Blood donor dog who’s saved nearly 200 other pets breaks own world record for most donations

A woman whose pet has beaten his own world record for the most blood donations by a dog has described his awards as “a whirlwind event”, adding that donating makes him “feel extra special” and “you feel as if you’re really contributing… to save another dog’s life”.

Sue Mitchell from Bedfordshire is the proud owner of Gordon setter Sharwood, nine, who has officially been awarded a Guinness World Record for the most blood donations by a dog. Sharwood donated to the Pet Blood Bank around six times per year, and saved the lives of almost 200 dogs before retiring from donating.

Sharwood, who was one of five finalists nominated for a Hero Dog Awards by the Kennel Club, broke the record after hitting 40 blood donations in July 2024, and by November 2024 he’d beaten his own record by donating 45 times since his first session at 13 months old in 2017.

While dogs used to retire from donating at eight years old, this was extended to nine years in 2024, so Sharwood continued until his ninth birthday in July, giving him the opportunity to raise the bar for the world record even further.

Sue started taking her pooches to donate to the Pet Blood Bank in 2015. Now, all three of her dogs – Baxter, 11, Brinjal, four, and Sharwood, who are all named after pickles and chutneys – have donated, with Baxter giving blood 33 times before he retired, and Brinjal has donated 19 times to date.

Sharwood, Sue said, had a perfect temperament for donating blood.

“He loves people, any situation he copes with. So I took him along,” she told PA Real Life.

“He used to fall asleep and snore, couldn’t get him off the table.”

The process of dog blood donations works in a similar way to humans. First, the dogs get weighed as they must be over 25kg, and then they get a pre-donation full body check-up including on their heart, ears and mouth as well as a blood sample.

They are then taken through to the donation room where veterinary nurses help a phlebotomist draw around a pint (568ml) of blood. If the dog is unhappy or agitated, or if the nurses notice a problem with their heart rate or blood pressure during the session, they can stop at any time and any blood that was produced can still be sent to the blood bank.

“The nurses, the vets, are absolutely so welcoming,” Sue said.

“They really make you and your dog feel special for the time that you’re there… Your dog feels special, you feel as if you’re really contributing, and it makes you really proud of what your dog has achieved, to donate to save another dog’s life.”

The pooches are given lots of fuss and encouragement, with plenty of treats and fresh water. After the session, they’re sent home with a goodie bag full of treats as a thank you.

“Mine bounce out as if nothing’s happened,” Sue said.

“Both Sharwood and his son Brinjal, I’ve taken them to a championship dog show the next day, and they’ve done very well. It has no effect on them.”

Pet Blood Bank has sessions all over the UK, and once blood is donated, it’s stored ready for sending to wherever it’s needed. Each pint can help up to four dogs, so Sharwood’s donations have saved just under 200 dogs.

When Sharwood was awarded the Guinness World Record, Sue said she was “extremely proud of him”.

“And surprised, because I never thought something like that would be dropping through my door. Absolutely incredible,” she said.

“And then to get the second one… I mean, he’s now got a nickname here: Double Guinn.”

“The dogs enjoyed a steak meal to celebrate,” she added.

All of Sue’s dogs are also registered therapy dogs. Baxter does end-of-life visiting, bringing his calm and cuddly personality to those who need it the most, and Sue said she loves having Gordon setters because they’ve “got lovely, lovely characters”.

“They’re a breed that love their exercise,” she said, adding that her dogs love to run around the fields in the morning.

“They’ll sleep till about half past two, and then they’ll come along and look at their watches and say, ‘It’s about time we go out for our second walk!’, which they’ll do come rain or shine.”

With his 45th donation, Sharwood had donated “25.3 kilos of blood – that’s a lot of blood”, Sue said.

“It’s always nice to put something back into society, really,” she continued.

“People who love their dogs, when they’re ill, they want to know that this blood is available should they need it.

“You never know when your dog may need a blood transfusion, I know I have been there. It is just so important to know that blood is available when required for a much-loved family member if they need it.”

Find out more about pet blood donations at www.petbloodbankuk.org.