Dalkeith dog recognised with charity award for outstanding support

Charity Pet Blood Bank UK has announced Midlothian dog Yohann as one of the winners in its Heart of Pet Blood Bank Awards 2020-2021.

Yohann, who lives with his owner Amanda Wells in Dalkeith, was recognised with the Bramble Craddock Award for his contribution to Pet Blood Bank and helping to save the lives of other dogs by donating blood.

The Heart of Pet Blood Bank Awards seek to recognise inspiring people and dogs who go the extra mile to support the charity.

The Bramble Craddock Award category celebrates the wonderful role that dogs play in our lives. It was created in honour of one of the charity’s highest donating dogs, who sadly passed away.

Dalkeith dog Yohann with his Pet Blood Bank Bramble Craddock Award for being an outstanding dog, both for his contributions to the charity and his support of his family.

Yohann had a tough start. He was born into a life of racing and shortly before his second birthday, he damaged his tendon on track. A further injury then led to one of his legs being amputated. This ended his racing career, before he was rescued by his loving owner Amanda.

After being re-homed, Yohann went on to become a blood donor and has donated 16 times so far for Pet Blood Bank. In addition to this, Yohann is always flying the flag for greyhounds donating blood and his story has encouraged many others to register their dogs.

He may only have three legs, but Yohann has a huge heart and with the support of his owner he has made such a big impact on the lives of other dogs through donating blood and raising awareness of the fact that dogs can donate blood.

Yohann and Amanda were presented with their award at a virtual awards ceremony hosted by Pet Blood Bank.

Nicole Osborne from Pet Blood Bank UK said: “We are delighted to present this award to Yohann and his owner Amanda in recognition of their outstanding support of our charity.

“Yohann, like many of our donor dogs, truly is at the heart of Pet Blood Bank. He is a very worthy winner of this award, and we are so grateful for all he and Amanda have done for us.”

Pet Blood Bank is the only charity offering a lifesaving blood service for all dogs across the UK.

To find out more about Pet Blood Bank UK, visit www.petbloodbankuk.org.

Just like the human blood service, dog owners kindly bring their much loved companions to give blood at one of the charity’s many donation sessions across the country.

This blood is then processed and stored, ready to be sent out to vets when they need it for a patient. The blood is truly lifesaving with every donation having the potential to help save up to four other dogs.

More dog donors are always needed to keep up with the increasing demand for blood products. If you have a happy, healthy, and confident dog who is aged between 1 and 8 and over 25kg they could be a lifesaver.