A fundraiser plans to live in a KENNEL for twelve nights over the festive period – and will eat his Christmas dinner from a dog BOWL.
Eccentric Adrian Thompson, 48, has announced he will sleep alongside man’s best friend from December 17 through to December 28.
Not only will he forgo his creature comforts he will also be swapping his turkey with all the trimmings for Brussels sprouts from a dog bowl.
The financial adviser has taken on the wacky challenge to raise money for Cornish dog welfare charity K9 Crusaders.
And every night he’ll meet a different rescued dog that’s being cared for at the centre, starting with five-year-old Jack Russell terrier Bertie.
The Twelve Dogs of Christmas event is aimed at raising awareness and much-needed funds for the charity based in Bissoe which is struggling to recover after it lost £100,000 last year at the hands of a fraudster.
Mr Thompson, of St Ives, Cornwall, will stay in his kennel as a minimum from 8pm to 8am, but will also spend any spare time he has volunteering there.
He said: “Some people may say I am barking.
“A few people suggested the idea, the seed germinated and I volunteered to go inside.
“I will have my sleeping bag and will be lying on a concrete floor and eating out of a dog bowl.
“I have never done anything like this before and it’s not as if you can train for it beforehand.”
He added his only concern was possibly getting a “touch of sciatica,” but said it is worth it for such a good cause.
Sue Smith, K9 Crusaders site manager, said: “We are very much looking forward to having an extra mouth to feed over Christmas, which is going to be quite a novelty for us, as Adrian will be spending all his time in the kennel raising much-needed funds for us.
“Cornwall is a bit of a forgotten place in terms of dog welfare and we urgently need this kind of help and this kind of promotion and we really indebted to Adrian for giving up his Christmas and spending 12 whole nights here in the kennel helping us out.”
Last year ruthless fraudster Katrina Jones was jailed for swindling more than £100,000 from the charity.
Jones’ theft left the dedicated band of volunteers unable to pursue the building and maintenance plans for the rescue centre and the team have been working relentlessly to get back on track.
K9 Crusaders provides a countywide dog rescue, re-homing and rehabilitation centre and relies entirely on donations.
Volunteers run the centre, provide behavioural support for the animals and advise of any aspect of dogs and dog welfare.
