The new decade got off to a paw-some start for four lucky dogs, who were among the first to be rehomed by Dogs Trust in 2020.
Snow, a four-month old Maltese Terrier, was the first to leave the charity’s Evesham rehoming centre, going to his forever home with Marcello Cossali-Francis in Malvern, Worcestershire.
Others to find new happy homes in the first few days of the year include Happy, a one-year old Crossbreed, a two-year old Staffordshire Bull Terrier called Dory (pictured above) and a four-year old ex-racing Greyhound called Sally.
These dogs are the first of the many thousands that Dogs Trust will rehome from its 20 centres all over the UK this year, following an incredible year of success in 2019.
Dogs Trust staff and volunteers walked on averaged 5,824 miles, washed 4,794 loads of bedding and dished out 7.25 tonnes of dog food for our pooches at each rehoming centre last year.
In total, the charity rehomed 11,079 dogs last year and welcomed almost 220,000 visitors to its 20 rehoming centres in the UK.
The most popular names were Bella, Lola, Daisy and Poppy for female dogs and Max, Alfie, Teddy and Charlie for male dogs.
It’s clear that 2019 was the year of the Crossbreed – with 1,356 crossbreed dogs rehomed over the course of the year. Other popular breeds included Jack Russell Terrier (830), Lurchers (662) and Terrier Cross (576).
Adam Clowes, Dogs Trust’s Operations Director, said: “It’s fantastic to see dogs leaving our rehoming centres so early on in the year and going home with their new families and owners. We had a very busy 2019 but it’s always so rewarding when you see dogs of all breeds, ages, shapes and sizes finding their forever homes.
“It’s set to be another big year for the Dogs Trust, as we expand Dog School and get ready for the opening of our new Cardiff rehoming centre in 12 months’ time.”
Dogs Trust Dog School, which provides training classes and behaviour advice to dogs and their owners, also enjoyed another successful year, with around 18,000 attendees in 2019, and thousands more expected to take part in 2020.
For more information on rehoming or other ways to support Dogs Trust visit www.dogstrust.org.uk.
