Kelly Sharp

[Dogs On The Streets @dotslondon]

I’M GOING TO BE HONEST, BECAUSE THIS IS REAL LIFE, NOT A PR CAMPAIGN.

I cannot keep carrying this level of worry without asking myself what more I’m supposed to do

we sadly aren’t a polished charity with the big names, the celebrity endorsements, the fancy PR or the money to pay for people to give us a few words of support .

We were just us. Raw. Real.
Determined. And facing the dogs and cases that so many others would rather not look at.

We don’t have a big budget to buy attention. We don’t have celebrity privileges to open doors. What we have is experience, compassion, determination and a willingness to stand beside the dogs who need us most, especially the most challenging cases.

And here’s what really gets me…
Major charities and services reach out to us daily for advice, guidance and help. We know what we’re doing. We have knowledge, experience and a genuine commitment to making a difference. We show up when things are difficult, messy and heartbreaking.

Yet when we put our hands up and ask for support, collaboration, media exposure or simply someone to help us get our message out there, it can feel like we’re shouting into a void.

Over the past few days, I’ve pushed social media campaigns, made shout-outs, tried to build collaborations and reached out in the hope of finding people who believe in what we do. Even an offer of PR and media volunteer support hasn’t brought the response we hoped for.
And there’s another part of this that people may not realise.
I do all of this voluntarily. I don’t take a penny in wages.

There is no salary waiting at the end of the month for the hours, the worry, the responsibility or the emotional weight that comes with this work. I give my time, my energy and so much of myself because I believe these dogs and their owners deserve the help.

walking away simply isn't something I can do lightly.

Every single day brings another bill, another expense, another need that cannot simply be ignored.

There are real costs behind the scenes, and the financial pressure never seems to take a day off.

We can have all the compassion in the world, but we still need resources, practical support, connections and people willing to stand beside us if we’re going to keep doing this work.
And I’m left asking myself: What more are we supposed to do?
I’m not writing this for sympathy, and I’m not asking anyone to feel sorry for us. I’m asking people to look beyond the size of a charity, the number of followers it has or the famous faces (not) attached to it.

Look at the work. Look at the cases. Look at the commitment. Look at what can be achieved when people who genuinely care come together.
I don’t want us to spend more time trying to convince people that we deserve support than actually getting that support to the dogs.
I want us to be seen for what we ARE.

So yes, I’m deflated. I’m worried. I’m questioning what the next step should be. But I’m also reminding myself why we started in the first place.

We need PR and media volunteers. We need meaningful collaborations. We need people who can amplify our work, connect us with the right networks, help us raise awareness and turn visibility into practical support.
If you can help, please reach out. Every genuine offer of help could make a difference.

We might not have the biggest voices in the room, but we have something worth speaking up for.
We are raw. We are real. We face the cases others find too difficult.

We give our time voluntarily, and we keep showing up because the dogs still need us.
We cannot do everything alone, and we shouldn't have to.

We’re not asking for applause. We’re asking for people to stand alongside us and help us keep going.
Not for recognition. Not for headlines. Not for ourselves.
For the dogs. Always for the dogs 🧡

Thank you for listening & goodnight

M x

[Dogs On The Streets @dotslondon]

🚨 URGENT VOLUNTEER APPEAL: DOGS ON THE STREETS NEEDS YOU — WE NEED TO SURVIVE INTO 2027

💔 We are at a critical point. Without urgent help, Dogs on the Streets may not survive into 2027.

We are reaching out with an urgent plea to find a dedicated volunteer PR, Media & Fundraising Team willing to stand alongside Dogs on the Streets and help us fight for our future.

We desperately need experienced volunteers who can help us raise awareness, tell our story, secure media coverage, build relationships with supporters and businesses, and, most importantly, bring in the vital funding we need to continue our work.

We are in an extremely difficult financial position. We do not currently have the financial support needed to carry us through to the end of this year, and the reality is frightening. Unless we can secure urgent support and funding, our future is at serious risk.

Every day, we support vulnerable people and their beloved dogs who have nowhere else to turn. We see people experiencing homelessness, hardship and crisis, for whom their dog may be their only constant source of love, comfort and companionship.

We also find ourselves supporting other charities and services, as people are increasingly referred to us when they have nowhere else to go.

