With a growing number of animals waiting for their chance of a forever home, the family behind a Rotherham animal rescue charity is urging people to consider adopting instead of buying from breeders.

Adoptapaws UK Rescue has rehomed almost 6,000 animals since 2017 and, like most animal rescues, they’re seeing an unprecedented number of animals needing rehoming through no fault of their own.

“We’re having to turn away around 40 animals a week as we just don’t have the capacity,” says charity founder, Debbie Fryer. “Our kennel bills are between three and five thousand pounds a month. Over winter we had 42 animals in our care.”

Debbie and her husband James rescue all creatures great and small, from dogs and cats to gerbils and guinea pigs, peacocks and ponies.

They opened their own rescue after years of working with animals. Debbie had started off working in kennels aged 14 before qualifying as a veterinary nurse. She went on to work as a lead nurse at Crooks Vets in Rotherham for 13 years before leaving to raise her children.

She met James while working in the pet and aquatic centre at their local garden centre, where he was the manager. Together they went on to own reputable pet shops including Pets are Pals in Chapeltown and Nature World in Maltby.

Around 15 years ago, they started rescuing abandoned dogs from abroad, mainly from Eastern European countries like Ukraine and Romania. But with the rise of backyard breeders and puppy farms in the UK, along with the cost of living crisis, Debbie and James were receiving more requests to help animals from across the country.

“One day I decided I didn’t want a business anymore; I wanted to sell up and open a rescue. The drive and passion I had for the shop went into rescuing animals that desperately needed our help,” Debbie says.

In 2023, Adoptapaws UK Rescue became an official registered charity. Debbie and James are both volunteers and trustees and are joined by two other trustees – their youngest son Lewis and their friend Vicki Baker.

“We don’t take a penny for the work we do. Everything we raise goes towards our kennel, vet and training bills. But as long as the mortgage is paid and our kids are fed then it doesn’t matter if there’s not much left at the end of the month for us. The welfare of these animals is our priority.

“We’re only a small rescue so we can’t change the world but the more we can do, the more we can give, the more we will.”

Adoptapaws has been left with a £25,000 hole in their budget after rescuing 26 dogs from a house in West Yorkshire five days before Christmas. Their ‘Mad Friday’ and the entire Christmas period was spent caring for these seriously neglected miniature breeds.

“What I remember most is the overwhelming stench that hit us when we walked in. The dogs had been kept in cages in a cold, dark house with no running water or electricity. The authorities said the animals weren’t at risk as the owner could get them water from an outdoor rusty, broken tap.

“They were Lhasa Apso type dogs and their fur was so matted they had knots the size of tennis balls. Some of the dogs couldn’t walk, some had urine scalds as the matting had fused their genitals to their legs, others were constipated. They all had ear infections, some had hernias, most had dental problems.

“They’d been eating mouldy dog biscuits and were severely malnourished. When we first fed them, it was like a mass brawl they were that hungry. We had to do around six feeds a day.

“Our kennels, Sandy Lane at Bramley, were amazing, as was the team at Green Vets in Sheffield. The vet phoned me every day, even on Christmas Day, for updates on their progress.”

Thankfully, the dogs have made a full recovery – bar the eldest male who sadly died earlier this year – and have since been rehomed.

Adoptapaws conduct rigorous home checks before any animal is adopted and make sure all animals are matched suitably to the adopter’s lifestyle.

All animals remain on their records for life so they cannot be sold on or given away should anything happen to the new owner. Circumstances and expectations can quickly change, so Adoptapaws guarantee that all animals they rehome can be returned to them at any point.

“That’s why I wanted a younger trustee on board. Lewis is 21, so lifetime back-up will mean for the animal’s whole life. Lewis is just like me, always bringing poorly or injured animals home. I was the same as a child. I had every animal you could think of, and I’d sit and study them for hours. My mum used to say I wasn’t like other kids who’d come home from school and do their homework or want to be out with their friends.”

Whether an animal is rescued from the pound, a home or the street, they all go to ‘school’ twice a week. Adoptapaws work alongside animal trainers Invictus Squad who assess the animals and provide training sessions to get the animals interacting and socialising before being rehomed.

While there are animals that do need a better life, the Adoptapaws team do everything they can to keep pets and their owners together.

They’re supported by the Jollyes Rotherham store at Parkgate who have set up a pet food collection point where customers can buy food to donate to Adoptapaws. Jollyes also run the Billy Chip initiative in store where the public can buy a chip which is then given to pet owners who are struggling to feed their pets. They then exchange the chip for pet food.

Debbie and the team will also support the family, especially if young children are at home, by taking a food shop or providing clothing and household items.

“There’s a difference between families struggling and animals being abused or neglected. The hardest part is when a family is in pieces because we’re walking away with a pet they love dearly but cannot afford to keep.”

To fund the selfless work they do, Adoptapaws rely heavily on the generosity of the public.

They have a charity shop on Mexborough High Street which Debbie’s mum Audrey runs four days a week. All money raised from the shop goes towards their kennel bills.

They organise various fundraising events throughout the year, including their popular afternoon teas at Richmond Park Community Centre in Kimberworth.

Adoptapaws is also supported by people like Mel Wilson-Rogers at Nah That’s Reyt Good who donates money raised from jam and chutney sales.

You too can support the amazing work they do at Adoptapaws by sponsoring a dog. A monthly donation of £5 or £10 will go towards their mounting kennel fees and vet bills.

Whether you’re interested in adopting a pet or want to fundraise for the charity, find out more on their website or follow them on Facebook.