SSR, HOW WE BEGAN

Our rescue Staffie Smiles Rescue or SSR was founded in October 2012 by a few staffie daft folk that met while volunteering for other rescues. Their love of these dogs and what was happening to them in UK pounds drove them to help these dogs.

A BIT ABOUT US !

We are a group of staffie lovers from all over Scotland that have volunteered for rescues in the past and have now come together to help save the lives of SBT and SBT crosses that end up in pounds across the UK through no fault of their own.

After running successfully for 2 years we applied for charity status. In October 2015 we then became a Scottish Registered Charity SC045602 . Our rescue is growing fast and we are thankful for the help and support we receive from our fosterers, adopters, volunteers and the public without this we would not be able to help the dogs the way we do.

SSR is staffed entirely by unpaid volunteers who give their free time to help save dogs. We now have co-ordinators covering the Edinburgh/Perthshire/Fife/Dundee/Angus and Borders areas and other areas within Scotland.

We are a non-profit organisation that relies completely on donations from adoptions and fundraising events so that we can ensure that any dog we help to save is healthy and up-to-date with vaccinations, neutered, given worm/flea treatments and that they are treated for any illnesses before they are re-homed. This also allows us to save other dogs that are sitting in the pound waiting for help.

We have a board of trustees who oversee the management of the rescue, making sure the rescue runs within the charity's guidelines and manages the finances in the best interests of the charity.

Our committee are responsible for the day to day running of the rescue. They oversee the movement and care of the dogs, promoting responsible dog ownership, arrange fundraising events and much more.

Our volunteers help with dog walking, transporting, fundraising, and supporting each other and the new dog owners as well as anything else they can do to help.

As a team we support each other, this helps us to get through the ups and downs of rescue life. We work together so the rescue can then do what it was set up for, to save the lives of our beloved staffies.

If you are in Scotland and would like to help us please contact us. These dogs need all the help they can get.

WHY POUND DOGS ?

A dog pound is a facility where the local Council hold stray dogs found in their area, which have been picked up by either Local Authorities or by the Police.

The dog will be kept there for 7 days. After 7 days the dog will become the responsibility of the kennel. Due to the sheer volume of SBT’s arriving in Local Authority ‘pounds’, compared to other breeds of dog the SBT’s are frequently the ones that never get rescued and are left in the pounds when the dreaded ‘put to sleep date’ arrives.