At Dogs on the Streets, we believe in never saying no to someone who desperately needs help. But the heartbreaking truth is that our compassion cannot continue without the resources to sustain it.

We have tried to be there for everyone. We have stretched ourselves to meet the growing need. Now, we need people to stand with us.

WHO WE URGENTLY NEED
📣 PR & Media Volunteers , people who can help get our story heard, secure press and broadcast coverage, manage media relationships and raise public awareness.
💷 Experienced Fundraising Volunteers , people with a proven track record in fundraising who can help us develop campaigns, secure corporate sponsorship, build partnerships, approach potential donors and generate sustainable income.
A Fundraising & Communications Team , passionate, proactive people who can bring their skills, experience, contacts and creativity together to help save our future.

We are looking for people who can genuinely make a difference, whether you can offer a few hours a week, professional expertise, valuable connections or the leadership needed to help us turn this situation around.
This is more than a volunteering opportunity. This is a chance to help protect a lifeline for some of the most vulnerable people and their dogs.

We are not asking for sympathy. We are asking for people with the skills, experience and determination to help us survive.

We need to reach more people. We need to raise more funds. We need to make our voices heard. And we need to do it urgently.
Please do not assume someone else will step forward.
If you work in PR, journalism, media relations, corporate fundraising, charity fundraising or communications or you know someone who does please get in touch.
If you are a business or organisation that could offer professional support, sponsorship or fundraising expertise, we would love to hear from you too.
Please share this appeal far and wide. The right person seeing this post could make all the difference.
🐶 Dogs on the Streets needs help now. Our future depends on it.
Please message us directly if you can help or email us at [email protected]

#DogsOnTheStreets #UrgentAppeal #VolunteerWithUs #FundraisingAppeal #CharitySupport #PRVolunteers #MediaSupport #Homelessness #KeepFamiliesTogether #SaveOurCharity

[Kelly Sharp @ksharpk]

@HedgehogCabin Such amazing resilience (helped of course by the constant care). So heartwarming to see 😍

[Kelly Sharp @ksharpk]

@NiallHarbison So amazing to watch! Well done all. A great amount to raised for such an amazing cause 👏👏

[Kelly Sharp @ksharpk]

@CodyRhodes 💔

[Hedgehog Cabin @HedgehogCabin]

I'm getting lots of calls from people who have decided to clean out their garage, outbuilding or shed and have found a 'sleeping' hedgehog.
Firstly, please leave them there.
Put everything back as it was, as gently and quietly as possible, and walk away.
Whatever you wanted to do that day is not worth killing a precious endangered animal for.
Because of the false autumn this year (the drought traumatised trees into dropping their leaves early, as a survival tactic, and the smell of those decaying leaves is an 'autumn is here' trigger for hedgehogs), a lot are hibernating early.

Hibernation isn't a sleep.
It's a lowered metabolism.
The heartbeat is lowered dramatically from 190 beats per minute to around 15.
A breath is taken only once every few minutes.
Their body temperature is dropped from 35C to around 5C.
Systems not needed for life are shut down.
A hibernating hedgehog burns just 1 calorie per day.
Isn't that incredible?
They still have a sleeping and waking cycle, and are perfectly aware and can hear, but are stiff, rigid, and cannot move.
Trapped and helpless in that near-death state.

It takes weeks of preparation to achieve this incredible transformation.
It cannot be instantly undone.
Even the fastest rising, by a young fit hedgehog, takes about 12 hours, before the heart is beating fast enough and there's enough oxygen in the bloodstream to allow muscles to move again.

If a hedgehog in a state of hibernation is terrified (by being disturbed by a human) and is panicked into trying to rise too fast, the strain can be too much for him and he'll have a heart attack.

It's so dangerous to disturb them that it's actually against the law - and goodness knows our wildlife have few enough laws protecting them.
But leaving them in peace is more than obeying the law.
It's human kindness.
After destroying their own natural habitat, it’s the least we can do - to allow them safe passage through the winter, in whatever space of ours they choose to inhabit.
And they chose to inhabit your space because it was undisturbed.
Unused.
Just as we can smell when a house is empty, hedgehogs can smell when something has lain undisturbed - be it a roll of carpet, a bag of old clothes, or a sack of compost.
Undisturbed means safety to a desperate animal.
These poor displaced gentle creatures take the chance that small space will stay undisturbed, long enough for them to survive winter.

