AN AYRSHIRE-BASED animal rescue charity is getting ready to celebrate two years of work saving and rehoming dogs across the UK and beyond.

Saving and Rehoming Strays' mission is to rescue and rehome dogs in the UK. And as well as caring for UK dogs, they also partner with organisations in Europe, principally Romania, to identify dogs in need and support their path to finding a forever home.

They set up their base in Ayr in April 2022 - and are keen to find new homes for some of the dogs currently in their care.

A spokesperson for the charity said: "We believe in rescue without borders and that every dog deserves an opportunity to find a family of their own.

"Our rehoming centre in Ayr is very different to most, in that we are a kennel-free rescue.

"Most of the dogs we care for live in the house and the rest live in social groups in large, customised outbuildings where they get to play, exercise and relax with the other dogs as well as interact with the volunteers.

"We have a number of zones including The Wonky Zone (housing our less abled dogs), Centre Barks (agility zone for some fun times), Scaredy Pants Corner (for our dogs that need some socialisation) and Giants Pawsway which houses our larger dogs.

Ayr Advertiser: One of the strays who need to be rehomed

"We are constantly fund-raising and running events to cover the costs of looking after the dogs in our care and we are always looking for donations (both monetary but also items we can use or sell to raise funds).

"With the closure of the SSPCA centre in Ayr we would like to let the community know that we are here and would appreciate any support."

The charity's work is much needed in Romania, where there are thousands of dogs on the streets because of the political history and the country's refusal to neuter and spay dogs.

Many die on the streets, beaten, poisoned, starved and subject to horrific attacks by humans who believe they are vermin.

If they are rounded up by the Romanian authorities, they end up in brutal public shelters, where there is little food, comfort or warmth and no veterinary aid; as a result, many are left to die from injuries or sickness.

Out of thousands of dogs, only a few will be plucked to safety by rescue groups like Saving and Rehoming Strays.

Once they have found someone to adopt a dog, the wheels are set in motion to raise funds to transport it to the UK. Each dog is neutered, vaccinated, microchipped, checked by a vet and given a passport to travel. 

The dogs then travel to the UK on the charity's "happy bus", where they either go to a foster family, to the charity's centre for assessment, or straight to their new families. 

The charity is also looking for volunteers to help at at their Ayr centre, as well as for residents who would be interested in 'Forever Fostering', which allows senior or special needs dogs get some well-deserved comfort in their later years.

If you would like to find out more about the charity, you can visit its website at www.savingandrehomingstrays.org, where you can also find a link to its latest annual report.