This December, we are excited to be giving you the opportunity to make twice the impact for rescue animals across Dorset, Devon and beyond.

 

 

From midday on Tuesday 2nd to midday on Tuesday 9th December 2025, every donation made towards our Big Give Christmas Challenge will be matched pound for pound, up to our match-funded target of £25,000, meaning each gift will go twice as far in helping vulnerable animals in need of care, treatment, and shelter.

 

 

Many of the animals we see are in urgent need of veterinary care or require specialist behavioural support. Covering these costs, in addition to our rising energy bills, mean the pressure on our charity this winter is huge.

We know these are challenging times for everyone, but this week of matched-giving means every donation has double the power to change the lives of our rescue animals, while supporting our plans for greater energy efficiency in the future.

With your help, we can be here for more animals and people, now and in the years to come.

 

 

Sula & Florence

Sweet Sula arrived into our care with extreme cherry eye - the tear glands in both of her eyes were protruding, causing severe and painful swelling.

 

   

 

We immediately booked her in for an operation to restore her eyes, but as this has been an ongoing issue for poor Sula since birth, it’s possible that she will need multiple surgeries.

Little Florence was around 5 months old when she came to us as a stray, just a couple of weeks after Sula. She was also suffering from cherry eye, which was causing her terrible discomfort.

 

   

 

Like Sula, we arranged for Florence to undergo vital surgery to give her the second chance she deserves.

Thanks to kind people like you, Sula has now found her forever home and Florence is safe in her foster home, where they can recover in comfort and receive all the love and care they need.

 

 

Sprout & Forest

At just 7 months old, Sprout came into our care with a nasty hind-leg injury, and it was clear that this had got progressively worse over time.

Sadly, following a vet consultation, it was established that they were unable to repair the leg due to the severity of the injury, so the decision was made to amputate.

 

   

 

The operation was a success and Sprout recovered well, adapting to life on three legs. He even made another feline friend while in our care and has since found his loving forever home with her.

At 4 years old, Forest was abandoned at the vets with a severely broken leg. The break was irreparable so, like Sprout, he underwent vital surgery to have it removed.

 

   

 

These brave boys both faced serious injuries resulting in leg amputations, and have overcome incredible odds.

 

 

Daphne & Martha

A man has been convicted after four dogs were removed from a property in Devon last year, two of which had already sadly passed away.

They had been abandoned in a dilapidated house, with no food or water, and left to fend for themselves.

The surviving dogs, who we called Daphne & Martha, were brought into the safety of our care after being rescued by the RSPCA.

 

Daphne before

 

Daphne after

 

They were extremely emaciated and had paint under their nails from scratching the door in an attempt to escape the property.

We couldn’t comprehend what these poor dogs had been through, and it was heartbreaking for us to see the awful condition they were in.

 

Martha before

 

Martha after

 

We quickly got to work on giving Daphne & Martha all the vital care they needed and helping them slowly gain weight.

Despite all they had been through, they were such sweet characters with beautiful personalities, and we were thrilled to find them loving forever homes.

 

 

Lady & Little Kev

Lady is a 20-year-old Skewbald Cob who arrived into our care earlier this year, and soon won the hearts of everyone around her.

It was quickly discovered that she was suffering from painful dental issues.

 

   

 

Further investigations showed that she had very overgrown and sharp incisors and several diastemas, which are gaps between the teeth where food can become impacted, causing terrible pain for poor horses like Lady.

We couldn’t allow her to suffer any longer, as she was already struggling to keep food in her mouth, so a course of treatment was started immediately.

Lady is doing much better, but she will need to be treated by a vet every 3 months to keep on top of the problem.

When Little Kev, a sweet 19-year-old Arab cross, first arrived into our care, he had a painful limp, stiff hind legs and swollen hocks.

 

    

 

Thankfully, his test results showed minimal signs of arthritis, and following a course of pain relief, we watched him transform.

Sadly, Kev’s journey took another turn for the worst.

During a routine dental check, it was discovered that he had two displaced lower cheek teeth, one on each side of his mouth, which has most likely gone unnoticed for years.

To protect Kev from further suffering, he spent the night at a specialist equine hospital, where he ended up having four teeth extracted.

Thanks to your kind support, he has since recovered well and is enjoying life with his stable mates, while he waits for his forever home.

 

 

 

Can you help us to give bright futures to our rescue animals and a safe haven for more who are in need?

By donating towards our Big Give Christmas Challenge*, you will be helping us to make double the difference to sweet souls like these. 

 

 

Your support will ensure that, together, we can be here for animals and people in Dorset, Devon and beyond for many years to come.

 

 

*Please note that donations towards our Christmas Challenge can only be made online via the Big Give’s website. Any donations we are fortunate to receive over our £25,000 target will still count, but won't be match-funded.