With this virtual gift, you will bring love to the life of a rescue in need this Valentine’s
At Miracle’s Mission, we bring rescued dogs and cats into our care who’ve never known what it feels like to be loved. You could change that by purchasing a virtual gift for them. With your gift, we can continue to give homeless rescues the love and care they deserve – and find their perfect match. What better way to help rescues this Valentine’s?
After purchasing a gift, you’ll receive an email that includes a certificate to download for yourself or your loved one – a nice keepsake as a reminder of the difference your gift has made to rescues.
So, if you can, please help homeless pets find love by purchasing a Whole Lot of Love Pack. We promise this is one gift that’s guaranteed to make someone’s heart flutter this Valentine’s!
How does a virtual gift work?1. Pop your virtual gift into your shopping basket and complete your checkout.
2. Look out for a thank you email including a downloadable virtual certificate.
3. Print out your certificate or email it to your lucky pet-loving Valentine.
All proceeds goes directly to Miracle’s Mission to support vulnerable pets.
The cost of changing a rescue animal’s life forever – PRICELESS!
To feed a dog for one month typically costs somewhere from £16 to £50, depending on the breed. Microchipping costs about £10 to £15. The average cost of essential vaccinations is £64. A vet appointment costs between £40-£60. Physiotherapy/Hydrotherapy – the average cost is £50 for a 30-minute session.
You may wonder, why do you have to pay to adopt a dog?
Well, running an animal shelter is not cheap, with food, heating and other costs, so you money goes towards supporting them in the work. It also pays for vital care that your new pet has had, and covers essential expenses that you’d likely have to pay for anyway if you got your dog another way.
Why do dog shelters charge people to adopt pets?
First of all, animal shelters cost money to run. While they get donations and funding through events like charity runs, the costs are high. They need to pay for food, heating and other bills, as well as any staff costs and expenses like petrol for home visits.
Adoption fees also cover other expenses for the dogs, such as vet bills, which you’d likely have to pay yourself anyway if you acquired a new dog through other means.
Every dog rehomed is vaccinated, microchipped and neutered.
10 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD #ADOPTDON’TSHOP!
Adopting a pet has many benefits, some of which you may have not considered. Here are some reasons why adopting a pet would benefit you and your family.
1. You are saving a life
By adopting from a shelter, you are providing an animal with the second chance they deserve. Many have been rescued from horrific circumstances such as cruelty, neglect and abandonment, or quite simply their owners were no longer able to look after them due to illness or a change in situation.
Before and after: these pictures were taken two months apart
Shelter staff work tirelessly to nurse animals back to health, rehabilitate disturbed animals and do everything they possibly can to ensure they are prepared to go to a new home. Sadly, not all of them are as fortunate. Some shelters have to euthanise due to lack of space, meaning many healthy animals lose their lives. By rehoming a pet you can give an animal that has been abandoned through no fault of their own a loving, stable home, and help to stop overpopulation.
2. You will save money
Shelters often microchip, spay, neuter and vaccinate the animals that come into their care. This saves you a lot of money because you don’t have to pay for the procedures yourself and it ensures the pet you are taking home is healthy. Also, the prices of adopting a pet from a shelter are often a lot lower than the rates charged by breeders.
3. Can help to eradicate puppy farms.
A puppy farm, or mill, is the illegal practice of breeding puppies for the sole purpose of maximising profit, without any regard to the dogs’ health or wellbeing. Dogs at puppy farms are forced to breed several times to their detriment and they are often kept in terrible conditions without basic necessities.
Bred Relentlessly For Profit
People who run such places are not concerned with producing healthy dogs, so they can be born with severe problems that emerge over time. The dogs usually don’t receive any veterinary care, and will often be destroyed once they can no longer reproduce. Additionally, dogs at pet shops are often products of puppy farms. Adopting from a shelter aids in stopping dogs from being subjected to such horrific circumstances, because rather than funding this illegal trade you will be rehoming a pet from somewhere reputable that supports animal welfare.
