Appeal for homes for dogs ahead of the festive season

Dogs Trust Shrewsbury is currently caring for more than 80 dogs and the charity is on a mission to find homes for as many of them as possible ahead of the festive season.

One of the dogs at Dogs Trust Shrewsbury hoping for a new home ahead of the festive season is French Bulldog, Leo who has been waiting for more than a year for his special someone to take him home. Six-year-old Leo is a loving and affectionate boy and a very loyal four-legged friend, but that loyalty can mean he can be jealous if anyone shares affection with others, so ideally he’d love a home with just one person and no other pets.

Rachel Sutherland, Rehoming Centre Manager at Dogs Trust Shrewsbury, says: “It is quite rare that we appeal for a single person household for one of our lovely dogs, but we definitely think that’s what will suit Leo best. He’s a great dog, loves heading out on adventures and he’s one of the favourites with our volunteers who take him here, there and everywhere and he loves it.

“He also loves his treats and his cleverness shines through when he shows his adorable perfect sits and offers his paw for a tasty treat or two. He's a very affectionate companion who simply needs the right person to cherish him.”

For almost 50 years, Dogs Trust has been linked to Christmas thanks to the famous phrase “A Dog is for Life, Not Just for Christmas”, penned by the charity’s team in 1978 in response to the large number of puppies bought as Christmas gifts and then abandoned in January. While the charity no longer sees a large number of puppies handed over in January, the last three years have been some of the busiest on record for Dogs Trust. In 2022 it received over 50,000 handover requests, with a further 45,000 last year, and over 32,000 so far this year.

Rachel adds: “We will make sure that the dogs in our care over Christmas are well looked after, with festive treats and gifts galore, but we all know there’s nowhere quite like home. We are certain that there is a fantastic forever home for every one of our dogs, and that of course includes Leo.

“We’d like to see as many as possible settled in their new happy places ahead of Christmas and we always work closely with prospective adopters to carefully match each dog with a family and home that suits them best.

“We will always be here for every dog we care for, even when they are settled in their new home. At Dogs Trust, our dogs are part of the family for life, not just for Christmas but we really hope Leo finds a family of his own before the big day.”

For more information about Leo or the other dogs in the care of Dogs Trust Shrewsbury, please visit dogstrust.org.uk/shrewsbury

By Julia Youd - Contributor