Saving and Rehoming Strays was incorporated as a charity three years ago, but founder Claire Revis has been rescuing dogs from Romania for more than a decade.
The charity is now thriving in Ayr, with up to 50 dogs at the rescue centre at any one time alongside a lengthy waiting list.
Claire admits it has been a strange journey to the charity setting up its permanent base in South Ayrshire.
She explained: “I started rescuing from Romania about 12 years ago, when I started with one dog myself alongside some fundraising.
(Image: Saving and Rehoming Strays) “I lived on an equestrian centre in Essex and I got the chance to bring over 40 dogs, and it just all went from there.
“We eventually found ourselves in Newton Mearns, where we rescued thousands of dogs in a falling down farmhouse.
“In April 2022, we were searching for an expanded site and someone bought this property in Ayr for us, and it couldn’t have been set up better.”
Claire continued: “We’re a kennel free rescue where all the dogs live in social groups and they all have outside buildings and space they have access to.
“A lot of them are sanctuary dogs, who will stay here due to behavioural problems or medical issues.
(Image: Saving and Rehoming Strays) “We have quite high standards on how we rehome, and all of them are fully checked out and trained to a good standard before we find adopters.”
Claire admits operating a charity is a tough financial battle, and fundraising goes on throughout the year.
She said: “We’re quite a small rescue in the grand scheme of things, and there’s always something we want to do or change.
“Our monthly heating bills are thousands of pounds so it’s a big cost, but we’re lucky we have 10 fantastic on-site volunteers and a whole team of fundraisers.
“A lot of the trusts don’t give us grants because we deal with foreign dogs, so we rely heavily on generous donors and the public.
“People can support by donating as an individual, sponsoring a dog, run an event for us, buy something from our Amazon wishlist; the things they can do to help are endless.”
The charity is looking to keep raising its profile in 2025, alongside major infrastructure improvements at the site.
Claire added: “We want to keep the momentum going and we are always looking for volunteers with experience and expertise.
“We would also love to build an office so we can meet and greet people, but that will obviously be a lot of money.
“We have done a lot of work at the site over the last two and a half years, and now it’s about putting on the finishing touches and maintaining our high standards.”
For more information, visit the charity’s Facebook page or their website at savingandrehomingstrays.org.