4. Can improve your health and make you happier
Various studies have shown that a having pet can elongate your life, whilst improving your overall happiness and health. It also helps people with depression, stress, anxiety and many other ailments. The affectionate and loyal nature of dogs as pack animals that form close relationships with their owners can help sufferers of depression, who may feel like they don’t have anybody else.
Stroking your pet can reduce your blood pressure and stress levels, and playing with them can increase the levels of serotonin and dopamine your body produces, making you feel calm and relaxed. Walking the pet is a way to exercise and provides sufferers of anxiety and depression with a reason to leave the house. It also creates opportunities for socialising with other dog walkers. The animal you have helped through rehoming can help you.
5. Can benefit children
Children can be taught valuable life skills through pet ownership, such as the importance of maintaining responsibilities. Rehoming a pet will also encourage empathy by making them think about how they have helped to give an unwanted animal a loving home. Pets can help children with separation anxiety and provide them with security, as they can be safe in the knowledge that someone will always be there. As well as this, they can be a loving companion and playmate.
6. Many of the animals are housetrained
Animals at shelters have often been housetrained in their previous home, particularly if they are older. This saves you a lot of time and extra effort when training your new pet where to go to the toilet.
7. Unconditional love
A pet is a companion that will never judge you, will love you regardless of whatever happens and will always be there. As well as making you feel great, their unconditional love raises your self-esteem because of the affection they show you. It is said that animals know when they have been rescued, so the bond between you and your rehomed pet will be especially strong.
8. You could get a pet you never expected
Although you may have an idea of what you are looking for, there are a wide variety of animals waiting to be adopted from shelters. This may mean an animal you would never have imagined could turn out to be the best match for you. Therefore, it is always important to have an open mind when visiting shelters.
9. Older animals can prove to be the best companions
Many people want to adopt puppies and kittens without considering the advantages of having an older pet. If trained in their previous home they will be less likely to destroy furniture than a younger pet, and as such, will probably require less supervision. Older pets are often calmer and quite happy to sit in your company rather than demanding constant attention. They also have more developed personalities than puppies or kittens, so it may be more apparent when visiting them at the shelter whether or not you are suited.
10. Adopting supports spaying and neutering
Spaying and neutering animals is important in controlling the animal population. Many pets that aren’t spayed or neutered often contribute to the problem of unwanted animals, which can lead to more being left at shelters. Adopting an animal from a shelter means that your new pet has been spayed or neutered where possible.
Please help us continue to support animal rescues by donating any amount, large or small. Your donations make our work possible.
And please remember…
…the cost of changing a rescue animal’s life forever is – PRICELESS!
The After Life creator took to Twitter to show his support for Donal Rogers and his dog Kim, calling the situation ‘sad and frustrating’ – his tweet has received masses of support.
Ricky Gervais has become the latest person to join in the fight to save ex-Garda Donal Rodgers’ dog Kim.
The Jack Russell was ordered by a court to be put down after she reportedly bit a woman while walking on the Strokestown Famine Trail in Co Roscommon on March 6th.
However, the UK comedian has said that the order to put her down is “sad and frustrating”.
More than 600 people have donated €12,868 in a bid to help Roscommon’s Mr Rogers and his beloved pup – surpassing the fundraiser’s goal of €5,000.
Hundreds of thousands of people have also signed a Change.org petition to save the dog.
Retweeting a post about Donal and Kim that asked for “high public exposure”, Ricky Gervais wrote: “This is so sad and frustrating. Anyone out there know how this dog can be saved? #SaveKim”
Donal launched an appeal in the High Court to prevent Kim from being put down, but on July 28th, he withdrew the appeal after the court indicated to him “that there were other avenues to pursue.
“The battle is far from over, not even half over,” Donal told Gript.ie. “My supporters are fighting to keep Kim alive. I have wonderful support from all over the country.”
Antilly, the German Shepherd who shared the screen with comedian and actor Ricky Gervais in After Life, is adding plenty of screen credits to her CV since the show.
She won the hearts of TV viewers worldwide as Ricky Gervais’ loyal dog in Netflix smash After Life.
RICKY AND ANTILLY
And thanks to her role as Brandy, the pup who gives Ricky’s character Tony Johnson a reason to live after his wife’s death, Antilly’s career is booming.
