Volunteers’ Week: Merseyside couple celebrate 20 years of helping dogs

“We bonded over our love of animals,” says Alison Rutter about her husband Jonathan. “Our families joke that we encourage each other in our love of dogs.”

Alison and Jonathan have been together for 29 years. For 20 of those, they’ve been volunteering for Dogs Trust. They first started volunteering back in 2004. After moving in together, they decided they wanted to do something to help dogs. 

“We were looking at things we could do together”, recalls Jonathan, who had a family dog and missed the relationship. 

“I’d never had a dog, so we thought about what we could do that meant we could enjoy but also help dogs, so we looked at local charities,” adds Alison.

Our Merseyside centre happened to have a volunteer event that weekend, and the rest is history. 

“We quickly became obsessed with volunteering!” remembers Jonathan. “We were going to go once a week for a couple of hours, then suddenly, we’re going all weekend!”

What does a Dogs Trust volunteer do?

In their time volunteering, Alison and Jonathan have done it all: cleaning kennels, helping socialise puppies, supporting with training, and more.

Alison says: “We make sure everyone has a fresh bed and clean water. Then we can spend time with dogs, which will be down to what that dog needs. I've just met a dog who has issues with separation anxiety, so after her walk, we have a snuggle on the sofa. That time is just as useful to her as the walk.”

Alison has an especially close friendship with Sponsor a Dog Barney (pictured above). She will sometimes take him out in the car for a change of scenery from the rehoming centre.

Three friends that came home

During their two decades as volunteers, Alison and Jonathan have helped more than 2,000 dogs. Among this amazing number were three very special furry friends who stole their hearts.

In their first year volunteering, they fell in love with a 13-year-old shaggy-haired Lurcher called Sam. They took him home where he had the happiest retirement.

Then they met Jake, a nervous German Shepherd. He quickly became Jonathan’s best friend and had eight very happy years with the couple. When they lost Jake, the pair took some time to grieve but continued volunteering with dogs at the centre.

It wasn’t long before another dog needed their help.

In 2020, on the eve of the first Covid-19 lockdown, centre staff asked if they could take in an anxious Lurcher called Dana. Found as a stray in Ireland and brought to Merseyside, Dana was scared of people and dogs and likely hadn’t been in a home before.

Alison and Jonathan saw first-hand that she wasn’t coping well in kennels and couldn’t say no to taking her in for a couple of weeks.

Dana found the world very scary. “When I’d take her out for a walk, she was so terrified her belly was just above the floor,” says Alison. But with the Rutters by her side, every day slowly got easier for Dana. And her holiday with them turned into a permanent stay.

“Dana is so brave because she didn’t have to trust anyone again but has,” says Alison. “Some dogs need extra support, and we can offer that. We know Dana needs it, and it’s not her fault she got let down. We’re not going to let her down.”

The couple now alternate their days volunteering at Merseyside, so one can be at home to ease Dana’s anxiety. 

A life-changing opportunity

Alison and Jonathan say volunteering has given them something very special. “It’s been a privilege to have met and helped thousands of dogs over the years.”

Alison adds, “I call it free dog therapy. No matter how you feel when you go, your day always gets better. Dogs can lift you when nothing else can sometimes.”

For Alison, volunteering had a huge impact on her personally. “My mum was terminally ill in 2019, and the team at Merseyside were amazing. When I was in the hospital, they sent me videos of the dogs I could share with my Mum, who also loved dogs.”

After sadly losing her mum, Alison remembers coming back to the centre and receiving a lot of support. “Those people and dogs and having something to focus on outside of my grief. It gave me something positive to do. I will never forget how it helped me through the worst time of my life,” she says.

The couple have made a big impact on the rehoming centre too. Their doggy Christmas dinners are famous with staff — one year they made a record 38! They deliver the dinners on Boxing Day and Christmas Day so both can see the dogs enjoy their meal, around looking after Dana.

“Jonathan and Alison are part of the Merseyside family,” says Clare from our Merseyside centre. “The centre wouldn’t be the same without them. They help take the pressure off a busy team who never stop.”

Alison says: “I think everybody should volunteer. You get so much out of it. When you see a nervous dog be excited to go out with you, not much is better than that.”

The couple says it has also been a pleasure to volunteer together over the twenty years. “We’re both so obsessed with dogs that the other person has to be all in!”

“I would encourage anyone to volunteer” says Alison. “When I look back on my life, one of the things I will be most proud of will be volunteering with Dogs Trust.”