It has been two years since David Foster's job has allowed him to travel from his base in C o Antrim on his mission to help vulnerable, rescued and abandoned animals overseas.
But next month he is taking to the skies again as his suit-and-tie job calls him to South Africa.
And the founder of PlayforStrays will be using it as the perfect opportunity to transport hundreds of toys to rescue groups whose dogs and cats live without the stimulation and luxury of simple play things.
David said: “With international travel opening up again, it means I have to get back to my normal day job but thankfully that also allows me a bit of time in each country to help their most vulnerable dogs, charities and rescue groups.
“So I am turning to the readers of DogsLive and Belfast Live to help me supply loads of brilliant toys and am doing a toy drive to build up toy stocks and start taking them abroad again.
“The first trip is in March to South Africa and the next one will be to Singapore.
“I’ve teamed up with OhDoggy who run their online store from Newtownabbey in Co Antrim who have been able to provide us with a locally-run online wish list.
“Any and all of their toys are suitable and anyone who wishes to help out can use our special 10% discount code P4S10 and choose ‘pickup’ as delivery method.
“It means as soon as the toys are purchased they will be put aside for PlayforStrays and then I can personally collect every toy.
" It means a local company gets to help us and local people get to help a local company and PlayforStrays without having to deal with loads of wrapping, cardboard and plastic that other online retailers are famous for.
“All the toys we receive will be photographed on pick-up and also on delivery. So people who make a donation may see the toy that they've paid for being enjoyed by a dog in need on the other side of the world.”
David tags his charitable work on to his professional work schedule, meaning his flights and accommodation costs are covered and he when work is over he uses his free down time to help the dog charities.
He said: “I’ve been out to South Africa before and I’ll be taking the toys to the Kitty and Puppy Haven in Midrand, South Africa.
“The fact that travel is now tentatively opening means that I can take bags of toys again to overseas rescues that may not be able to afford any toys at all.
“I haven’t been able to do this since lockdown and as a result toy the donations have dropped off significantly which is understandable.
“So I'm back asking for help. It’s really impossible to properly explain the needs of some of the overseas charities and rescue groups.
"The struggle is real right here in Northern Ireland, the financial strain, the time and effort and the ability to raise funds for rescue and rehoming groups and in many poorer areas of the world, the problems are multiplied but the need remains the same.”
During lockdown David, like many people worked from home in Co Antrim and during his spare time he was able to take donations from large scale manufacturers of animal feed, bedding and litter which he shared out amongst local rescue groups who also saw a drop off in donations from the public.
David said: “One of the Northern Ireland rescues said they would have had to shut their doors if it wasn't for our food donations, and were actually in the process of doing so when I was able to reach out to them.
"So I was very glad to be the go-between for donations of about 25 tonnes of pet food that would otherwise have gone to landfill. Instead it filled the bellies of some very vulnerable animals. It equates to about 83,000 dog meals.
“It helped many rescues who were dealing with requests from people during the Covid crisis who were facing homelessness, job loss, unemployment issues and furloughed.
"I continue to support our local centres with food, bedding and toys and being able to help others overseas is a bonus."
Now though David hopes to get his PlayforStrays campaign back up and running. He explained: "Anyone who loves a dog or a cat will understand the value of play and the simple pleasure of a little toy.
“Most of us are lucky enough to provide that for our own dogs and we support the charities and groups here in Northern Ireland with their supplies.
"But there is something deeply satisfying to know that people in Northern Ireland will spread their love in the shape of a toy for a dog or cat they may never meet. It’s a declaration of love for animals who ask for so little but deserve so much.
“You only have to look at the number of people who say their dog or cat helped get them through lockdown to start to see the value of our connection to animals. All we're doing with our toy collection is giving a little back.
“I’ll be sure to take photos and video of the toys in the rescue centre and let people know who they have gone to and the impact they’ve had."
You can make a donation to PlayForStrays’ toy drive by clicking here and following the link to 'toys'. Use the code P4S10 and choose ‘pickup’ as delivery method and your toy will be make its way to South Africa in March
