Meet the team

My life in Carmarthenshire, Wales, is a bustling one, shared with my wonderful husband, Mike, our son Alex, and a delightful menagerie of animals. We have three dogs – Loki, a large and loving Romanian rescue, and our two elderly Papillons, Pixie and Merlin – along with eight busy hens. Mike is my rock, providing invaluable support, especially with the practical side of rescue work, from transport, carrying out home checks, helping with fostering and the essential task of organizing parcels for the shelter. My journey into animal rescue began with fostering for local organizations, but it was the profound need I saw in Romanian dogs that truly ignited my passion. Joining Sava's Safe Haven and working closely with Alexia, five or six years ago was a turning point. I started as a fosterer, experiencing firsthand the transformative power of providing a safe haven for these vulnerable animals. This led to coordinating adoptions, a role that allowed me to witness the joy of matching dogs with their forever families. Today, my involvement encompasses a wide range of responsibilities. I manage and update the dog albums on our Facebook page, showcasing each dog's unique personality and story, and actively promote them to find their perfect matches. I also write blogs for our website, sharing stories of hope and highlighting the incredible work we do. Alongside this, I continue to foster, providing temporary homes and loving care. Coordinating adoptions remains a core part of my work, ensuring each dog finds the ideal home. And of course, there's the constant flow of general administration, keeping everything running smoothly. Animal rescue isn't just a part of my life; it's my driving force. Over the years, I've had the privilege of fostering 38 dogs, each one leaving a lasting imprint on my heart. The joy of seeing them thrive in their forever homes is immeasurable, and the heartfelt updates I receive from adopters are a constant source of inspiration. In my spare moments, I find solace and purpose in creating handmade items and stitching dog-themed greeting cards and pictures. These creations are then donated to our auctions, contributing vital funds to support the shelter's mission. Looking ahead, I'm filled with anticipation for the next chapter of Sava's Safe Haven. We are dreaming of building a new shelter, a place where we can expand our reach and continue to rescue and rehome even more of these remarkable dogs. It's a vision that fuels my dedication and drives me to make a difference.

Laraine has done fundraising work for Savas Safe Haven for over 10 years , she recently retired to live in France , after a career in Finance across both public and private sectors in the UK . Her two Savas dogs , Maia and Lily , they love croissants and also chasing their Savas sister cat Princess and their feline sisters Tasia ( Greek ) and Luli Lu ( French ) . In her spare time she is learning French and exploring France .

Emily has been helping fundraise for Savas for over 12 years - she got her first Savas dog Nero in 2013 and more recently Kiera in 2020 - she currently lives in Norfolk with her husband, her giant schnauzer Ottis her two Savas dogs and a very elderly rescue cat Jazz - she is due to retire this year in June and is thoroughly looking forward to it 😊 - she spent most of her working life in retail working with Epos systems.