Nine-month-old basset hound, Cooper.

First dog taken to Old Windsor in 2014 had been sold twice online

A basset hound puppy is the first dog to arrive at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home Old Windsor in 2014, having been sold online by two previous owners.

Nine-month-old puppy Cooper was brought to the Berkshire rescue centre on New Year's Day by his then owner, who had bought him on a free classified adverts website the week before.

Kaye Mughal, centre manager at Old Windsor, said: "Sadly, Cooper has now been advertised online twice by two previous owners, before arriving at the home.

"His most recent owners bought him, thinking they would be able to rehome him responsibly, however, when they realised they could not find new owners to take Cooper, they turned to Battersea.

"It can be unsettling for a young puppy to live in lots of different places, so we are hoping Cooper's next home will be a permanent one."

The Christmas and New Year period is always a busy time for rescue charities, with staff at Battersea's centre near Englefield Green seeing 28 dogs and nine cats arriving between December 24 and January 1.

"Cooper is the first of thousands of dogs and cats we expect to see come through our gates over the next 12 months," Ms Mughal added. "We will do all we can to make sure they find the right homes and a new start this year."

Battersea is part of the Pet Advertising Advisory Group (PAAG), which works with the government to remind consumers and websites that pets should not be advertised or bought in the same way as commodities.

The group recently introduced a set of minimum standards for websites offering pets for sale, which Battersea and other charities have supported.

Pet owners are encouraged not to buy from websites which have not adopted the standards, in order to avoid the risk of ending up with sick, dangerous or even illegal pets.

Image courtesy of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.