Sidcup girl, 9, raising £50,000 for homeless dogs

After mum Zoe asked her children Alexie, nine, and Calum, six, at the start of 2022 what they wanted to achieve by the end of the year, kind-hearted Alexie said she wanted to help dogs in need.

She set out an aim of raising £50,000 for South East Dog Rescue & Rehabilitation – a pooch rescue centre that operates on a no-kill policy.

Alexie told her mum she would run, walk and cycle 365 miles before the end of November to try and reach her fundraising target, as well as bake cakes and sell art to make sure she could raise a huge amount for the centre.

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Her parents are absolutely “blown away” by her determination, and say she has been amazing in her challenge so far.

Mum Zoe told the News Shopper: “She is such a good girl, she’s so kind hearted and she always thinks of others before herself.

“I always tell her and her brother to think of a goal and let me know what they want to achieve in a year – and even though £50,000 is a lot of money, I’d never put them down and say they can’t do it.

“Alexie told me she will sell art and do cake sales, as well as running and walking and cycling – and she’s blown me away.

“She has school and does 15 hours of gymnastics a week as well – but to fit this in between is amazing.”

Alexie and Zoe are aiming to complete nine miles a week to ensure all 365 are done by the end of November.

The challenge is inspired by the family’s beloved German Shepherd Zeus, and after speaking to their dog trainer Jamie from JL-K9 real-world training, they chose South East Dog Rescue & Rehabilitation.

Zoe explained: “Alexie picked dogs because she knows that there are dogs out on the streets.

“She knows dogs can be left out and abused, and that other places get more funding than some animal sanctuaries.

“We wanted her to raise money for a smaller charity where they would definitely benefit from it.”

Zoe set up a GoFundMe page for Alexie, and despite being pre-warned that £50,000 is a lot of money – Alexie still asks her mum every morning for daily updates on how her fundraising page is progressing.

So far, the youngster has raised just over £1,200 of her target.

Zoe added: “I’m hoping with this that social media can be used for good for a change.

“The dog sanctuary are thrilled and touched – and they’ve sent her through a sponsor me gift pack.

“We’re going to go there in half term, and we’ll also try get ahead with our miles while she’s off school.

“Alexie is so humble and this isn’t for self-gratification, she’s just such a good girl.”

You can sponsor Alexie and donate here.

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