Getting a dog was always on the cards so three years ago we started the search to adopt a dog from a local dog rehoming centre. We initially applied to Dogs Trust Bridgend for a white & tan Jack Russel Terrier called Jim, but we were pipped to the post by another family. 

We were later contacted by Dogs Trust Bridgend to say that they had Jim's sister, Rosie, who was not coping in the kennels and wondered if we would be interested in fostering her to see if she improved.  

We were sent photos of Rosie, a 1 year-old Jack Russel Terrier, wearing a large cone and some videos of her spinning uncontrollably whilst being taken for a walk. We were told she had been neglected/abused by her previous owner and her spinning/tail-biting was becoming obsessive/deteriorating and that she needed a calm, safe environment with a lot of attention.

We wanted to help out so agreed to foster her for a trial period and a few days later, with the help of the amazing Dogs Trust staff, we undertook the process of getting her settled into our home! 

Dogs Trust provided all the veterinary care, food, bedding, and most importantly, advice/check-ins to help us give Rosie the support she needed during the first 8-weeks, of which were challenging, and at times, had us questioning our sanity!       

The service from Dogs Trust Bridgend team was first-class - we could call and talk about any behavioural, medical and any other needs with no questions asked - it made such a difference for us and Rosie!

When she first arrived she had real trust issues, the spinning/tail-biting was relentless and she could hardly cope with being in the same room as us. After 4-6 weeks of patience, love and trying just about every trick in the book we made little breakthroughs and saw glimmers of a sweet little dog with a huge personality and abundance of love to give so after 8-weeks of fostering her we made the decision to formally adopt Rosie!

Three years later the journey still continues but she is a completely changed and happy dog - we cannot imagine life without her! She has the best life now which is why I want to fundraise for Dogs Trust by running the Cardiff Half Marathon - as ultimately they saved Rosie by helping her find us!

Dogs Trust is the UK's leading dog welfare charity and through their network of rehoming centres they try to find loving homes for thousands of unwanted dogs. They are reliant on voluntary donations to continue their work and without your support it would be simply impossible to care for over 15,000 dogs every year. 

Please support our fundraising effort to run the Cardiff Half Marathon for Dogs Trust by making a donation via JustGiving - your donation can help give a dog like Rosie the chance for a brighter future!

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure - plus Gift Aid of 25% is automatically added with no extra cost or effort!

Photo Gallery: I have added some photos to the gallery at the top of this page [click on 'view gallery' icon] to give an insight to Rosie's journey from when we fostered her from Dogs Trust to the amazing little dog she is now!