Only minutes after receiving delivery of our first ambulance, Stray Aid's Chief Executive Officer John Bielby takes Sasha, a pregnant Boxer cross, from the Durham County Council dog pound at Coxhoe, to the Dogs Trust whelping unit at Darlington. Sasha came to Stray Aid through Durham County Council Social Services and following a detailed examination by Stray Aid's vet at the Animal Welfare Centre at Coxhoe, it was decided that it would be better for Sasha and her unborn pups if she was transferred to the special unit. Stray Aid will be able to use its new vehicle to transfer dogs to other rescue charities which it regularly networks with across the country.

Stray Aid has been asked by Durham County Council to help dog warden services collect stray dogs across County Durham, especially at evenings and week-ends when the county only has a skeleton staff available. As a registered charity, Stray Aid has received funding from Petplan Charitable Trust and it has commissioned a Mercedes Sprinter van to be converted for use by the charity.

The van, originally used by Durham Police Authority as a dog section training vehicle, is fitted with 4 large dog cages in the rear, and a separate middle section has 2 additional seats and a table, and lots of storage space.

The first vehicle will be made available to support the council from April 2010 and will carry out a variety of different tasks. It will be able to collect up to 4 stray dogs at a time and transport them on behalf of the council to the Stray Aid County Dog Pound at Coxhoe. It will also be made available to support the council dog warden service by attending free microchipping days throughout the county.

It will be tasked by Durham Council emergency control room and controlled from Stray Aid's animal welfare centre at Coxhoe.

The ambulance will be crewed by volunteers who will have received training in animal first aid and microchipping and is supported by voluntary donations.

The charity is currently recruiting volunteers to receive training as ambulance crew, and we still have shifts available on most evenings between 6-10pm. Applicants should be confident with all breeds of dog, you must be reliable and have a mature outlook for the task in hand. You will need to be able to deal with animals that may be ill, injured or aggressive. Drivers must be over 25 and have held a clean UK driving licence for at least 3 years. You will need to commit to at least 2 full 6-10pm shifts every month.

If you are not able to volunteer to crew the ambulance but wish to support it, please send donations to Stray Aid and mark them clearly "Animal Ambulance".