Birmingham Dogs Home has issued an urgent appeal after witnessing a drastic increase of dogs coming into its care this winter following cases of neglect and abuse.
The charity is today issuing a plea for help with the increasing challenges and pressures across the Christmas period, stating “time is of the essence this winter for local homeless dogs in need of shelter.”
Just one example is Brian, a six year old Mastiff that arrived at the charity’s Wolverhampton rescue centre earlier this month. At just 17.4kg (2.5 stones) he was half-starved and severely emaciated. As the harsh winter months approach, time does not slow down for desperate dogs in need. Brian is only one such example of the 63,800 homeless dogs in UK rescues centres that need urgent care to survive.
With mounting costs and plummeting temperatures, the Birmingham Dogs Home is asking for dog lovers to donate to help them meet the demands so they can care for and help as many dogs as possible.
Just £12.50 can feed one large dog for a week, £55 will pay for two essential life-changing vaccinations. It costs the charity £6000 each dayjust to keep its doors open.
As part of its winter appeal, the charity is organising a number of fundraising events, including:
- Santa Paws events, sponsored by Yale, on 23rd November and 7th December – which gives attendees the chance to have family photos with their dog and Santa
- A Christmas Jumper Day on 5th December with local businesses
- A sponsored Boxing Day dog walk on 26th December
Fi Harrison, Head of Fundraising & Communications said, “It’s heart-breaking for our team to see the conditions some dogs arrive in. We really are their last chance and hope of survival.
“We don’t receive any government funding, so we are under immense pressure as costs continue to rise. Any donations, be they money or food or blankets are very welcome at this time of year to help us get through and care for the region’s most needy dogs, who are in desperate need of a second chance. We are currently caring for over 200 dogs and really do appreciate supporters remembering us at this time of year.”
Though cases like Brian’s are commonplace, the charity also gets to enjoy seeing dogs in its care find their forever homes.
Millie the beagle came into the care of Birmingham Dogs Home and was adopted just two days before Christmas last year after stealing the hearts of her new loving owners. Not only that, but they also returned a year later for a sister from the home the following year.
Millie’s owner said, “We had lost our family dog in April 2023 due to old age. We had two mini sausage dogs in our home, but all felt we needed a bigger dog around the house. We adopted our Millie on 23rd December last year – calling her Millie due to the kindness of the BDH staff member who had guided us throughout our adoption process and dog meets.’
“Millie has changed our lives in ways we never thought possible… She is a very important and very loved member of our family. In fact, she melted our hearts that much that we adopted another doggie from Birmingham Dogs Home in June 2024 who is named Ojai, she is a Staffie who has become Millie’s best friend in the whole world… They are literally inseparable!”
You can donate to Birmingham Dogs Homes urgent winter appeal online at www.birminghamdogshome.org.uk and find out more about the dogs in its care and festive events to get involved with.