ANTILLY
The German Shepherd has been to Belfast to shoot scenes with Hollywood stars Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez for a blockbuster Dungeons And Dragons film.
ANTILLY IN DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS
And she’s starring in upcoming BBC drama Sherwood with David Morrissey and Robert Glenister as well as Netflix spy series Treason with Charlie Cox and Olga Kurylenko.
Antilly has graced screens since she was a puppy, playing everything from Army hounds to police dogs.
She’s also worked with A-listers including Tom Cruise and George Clooney, who said she was the best-trained dog he’d seen.
Antilly’s owner Ashley Foster jokes: “They bring us over to do the serious acting.”
Ashley started as an animal trainer 10 years ago and worked on Batman flick The Dark Knight Rises with Antilly’s parents – he was one of villain Bane’s henchmen with the dogs playing attack hounds.
Antilly followed in her parents’ pawprints and signed with Stunt Dogs & Animals. The company was working on a film with Michael Fassbender and wanted a police dog to bite him – one of Antilly’s many skills.
ANTILLY’S DAD ASHLEY
Using protective sleeves, Ashley, 34, safely directs the clever canine where to bite. He says: “She’s very controlled. As soon as the director calls cut and I tell her to let go, she lets go straightaway.”
Antilly’s skills are so honed, she even managed to convince a scared stuntman on Martin Clunes’ series Doc Martin to do a dog bite scene.
ANTILLY CHASES DOC MARTIN (MARTIN CLUNES)
Ashley, from Bicester, Oxon, says: “He’d done one before, they’d used two ex-police dogs and they couldn’t get the dogs off him. I had to show how she works for him to agree to do it.”
The talented pooch, 10, has a wide range of tricks from shaking her head and limping on command to playing dead. All she needs is the reward of a sausage and Ashley stands off-camera, tempting her with his telescopic bait stick.
(OUTTAKE) ANTILLY AND RICKY ON THE SET OF AFTERLIFE
“She’ll lie there, completely still,” he says. “People could be crying and wailing over her and she won’t move. Every time she does something she will get paid with a sausage.”
Ashley often appears alongside Antilly and after receiving the script, they do lots of prep work to make sure she is happy.
PREPARED FOR AN AFTERLIFE SCENE
Ashley adds: “For After Life there wasn’t really much to prepare for. It was straightforward.”
When they’re not filming scenes, he uses the time to work on training.
He also brings other dogs with him to train, including German Shepherd pup Pen, who has already worked as a police dog in TV shows and will eventually take over from Antilly.
For now, though, she is continuing her film work. Ashley says: “She’s still super fit, healthy and happy and loves to work.”
Ashley and Antilly are backing a new challenge from charity Street Paws, encouraging Brits to walk 274,000 steps in April for every homeless person in England.
Founded in Newcastle in 2016, Street Paws provides free accessible vet care and support services to homeless people and their pets.
STREET PAWS
Ashley says: “The work they do can save people. I’ve known people who are struggling to find housing and have got a dog and are really worried about not being able to find somewhere to live with them.”
What you can do to help rescue animals:
Support ‘Protect All Wildlife’ by donating as little as £1 – It only takes a minute but it can last a lifetime for an animal in need.
We believe EVERY animal should be treated with respect, empathy, and understanding. We raise awareness to protect and conserve wild, captive, companion and farm animals. It is vital that we protect animals against acts of cruelty, abuse, and neglect by enforcing established animal welfare laws and, when necessary, take action to ensure that those who abuse animals are brought to justice.
Protect All Wildlife are involved in many projects to protect animals’ rights, welfare, and habitats. Money contributed to Protect All Wildlife supports ALL of our worthy programmes and gives us the flexibility to respond to emerging needs. Your donations make our work possible. Thank you for your support.
Everyone who donates will receive a Certificate of Appreciation as a thank you for supporting wildlife.
When tomorrow starts without me, And I’m not there to see; The sun will rise and find your eyes All filled with tears for me
I wish so much you wouldn’t cry The way you did today, I know how much you loved me, As much as I love you, And each time that you think of me I know you’ll miss me too.
