"What Follows Is A True Story. It's My Story. A Story About Dogs. About How They Can Touch The Very Embers Of Your Soul And Change Your Life”…

And if you want to help some deserving dogs escape a life of misery make sure you read everything I have to share with you. Because only then will you discover and connect with what I'm striving to achieve here. And, so you can put a face to the name, that's me, Mike, in the photo above with Lucy, one of my canine friends.

So please, read the whole of this story from start to finish. It's important. Dogs lives are at stake! I wouldn't ask you otherwise.

On Friday September 2nd 2005 at 2.10pm the unthinkable happened. That dark day and hour which all dog owners dread, finally came to pass…

I was devastated. For 16 years my mate, little MoMo, had made my every day brighter and richer with his licks and love. We went everywhere and did pretty much everything together. Best mates in every way.

All those years together, and then, in a second, he was gone.

16 years is a great innings for any dog and it was the greatest privilege to have had the honour of his friendship for so long. He was a pleasure from the moment he was born until the day he took passage. I miss and love him. I always will.

That's him on the right, just days before he died. You'd be forgiven for thinking butter wouldn't melt but believe me, he could be a wilful little devil when the mood took him. You could sum him up in three words; fun, love and laughter.

God bless you mate, XXX

But just before he departed from this earth I made him a promise...

For years, it's been a dream of mine to do something WORTHWHILE, something GOOD, something that will make a DIFFERENCE. And for me, that means setting up a dog rescue and sanctuary.

So that's what I promised my dog when he was on his deathbed - that I would do everything I can to establish a haven for abused and homeless dogs who have fallen on hard times...

Not just in honour of his memory, but as a way of showing my appreciation for the unconditional affection and friendship dogs give to all of us. That includes you, me, and everyone else who understands the power of the dog.

And here's just a few of the reasons why, to make sure we never forget what happens to those dogs who find themselves outside the care of loving owners and in urgent need of our help!

Every year, thousands of dogs are subjected to the most unimaginable acts of cruelty and neglect. Our unconditionally loving friends experience untold suffering and needless death because not enough people care. But you can be one of those who does care. And your caring will help save some of our friends from some of the following abuses...

Every year, thousands of dogs suffer and die. Some are starved, tortured, punched, kicked, stabbed and drowned. Others are maimed and killed in dog fights for 'entertainment' and money or doused in petrol and set on fire. This is no exaggeration. CLICK HERE to see for yourself, then ask, how could anyone do that?

Every year, thousands of dogs are kicked out or abandoned miles away from home. Deserted and betrayed by their owners. Discarded without a second thought for whether they will live or die. Some strays are lucky and find a home. Many aren't so fortunate. They become the victims of road accidents and euthanasia...

Every year, thousands of healthy dogs are needlessly destroyed. Because their owners either no longer want them or are too tight-fisted to keep them. Or, because they end up in the 'care' of councils and charities that operate euthansia policies where dogs are destroyed, not because they are terminally ill, but for lack of homes.

Every year, thousands of dogs experience all this pain, distress and unnecessary death. And this isn't just going on in places like China, Vietnam and Korea. This is going on in our own backyards, right here in the West, in the UK, US, Ireland, Aus, NZ and Western Europe, where people should know better.

FACT: Approximately 64 healthy dogs were put to death each day during 2008 in the UK & Ireland. The Stray Dogs Report 2008 cites just under 100,000 stray dogs for the UK alone, with 6710 being destroyed. In Ireland, the figures are even more shameful with 16,484 of our mates put to death. Collectively, nearly 64 of our best friends have their lives taken from them each and every day. Think about it.

How can people treat any dog like this when…

And these are only the cases we get to hear about. How many thousands of others go unreported? The fact that your dog, or dogs that you know are fortunate enough to have loving owners, is really just the luck of the draw.

It's for these reasons that I promised my dog I'll do all I can to establish a dog sanctuary to rescue some of his kind before they are further harmed or killed. After all, how can any dog lover look at these photos, read the facts and not feel compelled to do something about it?

But when I looked into it, I was shocked at the cost of making my promise come true. To give you an idea, here's a rundown covering just some of the expenditure involved in setting up and running a dog rescue & sanctuary:

Premises with sufficient land for the dogs to play and exercise. Must be away from neighbours to avoid complaints about barking and to satisfy planning regulations. You don't need me to tell you how high property prices are nowadays, despite coming down from their peak.

Heated kennels with concrete bases and easy-hose flooring. See photos below for example. To include kennel heaters to keep our friends warm and comfortable and cesspits to dispose of what dogs do.

Dog van(s) to transport our mates around. To pick them up, take them to the vets, collect various supplies, conduct home inspections etc. To be fully equiped with comfortable transportation crates for safety purposes.

Friendly, genuine, experienced, dog-loving staff. To play with, exercise and train our mates so they can have some fun while keeping fit and feeling loved in preparation for being re-homed.

An ongoing supply of fresh, tasty, nutritious food. To keep our dogs happy, fit and healthy. To include all neccessary supplements.

Plus, all other establishment and general running costs. Such as vets bills, medications, various insurances, office and administration costs, dog training and exercise equipment, accessories etc.

As you can see, if you want to do it properly and keep our pals in tip-top condition, it costs a lot of money. Yes, it would have been nice if I'd had enough in the bank to just go and do it. But unfortunately, that's not the case because I'm in the same financial boat as a lot of people.

So, the question was…

For months I kept trying to think of ideas that might generate enough funds. But whenever an idea seemed promising, a little more research would reveal a major flaw. It began to feel like I was banging my head against a brick wall. Yet I couldn't allow myself to give up. I'd made a promise to my dog and I just had to keep telling myself…

Well, after many more months of brainstorming, the penny finally dropped and I got to thinking…

What if, by using the power of the internet, I can reach out to enough people like me who really care about the welfare of our canine friends? In other words…

What if I can reach enough people like YOU - then maybe we can do some good together. Maybe YOU will share my vision and help me turn this dog rescue and sanctuary into a reality.

Still, I didn't feel comfortable with the idea of simply asking people for a donation to help me do this. Even though I'm sure there are many of you who would, please understand, this is not a charity. I'm not expecting a free handout, nor am I going to be asking you for one. In fact, far from it.

So I have developed…

It's taken three years and most of my savings to create this website as a place for us dog lovers to join forces and help save abused and abandoned dogs. The truth is, I've now gone as far as I can with this project on my own. This dog rescue and sanctuary cannot happen without help from dog lovers like you.

And here's how you can help...

You can buy a gorgeous gift in the dog shop, purchase the flagship software I've developed - The K9 Gift & Card Creator, or spend a few minutes using the features provided to promote awareness of the need for this dog rescue. It doesn't matter which, just as long as you get involved because...

It's been my experience that people who love dogs are amongst the most caring on this planet. And I'm not the only one who thinks so. Lots of people recognise the compassionate nature of dog lovers, like world-renowned author, Gladys Taber, who famously stated…

That's why I've invested so much of my time and money into setting up this website and developing the K9 Gift & Card Creator. So please join me and other dog lovers by clicking on the Momo logo below to explore the site and get involved.