Animal lover from Fleetwood takes on sponsored walk for Homeless Hounds kennels in Thornton

Jill Maxwell-Carr, 61, is a volunteer dog walker for the charity Homeless Hounds, which runs the Briarcliffe Kennels on River Road, Thornton,

Because the kennels are run as a charity rather than a business, they rely on fundraisers and donations to keep going.

Jill, of Victoria Street, who is a dog owner herself, will be walking from Fleetwood Life Boat Station to Briarcliffe Kennels this Saturday (April 23) – a distance of five-and-a-half miles.

She is hopes to raise at least £150 from both sponsorship and the collecting bucket she will carry on the day.

Jill said: “When you run a charity like Homeless Hounds, the costs can really mount up because there are food and vet bills and vaccinations to meet on a regular basis..

"I love walking our dog Bo, who is a tiny cross between a Jack Russell and a Chihuahua, but this walk will be a bit further than I usually go so it will be a challenge.

"I’ve already got £68 in sponsorship and not all the money has come in, so I’m confident of reaching my target.”

The dogs at Briarcliffe, large and small, ended up homeless for a variety of reasons.

She said: "In some cases, their owner has died and there is no one to take them on, or they have been found abandoned in the street by the council, with no way to track down the owner.

"In some cases they have been rescued from bad homes but still need someone to look after them.

"The volunteers at Homeless Hounds look after them while trying to find good owners – they do a great job.”

Jill has owned many cats and dogs over the years but did not know about the work of Homeless Hounds until relatively recently.

She added: “There was a similar thing when we went on holiday to Lanzarote and when I came back I wanted to see if there was a local group who did the same thing.

"That’s when I found Homeless Hounds and the Briarcliffe Kennels.”

For more information, visit Briarcliffe Kennels on Facebook.