Animal lovers have raised more than £4,000 in just a few days to help save dogs on "death row" in Romania.
Jennifer Gilbert, 36, from West Hill, Epsom, and Lisa Webster, 40, from Sherwood Park Road, Sutton, rescued dozens of dogs from appalling conditions last month.
The women, together with Rachael Welch, are now bringing 22 of them into the UK along with another rescue puppy and five more dogs from a vet who has let their dogs stay in his shelter until they travel.
These stray dogs still need loving homes
Since the article ran in our newspapers last week they have raised £4,350 but still need more money and people to take in 16 dogs when they arrive in the UK on April 17.
The women held a fundraiser with live music and a raffle at Ye Olde Red Lion in Cheam on Saturday and a woman, who had read the article in the Epsom Guardian, donated £3,000 towards the £6,000 cost of creating a new shelter in Romania.
Live music at Ye Olde Red Lion in Cheam
Miss Gilbert said: "It has been amazing, a real surprise. It gives you a bit more faith in human nature.
"I must say the bigger donations were from the people who saw the article and actually turned up at the venue to support us. Amazing people and they really were interested in our work.
"One lady donated £200 and another £100 and both were crying when they heard about the way Romanian government and the country treats the animals."
A new Romanian law provides for the killing of captured strays if they are not adopted within two weeks from dog shelters.
Two local women had rescued 200 dogs rounded up by dog catchers from a "death camp" but they ran out of money and ended up abandoning their own shelter in Fundulea near Bucharest.
Miss Gilbert and Miss Webster went out to save the dogs and improve conditions at the shelter.
Since last week, they have had six enquiries about rehoming dogs plus 16 emails from our readers.
Miss Gilbert fears that the Authority for the Supervision and Protection of Animals (ASPA), which managers strays in Bucharest, plan to take away 80 dogs they had left behind in Romania.
She said they still need to find another £3,000 to create a new home for these dogs.
She said : "If there is an animal angel out there who would like to donate to building a new shelter to save the dogs we had to leave behind then please get in touch, the difference they could make is worth so much more than money and breaks my heart that they are left without hope."
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