A BEQUEST by a mysterious benefactor is helping a charity rehome sheepdogs on farms in Pembrokeshire.

Rosemary Vaughan established a border collie rescue service in 1974, matching the dogs with farmers in need of a working dog.

There are currently 40 dogs that need homes but, because it is a voluntary body, it can be a financial challenge to raise public awareness among farmers of what the service can offer them.

That has now changed because the charity has been named in the will of a benefactor who had been living in Pembrokeshire.

A stipulation of the legacy was that the money should be used specifically to pay for adverts in local newspapers to spread the word about the charity’s work.

“The call came out of the blue and to this day we don’t know the identity of the person who left us the money, just that it was someone who loved sheepdogs,’’ Rosemary explained.

Although the rescue centre is based in West Sussex, the dogs come from all parts of the UK and are rehomed across the country too.

The animals come to her trained and untrained. “If a sheepdog is untrained, we can place them on farms where a farmer has experience of training a dog. It is then up to the farmer whether or not they keep the dog. There is no obligation, no forms to be signed,’’ said Rosemary.

“Collies need a busy life and love to be with people. A farm is the ideal environment for a Border Collie and there are many farms in Wales that would I am sure welcome having one of these bright, intelligent animals.’’

Rosemary can be contact on 01903 746504 or 07971 579450.