Just For Dogs

24/12/2025

Brave Dog of the year award goes to Liberty

Libby’s Story 💛

Liberty – or Libby, as she is lovingly known – is one of those dogs whose story stays with you forever.

Libby came from Egypt, where she was found collapsed in a stairwell of a block of flats, dying from horrific injuries after being brutally stabbed. Her body was broken, but her spirit never was. From the very moment she was rescued and rushed to the vets, one thing never stopped - her tail. Despite unimaginable pain and trauma, Libby was down, but she was not out.

After completing her treatment, we were contacted in 2025 and asked if Just For Dogs could help her. Thanks to the incredible kindness and generosity of supporters, the funds were raised and Libby made the journey to the UK, straight into the loving arms of Just For Dogs.

Libby wasn’t with us for long, but in that short time she touched everyone she met. She loved everybody, and everybody loved Libby. Her gentle nature, her joy, and her unwavering trust in people were nothing short of remarkable, especially given what she had endured.

Very quickly, Libby found her forever home with Abby & Nick Tranter. Since that day, she has brought immeasurable joy to their lives and is now living the happy, safe life she so deeply deserves.

This is a story of true bravery. You might expect that such cruelty at the hands of a human would leave a dog traumatised fearful and mistrustful of everyone she meets. Instead, Libby chose love. She has been the most amazing, friendly dog - grateful to be rescued and even more grateful to be loved.

Thank you to everyone who played a part in Libby’s journey - Bahra Fhamy, Egyptian Society for Mercy To Animals, Sally Turner and Linda Newman, Miracle’s Mission and Unleashed

Stories like this remind us why we do what we do. 💛🐾

🎄 A Christmas Message from Just For Dogs 🎄

As we approach Christmas, we would like to wish all our followers and supporters a very happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year.

Please spare a thought for the dogs who will be spending Christmas in our care - dogs who, like so many thousands before them, have found safe sanctuary at Just For Dogs.

Our Christmas wish is to continue offering safety, care and hope to any dogs who may need us in the future. If you are able to help make that wish come true, please consider donating today. Your support allows us to continue our vital work.

Thank you for standing with us, today and always. 💛🐾🎄

22/12/2025

Here’s our handsome JUKE looking super proud of his training progress AND having the time of his life rolling in all the mud at the WA Academy!

For the past few weeks Juke has spent his days on a training programme with the amazing Will Atherton & his team, getting himself prepared for his future forever home!

If you’re interested in adopting this boy and continuing his training then see his profile below and get in touch!

Here’s what his trainers have to say:

“Juke is a fantastic boy with so much potential. He is super keen to learn and is going to make a great companion. His lose lead walking is coming on great and his crate training is going brilliantly. It is clear that he will thrive in a home with boundaries and loving leadership. He would even do great in some fun obedience work too if adopters are keen!”

* Adopters will receive a handover by the training team to ensure they start on the right track *

https://justfordogsrescue.co.uk/dog/juke/

17/12/2025

✨ A Happy Ending and Christmas for Rossi ✨

Back in September, we welcomed a very special boy back into our care — Rossi, a blind Posavac Hound who had been adopted several years earlier. Sadly, Rossi’s world was turned upside down when his adopter suddenly passed away, leaving no family members able to take him in.

We were extremely worried about how Rossi would cope returning to kennels. Being blind, the noise and unfamiliar sounds of barking dogs around him could easily have caused anxiety and distress. So, the day before Rossi was due to return, we reached out to you — our incredible supporters — and asked you to share his story.

You truly delivered. 💙
Rossi’s appeal was shared an amazing 247 times, and within just a couple of weeks, a foster home with a view to adopt came forward.

Rossi headed off to his foster home in the beautiful, sleepy village of Hognaston, Derbyshire, where he began the next chapter of his life. Our only concern was the garden — although secure, it had a set of steps between tiers. After speaking with Blind Dog Rescue, Lynda was reassured that Rossi would likely take around four weeks to map the garden out in his mind.

Rossi had other ideas. 🐾
He mastered the garden in double-quick time and now knows exactly where those steps are — and everything else — with complete confidence.

