One Dog at a Time: Saving the Strays of Helmand

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When my Westie died suddenly in 2019, I found a great big hole in my life but thought I’d never replace him. Moving on a few months, I gradually realised that it was time to have another dog and started looking at rescue dogs. It is sad to see how many dogs need a home, so I decided I would get two small dogs.

But honestly, we wouldn’t have had even a tenth of the support and guidance buying a new puppy in the UK, that we have had with these wonderful, caring supportive people. Having lost both our beloved dogs a little over two years ago, just five weeks between their passing, we came across 1 Dog At A Time Rescue UK on Facebook. Instantly the decision was made that now was the time to bring another dog into the family, and seeing all the dogs needing a new life; it was pretty much a no-brainer that we didn’t need to look anywhere else. Since that day, I have dedicated my life to the care and well being of the abused, forgotten and neglected street dogs out in Romania and spend my day securing the futures of the dogs we rescue. We also have a monthly auction on our Facebook Group where you can bid on a wide variety of items. All proceeds raise money for us. Nana is our first ever Romanian rescue, but almost certainly not the last. We chose to adopt and later also fostered another dog with 1 Dog and would thoroughly recommend them and can guarantee the support given all the way through was exceptional. I felt reassured with the organised, friendly and professional approach. I spoke at length with people with all my concerns and questions, and they were happy to help.They couldn’t be more different – Jaimie is more nervous but so smart and knows how to get a treat when an action is requested. Kammi is obviously in charge of the 3 of us and likes to set the pace and direction! She is also quite reactive to other dogs, and so we don’t let dogs approach us, which can be difficult with some off lead dogs and not so helpful dog owners! But she is getting better all the time.

In my experience, someone is always just a text or a phone call away, or you can ask the group chats: there is lots of help and advice. It’s great that other adopters and fosters love to hear about and see updates, and likewise, it’s great to see the dogs become relaxed and confident. I saw how devoted and loving the Romanian volunteers were, how they worked together with the English volunteers and how they had achieved so much. I watched the video of Eli singing to the dogs and read about Nana and her pups, her fight for survival and how two of her pups had found new homes in the UK. I told my husband, and he was equally smitten about the story of Happy’s and how the dogs lived at this amazing place, where they were shown love and then found suitable homes.

Sarah Childs and Fern

Fostering provides many advantages and helps to give our dogs the best possible start to their new life. In a foster home situation, the dog’s true personality will have a much better chance of shining through, which is sometimes harder to see in a shelter environment. This foster home gives potential adopters a much more accurate insight into the dog’s temperament and character (the good and the quirks!). Foster also allows the dog to socialise in a family situation with other people, dogs and other types of pets, so that any quirks that need work become apparent. Fourteen-month-old Percy arrived in July. He has the sweetest temperament you could imagine. He was such a dream we also got six-month-old Millie in October. She is full of mischievous energy and affection. We have been fortunate to have encountered few issues but know that a wealth of expertise and experience would be on hand if required.

Due to the war in the Ukraine, DEFRA temporarily suspended Romanian dogs entering the UK. This was put in place in April and has only just lifted. After losing my dog at 15 years old, I vowed never to get another, but the sense of loss was overwhelming, and I knew I had to fill the emptiness. Inclusion to our exclusive 1 Dog at a Time Adopters Group where you will receive 24/7 adoption support. Time was getting closer, and this was when we joined the transport chat; this was a big help as we got to know others in the same boat as we were. Reggie’s people had dropped out, and we were asked to foster him; of course we would; he was and still is beautiful. As the days went by, they grew in both confidence and size. At this point, we were asked about Reggie’s behaviour and habits for those inquiring about adopting him. OH NO, no one is having our Reggie. Yes, we adopted him too! We were now failed fosterers and very proud of it. I did not imagine for one minute that all this was going to evolve when I started looking for an older dog (I love the oldies) In 2012 I had just joined Facebook and was mooching around when I saw an old boy who looked a little like my soul dog Dillie. He was from Romania and I had just missed out on adopting him. I had no idea about all the cruelty over there and the plight of the street dogs. I have seen many street dogs on my journeys around the world but none so obviously loathed and treated as vermin. I started to read and became completely determined to help one of these poor souls.We spotted a photo of Peppa (was Cora) and soon she was ours. We were kept up to date with photos and videos until she arrived. After four months they started playing together and are now best friends.