Dog charity extends £100k fundraising deadline

Dog Aid is seeking £100,000 to keep the charity going

A charity that helps adults with physical disabilities to train their own canine pet to become an assistance dog has given itself longer to raise the £100,000 it needs to stay open.

Dog Aid, which is based in Shrewsbury, said it needed the help because, like many small charities, it had suffered rising costs and a reduction in grants and donations.

When it launched its appeal last month, it set itself a deadline of 15 November to raise the money, but has now extended that to 15 January.

CEO Belinda Johnson said the charity had already raised £45,000 and she had "been blown away by people's generosity" so far.

Since Dog Aid was founded in 1996, it has helped 476 disabled people to "train their dogs and improve their lives".

The charity has five members of staff, and they help people with dogs to coach their own pets.

Ms Johnson said she was "optimistic and hopeful" of raising the remaining money and the charity had "received a huge amount of support from the communities of Shropshire".

She said she hoped people might be motivated to give to the charity over the festive period.