And just when we thought Rossie couldn’t get any more settled It would appear Rossi has mapped out lots of other things too and knows exactly where his beds are!
As you can see from the photos, Rossie now has plenty of beds to choose from, but he does have a clear favourite. One particular sofa has won his heart — although, we’re told, only after he’s carefully rearranged every single blanket to meet his exact standards!

It seems Rossie is quite the interior designer and is thoroughly enjoying the finer things in life. Safe to say, this very special boy has truly made himself at home. 🐾🛋️💫

Last night, we received the most wonderful news: after two months in foster care, Rossi is being officially adopted. We couldn’t be happier for this sweet, gentle boy, who is now living a life filled with comfort, safety, and love.

Rossi’s mum has been absolutely amazing, carefully thinking through every detail to ensure he is cared for in the very best way possible. We truly couldn’t have wished for a better outcome.

Thank you to everyone who shared, supported, and believed in Rossi.

This is what wishes coming true look like — and what Christmas for JFD and our dogs is all about. 🎄✨

16/12/2025

Following on from Sunday’s fundraising event, we would like to reflect on what was our last event of the year leading up to the Christmas period.

Just For Dogs Rescue would like to extend its sincere thanks to everyone who attended, supported, and contributed to making the day the huge success that it was.

A significant number of our dogs were reserved and adopted (10 confirmed) and we were pleased to speak with several individuals who are considering contacting us regarding adoption of some of our other dogs, hopefully these enquiries will be converted to full adoptions. 🤞

Lots of raffle tickets were sold/purchased (well done Vanessa, JFD’s voluntary Thursday animal carer). The Christmas hamper scratch-card sold out, the winning team being Ipswich Town, chosen by Sharon Hadfield, congratulations Sharon!🎉 Also Huge thanks to Vanessa’s mum, who bakes the most amazing cakes & muffins for each event throughout the year. And to Helen Cherry for running her knitwear & home made greetings cards stall at every JFD event (and many other events besides) with 50% of all greetings card proceeds donated to JFD❤️. Helen’s Lemon drizzle & coffee and walnut cake are mouth-wateringly delicious and not a soggy bottom in sight!🍰

We are extremely grateful for the generous number of raffle prize donations received, not just in the run up to Christmas but all year round.

The Christmas cake raffle, which was lovingly made and donated by Wendy Marsh (JFD’s Tuesday & Sunday reception volunteer) raised a fantastic sum of £60! The lucky winner was Kaz 👏👏

The charity shop was exceptionally well stocked, and extremely busy, the funds raised in there are greatly appreciated and will make a meaningful difference to the dogs in our care. Thank you to all who are involved in organising, donating and supporting the shop, in particular Shirls Read (JFD Chairperson) & Shirley Murfin two of our volunteer receptionists who have the unenviable task of sorting all the endless bags of donations that filter in almost each and every day of the year! These two work so hard fundraising for JFD, covering the front desk, selling sites and running car boots in the summer, with Shirls also overseeing endless emails and thank you letters, we’re surprised she has time to sleep - perhaps the gin night cap helps! 😂

Please view the video of some of the dogs that have been left behind although some have been reserved pending application approval, while some reserved dogs were moved to our other block to await collection throughout the next few days. Compare the video to the photos posted on Sunday morning and you’re sure to spot some missing faces who now look forward to spending this and future Christmases at fireside’s and within the heart of loving families. A first for many of them🥰

Our heartfelt wish is that 2026 will be kind to each dog left behind and featured in our video.

Immensely grateful to everyone who has adopted from JFD throughout 2025, you are the reason we do what we do, without adopters it’s all for nothing. 🙏

Well done to our very own Jill Bailey (voluntary Friday girl on reception) who stands at the entrance at every event, come rain, hail, frost, snow or shine! Jill was absolutely thrilled to be told her tin raised a staggering £190.50!! We are overwhelmed with such generosity and Jill wishes it to be known it was well worth the frost bite. 🥶🤣

Aside from the staggering £190.50p raised on the gate, a further £250 was donated from well wishes throughout the morning. Such kind and thoughtful gestures, we are always overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity of our supporters. ❤️

Finally, Just For Dogs Rescue would like to express its heartfelt thanks to ALL our dedicated staff and volunteers, whose commitment and hard work ensure the continued success of our events and the ongoing care of our dogs every single day of the year, each and everyone of you are all heaven sent and the dogs are so lucky to have you in their lives 😇 Thank you.

