Dog lover takes on challenge of a lifetime to help rescue dogs

Eleanor Naylor hiked to Everest Base Camp raising more than £1,200 for Dogs Trust Shrewsbury which cares for hundreds of dogs every year who have found themselves without a home.

The 31-year-old, who was joined by her boyfriend Daniel Jones, said the 12-day challenge was the toughest thing she had ever done but knowing her efforts would help the dogs, spurred her on every step of the way.

“I’m a keen hiker and wanted to take my passion to the next level for a great cause, so what bigger challenge than Everest, one of the world’s great classic treks," she said.

To prepare for the 130km round trip Eleanor trained for five months, taking her dogs with her on trips to the Lake District, the Scottish Highlands and Snowdonia, as well as completing the Three Peaks Challenge last year.

She said: “Meeting the people of Nepal and experiencing the stunning surroundings were definite highlights of the trip, but the biggest buzz was reaching Base Camp knowing that while fulfilling a dream I was also helping dogs who have found themselves without a home. Thank you to everyone who supported me.”

Dogs Trust looks after thousands of dogs every year who have had to leave their families for a variety of reasons, from relationship break ups or a change in working hours, to illness in the family or the death of their owner.

Sue Bromley, assistant manager at Dogs Trust Shrewsbury, added: “What Eleanor has done is fantastic. It costs around £40 a day to care for every dog we look after and we have at least 80 dogs on site every day of the year.

“We are in awe of what she has done for us. It was fantastic to meet Eleanor and be able to thank her, as well as introduce her to some of the dogs she has helped.”