Darlington ‘dog mum’ signs up to London Marathon

08 March 2023

An office manager who ‘hates running’ is going the extra mile for pets in need after signing up to this year’s TCS London Marathon.

Sam Stanley (30) from Darlington is running the 26.2-mile challenge to raise vital funds for leading vet charity PDSA after her border collie, Dolly, was diagnosed with incurable cancer last year.

The ‘dog mum’ has not only signed up to the challenge, but has also created a bucket list for Dolly including camping holidays and canoeing.

“Our lovely Dolly was diagnosed with cancer in April last year and we were hit with a substantial vet bill for her surgery,” explained Sam.

“Luckily with pet insurance we didn’t have to pay the bulk of it but it made me very upset to think of those who can’t afford the vet care for their pets – and made me wonder what would have happened if that was Dolly.

“I don’t know what I’d do without Dolly, so I imagine PDSA is a lifeline to some families, especially in the current Cost of Living crisis.

“I wanted to do something to give back and help in some way, so I thought, why not the marathon?”

Sam is running the marathon alongside her aunty, Julie Bell, 52. They’re both taking on the challenge for the first time.

“It’s funny because I actually hate running, and everyone knows I do,” she laughed. “But I’m hoping that will help with the donations!

“I did do the Great North Run for a different charity a few years ago so I have some experience in training but I haven’t put on my running shoes since before lockdown.”

While Dolly’s cancer is incurable, Sam shared that she is doing well at the moment.

“So far Dolly is doing amazingly. We were told dogs with her cancer could live eight months, some longer, some less. So far, she’s smashing the odds.

“We’re trying to make memories with her as much as possible. I’ve even created a bucket list for her. We love going camping and taking her on adventures so that’s what we’re trying to do a lot of. I took her on a canoe in the Lakes last summer and in September we rented a campervan and did the North Coast 500 route with her.

“We’ve got a few more campervan trips planned for this year once the marathon is over too.”

Lucy Povall, fundraising manager at PDSA, said: “We’re all so thankful to Sam for choosing to run for PDSA this year. Her generous fundraising efforts will enable us to continue our life-saving work, treating pets whose owners have nowhere else to turn. It is thanks to the incredible support of kind-hearted people like Sam that we are able to provide vital treatment for poorly animals and make a real difference to their owners.”

PDSA relies on donations to deliver life-saving treatment to hundreds of thousands of pets across its 48 Pet Hospitals in the UK. To keep families together, the charity is urgently calling on the public’s support more than ever to prevent vulnerable people having to make a truly heart-breaking decision. To find out more about PDSA’s vital work during the cost-of-living crisis, or to donate, visit www.pdsa.org.uk/costoflovingcrisis.

To support Sam on her marathon, visit justgiving.com/fundraising/samantha-stanley30