The National Foundation for Retired Service Animals (NFRSA), formed only in May this year, is delighted to announce that it has been awarded charitable status.
Founded by The Rt. Hon. The Countess Bathurst of Cirencester Park in May this year, the NFRSA provides a deserving and loving retirement for the UK’s 2000+ and growing, ex-service dogs and horses, by assisting handlers and owners with medical and veterinary responsibilities – which, by default falls on the handler.
The NFRSA, focuses entirely on supporting all ex-service dogs and horses across our Police, Fire & Rescue, Prison and Border Force services during their retirement by paying for veterinary treatments. This incredible charity is unique in that it does not demand a joining fee or any financial contribution on the part of the owner or handler.
And it has already had one incredible success story, that of Keela, a retired Police Dog from Kent constabulary. Thanks to the power of social media, an online appeal launched by The Countess raised just over £5k in only 18hrs!
Shared by a leading Facebook group which has over 440k followers late on a Wednesday evening, the full amount donated by hundreds of people from up and down the country – even as far as Australia – had been raised by lunchtime the next day.
Retired police dog Keela had served with the Kent police from the age of 6 months until her retirement over nine years later, when she stayed by the side of her lifelong partner and handler Sam.
One evening in early August, Keela was quite clearly in great pain and with Sam’s 20 years’ dog handling experience she knew immediately that her partner was suffering from a stomach torsion, which in German shepherds is life threatening. Without immediate and early intervention Keela would almost certainly have died.
Sam, without any thought of the cost, rushed Keela to the vet where she underwent overnight emergency surgery, which she happily survived. The total vets bill originally came to just over £6k and Sam realised she was going to need some assistance and so turned to NFRSA for help.
Lady Bathurst recalls the conversation: ‘It was immediately clear when I spoke to Sam that she was not only in deep shock and concerned for her beloved dog but it was dawning on her the enormity of the financial cost. And while she would have gladly re-mortgaged her house, she decided to reach out to us at the NFRSA. We made a promise on the spot that we would help her. As a charity that has only been formed for three months, we knew this would be a challenge, but we were determined to find a way because that is what we do. We help retired service animals in their hour of need.’
The best way to raise what was now £4.5k (the vet had kindly agreed to reduce the bill to reflect the extraordinary service Keela had given to the community), was to launch a special online appeal.
Lady Bathurst did so at 4pm on Wednesday, and later that evening it had already been shared by many supporters but most importantly it had been picked up by a leading Facebook page whose call to arms went out to the country’s thin blue line. The response was extraordinary and by midnight it had reached £1,000; by lunchtime on Thursday, it had exceeded its £4.5k goal.
Keela’s owner Sam was amazed at the generosity of so many people and said: ‘Even though she is retired, I still see Keela as my partner and protector. I feel blessed to have had her as my police dog and I am so thankful that she pulled through the operation. I am deeply grateful to the NFRSA for their help. It means everything to us both.’
Lady Bathurst Says: ‘The Police Family is a close-knit community. When a colleague, whether two legged or four legged, is in trouble anywhere in the country, they, alongside people who truly care about animals, just quietly step up to the mark and help. Having raised that amount of money in less than 24hrs just goes to show the respect and love we all have for our retired service animals. Keela spent her life taking care of us and everyone has pulled together to take care of her when she needed us most, and I am so very grateful to all those who helped. It’s what this is all about, community and our amazing service animals.’
RPD Keela continues to recover well at home, under the watchful eye of her devoted owner Sam, and thanks to the enormous support shown for this brave police dog, she will be able to enjoy the rest of her retirement in good health.
In addition, we are thrilled to announce acclaimed West Yorkshire photographer and animal lover Gerry Slade has collaborated with Countess Bathurst to create a beautiful calendar as part of her charity’s launch.
‘Gerry doesn’t do just “portraits” – he has a special gift which is to capture his subject with real emotion and atmosphere, said Lady Bathurst.
This inaugural calendar will be a stunning tribute to the incredible animals helping to save lives on a daily basis. Sponsored by pet wellbeing brand Paws, Gerry hopes this launch calendar will be the first of many.
‘I love to capture that special bond in a unique and beautiful way,’ says Gerry.
And it has just been announced that a stunning image by Gerry Slade has been selected as part of the Team GB entry to The World Photographic Cup. Aside from dedicating his creativity and time to this worthy project, Gerry is donating all proceeds to the NFRSA.
For more information, go to www.nfrsa.org.uk
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