Laura Gosling

Me and Bats are walking the '99k for Canines' with Dogs Trust this February!

As some may already know, my Bats is a rescue from Dogs Trust Cardiff, South Wales. Bats had a tough start in life with his first owners mistreating him. We took Bats on to prevent him from ever having to experience that life again. No dog should feel unsafe in their forever home.

Bats had experienced a cut to his throat and trauma from pulling his collar after the operation had taken place. Bats can be extremely cautious when on walks which has been a tough journey for us but more so for him. Being a collie/lurcher Bats requires daily exercise although there are so many dogs in our area that this becomes overwhelming and stressful for Bats to deal with.

Bats has recently been prescribed anxiety medication to help gain a larger threshold to his biggest fears. It also helps him feel joy and confidence to walk and experience life as a dog should. Until now, batman has found it challenging to leave home in our area. This has led us to explore further and find locations less distressing for Bats. We have been ever so lucky to have met a lady who has kindly offered us to use her field for Batman only and we are so grateful for this, it has really changed Batmans life.

So, Me and Bats have decided to help raise money for other dogs just like him. Dogs Trust has done so much for us on our journey and our mission is to help give back and say a big thank you! We will track all of our Journeys Daily on Facebook, Instagram and using the Strava App.

We are completing Dogs Trust 99k for Canines challenge! We will be walking 99km throughout the month of February to raise money for all the dogs in their care.

The aim of Dogs Trust is to give stray and abandoned dogs a second chance at a brighter future with responsible, caring new owners. In 2023, they were able to successfully rehome over 9,000 dogs and cared for a total of 11,464 dogs (including those through their Ukraine quarantine scheme as well as police dogs working at the Commonwealth Games!). With your help Dogs Trust hope to continue helping more dogs in 2025 as the need for their services increases with the current cost of living crisis.