Dad dealt with empty nest by rescuing dogs which were destined to be put down

Paul Viner, 55, fell into a deep depression after all his daughters grew into adults and eventually fled the family home.

Loving - Paul with his three daughters and Sheba and Sky

He said he became overwhelmed by a desperate need to feel wanted again and suffered a mid-life crisis.

However he found salvation when he stumbled across a charity that rescued stray dogs from abroad which were due to be put down.

Now Paul, from Harlow, has rescued three dogs; Shane, Sheba and Sky who had all suffered brutal cruelty at the hands of humans.

Paul says saving them has helped improve his mental health after his daughters Kealy, 33, Gemma, 31, and Leah, 28, flew the nest.

Kealy, an occupational therapist, got married and left home and when the family moved out, their second eldest Leah who works for an American travel company moved in with Kealy.

Their youngest daughter Leah, who works for an air conditioning company, moved out two years ago.

Paul said: "I was really unhappy. My daughters had left and I developed empty nest syndrome. I didn't really know who I was.

"A lot of men go through a mid-life crisis so I knew friends who were buying Harley Davidsons and sports car.

"I couldn't do any of that but I was looking to feel needed again."

To fill the void left behind by his daughters, Paul and his teaching assistant wife Toni, 55, decided to get a dog- and that's when he stumbled across Belgian shepherd Shane in 2014.

Family - Kealy, 33, Gemma, 31, and Leah, 28 all flew the nest

Hertfordshire-based charity Mutts in Distress take in local unwanted dogs and also those pups abroad who need a home.

One of those unfortunate souls was Shane who had a "horrible life."

The Street Trading Enforcement Officer explained: "I stumbled across a website for rescue dogs and I was shocked at what I read, the horror these dogs go through.

"I refocused and took on our first rescue Shane. He had a horrible life and hated the world.

"Shane had been in and out of rescues through no fault of his own he had suffered a horrible beating and was dumped in a ditch full of slurry.

"He fell in love with us the moment we met- and so did we. This dog that growled at people just licked us and wanted to go on walks."

Shane sadly passed away in early 2015 after troubles with his vertebrae left him paralysed.

Author - Paul's new book

Paul said: "We said we could never put ourselves through that again but we both said it was selfish to put our emotions before giving these dogs that needed homes a home."

Just eight days later, Paul heard about another dog in need, Sheba, a severely disabled Bulgarian street dog who was scared of other mutts.

Paul said: “Sheba was severely disabled and extremely small for her breed, she is a German Shepherd and weighs only 23kgs.

"She still needed months of therapy when we got her and in total she had five operations and went through months of recuperation to try and straighten her legs.

“From day one she was an extremely loving little dog but living on the mean streets of Sofia, Bulgaria had left her terrified of any other dog she encountered.

"To this day she warns other dogs away from her by barking at them, despite our best

efforts with one of the UK’s top dog trainers to alleviate her fears.”

But when Paul found out about Sky he knew he would be the dog to help Sheba come out of her shell.

Sky was found along with his brother Sun tied to the gates of a killing station in Spain awaiting their horrific fate until a woman from a local charity rescued them.

Paul continued: "These killing stations appall me, the level of cruelty is horrific. But where there is evil there is good too."

Sky was brought to the UK and after four weeks of intense socialisation, he had moved in with his new family in January 2019.

Paul has since said all three dogs have completely transformed his life and his mental health helping him feel needed again.

And to help other dogs in need he now regularly volunteers at Mutts in Distress.

He said: “I personally feel that I have a very strong spiritual and emotional bond with my dogs.

“I have to admit that when I am out walking Sheba and Sky across the countryside fields near to where we live I openly tell them my troubles, they walk beside me, looking up at me as I rant on and on about how bad life is treating me.

“We’ll stop and sit together, they snuggle into me, I’ll give them each a cuddle, then believe me, life suddenly feels better.

“I look at them and think about the traumas they have endured, and how they have put their suffering behind them, I take inspiration from them, and slowly the day’s problems fade away.

“I can talk to them about issues I would be far too embarrassed to talk to a human about, dogs are non-judgemental.

"I know that they don’t understand the words that I say to them, but they instinctively pick up on my emotions.”

Paul has since written a book called Shane, Sheba and Sky in a bid to help others who are currently experiencing their own mental health struggles.

He added: “I decided that it was time for me to be openly honest, and if by chance my attempts at writing a book would ever be published, just maybe other men would realise they are not alone."

To buy the book, click here.