The man behind a Moray campaign to highlight the plight of Staffordshire Terriers has praised the ‘generosity and caring nature’ of local animal lovers.
Lossiemouth man Stuart Evans has been fighting for ‘Staffies’ against public misconceptions over the breed, which are often portrayed as ‘devil dogs’ in the media – while experts say they are in fact one of the most loving and gentle dog breeds.
Mr Evans has become well known in Moray for his proactive stance against dog fouling but he is also known as a passionate defender of the Staffordshire breed.
Working as Secretary with the voluntary organisation ‘Scottish Staffordshire Bull Rescue’, Stuart offers help and advice to people from throughout Moray and beyond – as well as organising fund raising for the charity. He also makes himself available day and night to rescue dogs that find themselves in difficulty.
One of the dogs he has rescued was Lucy, a six-year-old who was rescued after being used as a ‘breeding machine’. However, after rescuing Lucy it was discovered that her problems were far greater than first thought.
Stuart explained: “We are a voluntary organisation and so totally dependent on donations and our own fundraising efforts. We find homes for dogs who can no longer stay with their owners for whatever reason, but we also need to raise funds to pay for veterinary fees, kennelling, feeding and caring for Staffies with a view to their being rehomed.
“After rescuing Lucy we thought she was turning the corner and we found a new family, but she was diagnosed with cancer and needs an operation to try and give her a fighting chance of enjoying life.”
That meant a fundraising effort had to be launched as quickly as possible – and so Stuart set up a JustGiving page.
He said: “We raised over £400 in the first 24 hours. The generosity and caring nature shown by people has really blown us away. We still need more and are hoping that people who know the Staffie story will come forward and help us out.”