Crafting with a cause: Katherine honours her dog's memory by supporting PDSA

13 August 2025

Read about Katherine’s inspiring story and find out how she’s raising money for PDSA by crafting unique doorstops.

Following an unexpected redundancy while she was pregnant, Katherine took matters into her own hands by starting a small sewing business called Cassidy Sewing and Wardrobe Services, where she made memory bears and other stuffed animals.

For every new product she makes, Katherine kindly donates the profits from the first sale to a charity. To expand her latest range, she created a bunny-shaped doorstop and set up a raffle to auction it off to raise money for PDSA.

Katherine Cassidy, 38, lives in Blantyre with her husband and their two young children. The compassionate care her Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Kiah, received from the team at PDSA inspired her to support and raise funds for the charity.

Katherine said: “I rescued Kiah from SSPCA (Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) in March 2013 when she was six years old. She had a challenging start in life as she was used for breeding and had several lumps, scars and alopecia. Kiah became so important to me; she was a source of hope and joy. Sadly, she started to grow more lumps, and they became infected.

“I turned to PDSA for help, and they were there for us. The veterinary team removed the lumps and supported us with her aftercare. Unfortunately, a larger lump grew on her side, which became fatal. When I had to make the difficult decision of putting her to sleep to ease her pain and suffering, PDSA supported me through the tough time.

“I had been to a private vet, and they estimated the bill would cost over £3,000. PDSA was a lifeline for me during a time when funds were tight and vet bills were too high. That’s why I want to help and contribute to their cause, helping to keep people and pets together.” 

Katherine launched the raffle to auction off her bunny doorstop, and it soon sold out. She raised over £60 for PDSA and kindly donated it to the charity.

“I can’t believe it sold out so quickly; I should’ve set more tickets! On the back of the success of the first raffle, I will try to run a regular raffle. I’ve created a highland cow doorstop to raffle in the future so I can donate the proceeds to PDSA. I’m a full-time mum to two young children, so I work on this in my free time, but I’m keen to keep helping PDSA.

“The original plan was to raffle off a doorstop inspired by Kiah as my followers on social media voted for me to do a dog-style bear as my next range. I ended up getting attached to the original ‘Kiah’ doorstop and decided to keep her. So, I made a bunny to raffle instead. Despite not raffling off the original ‘Kiah’ for PDSA, I decided that 15% of the profits from any ‘Kiah’ dogs will go directly to PDSA.

“PDSA is important because they always put the pets first. There’s no judgement if you are in need and they don’t hold it against you. It’s the only animal charity I’ve heard of which focuses on veterinary care. I think the work they do for people and pets is essential, especially with the cost of living crisis, where bills are climbing and redundancies are common. Pets are a massive part of the family and don’t deserve to suffer because of their owner’s financial situation.”

Katherine’s story is just one amazing way of fundraising for PDSA. Discover many ways you can raise money for PDSA. Find out more about how you can support PDSA here.