North East Dog Lover Takes On London Marathon For Four Legged Friends

Auchterless mum and dog lover, Gaynor Morris, will be  taking on the London Marathon on Sunday to raise funds for DAWGS.  Gaynor, who lives in Auchterless, aimed to raise £500 for  us but she has already raised over £1700.

Said Gaynor:

” We have two rescue dogs ourselves  -Loki,  a lab/collie cross who is 11, and a beagle called Sasha who is 14. They have brought such love and happiness into our home that I just wanted to help DAWGS give other dogs a second chance. I started running a number of years ago with The  Race For Life 5k and then did some 10ks and then the Edinburgh Marathon in 2014. I am just thrilled to have a place in the London Marathon and doing it for DAWGS has just made it even more special”

As well as training for the London Marathon Gaynor has also been working at the  Bankhead Kennels in Auchterless. The owners have been supporting her all the way – while her own four legged friends have been a little less supportive.

” Loki likes to watch me run while he chews a stick while Sasha watches on from the comfort of her cosy bed!  I am not a fast runner but I hope to complete the Race in around four hours. Raising so much for DAWGS has put a spring in my step! I’d like to thank everyone who sponsored me.”

Mary Diack, Acting Chair at DAWGS,  praised Gaynor’s efforts.

“At DAWGS we know how hard it can be to give up a dog  and do everything we can to make the process as caring and easy as possible. We match new owners, do home checks and follow up checks to ensure every “tail” has a happy ending. It costs over £350 to re-home every dog – more if there are kenneling or veterinary costs.  We rely on donations and fundraising  so we are just delighted that Gaynor is supporting  DAWGS. We will be with her every step of the way.”

Gaynor has a fundraising page on the JustGiving website for anyone wishing to sponsor her – https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Gaynor-BankheadKennels.