Last updated at 10:51, Thursday, 02 April 2009

AN animal charity which helps to rehome hundreds of dogs in Barrow has just six months left.

FUTURE FEARS: Animal Refuge’s Anita Green with Max at Barrow dog kennels JOE RILEY REF: 0478167

Animal Refuge has saved thousands of healthy dogs from being put down since the charity was set up 30 years ago.

The charity has paid around £38,000 in total for the council to look after all stray dogs found in Barrow – an average of £1,200 every year.

But the charity has only enough money to survive for more six months.

And with no one to pay for the animals’ care, around 400 dogs will be put down every year.

Owner of Animal Refuge, Anita Green, said the charity was in desperate need of a cash injection.

Mrs Green said: “We’ve done this for 30 years. We pay for the dogs in the pound so that they don’t get put down. The council would only normally keep them for seven days, and then destroy them.

“We’ve saved around 300 to 400 every year, so it will be in the thousands altogether.”

Mrs Green said a lack of funding has led to the charity having only enough money to last another six months.

She said: “We’ve only got enough to keep going for six months – we’ve got the premises on the market and we need to raise some serious money.”

The charity currently pays around £500 a month to the council, to cover the animals’ accommodation and food costs. Animal Refuge’s charity shop, in Lumley Street, Barrow, is manned by Mrs Green and her husband Paul, and two volunteers.

Mrs Green said: “I don’t think people realise that we fund the dogs in the pound, if people knew what we did then maybe we’d get more help.

“If we have to go into liquidation these dogs will die – there’s no one else who will pay for their care at the pound.”

Mrs Green said the credit crunch had resulted in fewer donations to the charity.

She said: “We’re not getting as many donations and the charity shop has been struggling too. The credit crunch is affecting everyone, including us. If we have to wind up the council will go back to destroying the dogs.”

Bill Burrows, dog warden at the council’s pound, said it would be a great pity if Animal Refuge closed down.

Mr Burrows said: “We have worked with them for a long time and it has been fantastic. It would be a great pity if they went bust.

“We will give her all the backing we can and we have got some ideas for fund-raising.”

Barrow Borough Council’s chief environmental health officer, Gary Ormondroyd, said the council would try and help Animal Refuge. He added: “Animal Refuge is an important part of the animal welfare service in the local community and if they are having financial difficulties and are struggling to keep going then they need to talk to us.”

When asked if stray dogs would be put down if Animal Refuge closed, Mr Ormondroyd said: “Our statutory responsibility is to do just that.

“If an animal is with us for more than seven days we are entitled to sadly dispose of the animal.”

First published at 11:51, Wednesday, 01 April 2009
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk