A dog lover has produced her own booklet of walks to raise money for a charity in crisis.
Emily Rawlins, aged 46, of Todmorden, West Yorkshire, wrote and designed Dog plods from Tod to support which may have to close unless it can raise £300,000 for a new premises.
Emily said, “I spent a lot of time during lockdowns out with my greyhound, Elsa, exploring the spectacular countryside we have here in the south Pennines. When I heard about the plight of PAWS, I had the idea to compile our walks into a collection to try to raise money and awareness.”
THE CHARITY OPERATES A NO-KILL POLICY AND ALL POTENTIAL ADOPTERS ARE CONSIDERED ON A CASE-BY-CASE BASIS
PAWS was established by Susan Curran in 2007 and became a registered charity in 2014. Since then it has rescued, rehabilitated and rehomed more than 1,500 dogs, cats and other animals throughout Calderdale, Burnley and Rochdale. The charity operates a no-kill policy and all potential adopters are considered on a case-by-case basis, with nobody automatically ruled out on the basis of age or living situation.
PAWS also provides valuable work for volunteers with mental health problems and other additional needs who would be unable to secure paid employment. Susan was served with an eviction notice by her landlords in February 2022. Since then, the charity has been searching for new premises and trying to raise enough money to purchase and develop the land.
Emily said, “PAWS is in real danger of being wiped out at a time when the cost of living crisis means there’s more demand for its services than ever before. It’s done so much for the local community over the years that for it to go would be a devastating blow, as well as putting even more strain on other animal charities.”
Dog plods from Tod contains seven walks, varying in length from five to nine miles. All start from Todmorden but stretch as far as Littleborough in Greater Manchester. As well as detailed instructions, the walks include recommendations for dog-friendly pubs and sheep field warnings.
Booklets are currently available at Hird and Partners vets in Walsden and pet shop Perfect for Pets on Halifax Road, Todmorden, in return for a £2 suggested donation. To donate to help keep PAWS open,