As a nation of dog lovers, the Wild At Heart Foundation’s #PawsForThought campaign is something we can all get behind…

Nikki with Reuben, her rescue dog

Founded in Westbourne Grove in 1993 by Nikki Tibbles, London florist Wild at Heart is famous for its opulent and unique style. Nikki went on to set up The Wild at Heart Foundation alongside her friend Nadine Kayser, global head of communications for a management consultancy, in 2015. The pair met after they both adopted dogs from Romania and discovered a shared passion for tackling the world’s stray dog problem.

There are over 600 million strays, which are estimated to give birth to one billion newborns each year (a female stray dog can have over 180 puppies in her lifetime). WAHF’s mission is to neuter 100,000 dogs to prevent over 6 million dogs from being born and suffering cruel deaths at the hands of brutal dog-control policies. The charity also runs rescue and education initiatives.

The Foundation is part funded by a donation of profits from the Wild at Heart business and by funds raised through events, auctions and private donations – 100% of the funds raised go directly to the projects that WAHF supports.

#PawsForThought is a digital campaign that raises awareness of WAHF’s fundraising, neutering and rehoming projects.

#pawsforthought is the first @wild_at_heart_foundation awareness campaigne, we want people to take a moment to reflect on the global stray dog problem. meet corky from Cyprus part of the Redknapp clan !!!!!! ❤️

A photo posted by Louise Redknapp (@louiseredknapp) on

Supporters are encouraged to upload an image or video to Instagram with their palm displaying a pause sign (drawn on in pen, lipstick or whatever you have to hand!) and quoting the following:

‘I support #PawsForThought @wild_at_heart_foundation and I challenge you to ‘Paws’ for Thought too by uploading your own image to show your support. To donate text WAHF16 £2 to 70070’

(For Twitter, use ‘I support #PawsForThought @wah_foundation_ To donate text WAHF16 £2 to 70070’, and for SnapChat, ‘I support #PawsForThought wildatheartfoundation.org To donate text WAHF16 £2 to 70070’.)

Plenty of people, including current Strictly Come Dancing competitor Louise Redknapp, are lending their support, and you can too, just whip out that phone and take a #PawsForThought selfie – preferably featuring a pooch! Here’s some Instagram inspiration….

#pawsforthought The stray dog population has reached over 600 million and is rising. Even with mass killings, the problem has not improved. Plus studies have proven that humane ‘trap, neuter, release’ programs are the way forward. Did you know? • That there are over 600 million stray dogs in the world. • Just one stray female dog and her offspring can produce 67,000 puppies in only six years. • If we neuter 100,000 dogs, we prevent over 6 million dogs from being born (one of WaHF missions). • Over four million healthy dogs are killed in USA because of overpopulation. In the UK 10,000 healthy dogs are killed each year. • Reducing the world’s stray dog population saves human lives. Over 15 million people are affected by rabies from stray dogs. • The best way to tackle the global stray dog situation is not through mass culling but low cost spay/neuter and vaccine programmes. • Inhumane killing methods are used more often than not, because they cost less. Stray dogs are inhumanely killed in over sixty countries which have few to zero laws against cruelty to animals. How you can get involved 1. Share a photo of you and your dog with the #pawsforthought sign on your hand, mentioning #wildatheartfoundation. 2. Donate by texting WAHF16£2 to 70070 or donate online here. 3. Share the messages above to raise awareness of the 600 million stray dog population @wild_at_heart_foundation @nikkitibbleswildatheart @sofiaguerriero @nadine_kayser @evewahf

A photo posted by Neva (@sandandtan) on

Please join me in supporting @wild_at_heart_foundation by texting WAHF16 to 70070 to donate just £3 #pawsforthought #charity #dosomethinggoodtoday

A photo posted by Samantha Freedman (@samfreedman1) on

Beautiful @haylharl and her little foxy supporting #pawsforthought ➖ DO YOU KNOW? One in five puppies bought from pet shops or from the internet suffer from parvovirus, an often fatal disease which can cost up to £4,000 to treat ➖ Help us make a difference, text WAHF16 £5 to 70070 #maketheworldabetterplace #spayandneuter #wildatheartfoundation #wahf #wahfoundation

A photo posted by Nadine Kayser & Nikki Tibbles (@wild_at_heart_foundation) on

I support #pawsforthought @wild_at_heart_foundation Supporting stray dogs globally. You can donate by texting WAHF16 £3 to 70070

A photo posted by TheChicGeek (@thechicgeekcouk) on

ATTENTION ❤️PLEASE: #pawsforthought is Wild at Heart Foundation’s first awareness raising campaign. We want people to take a moment, to pause and reflect on the global stray dog problem and its impact on our lives. You see, it’s not just a problem when we go abroad on holiday and see stray dogs on the beaches in Greece or Spain, but this is a global problem which is worsening. The stray dog population has reached over 600 million and is rising. Even with mass killings, the problem has not improved. Plus studies have proven that humane ‘trap, neuter, release’ programs are the way forward. Did you know? That there are over 600 million stray dogs in the world. Just one stray female dog and her offspring can produce 67,000 puppies in only six years. If we neuter 100,000 dogs, we prevent over 6 million dogs from being born (one of WaHF missions). Over four million healthy dogs are killed in USA because of overpopulation. In the UK 10,000 healthy dogs are killed each year. Reducing the world’s stray dog population saves human lives. Over 15 million people are affected by rabies from stray dogs. The best way to tackle the global stray dog situation is not through mass culling but low cost spay/neuter and vaccine programmes. Inhumane killing methods are used more often than not, because they cost less. Stray dogs are inhumanely killed in over sixty countries which have few to zero laws against cruelty to animals. How you can get involved: Share a photo of you and your dog with the #pawsforthought sign on your hand, mentioning #wildatheartfoundation. Donate by texting WAHF16£2 to 70070 or donate online www.bit.do/donatewahf Share the messages above to raise awareness of the 600 million stray dog population. #maketheworldabetterplace #spayandneuter #wildatheartfoundation

A photo posted by PRAMMA (@pramma_official) on