Poppy Rose Declared Best Rescue Dog at Ash Fete

Published on: 16 Jul, 2018
Updated on: 16 Jul, 2018

By David Reading

Poppy Rose, a young Patterdale Terrier, once faced a bleak future. It seemed she would be prized not as a beloved pet but as a dog simply used for breeding. Fortunately she found herself in the hands of Chimney Farm dog rescue centre, Normandy, and then in the loving care of a new owner, Victoria Smith of Ash.

On Saturday (July 14), Poppy Rose became the centre of attention of a large crowd when she was declared best rescue dog at Ash’s annual village fete.

Poppy Rose’s success draws attention to the plight of those thousands of breeding dogs who are denied the affection they would received in a loving home.

Jennifer Gilbert and Lisa Webster, the founders of Chimney Farm, began their good work when they rescued 28 abused dogs from pitiful conditions in Romania and re-homed them in the UK. They started to build up a following on social media and successfully rescued and re-homed many more dogs.

The charity went from strength to strength, with more than 1,200 dogs re-homed by January 2018 and well over 20,000 Facebook followers.

On their website (www.chimneyfarmrescue.com) they make the following plea: “Please don’t support dog breeding. There are millions of homeless dogs in the world already and there will always be beautiful dogs needing homes. There is simply no need to breed anymore. Dogs are man’s best friend. They have helped us, served us and shared our lives for thousands of years so it is our responsibility to care for them in return in the best way we can.”