If you couldn’t support our event in person but would like to help to make the Christmas period a special time for all the dogs that got left behind, then please feel free to contribute via the donate button on this page. Thank you.🙏

Please remember to ‘share’ far and wide. It could well lead to one of our little treasures in the video being spotted and who knows where that could lead…..?😍

14/12/2025

Let’s not forget about the dogs!❤️🎄

14/12/2025

TODAY’S OPEN DAY
We have some exciting little Christmas Treat Raffles going off today if you fancy a little flutter.

First up is our Hickory’s Smokehouse Sauce AND Hickory’s Smokehouse £50 Gift Voucher ! £1:50p per go for a chance to win prize worth £75! Who doesn’t love a meal at Hickories?
Huge thanks to our charity partners Hickory' Smokehouse Derby for this kind donation.🙏

Also we have a Hot Drinks Mini Hamper, kindly donated by JFD friend & supporter Dawne Gibb 🙏 £1 per go. Perfect little gift to settle down with on Christmas Eve ❤️

Christmas Hamper: with biscuits, tin of ham, Irish cream liquor, Wine Sweets and lots more. This gift was kindly put together and donated by JFD Volunteer Helen Morley £1:50p per go.

And last but not least our Annual Christmas Raffle and a huge thanks to JFD friend and adopter Rosemary Birnie who has donated a lot of the prizes in the raffle - Cotswolds Whiskey worth over £50, a Radley Purse, Pandora Necklace, 16 Acres Berry Gin, Choclates Cuddly Toy & Perfume.

These raffles are just inside the reception door please have a flutter and support the dogs this Christmas.

14/12/2025

Red Sky in the morning Shepherd’s warning - but not today as it’s our final open day of 2025!!

Even Paul’s excited - No road kill to latch onto out there Paul, sorry to disappoint you, but there are lots of people coming to visit you today!❤️

Cake & Coffee Morning Fund Raiser! Christmas Raffles, Tombola, Refreshments, Stalls & Charity Shop Open with lots of gifts and preloved items. Plus full to bursting of beautiful, homeless dogs hoping that they won’t be spending this Christmas or any other Christmas in kennels ever again!

Remember A DOG IS FOR LIFE NOT JUST FOR CHRISTMAS!!

See you later, 10-1pm at Just For Dogs, North Lane, Brailsford, Ashbourne, Derbyshire. DE6 3BE.

Even the ducks are excited! 😍

13/12/2025

Happy 2nd gotcha day to Treacle, 2 years where have they gone. Still won’t go for a walk on her own, still doesn’t like men in high viz and don’t talk about the Amazon delivery man😂🫣but Treacle, we wouldn’t be without you. We love you loads.

08/12/2025

In our busy, busy world this is a beautiful story we should all take time to read and implement - take time for the things that REALLY matter ❤️

I broke a heart last Tuesday. It did not happen in a courtroom or during a fight. It happened in my kitchen, and the heart I broke belonged to the one being who has never judged me.

My name is Sarah. I am fifty-two and live in the suburbs outside Chicago. Like many, I am stretched thin. I worry about aging parents. I worry about grown children trying to stand on their own. I push myself to keep up with a job that wants me on call at every hour.

My days are measured in video meetings, grocery bills, and a quiet strain that sits heavy on the chest. Our culture hurries. Everything is about what comes next.

Then there is Rusty.

Rusty is my fourteen-year-old Golden Retriever mix. In human terms, he is a hundred. His hips are stiff. His coat has faded from autumn gold to soft gray. He sleeps most of the day. His nails tap the floor like a clock, reminding me that time is short.

Years ago, he met me at the door with a leap that could clear a yard fence. He was wild joy.