So if you're having a clear out and find a hedgehog please let them stay in peace, undisturbed.
Put any covering back just how you found it.
Please don't be tempted to add to it, to 'make them more comfy'. 🥰
It's lovely that you feel that way, but the hedgehog will just see it as a predator making their nest unsafe.
If there's no access to the building that you know of, please leave the door open a little, or make a cat-flap size hole in the door.
And leave a clean dish of water outside the building, and a dish of dry cat or dog food outside in the evenings ( a complete food that has meat as the first listed ingredient).
If they are too frightened to continue hibernating there, they will use up a great deal of precious stored energy moving on, and will need to replenish that.
And then enjoy the rare privilege, that this precious endangered wild animal trusted you and your garden to be at his most vulnerable.❤️

[Kelly Sharp @ksharpk]

@HedgehogCabin What a beautifully written and very informative post. Thank you so much for sharing ❤️

[Kelly Sharp @ksharpk]

@NiallHarbison My copy arrived in the post - can’t wait to read 🐾

[Kelly Sharp @ksharpk]

@wrestlelamia Winner was predictable; ending was awful. A kick in the nuts to the talent who turn up every week. The end of Cody’s title reign deserved a better build-up and WrestleMania deserved more than a so-called ‘celebrity’ interfering and influencing the conclusion.

[Kelly Sharp @ksharpk]

@WWE @netflix Any chance of the missing Raw/Smackdown/NXT episodes ever being added to the Vaults? Missing @WWENetwork here in the UK.

[DONNA ✨🇨🇿🇨🇦🐶🐱🌹🎶🍷… @HeelerShep]

LOVE THIS … WE WILL ROCK YOU … 🤣🤣❤️❤️🎶🎶🤘🏻🤘🏻😝😝

[Carl Bovis @CarlBovisNature]

As it's Friday, I'm asking all my followers to please retweet (and comment) on this post if you see it, to help my bird account be seen! 🙏😀
To make it worth sharing, here's the moment a Swallow zooms out of a hole in a shed door! 😍
Thank you very much! 😊♥️

[Kelly Sharp @ksharpk]

@lukeh180 @ModusDarts180 @reddragondarts @cygroup2 @TaylorMaxwellCo @VibePay What a fantastic match to watch! It takes 2 players to make such a great contest. Congratulations to both for an amazing final 🎯

[Carl Bovis @CarlBovisNature]

As it's Friday, I'm asking all my followers to please retweet (and comment) on this post if you see it, to help my bird account be seen! 🙏😀
To make it worth sharing, here's a cute little Wren reflection. 😍 🐦
Thank you very much! 📷😊♥️

[Carl Bovis @CarlBovisNature]

As it's Friday, I'm asking all my followers to please retweet (and comment) on this post if you see it, to help my bird account be seen! 🙏😀
To make it worth sharing, here's a Great Spotted Woodpecker in my Somerset garden. 😍🐦
Thank you very much! 😊♥️

[Carl Bovis @CarlBovisNature]

As it's Friday, I'm asking all my followers to please retweet (and comment) on this post if you see it, to help my bird account be seen!🙏♥️
To make it worth sharing, here's a Short Eared Owl approaching!😍🦉
Thank you very much!😊🐦

[Carl Bovis @CarlBovisNature]

As it's Friday, I'm asking all my followers to please retweet (and comment) on this post if you see it, to help my bird account be seen!🙏♥️
To make it worth sharing, here are 2 Kingfishers arguing over a prime perch! 😁
Thank you very much! 🥰🐦😊

[Kelly Sharp @ksharpk]

@joynes85 So sorry 😢… I am sure she had the best life and is running free now 🐾

[Carl Bovis @CarlBovisNature]

As it's Friday, I'm asking all my followers to please retweet (and comment) on this post if you see it, to help my bird account be seen! 🙏😊
To make it worth sharing, here's a Barn Owl hunting over reedbeds. 🦉
Thank you very much!🙏😊♥️

[Kelly Sharp @ksharpk]

@EdGambleComedy Brilliant show tonight at Reading @Thehexagon - belly laughed so much throughout ❤️