On Tuesday I was in the House of Lords to see a dedicated dog rescuer from Evesham receive a special award from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), recognising her work in rescuing unwanted and abused dogs.
Pip Singleton, aged 48 and from Evesham, has spent 20 years working as a Dog Warden and Animal Welfare Officer, and for the last 27 years has also been running the Evesham Greyhound and Lurcher Rescue charity.
In Pip’s job at Worcestershire Regulatory Services she deals with around 2,500 dogs every year. She has always brought unwanted dogs home when they would have been put down. Many of her dogs at home have been described as ‘un-rehomeable’, but she currently has seven all happily living together permanently in her house and will often take in others to foster.
On top of bringing dogs home from work, Pip set up a charity in 1989 to care for abandoned, neglected and abused lurchers and greyhounds.
Pip received her award at IFAW’s prestigious Animal Action Awards event, hosted by Baroness Gale and presented by TV wildlife presenter Bill Oddie.
It was great to be able to celebrate Pip’s award with her. She has done fantastic work with dogs locally for many years, both in her working life and the space and hours she gives up voluntarily. Evesham Greyhound and Lurcher Rescue deals with up to 1,000 dogs every year. Pip never turns a dog away and clearly has a very special bond with those in her care.
Pip said,
“I’m very pleased to be given this award from IFAW, but it’s just something that I have to do. No matter how much I give to the dogs they are so special they give me twice as much back.
I was recently looking after an elderly dog that had been cruelly treated, but she had to be put to sleep. I was heartbroken but I never think of giving up as I know that at least she didn’t die alone and I think about all the ones I might still be able to save. They might not all come running up to me for cuddles, but when they accept me and we break through the barrier of mistrust they have after being mistreated, that’s the deepest and most intense reward imaginable.”
