17/06/2026
Please share this, we desperately need help now.
We know times are difficult for many people, but somewhere out there, some can help, they just need to know.
SHARING COSTS NOTHING and might just find those people 🙏🏻🙏🏻
⚠️ WE ARE RUNNING OUT OF ROAD ⚠️
This is one of the hardest posts we have ever had to write.
For years, Hero Paws has operated on a simple principle:
If a retired military, police or working dog needs help, we find a way.
Not because we have endless funding.
Not because we have wealthy backers.
Not because we sit on huge reserves.
Simply because someone has to.
Today, we need to be completely honest with you.
We are now just a couple of major emergency veterinary bills away from having no reserves left.
Every month, over £8,000 leaves Hero Paws before we even consider emergencies.
Medication.
Veterinary care.
Hydrotherapy.
Rehabilitation.
Specialist consultations.
Welfare support.
That money keeps more than 400 dogs and families moving forward.
Normally, donations coming in allow us to keep that cycle turning.
The problem is the emergencies.
A cancer diagnosis.
A ruptured spleen.
A spinal injury.
Emergency surgery.
One phone call can mean £2,000.
Another can mean £5,000.
Some have exceeded £15,000.
And when those calls come, we do not ask whether a dog served long enough.
We do not ask whether they fit a particular charity's criteria.
We do not ask whether someone else should help.
We simply ask:
"How do we save this dog?"
The reality is that around a quarter of the dogs we support fall outside the criteria of other organisations. Many have nowhere else to go.
Over the years, tens of thousands of pounds have left Hero Paws supporting dogs who were turned away elsewhere.
We do it because the dogs need help.
We do it because retirement should never become abandonment.
We do it because when a family is staring at an impossible veterinary bill, percentages and conditions don't save lives.
Action does.
But today, we have reached a point where goodwill alone is no longer enough.
We are not writing this because we want sympathy.
We are writing this because there will always be another dog.
Another emergency.
Another family making that desperate phone call.
And for the first time, we are facing the possibility that our answer may not be:
"Yes, we can help."
It may become:
"We can't."
Not because we don't want to.
Because the money simply isn't there.
Every penny donated to Hero Paws goes back into supporting dogs. We don't spend thousands on marketing campaigns. We don't maintain large administrative structures. We don't build reserves while dogs wait.
We help the dog in front of us.
Right now, we need our community more than ever.
If every person reading this donated the cost of a coffee, shared this post, started a fundraiser, joined our payroll giving scheme, became a regular supporter or simply helped us reach someone who can help, it would make a genuine difference.
Because the next emergency is coming.
The only question is whether we will still be here to answer the call.
💙 Please donate if you can.
💙 Please share if you can't.
💙 Please help us make sure we never have to say "no" to a retired hero who has already given everything.
Social media algorithms tend to suppress posts containing external links, so rather than filling our daily posts with them, you'll always be able to find them here.
🐾 One-Off Donation
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=6PBK6GXCBVFBS
🐾 Facebook Fundraiser
https://www.paypal.com/gb/fundraiser/charity/4593860
🐾 Monthly Giving & Fundraising
https://heropawsuk.enthuse.com/profile
