Charity forced to turn away paralysed dogs

Natalia George runs Flori's Friends Rescue in Chartham Hatch

A rescue home for paralysed dogs says it is having to turn away up to three pets-in-need a day because the cost of living has affected donations.

Flori's Friends Rescue near Canterbury in Kent, offers end-of-life care and a rehoming service.

It has taken in animals from across the UK, as well as abroad, including from Gaza, Oman, China and Greece.

Founder Natalia George told BBC Radio Kent: "We have seen a huge rise in the number of dogs waiting to come in and a massive decrease in donations."

The charity, which operates a 24-hour rescue line, has now set up an urgent fundraiser with a target of £5,000 which it says is because of the "crippling number of bills" incurred buying specialist equipment for the animals.

Natalia George says the dogs are taken on cross-country walks seven-days a week

Ms George said the cash - which is less than is currently needed to pay off the charity's bills - would go towards a new prosthetic leg for a dog that was hit by a lorry, and a leg brace for a Border Collie that is receiving end-of-life care.

She added that most of the injuries sustained by the rescue dogs were "human-inflicted".

But the rise in dogs being referred to the charity included those that had not been abused but whose owners "couldn't afford to keep them" due to increased bills, said Ms George.

Current rescues at the centre include a dog that was thrown off Brighton Pier, and another that was shot at

Paralysed dogs looked after by Flori's Friends are given custom-made leg-replacement wheels which allow them to be walked on all-terrain, as well as hydrotherapy sessions and two-hour walks a day.

"It gives them the freedom any other dog has. They can play fetch, play tug of war, they can do really naughty things," said Ms George.

The charity operates a no-kill policy, meaning that dogs are not euthanised unless they cannot be saved.