About The Mutts Nutts rescue

I was an HR Manager for Churchill Insurance and “Oh Yes” I did have a nodding dog. I had taken voluntary redundancy in 2004 after the birth of my first child and after a 10-year career break (my children were then 10 and 8 years old) it was time to start thinking about what to do next. I remember clearly the phone call back from Terry, where I was, and what we talked about. This is because that phone call changed my life. I love being involved with The Mutts Nutts, this is truly the first role out of a variety of career paths to date that leaves me fulfilled and satisfied with my working day. My husband does not refer to my work as a job, how can it be when I enjoy it so much?!

I have been involved in our remote projects supporting other rescues up to the launch of our own foster facility in 2017. Now 8 years on, just post pandemic and with much older teens It is an absolute privilege to be our CEO/Operations Manager (sometimes known as Head Nutt!).  I am extremely proud of our HOMES service and the assistance we provide to the elderly and ill in our community. Not a day goes by without the realisation of how important pet companionship is. We are here to provide that support structure to enable stress free ownership can continue, even when life becomes less straightforward.

My skills developed over previous roles stand me in good stead for co-ordinating team members and volunteers and all things people.  What has become paramount over the last eight years is our unique charity provides as much support for humans as well as animals and as for “No experience necessary – but a love of dogs essential”, I think my devoted ownership of loopy Lhasa Apso dogs, yes I know, someone has to love the stubborn little characters (2 at home, 2 previously and an elderly Labrador) stands me in good stead for a bit of experience, but certainly a love of dogs (& cats too!).

After studying and earning my degree in Zoo Biology at Nottingham Trent University I found that one of my favourite subjects was animal behaviour – with a particular interest in Canine behaviour.

Once I finished university, I started working for the childrenswear and nursery department at John Lewis. But after 7 years there I was looking for a career change.

One evening I was browsing job websites and came across an advertisement for an Animal Management Trainee at a rescue close to where I live. The job seemed perfect for me and gave me the opportunity to put my degree to good use.

I applied and was overjoyed when I got the job. Due to my interest in canine behaviour and genuine love for animals working for The Mutts Nutts Rescue allows me to improve my knowledge, help animals and my local community at the same time, which is very fulfilling.

I was very fortunate to be able to retire early from a career in the National Health Service where I mainly worked as a dentist running my own small NHS practice. Before finally hanging up my drill I worked for a few years at a Dental Access Centre and was on a professional board of a local Primary Care Trust. My previous career required an attention to detail, and in life I am by nature a “completer-finisher” so within the Trustee team I am known as “Backbone”

Like our entire team, I have been an animal lover all my life, with cats being my particular passion, until five years ago a pair of elderly terrier brothers came into our charity’s care looking for a new home having tragically lost their elderly owner in a house fire. We had just had to have our beloved old cat put to sleep so “The Boys” came home and with them brought a whole new dimension of joy and companionship into our lives. We had to say goodbye to Ted after three and a half years, but Jack is still going strong and the adage, “you are never alone with a dog” is so very true. Having a dog in our life reinforces to me every day just how important a four – legged friend can be to some elderly and terminally ill members of our community whose dogs and cats are their constant companion and never more so than in the challenging days of self-isolation and lockdown that we have lived through.

Being part of the Mutts Nutts Rescue team is an absorbing and very rewarding one, I cannot think of a better way to be spending my “retirement” than working with a wonderful team of like-minded individuals and volunteers who are passionate about helping pets, and hence their owners and families, in times of need.

Some years ago, I worked in the corporate world of learning and development, largely on national and global projects, and I learnt that people, no matter who they are and where they have come from, need love and laughter in their lives to flourish and grow.

Having been an animal lover all my life, I know with total conviction, that animals, no matter who they are and where they have come from, provide love and laughter. So, I got into animal rescue, and found that for every dog or cat you help, there are a host of people you help too

Now I know we can’t change the world (or at least Jane tells me so – fairly regularly!) but we can change our little bit of it – that we resolved to do, when The Mutts Nutts was born.

We adapted a saying to suit.

“All you need to be successful in Rescue is a Wish-bone, a Back-bone, a Funny-bone and a couple of Dog-bones” – I’m known as Wishbone!

I love big ideas, silly outfits, getting my hands dirty, community spirit, and all things furry and feathered. I’m seriously bothered by injustice, cruelty and loneliness. I can’t think of anything I would rather be doing with my life (although my husband reminds me occasionally that I do have other interests!!)

This is most marked when at the beginning, middle and sometimes even end of a long day creating a new facility for rescue dogs and cats I am fed sausage sandwiches and cake, washed down with copious quantities of builders’ tea. I have worked in the building trade all my life, I am a carpenter by trade, but like all true tradesman I can fortunately turn my hand to anything to do with buildings that Wishbone in particular might ask me to do.

These Mutts Nutts projects have, seriously though, been enormously rewarding. They are all still standing and providing wonderful facilities for the pets housed in them. We have had fun building them, I am not commonly known as “Funny-bone” for nothing, and it has not been too much hardship to devote weekends and spare days in a busy builder’s life in creating a home for pets in need.

I am a lifelong lover of dogs and we have always had rescue dogs living in our home.

Our current adorable pair of rescued Westies, Bracken and Benji often accompany me on jobs in my van. They might look as though butter wouldn’t melt, but they can be feisty little critters, I wouldn’t have it any other way!

In my working life I am a technical professional who trains corporate customers in specialist software and supports them with any technical problems. As a ‘techy’ trustee, I am now helping the team with the intricacies of the digital world. My earlier career consisted of a considerable amount of travel so when that eased, I convinced my Husband that we ‘needed’ a dog. Getting Phil, the Labrador, changed my world! He was a rescue and had issues with other dogs, this led me to investigate dog behaviour, which started a passion that I still have today, attending regular webinars, conferences and reading a lot! I have since rescued Deano a Romanian street dog who had a bite history, Mols my perfect Labrador and my current dogs, Xena a Belarusian street dog who is terrified of most things and Bjorn who came from Romania but has been in rescue in the UK for over 4 years, he is a giant love bug but likes barking at people on walks.

As Wishbone said, we can’t change the world, but I have always found that rescuing dogs does change the world of both rescue and rescuer and for me that’s a fantastic thing to be a part of.

“My name is Mutty, proud to be chief mascot for the Rescue. I was born to love, anyone, everyone, but most of all those who need me, and there is one dog who needs all the help I can give him – his name is Nutty, my soul mate, the bonkers one! He will give you the impression he is all fur and teeth, a daredevil amongst dogs. He is wild, impetuous and positively dangerous – but deep down he is the most loveable rogue I know. In spite of all his antics he would give you his last dog treat, lick you better and always fight your corner.”

“My name is Nutty, the awesome one! I am faster than a speeding postman, I can leap tall people, and ford big muddy puddles. I live life large because I know that you have to grab it whilst it’s there (and to impress my bestie, Mutty, who is something of a goody two-shoes!) Mutty takes care of the elderly and the poorly – whilst I distract them. Mutty doesn’t believe in bad behaviour only bad training so life with Mutty is one long lesson! I’m not sure if I want to be THAT good – being naughty is a lot of fun, but I guess you have to have a bit of both to help make the world go round!”