A TIRELESS pair of animal-lovers have proven that dogs really can have as many lives as cats, after setting up a popular rescue centre.

Nurse Paula Knowles and primary school headteacher Sharon Ashley have so far saved 73 dogs since they launched Pendle Dogs in Need in April.

The dedicated duo work every day of the week, in between their day jobs, to rehome unwanted pets from around the county which get dumped on the streets.

Paula, who had been taking in dogs from kennels for several years, met Sharon online after she inquired about taking on one of her dogs.

She said they decided to create their group to stop healthy dogs being put down unnecessarily.

The launch of their Facebook page, complete with pictures of the dogs they had rescued from the shelter, struck a chord with residents from around the county and they became inundated with requests.

As their popularity grew the pair, both 48, began to recruit volunteers to help assess each new dog before matching them up with a new owner.

Now, with 2,080 ‘likes’ on Facebook, they hope to become a registered charity by next year and begin to hire paid staff.

According to the Dogs Trust, 8,985 healthy dogs were euthanised in kennels across the UK between April 1 2012 and March 31 2013.

Paula, of Victoria Street Barrowford, is currently looking after three dogs. She said: “We realised we were both really keen to stop healthy dogs being put down.

“Especially since the economic downturn owners seem to be abandoning perfectly good pets a lot more, which is really sad.

“The kennel now sends us a weekly list of ‘in danger’ dogs and then we work around the clock to first get them discharged and then rehomed.

“We love the challenge of assessing them to find out what sort of home they would be best suited to and think it’s crucial because so many dogs die needlessly.

“We were thrilled by how quickly people became interested in our webpage and gaining so many dedicated volunteers through it has been amazing.

“We’re really thankful to them for their efforts and can’t wait to turn our passion into a fully-fledged charity.”

To find out more about Pendle Dogs in Need go to www.facebook.com/PendleDogsInNeed or www.pendle-dogs-in-need.webs.com.