Rachel Hogan, Operations Manager at Oxygen Finance, is an animal lover on a mission; rescuing and rehoming vulnerable dogs and cats, bringing happiness to dozens of pets and the families they join. We spoke to Rachel to find out more.

Hi Rachel, Thanks for talking to us today, for those that don’t already know you, please introduce yourself.

Hi, I’m Rachel Hogan. I’ve been at Oxygen nearly eight years. I’ve performed a variety of roles and I’m now Operations Manager looking after the operations and day-to-day running of our early payment and SaaS products, managing three teams working together.

Tell us about where your interest in rescuing animals started.

It started when I was looking for my first dog. I went to lots of rescues and fell in love with Bruno.

I naively thought getting a dog would be easy and we’d go on lovely little walks, but it’s not always like that. It can be really hard work and Bruno was hard work! I started fostering to help Bruno socialise better with other dogs. I’d take in dogs that people didn’t want anymore and needed help with. I’d rehabilitate the dog and find it a new home. So that’s how it all started.

Did you foster through a charity?

I continued fostering and people heard about it through word-of-mouth and I also worked with a couple of charities including Zante Strays. I worked with several organisations to help where I could, in any capacity whether it be fundraising or with the animals, and it just manifested into lots of different rescue stories.

You mentioned Zante Strays, are you rescuing dogs from overseas?

From all around the country and from Zante. There was a rescue worker in Zante that reached out to me because she knew I love German Shepherds. I got a call one day to say that someone had adopted a dog. The dog, Sasha, had arrived, but she was really nervous and scared, and they couldn’t look after her. I went to find Sasha and she was petrified, so I collected her and made sure she was looked after.

I’ve since been a lot more involved with Zante Strays, and we even went to Zante to meet the team and all the dogs. My case was filled with dog treats and dog toys, rather than clothes!

Whilst there, we fell in love with a dog called Paris. He was found tiny under a bin years and years ago. We couldn’t have him ourselves, but I was adamant I was going to raise the money to bring him over here to England and find a forever home for him. So that was the first time the team at Oxygen really got involved.

My colleagues at Oxygen helped me raise the money for him. We held bake sales, a raffle and other small fundraising activities, and with their support I managed to raise the funds. He came into the Oxygen office to say hello to everybody, and we were able to find him lovely home.

Can you tell us about the dog pictured in the photo?

That’s Gizmo. I’d partnered up with a rescue and I hosted a dog fun day, which a lot of Oxygen colleagues came to. The money raised helped foster a dog called Dash and he was successfully rehomed, but then the rescue I was working with ceased to exist and we still needed to rescue Dash’s brother, Gizmo. I created a Facebook page called Rachel’s Rescue Lights, selling home-made fairy bottles, and raised the £325 needed to rescue Gizmo. So, Gizmo was the first dog I rescued on my own.

That’s when I started my own Rescue, and we’ve been able to help many more dogs and cats find new homes. There are other volunteers and it entails a lot of hard work, as the animals that come to us often need specialist care, sometimes medical attention. Plus we make sure they are ready to be rehomed and are vaccinated and neutered ready for their next chapter.

It must be very rewarding, but I imagine it comes with its challenges too?

People can sometimes think that fostering and rescue is straightforward, but often animals are rescued in difficult circumstances, or when the people who have been looking after them face life-changing situations – it could be that an older person is suddenly taken ill and needs to go to hospital, or an animal may be left in a vulnerable location. That inevitably has an impact on us too.

It can be challenging, but when you see the difference it makes to the animals and the joy they bring to the people they are rehomed with, its more than worth it! It’s so lovely to receive messages from their new owners telling us how well they have settled into their new home.

How has Oxygen been able to help?

Alongside my wonderful colleagues who help with fundraising, Oxygen have always been very flexible which is great when you’re involved with rescues as there can be occasional emergencies we need to deal with. The company also offers two volunteer days per year which are useful for dedicating time when it’s needed.

I consider myself very lucky that Oxygen have been so supportive and gotten behind me as a team and as a business. And occasionally they let me bring the dogs into the office too!

And you’re off to rescue a cat family right now…

Yes, we received a call about some abandoned kittens. They’re incredibly young so it will take a lot of care to support them, but I’m keen to find their mother so I’m returning after work this evening to try and track her down. Fingers crossed we can reunite them.

Thank you, Rachel, for sharing your stories, and for everything you do at the rescue.

And here are those lovely kittens…