All Dogs Matter Charity help to raise the profile of Staffies and find loving homes for this misunderstood breed. A lot of Staffies go through a tremendous amount of abuse and yet they are so forgiving towards humans.

In 2015 I became involved with All Dogs Matter Charity, they are one of the rescue and rehoming charities that help rehome Staffies. The Staffie breed is one of the most mis understood breeds as they are used for illegal fighting and stereotyped in such a negative light. To help portray the Staffie breed in a more positive way, each year All Dogs Matter hold Staffie months, Ira Moss the general manager says "Don't judge a Staffie by its cover, they are a special breed, make wonderful pets and rank highly among the top dogs with children. When you are searching for a new dog you will probably notice that 90% of the dogs up for rehoming are Staffordshire Bull Terriers. Please do not be put off by this as this is simply not because of the breed but by the deed of the previous owners. A lot of these Staffies go through a tremendous amount of abuse and yet they are so forgiving towards humans." One of the other reasons why there are so many Staffies in rescue centres is they are used for breeding, Ira says "They have ended up in rescue mainly because of unscrupulous breeders over breeding for money and then rehoming them, often to the wrong people. Free advertising websites have also added to the crisis as many dogs are advertised for free or at low cost and many are taken for fighting or more breeding."

Since All Dogs Matter Charity became a registered charity in 2009 they have rehomed between 1500 to 2000 dogs. Ricky Gervais, Michelle Collins and Peter Egan are some of the celebrity patrons that support the charity, Ira Moss says "We are very lucky to have the support of our celebrity friends and supporters. They kindly help us by promoting the charity and our dogs looking for homes. Social Media has been great to help us reach more and more people too." Through photo shoots and several of their events I have got to know some of the Staffies that have been lucky enough to have found homes through them. When you get the opportunity to meet Staffies such as Muriel, Bella and  Daisy you realise that they have a gentle nature and you understand why they are known as nanny dogs.

In 2015 Sonia Robertson started volunteering for All Dogs Matter's Charity, she assesses the dogs that come into the kennels and organises the vet checks. Sonia found out about the charity by researching rescue dog events and went to their Great Hampstead Bark Off event with her Staffie Teddy, Sonia says "Teddy won first prize in a fun contest, because of how lovely the people were that attended and All Dogs Matter I got more involved and continued to go to their events and support the charity." Sonia also helps look after the dogs at their Southend Farm Kennels and takes them for their vet checks. When you meet Sonia it clearly shows that she has a genuine love for the Staffie breed, she says "I have always loved Staffies, they have a big heart and I adore the personalities as they really do have them. I love their big heads that are heart shaped and the appearance of them."
I went to the kennels to meet up with Sonia and photograph some of their dogs looking for homes. One of the Staffies I really took to was Muriel who was found as a stray, she is one of the most playful Staffies I have met, I could have spent all afternoon with her. As she liked to have a lot of fuss and attention, I did not get a lot of photos of Muriel as she mostly wanted hugs. In August 2016 Muriel was adopted by her owners Frank and Anne, after she had settled in I met up with them for a follow up photo shoot. It was lovely to see how well Muriel is doing, she still has the same playful and happy character she had since I met her for the first time at the kennels. Since adopting Muriel she has made a huge difference to Frank and Anne's lives, they cannot imagine life without her. Anne says "Muriel has a lovely temperament, she is very loving with a gorgeous smile and happy disposition. People take to her easily and she is good with children and adults. She also has an endearing playful side, when you play ball with her she loves teasing you, she brings the ball and as you go to pick it up she will quickly pick it up and run off until she is ready for you to throw it."

In Autumn 2016 I went to do another photo shoot with a beautiful older Staffie Bella. Bella's owner Francesca adopted her through All Dogs Matter Charity.

When Francesca contacted All Dogs Matter and asked them about dogs they had available for adoption, Ira Moss informed her that there was a little old Staffie who is in the RSPCA kennels and suffering from severe depression. No one was interested in her as she was an older dog.  On the day Francesca went to meet Bella, she was so excited and when she arrived at the RSPCA it was love at first sight. Francesca did not want to scare Bella on their first meeting so she bent down to her eye level and Bella climbed onto her lap, 4 years on since adopting Bella Francesca's lap is still her favourite place. One week later after adopting Bella, she unfortunately became very ill and needed an emergency operation at the vets caused by an infection of the womb. While Bella was having her operation, Francesca felt heart broken as she was thinking she had had Bella for only a week and she only knew true love for a such a short period of time.  After being operated on for 4 hours and loosing her womb and 5kg of puss, the vet called and said "She has come through the operation but it is all touch and go as Bella is very poorly." After a few hours the vet said "She has still made no improvement and will not even lift her head." Francesca decided to take her home and Francesca's mum collected Bella from the vets. As soon as Francesca arrived home and Bella heard her voice, she lifted her head and tried to wag her tail. The following 5 nights Francesca spent her time with Bella in her dog bed and slowly she made a recovery. When she was on the road to recovery Francesca made some enquiries and discovered that Bella was used as a breeding machine and kept in a small cage that she could hardly move around in. Due to the conditions she was kept in, Bella's legs are very bow bent and because Bella did not know what a food bowl was she spent the first few months eating off the floor. The vet said "From the condition of Bella's body she had 8 to 10 litters of puppies, once she caught the infection she could not fall pregnant so the previous owners chucked her out like rubbish." Since rescuing Bella she has made a difference to Francesca's life, she says "Bella is such a soft sweet girl and only wants to please you, she is brilliant with other dogs, babies, children and adults. She is a gentle soul and has brought such a joy to my life, I love waking up and seeing her grey face in the mornings." Due to Bella having severe arthritis and being on daily medication she has her very own cart to get around in. Francesca does not agree with how Staffies are portrayed she says "Bella is such a smiley and happy girl. I have had many other breeds of dogs in my time including other Staffies and they have all been soft loving souls and make wonderful members of the family."

Daisy's Story

Another lovely Staffie I have got to know through All Dogs Matter's events is Daisy, she has always had so many different expressions. Daisy was 11 months old when her owner Kathryn adopted her through All Dogs Matter, she came from another family that were not able to look after her anymore. One of the reasons Kathryn wanted to rehome a Staffie is she knew the Staffie breed would be a loving and loyal friend. Due to Daisy's breed she receives a mixed response from the public, Kathryn says "People either come over and say hello or cross the street to avoid us." She does not agree with how Staffies are portrayed and says "It is really unfair, I get so upset and take it personally. Daisy is the sweetest and most gentle thing in the world." Daisy loves to play with other dogs. Since rehoming Daisy, Kathryn says "It is a massive commitment but we would not change it for anything. There is a lot of love in the room."
Rowena Kenward and All Dogs Matter's Events

Rowena Kenward started working for the charity in 2013 after volunteering for them, she organises events each year to raise funds for their dogs needing homes and works on their social media. Out of the events some of Rowena's favourite ones are Great Hampstead Bark Off, Halloween Dog Walk and Santa Paws, she says "I think the Great Hampstead Bark Off is a favourite, cakes and dogs what could be better?! Plus I love that it is on the Heath. I also really enjoy our Santa Paws Christmas Fair and Halloween Dog Walk, such fun ways to end the year."

All Dogs Matter Charity do great work for dogs needing homes and helping raise awareness of the Staffie breed, when you meet Staffies such as Muriel, Bella and Daisy they are some of the happiest and most affectionate dogs. Every rescue dog including Staffies deserve to find their loving home.

For more information on fostering and rehoming a dog please visit All Dogs Matter's website alldogsmatter.co.uk