Walker to em-bark on trek to save dogs
A man with four of his dogs will be passing through Shrewsbury on a 1,034-mile walk to raise awareness and funds to end the suffering of dogs in China and South East Asia.
Robert Donkers started his trek from Lands’ End to John O’Groats on Monday with his four furry pals and expects to finish in about two and a half months.
Mr Donkers, from London, will pass through Shrewsbury from July 31 to August 4.
Multiple festivals, such as Yulin, exist which celebrate the torture and consumption of dogs.
The Yulin dog eating festival represents less than 0.01 per cent of the Chinese dog meat trade as a whole.
In China alone, more than 10 million dogs are killed in this way to be eaten every year. This extends to the whole of South East Asia.
Mr Donkers raises funds to support local shelters and projects which rescue dogs from these festivals and the meat trade.
They aim to not only rescue the dogs, but also put an end to the dog meat trade completely through education that dogs are sentient beings, changing legislation, and providing the dog meat traders with alternative means to support their families.
Mr Donkers said: “My Shih Tzus Madeleine, Ronan, Wilbur and my Chihuahua Hannah will be the voice of millions of less fortunate dogs.
"My team of canine furry fundraisers are well-prepared for the task ahead. They love the outdoors and we have been walking on average 12 miles a day since May."
He will be wearing a GPS device so everyone can track his progress at walkingtosavedogs.com or and is inviting people to show support by joining him along the route.
For more information or to donate, visit walkingtosavedogs.com or justgiving.com/crowdfunding/walkingtosavedogs
You can also follow him on Twitter @Donkersrobert, Facebook “Walking to Save Dogs” or Instagram #walkingtosavedogs where there will be daily updates.
