sad that they are no longer able to take dogs into foster. They are proud of what they accomplished over the years and will be forever grateful to all those who helped them with their mission. They would like to thank every single one of their supporters, especially the fosterers, fundraisers, transporters and homecheckers, as they would not have succeeded without them. Their hope is that, having followed all the necessary professional steps (consulting with the Charity Commission, informing corporate sponsors etc.) people will continue to support them on their new journey as Southern Lurcher Lifeline.