Can you chip in to help us help old dogs? If so, even a small amount, CLICK HERE.
What, where, when?
The A J Bell Great South Run is like the Great North Run but a bit shorter (10 miles/16km) and in Portsmouth on 18th October 2026. Aaaah, that’s really soon!
Who?
My name’s Zoe and I’ve volunteered for Oldies Club, doing dog write-ups, for 10 years now, ever since I needed to rehome a dog for a lady who passed away. Oldies Club help me find the perfect home for her. There, she was well loved and enjoyed rural walks for her remaining 5 years. Good girl Patch!
I usually just write our Old Dog of the Week features these days but felt it was time I did more as I know we spend over £10,000 a month on vets’ bills for the dogs in our care. My Molly is 14 now and needs various medications to keep her going. Oldies Club has up to 50 dogs in our care and it quickly mounts up… but so do the donations!
Yes but, running? Why?
OK, well, it’s true to say that Oldies Club relies on donations and that we have a lot of Sponsor Dogs in our care which are permanently fostered because they’re not well enough to be adopted. We have many amazingly kind foster carers giving them happy lives for as long as they have left.
It’s also true that Oldies Club is run entirely by volunteers and money donated is spent on caring for old dogs. Last year, that cost was nearly £145,000.
However, the really honest answer as to why I’m doing this, is that having signed up for it months ago I then injured my knee (I’m not really built for running as you can see) and the organisers wouldn’t give me a refund! Like an old dog, I can be very stubborn, so they can jolly well wait for me as I limp over the finish line.
How can you get involved?
Please donate, even a small amount, to my crowdfund: https://www.justgiving.com/page/10milerunforolddogs
You can track me (runner 22653, Zoe Pritchard) actually doing the run from 11.35am, following a little dot going around a map, by getting an app from the A J Bell website HERE.
You can come along and join in the cheering. There’s music, food and much merriment, all beside the seaside.
Or, and more to the point, you can help Oldies Club by volunteering as a foster carer, transporting dogs to foster homes, doing home checks and various other behind the scenes activities which keep the charity going.
Fundraising is, of course, essential and there are an infinite number of more pleasant ways to raise money for Oldies Club than I’ve chosen. Molly’s enjoying coaching me though!
