Short Stuff: Camberley Kate

The hosts introduce Kate Ward, an extraordinary woman who lived in Camberley, England, about 35 miles southwest of London. During the 1970s, she became a local legend for causing traffic jams while walking up to 20 dogs through town, pushing a handmade cart labeled 'ward stray dogs.' What made her remarkable wasn't just the spectacle, but that she personally owned and cared for every single one of these rescued animals, providing them with exceptional care and long, healthy lives.

• Kate Ward could be seen in Camberley in the mid-1970s wearing a beret and pushing a handmade cart with 'ward stray dogs' painted on it
• She would walk with 15-20 dogs, some on leashes and some not, all very well-behaved
• All the dogs were hers - she had taken in strays that were about to be put down or had been abandoned
• Over approximately 30 years, she rescued hundreds of dogs and kept them in great health

Kate Ward's rescue mission began in 1943 when she bought her first cottage for 600 pounds. Shortly after, she encountered a lame, skinny greyhound that had been abandoned on a veterinarian's doorstep and was scheduled to be euthanized. She immediately intervened and took the dog home, beginning an inseparable eight-year friendship. When the greyhound eventually died, everyone assumed that was the end, but Kate said it was just the beginning of what would become a lifelong mission.

• In 1943, Kate bought her first house and found a lame, skinny greyhound abandoned at the vet's office, set to be put to sleep
• She and her first dog were inseparable for over eight years
• When the greyhound died, everyone thought she wouldn't get another dog, but she said that was just the start
• By the time of a BBC interview in the mid-70s, she had rescued 500 dogs, growing to 600 by 1979