Dereham vet to go ahead with alternative headshave in aid of animal charity

Vet Sacha Rukuber is promoting her charity head shave in aid of Support Dogs. Picture: Ian Burt (Image: Archant)

Mrs Rukaber, who works at Larwood & Kennedy in Dereham, has put herself forward for a head shave with a difference to raise money for Support Dogs, a national charity which provides trained assistance dogs for the disabled, epileptic patients and autistic children.

Rather than just have her locks shaved she is having a unique pattern dyed into the finished crop and is asking her clients and the people of Dereham to vote for her new look.

The options are shaved and then dyed white with black paw prints, black with zebra stripes or green and yellow with a paw print.

'At the moment I am most in favour of the black paw prints but my husband and son both support Norwich City and they really want the green and yellow,' said Mrs Rukaber, who lives in Swanton Morley.

'I was a bit more radical with my hair in my youth and I don't like being grey so I thought I would have one last hurrah before I get old, grey and sensible.'

The practise on Wellington Road has already raised over £150 and Mrs Rukaber, who has worked there just over a year, would love to double that before her big shave on October 28 at No.1 hair salon in the Market Place.

She added: 'I am nervous of the outcome but excited about the good cause we would all be supporting. It is amazing what the dogs are trained to do, from helping an autistic child to go out and cross a road, to loading the washing machine for a disabled owner. They can even detect when someone is going to have an epileptic fit and can give them up to 45 minutes' warning. They can make a huge difference to someone's life.'

Mrs Rukaber has a fund-raising website at www.justgiving.com/Sacha-Rukaber or you can pop into the vet surgery during opening hours and pick up a voting form and make a donation at the reception.

* Are you doing something unusual for charity? Email kathryn.cross@archant.co.uk.