LOST, abandoned and unloved dogs in West Devon now have a new safe haven, thanks to a fledgling rescue charity set up by a group of dog-loving friends.

The group of 13 set up Dartmoor View Dog Rescue (DVDR) in September, with the aim of taking in their first rescue dogs in January. However the group has already taken in and re-homed one dog and is currently trying to re-home another.

The group, Pat and Ian Admans, Derek and Sylvia Cole, Lynne Neville, Natalie Cooper, Julie and Misha White, Sue and Phil Read, Mary Redding, Sonia Allin and Christine Horner have all had experience of fostering rescue dogs in the past and many have fundraised for bigger rescue charities, but used to hand over the money and not see or get to appreciate how the money was used.

So the group decided to set up their own rescue, to cover most of Dartmoor.

Although not officially supposed to be taking dogs in until January, six-month-old Alfie has been the first success story of the group.

Pat Admans said: 'Someone got in contact with one of the group after seeing that Alfie's owner had put a free ad for him up on a website.

'They had only had him for a month but were selling him because they couldn't afford to feed him.

'When we picked him up he hadn't eaten for three days. We put his picture up on our facebook page and we had interest straight away.

'His new owners have met him and brought their other dog with them to meet him too and they've all fallen in love with him.'

The Admans had another dog due to arrive which hadn't been fed anything but pasta because the owners couldn't afford to buy food, but Pat said there was no excuse for not feeding a dog, especially if the owners could afford to buy cigarettes instead.

'You can get cheap enough dog food, it's a very poor excuse,' she said.

Pat and Ian have 11 of their own dogs, the majority of which have been rescues.

Pat said: 'One we got from a man who was selling puppies out of the back of his truck, five we are fostering, and Butch came to us after being found on a road in Lifton.

'It was a Sunday, we tried to call the dog warden and the RSPCA but because it was a Sunday no-one was working. The RSPCA said they would pick him up on the Monday but we knew he would end up going to the pound and being put down, so we decided to keep him here.

'He has separation anxiety and has been losing weight. We will be putting him over to Dartmoor View Dog Rescue to go to a home for proper care.'

Ian said that the couple retired to their small holding in Sourton to have a break from dog fostering — but they have ended up doing it on a bigger scale.

He said: 'It's something to get up for in the mornings.

'Pat has been rescuing for years, taking in dogs and rehoming them. We try to keep the rescue ones at arms length because you've got to switch off and not get too attached to them.'

The members all bring different qualities to the group from computer skills, website maintenance to fostering and training.

They have all had to start by putting their own money into the charity as grants and funding are not available until the rescue has been established for at least a year. But the team has been busy fundraising, holding coffee mornings and a sponsored walk and have been inundated with items to sell to raise money for the dogs.

They are grateful for the support of Pets at Home in Launceston, which provides them with food for the dogs and Okeford Vets in Okehampton help them out, but they are aware that a dog could come in at any time needing a lot of veterinary care resulting in huge vet bills. They are however, in need of foster carers.

'We need people who like dogs but might not be able to take one on full time for any reason. The DVDR pays for everything — food, bedding, collars etc. It may interest someone who likes walking.'

The DVDR is very thorough in assessing families and homes for its rescue dogs.

'We do home checks to make sure there is secure fencing,' said Pat.

'We do vet checks, if they will be living in a rented property we double check with the landlord — there are lots of rules and regulations all to safeguard the dog.

'We also have to gauge the dog's personality, how it acts with other dogs and children.

'We spend time going through training and socialisation — we don't just put them straight out. Then in the meantime we get to know the new owners and we always keep in contact to see how they are getting on.'

Anyone who is interested in fostering or would like any more information can visit http://www.dartmoorviewdogrescue.btck.co.uk">www.dartmoorviewdogrescue.btck.co.uk go to http://www.facebook.com/dartmoorviewdogrescue">www.facebook.com/dartmoorviewdogrescue or call either 01837 861431 or 07773401921.