On Saturday 15th October 2011 four Danaher volunteers took four of the long-stay rescue dogs for a trip into Great Dunmow to try and get them loving forever homes. Penny had sweet Cherry, Lucy had beautiful Narla, Michaela had cutie Max and Amanda had gorgeous Brandy. We paraded the High Street with the dogs in their high-visibility 'Adopt Me' coats and they thoroughly enjoyed their day out. It was so nice to give them an outing away from the kennels and treat them like the wonderful family pets they are. We met lots of lovely people who stopped to chat with us and stroke the dogs. We handed out lots of business cards with the Danaher Animal Home's contact details and website on them, so we are hoping that some more animals will be rehomed. People were even coming out of shops to meet our wonderful dogs! A kind man saw us as he was driving past and he pulled over and came to meet the dogs. He headed straight for Cherry as she caught his attention him with her good looks! He gave her lots of fuss and the others decided to push in to join in the fuss as they did not want to be left out, so he ended up fussing all of the dogs together. It was a very sweet scene and lovely to see. There were no grumbles of jealousy whatsoever and they all enjoyed themselves very much.

Our most desperate dog is Cherry the four-year-old Staffie. She is a gorgeous little dog and behaved perfectly all day. She thoroughly enjoyed meeting new people and dogs. She is very people-orientated, like most Staffies are, and just wants someone to love her as much as she'll love them. All of our dogs behaved impeccably and they loved all of the attention they got. We stopped for a drink at The Saracens Head pub and they were very accommodating to us and the dogs and provided fresh water for them in their beer garden, and even took some of our cards to put on their bar. We were thrilled with their benevolence and hospitality.

Long-term volunteer Lucy Smith said: "We had a brilliant day and enjoyed it as much as the dogs! It was a fantastic outing, and I just hope we got some good homes for the amazing dogs. They deserve to be loved by someone as much as we love them. It is nice to get them away from the rescue kennels so people can see how lovely the dogs really are." The dogs all got on brilliantly together and with every dog and person they met and they were all very calm.

Long-term volunteer Penny Smith who walked Cherry said: "Cherry is a loveable, friendly and responsive little dog who got on well with her canine friends. I have absolutely fallen in love with her. I knew she was a lovely dog but I never realised just how sweet she is. She loves kisses and cuddles and it was heartbreaking returning her to her kennel. At least they all had a lovely day out with lots of love and affection.”

Long-term volunteer Lucy Smith who walked Narla said: “Narla was absolutely perfect all day. She was very gentle and didn’t pull at all. She was so loving and caring and a truly beautiful dog. She adores her cuddles and had to constantly be touching me in the car and leaning on me for comfort. I adore her. You couldn’t ask for a more perfect, sweet and loving dog. She is only a puppy but she is incredibly well-behaved and good-natured. She is very friendly and loved saying hello to every single dog we met and she liked to nuzzle people’s hands or legs as we walked past. This obviously got her a lot of attention and everyone thought she was very sweet and absolutely gorgeous. She dotes on Max and was constantly looking at him and checking he was still there and close-by. They love each other dearly. They are truly special dogs.”

Michaela Bennett, another of our lovely volunteers, walked Max and said: “I found him perfect. The way he sat so calmly in my car on both journeys was brilliant. He let us put him in the dog crate with no problem at all and just lay there, and then on our way home he just sat on the floor and seat. It was that and the actual walk that made me want to keep him. On the walk itself he was very well behaved and he didn’t pull at all. He also loved it when we stopped as he liked the fuss from me and any passers-by that stopped to give him some attention.”

Kind volunteer Amanda Allcock who walked Brandy said: “Brandy was very well behaved when we took her to Dunmow. She is a very inquisitive dog so likes being taken to new places. When people approached Brandy for a stroke she would roll over so that her belly could be rubbed.  She also got on really well with the other dogs around her. She is a very sweet girl.”