Beautie, The 3-legged Rescue Dog Raising Funds For Dog Shelters

Meet Beautie, the 3-legged rescue dog on a mission to raise funds for UK dog shelters in need.

All around the UK rescue centres are facing enormous financial difficulties. Throughout the global pandemic, they have not received any government support. Events have had to be cancelled, they have had to stop collections in supermarkets and even close charity shops for long periods.

There is one special dog named Beautie, trying to make a difference. Beautie being a rescue dog herself, knows how important it is for these dog charities to survive.

Beautie is the inspiration behind the recently launched DoggyLottery, a not-for-profit raising funds for dog shelters in the UK through an online weekly lottery but more on that in a moment…

Tell us a bit about yourself Beautie?

Well, I have quite the story to tell you. I was born on the streets of Dubai. Living on the streets is hard enough, try doing that in 45-degree heat in a sandpit and only being a puppy. On top of that, I got hit by a big truck. It didn’t seem to bother the driver as he just drove off. Luckily, a lovely guy stopped and took me to the vets. Unfortunately, my back leg was too severely damaged, and they had to amputate. Don’t worry though, as I’m fully recovered, and I have found a way of using my only back leg as a gear stick, and I’m now faster than ever!

I then spent some time with various foster families until I found my forever home in May 2014. My pet parents are the absolute best. We spent a good few years in Dubai together and then the most magical thing happened, I moved with them to the UK! A lot of dogs get left behind in Dubai when their families move back to their home countries. I was one of the lucky ones.

What an adventure that was. My first time on a plane and even a big boat. Hope I don’t have to do that again any time soon though.

It is a totally different world here. When you are used to seeing just camels and the odd gazelle, it was a real treat to be introduced to squirrels, cows, sheep, horses and of course the various birds. I’m not keen on them in my garden but happy to see them when out and about.

The beautiful countryside has also been a joy to explore. However, I must admit I do miss being able to bathe in the hot sunshine all year round.  

I absolutely love living in the UK, and I am so thankful for how my life has turned out. But there are some very worrying things going on in the dog rescue world, and I want to do everything I can to help. So, I inspired my owner Lisette van Riel and her cousin Lee Brown to set up DoggyLottery.

Tell us more, what is DoggyLottery?

DoggyLottery is a non-profit that raises funds for 5 different dog charities every month through an online lottery. Tickets are £1.50, 60% goes to the charity fund, and 30% goes to the prize fund which is shared by 20 guaranteed weekly winners. The remaining 10% is used to run the lottery and administration costs. For more details on how DoggyLottery works, you can check out the DoggyLottery FAQs.

When people enter DoggyLottery, they are asked to vote for their favourite rescue centre out of the 5. The more votes a centre gets, the bigger the share of the charity fund they receive after the month ends.

DoggyLottery launched in July during the 1^st lockdown and so far, I’m proud to say we have raised over £6,000 for 25 different rescue centres and my fellow rescue pups.

Why is this so important to you?

According to research 130,000 dogs get handed over to a rescue centre each year. This makes me so sad. Especially as in most cases, abandonment could be prevented. People need to start doing better research into what is needed to look after us dogs (time, dedication and money) and what kind of dog suits their lifestyle. We are so eager to please and we just want to make you happy. Please don’t see us as something you can just get for lockdown, Christmas or your convenience. We want to be with you for life.

Only through education can we start to tackle these issues and work on a positive change. In the meantime, I really want dog charities to stay in business so they can help dogs like me have a chance of finding their happily ever after. 

How can people support DoggyLottery in Raising Funds for Dog Shelters?

To help raise funds for dog charities, just go to www.doggylottery.co.uk and play. You can decide to play whenever you want or subscribe to play each week, with each round closing every Friday.

For all the latest DoggyLottery news and what I’m getting up to, you can follow us on social media @doggylottery and me at @3legsbetterthan4.

Lastly, if you know a dog rescue centre that deserves to be part of DoggyLottery, please nominate them by sending an email to info@doggylottery.co.uk.

Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed my story ~ love Beautie x