Local animal charity run by military veteran receives 'life-saving' donation of almost £20,000

An unexpectedly large donation has provided enough funds for Midlands charity War Paws to cover an entire month’s running costs at its Iraq dog shelter, which was set up 12 years ago to help the forgotten animals of war.

The charity is run from Wednesbury by its CEO, Louise Hastie, a military veteran who served in Iraq and spent a further six years living there after serving. She regularly travels from her home in the Midlands to oversee operations at the shelter, which provides a permanent home for more than 100 local dogs.

The centre also supports a further 800 dogs in the surrounding area by neutering them and vaccinating them against rabies to protect the local population.

The shelter employs 17 staff, including two veterinarians who provide life-saving medical care for animals in need seven days a week. It relies largely on public donations to fund its work and receives no financial assistance from any government.

Two years ago, it set up a corporate partnership with Raffle House, a prize draw company that gives away multimillion-pound homes and various other prizes. Part of its mission is to raise funds for charity, with a portion of each entry going to a charity partner.

When buying tickets, Raffle House allows players to decide which of its charity partners they wish to direct the charitable donation portion of their entry to and it distributes these funds to charities on an annual basis. In its first year, War Paws received a welcome donation of just over £2,500, but over the past year the organisation has become much more popular with players and this year it received almost £20,000.

“When the email came through you could have knocked me down with a feather,” said Louise. “Fundraising was particularly difficult for us in 2025 and I know charities across the board experienced the same thing.

“There’s been a distinct change in people’s giving habits due to the cost-of-living crisis and so these funds really were life-saving in helping us to keep the shelter going.

“The money went towards vital resources such as vaccines, repairs, shipping supplies to Iraq and staff costs. It costs US$22,000 to run the clinic every month, so the donation was more than enough to cover an entire month’s costs. I’m very grateful to both Raffle House and its players for recognising the important work we do as a charity.”

James Mieville, Executive Director at Raffle House, said: “War Paws is something of an unsung hero as its work helps not only the vulnerable dogs of Iraq, but also the local people. It protects them against fatal and endemic diseases such as rabies by providing crucial vaccinations for hundreds of stray dogs each year.

“We’re really pleased to be able to support such a worthwhile charity and hope its popularity among our players will grow even further in future so that our donations can make even more of a difference.”