THE LOW DOWN:

We are The Birkett~Smith Animal Sanctuary and we are unique in the UK as we are one of the largest sanctuaries to take in both human and dog aggressive dogs and rehabilitate them. We have approximately 150 animals which includes 80 dogs, all of whom have their forever homes here with us and we also have SOS HAVEN rehabilitation spaces for UK rescues seeking a place of safety and Rehab for behaviourally affected dogs. In most cases this unique service offers them their last chance to gain help for animals which would otherwise be put to sleep.

WHAT IS AN SOS HAVEN AND WHO IS WHO?

We started the SOS Havens at Birkett~Smith a few months ago to provide a much needed service and a lifeline for rescue dogs needing safety and rehabilitation. The dogs we take in here at the sanctuary have ranging in depth issues: behaviour, aggression, age, disability, human scared, guarding issues etc and some have been subjected to severe neglect, cruelty and abuse. The bottom line is we basically take the animals that stand little or no chance of gaining homes let alone the security of a forever home and we work with them to try to turn them around. Our aim is to always get them back out again on their journey having been fully assessed and worked on, and with so that their rescues know the dogs inside out and back to front to make sure they go somewhere safely. Since we started we have been overwhelmed with requests from rescues to take in desperate dogs who have simply run out of chances and have nowhere left to go. We charge rescue an SOS Rehab fee which covers their care and once (and if) the dogs are ready to be re-homed their rescue gives full rescue back up. These dogs are our 'SOS Haven Rehab Dogs'.

The adorable Navi is an SOS Rehab Dog:

Navi had not had an easy time and developed a few issues, she needed sanctuary, peace and space. But Navi needed a very special place where she could be given a last chance; without that last chance Navi's time would have run out despite the best efforts of the rescue that originally saved her. The Sanctuary SOS Haven was a lifesaver for Navi and she is funded by her rescue whilst we rehabilitate her.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have also taken in some unfunded pound dogs who would otherwise be dead today had we not provided them with a safe space and we fund raise ourselves to cover the costs for these dogs which as you can imagine are hefty. These are a range of UK dogs that we have taken under our wing and given a last chance, they will stay with us at the Sanctuary. These are our 'SOS Woofa's'. 

And we have the 'Pocket Money Gang' who come under the SOS Woofa's but will hopefully be re-homed eventually.

 

The gorgeous Soza is an SOS Woofa and part of the Pocket Money Gang:

My Name is Soza. I spent the first 6 months of my life living in a drugs den where I was subjected to cruelty and abuse for 6 hellish months. I was then passed to a person that shut me in a crate 24 hours a day and I was left in my own urine and faeces. I was saved by a kind lady and I am now at the Sanctuary learning to be a happy dog again x

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also have our permanent residents, the 'ROMMIES' to whom Joy gave sanctuary a couple of years ago. They are severely affected Romanian dogs chosen specifically and matched into packs and have they their forever homes here with us.
 

THE NEXT PHASE (the big build):

The sheer number of requests we have received for SOS spaces in such a short time is sad testament to the over-breeding/throwaway attitude and abuse towards animals that has become more prevalent in the UK and the need for these spaces is more apparent than ever. We currently have many dogs waiting for a space but only have 12 SOS Haven's which are all full. So we are building again and making improvements to our existing facilities. At the moment the dogs live in hamlet style housing spread out over an acre. Our aim this year is to get all the dogs under cover in one state of the art sound and weatherproofed facility and provide another eight SOS Havens with a hardcore access road and all weather play areas. We will publish finalised plans and costs within the next couple of weeks but the build is estimated at £50,000....a lot of money but we are determined to do it. Seeing a dog relax into the safety of the sanctuary is our motivation and seeing the dogs thrive and become the loving creatures they were before society dealt them a rough hand is what drives us and seeing them safely into a forever home is what our dreams are made of.
 

We hope that you will take this next exciting leg of our journey with us and give us your support...without you our road to helping these forgotten and unwanted animals would be almost impossible to tread. Please walk with us and help us hold the paws that need us the most x