Peppa's Place Interview

At The Pets Larder we love to hear about people and organisations that help our four-legged friends in need and recently we had the pleasure of being contacted by the amazing Peppa's Place who asked if we could help them by donating some of our all-natural dog treats to a raffle that is raising money for their superb cause. 

Peppa's Place is a charitable organisation that offers a wonderful service that helps injured and disabled dogs to be provided with wheelchairs and other equipment on a free loan basis. They also offer advice and support to owners of dogs with disabilities and other complex mobility needs.

Peppa's place is an amazing charity and we have had the pleasure of being able to donate some of our products for a fundraising raffle they are running next month including a range of our very own Natural Cornish Pet Treats and a Vegetable Chew Variety Box. 

Last week we were also lucky enough to catch up with Jenna, who set up Peppa’s Place and have a chat about what they do, how we can support them and how this wonderful charity came about.

Can you tell us how Peppa’s Place came about and what inspired you to set up your charity?

Our dog Peppa was paralysed 4.5 years ago simply chasing a ball in the garden. At that time we had no experience or knowledge about disabled dogs and didn't know there were options available to her.

We were told about the option of a wheelchair so we purchased one for her and she took to it immediately. Getting her wheels has been massive for her, not only giving her back independence but it allows her to be a dog again and run free. 

We have since adopted Rita who had been hit by a car in Romania and spent a significant time at the vets there, after being left with no support she had horrific injuries due to her paralysis. She is a great example of a disabled dog living a full and happy life. We help others with wheelchair loans as well as support and advice, as we understand how frightening and expensive the whole process is and other dogs are not as lucky as Peppa has been. The wheelchairs can cost £350- £500 and not everyone can afford this which means the dog missing out.

I decided to set up a group which would raise awareness and intended to fundraise to help maybe one or two dogs with a wheelchair. The group really took off and we have always had some wonderful support. This group has a variety of fundraising events to raise funds for the wheelchairs as every dog deserves the chance of being mobile again. 

Unfortunately, some vets still suggest putting disabled dogs to sleep, which is really sad. But, hopefully, we can keep raising awareness and educating others that having a disability is definitely not a death sentence.

We get a lot of attention having two wheelchairs dogs, they love camping, running on the beach, having a dip in the river and running on the moors, they have no limits, they don't see themselves as disabled they just get in with life and live it to the full, they inspire me every day.

How common is it for a dog to be in need of a wheelchair?

It is far more common to see dogs in wheelchairs now, I believe partly as awareness is being spread that they can continue to live happy lives or extended the quality of life for ageing dogs.

What are some of the more common reasons for a dog to be in need of a wheelchair?

Some breeds of dogs can suffer from Degenerative Myelopathy which is where the spinal cord dies, this is a progressive diagnosis, and certain breeds are also prone to IVDD (Intervertebral Disc Disease, a spinal disorder that follows from the herniating of an intervertebral disc), arthritis or injury.

Is there anything we, as dog owners, can do to prevent our four-legged friends from being in need of your help?

Low-impact activities for dogs with arthritis, such as swimming, can prevent it from worsening. But most need comes from non-preventable causes.

What is the most rewarding thing about your work with Peppa’s Place?

I love watching the updates of the dogs becoming mobile and enjoying themselves again. The wheelchairs have really changed the lives of my girls and I am overjoyed to be able to change the lives of so many other dogs and their owners.

How many animals do you help each year and is this limited by your resources and funding?

I have around 90 wheelchairs out on a free loan basis and have helped over one hundred dogs in the past 2.5 years. 

I get an ever-increasing amount of requests as more people are finding out about Peppa's Place, fundraising can be hard and without this, I cannot purchase new wheelchairs or help dogs in need.

Many of us have had a particularly difficult year with rising energy bills, economic downturns and the cost of living crisis, how has this affected your charity over the past few months?

It is a difficult time and people cannot afford to support us in the way they used to, although, we are really lucky to have some amazing supporters who continue to help us. 

How much does your charity rely on donations and funding from the general public?

We rely solely on donations and fundraising from the public, we have been lucky that some people have kindly donated their wheelchairs to us so that they can go and help another dog, as well as continued support from our amazing donors.

We’ve heard you are taking part in some pretty inspiring fundraising initiatives, can you tell us a little bit about these?

We support other charities when we can, Rita and Peppa completed a 5k sponsored walk to help the charities which enabled Rita to come over to us and raised over £1500, we have a 200 Mile Disability Challenge coming up in April too, where lots of our wheely amazing doggy friends will be helping us to cover 200 combined miles, followed by a big raffle with some fabulous prizes, including the scrummy treats donated by The Pets Larder. 

What is the best way for people help to support your charity?

Joining our Facebook group and taking part in the small fundraisers, sponsoring us for the 200 miles walk, we have a GoFundme link which you can access here>. Our website also has a donate link and you can find that here>

And finally, can people help Peppa’s Place if they aren't able to help financially? 

Share what we do with others and support our social media sites, @peppasplace on Instagram and Facebook. Volunteering on a local level or by joining our social media team, helping with raffles etc. Please do get in touch if you have time or resources you can spare. 

We would like to thank the amazing Jenna and her team for taking the time out of their busy schedule to talk to us and for all the amazing work they do. We would also encourage you all to help by liking their pages and by donating where you can. Don't forget to get involved with the raffle for some awesome doggy-related prizes and sponsor their upcoming 200-mile walk.