EDITORS NOTE: Since the publication of this article, and due to a change in personal circumstances, the Go Fund Me page is no longer accepting donations.
A BOURNEMOUTH couple have been fundraising to bring two street dogs to safety with a loving family in the UK.
Hayley and Sam Richardson have launched a GoFundMe to rehome puppies Paco and Penny that they had found roaming the streets of Morocco.
The couple had been travelling around Europe, Asia and Africa in their self-built camper van, but it was during their five week stay in the Moroccan town of Imsouane that they met the puppies.
Hayley said: “We were staying in a car park and there were a lot of dogs around, but there was this particular group of puppies. They started as a litter of six, but we watched four of them get hit by cars.
“There were two left, and we found them both really sick in the bushes one day. It hit me that if we left them, they would die. We just couldn’t leave them.”
Living in a camper, and with their Moroccan visa running out, Hayley and Sam were unable to give the pups a home, and so took to social media to see if anybody could help.
Hayley said: “We had an amazing response. Luckily this couple came forward who wanted both of them. They had a house that could fit them in, and they could give them a life they deserved.”
Read more: Guide Dogs charity need volunteers in Bournemouth
Paco and Penny had a loving home secured, but as Hayley found out, sending them over to the UK wouldn’t be easy.
She said: “They need to quarantine and have the right jabs, and we had to find someone to look after them whilst all of that happened, because we couldn’t stay in Morocco any longer with our visa.
“The costs involved in someone looking after them, the vet bills and then ultimately getting back to the UK is so much, so that’s why we’re fundraising.”
The dogs will remain at a shelter in Morocco called CARE Essaouira where they will be cared for until they can fly to the UK.
The Go Fund Me page has raised more than £1,900, but the target is £2,850 to cover the full costs of getting them over to their new home.
Hayley said: “It will cost £2,840.50, or more, to get them to a point that they can leave Morocco.
“But, if it wasn’t for us, the puppies would’ve died. I wish I could’ve help them all.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article