Rescuing Giant Dogs Across the Globe Is a Mammoth Job. Two People Refuse to Back Down.

Oversized breeds in trouble — like abandoned Saint Bernards — have found their champion in the Grundys, a British couple hell-bent on saving the world's biggest dogs

Simon Grundy doesn't just adore big dogs — he adores dogs that are big. Truly, ridiculously big. By day he's a commercial underwriter with The Cumberland, but the bulk of his spare hours go to a charity that rescues giant-breed pups from across the globe and homes them with loving families here in the UK.

Grundy wears the hats of trustee and treasurer at Saving Saints Rescue, while his wife Rachel chairs the board. The charity specializes in giant souls like Saint Bernards, Newfoundlands, and Romanian Shepherds. Some were surrendered simply because owners could no longer cope, but many others bear the marks of neglect, abuse, or the so-called 'kill shelters' — and still more escape from the Chinese meat trade.

Last year Saving Saints pulled 147 dogs from shelters both overseas and here at home. "We've built a far-reaching network abroad," says Grundy. "We have people across Eastern Europe who flag dogs directly to us."

In places like Romania, Poland, and Serbia, folks keep oversized working breeds to guard their homes and farm animals against predators like wolves and lynx.

Once a dog is no longer wanted, there's no rescue safety net in those countries — the only option is the local kill shelter.

Our volunteers, he explains, step in to spring the dogs from those shelters, then ask if we can take them, board them, and bankroll their journey to the UK.

Their dedication is one hundred percent volunteer-driven. "We have contacts scattered all over mainland Europe, many of them in Eastern Europe, plus Egypt and China."

Back in the UK, the charity runs with just eight volunteers; rescued dogs are first settled in Skegness kennels, where they're assessed before being matched to new homes.

It cuts deep when you see the state some of them arrive in, says Grundy, who lives in Chorley. What fuels you at the end of the day, he adds, is the sight of adopter photos flooding back in — happy dogs tearing circles around the garden with their kids.

Of course, there's the occasional match that doesn't stick. Sometimes people simply realize it's not the right fit after all.

Working with the charity, he says, hands him a deep sense of purpose and the feeling that he's giving something back to the world.

Simon and Rachel's own four Saint Bernards are all rescues from Europe and the UK. "We actually run this whole operation on a shoestring — about £25,000 a year," says Grundy. "We take nothing out of it. Every penny goes to kennel fees and getting dogs here from abroad."

*Saving Saints is always scouting for fresh fosters — they need dog experience and a household with no kids under 14.

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