But when tomorrow starts without me, please try to understand That an angel came and called my name And petted me with her hand.
She said my place was ready, In Heaven far above, And that I’d have to leave behind All those I dearly love.
But,as I turned to heel away, A tear fell from my eye, For all my life I never thought That I would have to die.
I had so much to live for, So many sits and downs to do, It seemed almost impossible, That I was leaving you.
I thought about our lives together, I know you must be sad, I thought of all the love we shared, And all the fun we had.
Remember when I’d nudge your hand, And poke you with my nose? The frisbee I would gladly chase, The bad guy,I’d “bark and hold”
If I could relive yesterday, Just even for awhile, I’d wag my tail and kiss you, Just so I could see you smile.
But then I fully realized, That this could never be For emptiness and memories Will take the place of me.
And when I thought of treats and toys I might miss come tomorrow, I thought of you and when I did, My dog-heart filled with sorrow.
But when I walked through Heaven’s gate; And felt so much at home; As God looked down and smiled at me, From His beautiful throne.
He said,”This is eternity”, And now we welcome you, Today your life on earth is past, But here is starts anew.
I promise no tomorrow, But today will always last; For you see,each days’ the same, There’s no longing for the past.
Now you have been so faithful So trusting, loyal and true; Though there were times you did things, You knew you shouldn’t do
But good dogs are forgiven, And now at last you’re free; So won’t you sit here by my side, And wait right here with me?
So when tomorrow starts without me, Don’t think we’re far apart, For every time you think of me, I’m right there, in your heart.
Author unkown
What you can do to help animals in need:
Support ‘Protect All Wildlife’ by donating as little as £1 – It only takes a minute but it can last a lifetime for an animal in need.
We believe EVERY animal should be treated with respect, empathy, and understanding. We raise awareness to protect and conserve wild, captive, companion and farm animals. It is vital that we protect animals against acts of cruelty, abuse, and neglect by enforcing established animal welfare laws and, when necessary, take action to ensure that those who abuse animals are brought to justice.
Protect All Wildlife are involved in many projects to protect animals’ rights, welfare, and habitats. Money contributed to Protect All Wildlife supports ALL of our worthy programmes and gives us the flexibility to respond to emerging needs. Your donations make our work possible. Thank you for your support.
Everyone who donates will receive a Certificate of Appreciation as a thank you for supporting wildlife.
A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead.
A Man And A Dog And Heaven
He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them.
After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight.
When he was standing before it he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold. He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side.
When he was close enough, he called out, ‘Excuse me, where are we?’
‘This is Heaven, sir,’ the man answered.
Would you happen to have some water?’ the man asked.
Of course, sir. Come right in, and I’ll have some ice water brought right up’.
The man gestured, and the gate began to open.
‘Can my friend,’ gesturing toward his dog, ‘come in, too?’ the traveler asked.
‘I’m sorry, sir, but we don’t accept pets.’
The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going with his dog.
After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence. As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book.
‘Excuse me!’ he called to the man. ‘Do you have any water?’
‘Yeah, sure, there’s a pump over there, come on in..’
‘How about my friend here?’ the traveller gestured to the dog.
There should be a bowl by the pump.’
They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it.
The traveller filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog.
When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree.
‘What do you call this place?’ the traveler asked.
This is Heaven,’ he answered.
‘Well, that’s confusing,’ the traveler said. ‘The man down the road said that was Heaven, too.’
‘Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That’s hell.’
‘Doesn’t it make you mad for them to use your name like that?’
‘No, we’re just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind!!
Author Unknown
What you can do to help animals in need:
Support ‘Protect All Wildlife’ by donating as little as £1 – It only takes a minute but it can last a lifetime for an animal in need. Thank you.
We believe EVERY animal should be treated with respect, empathy, and understanding. We raise awareness to protect and conserve wild, captive, companion and farm animals. It is vital that we protect animals against acts of cruelty, abuse, and neglect by enforcing established animal welfare laws and, when necessary, take action to ensure that those who abuse animals are brought to justice.
