BEING given the chance to do Spanish A Level, even though she was the only student at the then Medina High School to do so, changed Karen Caws' life forever.

It led to her studying linguistics at university, moving her whole life to Spain, running a business there and setting up a dog shelter.

Now her voluntary work at the dog shelter has become her life's passion, and she has re-homed 2,000 cats and dogs in the last seven years.

Karen, 50, was born in Whippingham and did Spanish O Level at Medina. She was desperate to take Spanish A Level but was the only student who applied.

Headteacher James Archer allowed her to be the only student in the class, because he could see how desperately she wanted to do it.

"Mr Archer changed my life," Karen said.

"Although it was not efficient to run the class, he let me do it. I went on to study modern languages at Hull University."

On her year abroad she fell in love with the Puertollano area of La Mancha, famous for its wine and cheese, and ended up moving there permanently in 1991.

She commuted back to do her masters in applied linguistics in Southampton in 1995/6 and ran the university's English School every summer holidays, coming over from Spain for a few weeks each year for it.

Her life took a new direction in 2011 when, as a keen animal lover, she started to get involved with animal rescue in Spain.

She said: "They are really backwards in Spain on animal treatment. There is a lot of mistreatment and it is institutionalised."

At the dog shelter, the animals were killed after a certain period of time.

Karen ended up taking it over. She now has 300 dogs and 30 cats at any one time, and it all relies on volunteers.

In the seven years since she has run it, she has re-homed 2,000 animals, across the whole of Europe, through her shelter, Huellas Puertollano, and Operation Waggy Tails.

She said: "These are street dogs, found locked in buildings, down wells. They arrive in very bad condition, just skin and bones. We have a 'no kill' policy so we don't put any down.

"We don't have many local adoptions but we strive to find the perfect home for them, elsewhere in Europe.

"I felt I was the right person to do this, in the right place at the right time. I've changed my life totally, but I have the energy, speak the language, and am a professional. I have to go through a lot of protocols but I am respected."

Karen can't always resist the animals. She currently has 14 dogs and seven cats at her home in the countryside. She lives off grid with no electricity, and has only recent installed solar power.

It's a far cry from her old Island life and her Spanish A Level.