North coast dog rescue and rehoming centre's public appeal for help with food and heating bills
A dog rescue and rehoming centre near Ballymoney has made a public appeal for help paying food and heating bills.
Benvardin Animal Rescue Kennels (BARK) issued the appeal via its Facebook page on April 15 saying it was “reaching out to our dog-loving community for support to cover our monthly expenses”.
The charity, which is based at 28 Benvardin Road, Ballybogey, said: “ Our first bill is for one month of electricity. Due to the cold weather, we have been using heaters and heat bulbs to keep our dogs warm at night. It is £631.71. Some of the dogs we have rescued didn't even know what a bed was and would lie on the concrete floor.
"Our second bill is for the dogs' food, which is £700...In any given month, we could have up to 30 dogs and puppies in our care, all of whom need to be fed and kept warm. This does not include any veterinary treatment needed to ensure they have a healthy, happy life.
"If you can donate to help cover these costs, I would be truly grateful. Our running costs have been a struggle each month for some time now, but we all do our best to keep going for the sake of the dogs.”
BARK says on its website: “We remain open to unwanted and homeless pets 365 days a year, and our centre is currently open to the public by appointment only.
“We’re seeing more unwanted pets who need urgent surgery, or lengthy training and rehabilitation. Please support our work today.”