Now, when I turn the key, there is no leap. There is a slow thump from the rug. He raises his head and waits for me to come to him.

Last Tuesday, it was cold and wet. I came in with three grocery bags that cost too much for how little they held. My phone buzzed. My boss wanted a file I thought I had already sent. Water ran down my neck. My nerves were frayed.

I turned toward the counter, and there he stood. Rusty. He had pushed himself up to greet me, tail moving in slow and steady beats. He only wanted to smell the rain on my coat.

I nearly tripped over him. The milk jug slipped. The phone buzzed again. And something inside me snapped.

“Rusty, move. Not now.”

The words came sharp.

He did not run. He did not hide. He simply stopped. His ears dipped. His tail fell still. He looked up at me, confused and hurt, and that look broke something in me.

He was not scared. He was wounded in the simplest way. He had only wanted to be near me.

The kitchen fell silent.

In that moment, everything I thought was urgent fell away. I saw the dog who stayed with me through two presidencies, a divorce, three different jobs, and a son leaving for college. I saw trembling legs working hard just to stand. I saw time running out.

He was not in the way. I was.

I dropped the bags. I let the phone buzz where it lay. I knelt beside him.

“I’m sorry, buddy,” I whispered.

Rusty leaned into me with his whole weight. He rested his chin on my shoulder and sighed. A warm breath, rich with trust. Dogs do not hold grudges. They forgive before the apology is spoken.

That night, while the rain turned to snow, I sat awake and wrote a list. Not a list for work. A list for life. A list for the time we have left.

If he nudges my hand while I type, I will stop. The email can wait. His need cannot.

If he lingers over the same patch of grass, I will stand with him. He is reading a world I will never fully know.

If he sleeps on my foot, I will not move. I will be his anchor.

If he looks at me, I will look back, not glancing past him, not through him, but into the eyes that have loved me through every change of my life.

We think we care for our dogs. We pay their bills and feed their bowls. But truth runs deeper. They steady us. They remind us what matters.

One day I will come home, and the rug will be still. The room will be clean. The silence will feel like a wound. And I would trade every dollar I have just to stumble over him one more time.

If you are lucky enough to have a dog waiting for you, or a cat curled on the sofa, take this to heart. Put down the phone. Let the world spin without you for a while. Sit with them.

In a world that demands more, faster, louder, our pets whisper a simple truth:

You are here. I am here. That is enough.

Their time is short. Their love is not.

Credit-Respective owner

07/12/2025

On Friday 28th November, NINO — Just For Dogs’ longest resident, with us since 2017 — finally took the next big step in his journey. He has gone into foster care with a view to adoption, and we are absolutely thrilled to share how well he’s doing.

After so many years waiting, this sweet boy is settling beautifully. He’s adjusting to home life, learning new routines, and beginning vital training to help him feel confident in the world. Socialising with people and dogs out on walks is still a work in progress, and navigating busy roads and traffic is all new to him, but he’s trying his very best.

In true Nino style, he’s also shown his cheeky side — sneaking onto the sofa while his foster mum is at work, despite the cosy little safe space that was created for him under the stairs! It seems he’s decided comfort wins every time.

He has bonded wonderfully with his dog walker and enjoys his outings with her while his foster mum is at work. All in all, it’s been a hugely positive first week.

A massive thank you to Iwona for opening her home and heart to Nino. We’re keeping everything crossed that this will blossom into a forever adoption.

We love you, Nino… but we miss you too.

06/12/2025

🚨 Join us for our LAST open day of 2025! 🚨

📍 Just For Dogs, North Lane, Brailsford, DE6 3BE
🗓 14th December
⏰ 10am – 1pm

Come along and enjoy a cosy morning filled with:

☕ Tea & coffees
🍰 Homemade cakes & delicious refreshments
🎁 A fun-filled tombola
🐶 And of course… lots of homeless dogs hoping for loving homes in time for Christmas ✨

Even if you’re not looking to adopt, we’d love to see you! Bring your friends and family for a Christmassy morning supporting your favourite local rescue. Your support helps us care for every dog who needs us ❤️

Let’s make this season magical for the dogs who deserve it most. 🐾💙