From wags to RICHES

Winning the Lottery was a dream come true for these women, but they aren’t the only ones who benefited – their dogs have, too!

- ANNA MATHESON, LEBBY EYRES *MINTEL

In the UK, a quarter of pet owners admit to spoiling their beloved animals rotten. In fact, research shows that we spend a whopping £10 billion a year on them!* Now, if that’s just the ordinary folk, what happens when dog lovers win the Lottery?! We speak to three lucky winners about their pampered pups.

We quit our jobs to help dogs

Ruth Doyle, 56, lives in Lyneham, Wiltshire, with her husband, Peter, 65, and their collie, Bailey.

When my husband, Peter, and I scooped £1 million on the Lottery in June 2015, it was a relief not to have to worry about money. And in 2017, when our eight-year-old rescue collie Bailey needed an expensive hip replacement, I was more than happy to hand over the £6,000.

Yet it made me realise that not all pups are as lucky as Bailey, and the plight of stray dogs abroad had always pulled at our heartstrings. And now, maybe we could help... In November 2017, we retired early to volunteer for the rescue charity 1 Dog at a Time Rescue UK.

Soon after, we drove to Romania to save street dogs for the charity and were able to pay for hotels and expenses while we rescued 13 dogs, who are now all in loving UK homes.

We regularly donate sums to various animal charities, too, and now foster dogs until they are found their fur-ever homes. So far, we’ve fostered four dogs in our home and hope to take on more dogs in the future.

Their food and care can be pricey, but when you see the pups transform into loving, trusting dogs, it’s worth every penny.