Protect All Wildlife are involved in many projects to protect animals’ rights, welfare, and habitats. Money contributed to Protect All Wildlife supports ALL of our worthy programmes and gives us the flexibility to respond to emerging needs. Your donations make our work possible. Thank you for your support.
Everyone who donates will receive a Certificate of Appreciation as a thank you for supporting wildlife.
Ricky Gervais has carved an incredibly successful career from making people laugh but it’s no joking matter when it comes to standing up for the rights of animals!
In 2014, Ricky famously declared; “Animals don’t have a voice. But I do. A loud one. I’m a fucking big mouth. My voice is for them. And I’ll never shut up while they suffer”. And true to his word, Ricky is constantly shouting from the rooftops about bringing an end to animal cruelty. Whether it’s fighting against Fox hunting or battling a historic Bull fight when it comes to all creatures great and small, Ricky has their back.
Thanks to his celebrity status from films and TV, Ricky has a staggering following on Twitter and Facebook and he regularly uses social media to make people sit up and listen. One carefully worded tweet to his millions of followers can bring global attention to animals in fear or danger within seconds. He can encourage charity donations to come flooding in and get everyone talking about shocking examples of cruelty around the world.
In the past, Ricky has used social media to highlight the atrocity of 10,000 dogs slaughtered every year at the annual Chinese Yulin Dog Meat Festival and campaigned to bring it to an end.
He has individually named and shamed ‘big game hunters’ as they’ve posed by their bleeding ‘trophies’. Ricky also posted this message on his Facebook page – “I’m sick of Trophy Hunters trying to excuse their grim sport by saying they provide a service. They exploit the needs of the poor. They pay lots of money to go and shoot a magnificent animal because the authorities need the cash, and then claim they are doing a good deed. It’s not a good deed. Those authorities would rather have the money AND the animal still alive but they can’t afford to. So they’re forced to take money from rich psychopaths who get their cheap fucking thrills from shooting a giraffe or elephant in the head. If they were providing a service THEY would be the ones being paid. Imagine a vet paying you to put down your dog and then taking a selfie next to the corpse. And as for “the money goes to saving there remaining animals”. Oh dear. Where will it end? Can you pay more to kill the Leopard with a hammer if that’s your perversion? They’re already killing with bows and arrows for fucks sake. And would we allow some billionaire sicko to shoot one cancer patient if he gave a million dollars to cancer research? No. Of course we fucking wouldn’t. If they really wanted to do a good deed they would donate the money, and NOT shoot the animal. They would be heroes then. As opposed to murdering scum”.
In 2014, Ricky lent his considerable Twitter celebrity to the campaign against Western Australia’s controversial Shark kill policy. He appeared on social media holding up a sign decrying the WA government plans to catch and kill any shark 3m or over that comes within 1km of a Perth beach. It read: “To the government of Western Australia – Listen to Facts, Listen to Science, Listen to Reason – Stop the Shark Cull.” He also used his appearance at the British National Television Awards.
A local street artist made his own protest by painting a mural on a building which included the anti-cull quote by from Ricky. The cull was later called off!
Also in 2014, Ricky symbolically adopted one of the 130 moon Bears on a Bear bile farm in Nanning, China, a farm that’s set to transition into Animals Asia’s third moon Bear sanctuary. Ricky named the young male Bear, Derek, after his comedy-drama.
L to R – Peter Egan, Ricky’s partner Jane Fallon, Ricky and Jill Robinson (founder of Animals Asia)
Derek was a ten-year-old Bear with a host of problems, as a result of a life trapped in a cage where workers would extract his bile. His head is raw from years of rubbing his head against the bars of his small cage, and most of his teeth have fallen out, with the exception of a few rotten teeth which badly needed to be extracted. His lolloping tongue is a result of a nerve damage, while his right eye suffers from a cataract.
“Derek is a beautiful but very damaged Bear,” said Ricky. “After such a sad and traumatic existence on a Bear farm I am thrilled to have adopted him as one of 130 Bears currently being rescued by Animals Asia in China and long to see him enjoying his new life in the sun! I so admire this historic initiative to turn a Bear farm into a sanctuary and applaud the efforts of everyone involved.”
