Welcome to the website of the
Siberian
Husky Welfare Association (UK)
Click on the image above to see dogs currently available
for adoption
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Updated
on 5th May 2012 - You
are visitor no: 
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IMPORTANT
NOTICE
to those wishing to rehome their dogs through SHWA
Please note that, like all
the other husky welfare organisations we are totally overwhelmed with unwanted
dogs at the moment. We are currently receiving something like 15-20 requests for
rehoming every single week and we simply do not have the capacity to cope with
this. So, if you have sent us a relinquish form, please be patient - it may take
us a while to get round to you. Rehoming is not a quick fix - we have to assess
the dog, find a foster home which then carries out a more extensive assessment,
and then find the right home for the dog. All this takes time, effort and
resources - all of which are very scarce. We have no full-time or paid staff!
Everyone is a volunteer and gives what time they can afford so please bear with
us!!!!
Believe it or not, SHWA(UK) is 5
years old on Tuesday 7th February!
Certainly those of us who attended the
inaugural meeting in February 2007 would never have dreamed that SHWA would have
come so far so fast. In truth, nor would we have wished for it to do so. Our
dream was that after a year or two, the need for SHWA to exist would have
receded and we could go back to looking after our own dogs rather than worrying
about the unwanted dogs cast aside by others. Unfortunately, if anything, the
opposite has happened and there is more need for SHWA than ever.
So, the handful of people who met on
February 7th 2007, in a village hall in Bedfordshire to set up SHWA,
spawned what is now a large organisation of some 100 volunteers. At the time,
the nay-sayers (and there are always plenty of those in the dog world) predicted
we wouldn’t last six months
It has not been easy and it has not
always been straightforward. Like any organisation we have had our good times
and our difficulties. People have left (not always on good terms) and new people
have come in but we have always tried to make SHWA an efficient, well-run
organisation while retaining the welcoming “family” feel that makes people
want to be part of it.
Five years and over 500 dogs later I
would like to say, both personally and on behalf of SHWA, a huge THANK YOU to
everyone who has put their time and effort into making SHWA a success – and it
has been a massive success – 500+ dogs rehomed and hundreds more living
happier and more fulfilled lives because of the help, support and advice we have
been able to offer, testify to this.
So what is in the future for SHWA? I would love to be able to say that the
puppy farmers, backyard breeders and naïve/greedy/ignorant “pet” breeders
have stopped churning out puppies and as a result there was no longer a need for
our existence. Unfortunately that is most definitely NOT the case. In particular
the “pet” breeders have multiplied tenfold and are currently leading the
field with their irresponsible breeding practices, producing thousands of poorly
bred, poor quality pups from un-health-tested parents – pups which will,
unfortunately, keep rescues in business for many years to come.
I believe that SHWA’s priorities
over the coming year need to be:
(1)
to keep our current focus on rescue and rehoming; but in addition to increase
our focus on:
(2)
Education – educating the public about responsible breeding; and
(3)
as far as funds allow, running a pro-active neutering programme to encourage
owners to neuter their dogs/bitches by subsidising the cost.
This will necessitate a renewed focus on fundraising and making our
resources stretch as far as possible –
not an easy task during a financial recession and especially when there are now
several “husky rescues” all competing for the same funds. One way of doing
this is to bite the bullet and gain charitable status. This will enable us to
reclaim VAT on purchases and to apply to certain organisations which only donate
to registered charities. The downside of this is the inevitable increase in
bureaucracy involved, but if it enables us to do more for the welfare of the
breed, then it is worth putting up with. So, it is my intention to achieve
charitable status for SHWA within the next 12 months.
Thanks again to anyone who has worked
for/with us, adopted a dog from us and supported us in any way over the past
five years – we could not have achieved what we have without you! Thank You
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The
Siberian Husky Welfare Association (UK) was formed in February 2007 in response
to the gathering welfare crisis in the Siberian Husky breed. Too many
irresponsible breeders, together with too many ill-informed, ill-prepared new
owners, meant that unwanted huskies were coming into rescue at an unprecedented
rate. Since February 2007, SHWA(UK) has taken in and rehomed over 500 unwanted
Siberian Huskies of all ages and we have quickly become - out of necessity, not
choice, the biggest and busiest Siberian Husky Welfare organisation in the UK.
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up with SHWA(UK) on Facebook HERE
and HERE
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your support for SHWA by adding a SHWA PicBadge to your facebook profile:
