Updated on Jan 31st 2012 at 9:02 PM from the JustGiving API

Thank you so so much. All of you.

The Doris Banham Trust

The Doris Banham Trust is a non-profit making animal charity relying solely on fundraising and public donations. They are a sanctuary for all animals but specialise in fostering animals (in particular dogs) with behavioural issues (caused by neglect/ abuse / physical and psychological damage etc.) They also take in death row dogs – these are dogs being destroyed in pounds at the rate of one dog per hour, every day simply because there is not enough space.

Significantly, and in the context of the criminal justice system, they are the only organisation I am aware of who will take dogs who are trainable and capable of rehoming, but would otherwise be liable to immediate destruction orders by the courts.

Many dogs subject to ‘dangerous dog’ prosecutions are first time ‘offenders’ who injure in circumstances which does not make them an unmanageable risk. Often the dogs have had no training and/ or live with owners who are incapable of looking after them. The Doris Banham trust offer invaluable assistance. In cases where expert reports suggest that the dog is trainable, they take in the animal at their own expense (as part of a court order), spend time (a whole year in one of my cases last year) training the dog before looking to re-home in a safe environment. These resolutions spare the tax payer huge amounts of moneyThe work they do is extraordinary and the persons who work there are committed to doing what so many of us imagine impossible.

The trust has not been immune to the effects of the recession. Donations are down substantially and levels of contribution are such that the trust is at real risk of closure. They have agreed to take another dog (DRE – an 8 year old Staffordshire) as part of a court case in Plymouth, but have understandably asked for financial assistance. There is no ‘legal aid’ assistance being granted (notwithstanding the actual financial savings to the public purse) and so it falls on donations. I have pledged my fee in this case to them. Professor Anne McBRIDE (Lecturer in Animal Behaviour at the University of Southampton and author of the Court report for DRE) has committed herself to a sizeable donation as have her students. It will cost about £75 a week to keep and train DRE and it is difficult to assess how long his re-habitation will take (he has been kept in a concrete enclosure for over a year with no exercise or physical human contact). Could I ask that you consider a small financial contribution and/or consideration of monthly donations to their web site www.dogsos.co.uk and follow donate now. If you do set up a direct debit with them could you please mark it re: DRE and let me know so we can factor in your contribution. Please also ask others who you feel may be able to assist. I really appreciate that money is tight and wouldn’t have troubled you were it not so very important and the need for help so very desperate.

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