In the USA in 2015, a female black bear called Ricky who spent 18 years in a cage was freed after a settlement in a lawsuit brought by the Animal Legal Defense Fund
The lawsuit was filed by in December 2014 on behalf of concerned Pennsylvania residents against Jim Mack’s Ice Cream, where Ricky had lived in a small, concrete cage, eating a mix of corn and dog food funnelled onto the floor of her enclosure.
Ricky’s plight drew national attention, and tens of thousands of people (including Ricky) signed petitions requesting her release..
Again in 2015, Ricky helped hundreds of shelter dogs desperately lacking food and medical care. When an influx of 680 dogs arrived at a public shelter in Odai, Romania, the workers knew these dogs didn’t have anywhere else to turn. Despite not having enough food, bedding or even bowls for water, the shelter took them in. They needed help and fast, so London-based partner rescue, K-9 Angels created a fundraising page with an urgent plea for donations “to ease the emergency situation at the shelter.” Over the course of several days, the group had raised only about £4,000 for the Romanian shelter. The money was enough to make sure the dogs had enough food for about two months, but it didn’t come anywhere near what the shelter needed to pay for basic supplies, vaccinations and labour costs. In fact, it was about £26,000 short. That’s when Ricky stepped in and posted the following tweet.
OK. That's The Emmys done. Now back to important stuff. Emergency food & aid for dogs at Odai public shelter, https://t.co/6PS5kSW8Mn pls RT
“Within days we had raised £20,000. Before Ricky retweeted we had only raised £4,000 so it just goes to show the power that animal loving celebs have. We are very grateful,” K-9 Angels founder Victoria Eisermann. The group showed their gratitude with a post in which they called the comedian “an angel” for sharing their fundraiser page. Eisermann added that the group even honoured Ricky by naming one of the young puppies “Ricky.”
Lately, Ricky has been very vocal about Lucy’s Law, the campaign to end the heart-breaking puppy farming trade. Lucy’s Law is named after a remarkable Cavalier Spaniel called Lucy who was rescued from a Welsh puppy farm and became a celebrity in her own right on social media before her death more than a year ago. Ricky regularly posted details on Twitter and Facebook leading to it being a short distance from becoming law.
Ricky’s passion and ability to be vocal has made millions of people painfully aware of such issues as the slaughter of whales in the Faroe Islands and the stolen pet dogs of Thailand that are destined for the illegal meat trade.
Ricky also reminds us all of the huge number of animals in rescue shelters and the importance of the hashtag #AdoptDontShop with his numerous posts.
Ricky is driven to raise awareness and get signatures on petitions that pile pressure on governments. He has put his name to campaigns with charities such as PETA and the Humane Society International. Ricky won’t stop until animals are protected from blood sports, their fur is no longer used as a fashion statement, the Yulin ‘festival’ ends and the last SeaWorld ‘fish tank’ is empty (etc etc!)
This year Ricky donated £427,243 to animal charities from the sale of premium seats for his stand-up tour Supernature.
Ricky said: ‘It is such a privilege to be able to help animals in need, simply by doing a job that I already love.’
Ricky is undoubtedly a voice for all animals and it’s fair to say the world is listens to him.
And a final quote from Ricky……
This is only a small part of what Ricky has done for animals over the years.
…….and THAT is why Ricky Gervais is a animal rights legend!!
Protect All Wildlife
The Mission of Protect All Wildlife is to prevent cruelty and promote the welfare of ALL animals.
We believe EVERY animal should be treated with respect, empathy, and understanding. We raise awareness to protect and conserve wild, captive, companion and farm animals.
It is vital that we protect animals against acts of cruelty, abuse, and neglect by enforcing established animal welfare laws and, when necessary, take action to ensure that those who abuse animals are brought to justice.
Protect All Wildlife are involved in many projects to protect animals’ rights, welfare, and habitats. Money contributed to Protect All Wildlife supports ALL of our worthy programmes and gives us the flexibility to respond to emerging needs. Your donations make our work possible.
PROTECT ALL WILDLIFE 