Dogs Trust prepares festive gifts for homeless dog owners
The charity's Together Through Homelessness scheme has seen an 82 per cent rise in enquiries.
The charity Dogs Trust is getting ready to give out nearly 2,000 parcels to help homeless dog owners and their pets this Christmas.
Delivered through Dogs Trust’s Together Through Homelessness scheme, the parcels will include collars, leads, toys and treats. They will distributed through more than 200 partner organisations.
The charity has run Together Through Homelessness for more than 30 years.
As well as distributing gifts at Christmas, the scheme helps dog owners experiencing or at risk of homelessness all year round, providing free veterinary care and working with homelessness services to accept clients with dogs.
The project has seen a big increase in demand for its services in recent months. There was an 82 per cent rise in enquiries in August to October 2023, compared with August to October 2022.
Megan Evans, Together Through Homelessness team leader at Dogs Trust, said: “Everyone knows that the bond between a dog and its owner is a strong one but for people experiencing homelessness, the bond is often unbreakable.
“Christmas can be an especially difficult and lonely time for people in housing crisis, but the company of a canine friend can often help to ease some of this loneliness.
“However, thanks to the generosity of Dogs Trust supporters, this year we’ll spread a little bit of Christmas cheer and help almost 2,000 dogs celebrate Christmas with their best friends.
"Not only that, but we will be able to continue to support them into the New Year and beyond so that more dogs can stay with their owners, regardless of their housing situation.”
Image © Dogs Trust
Two independent vets have launched a podcast to help owners strengthen their bond with pets. Dr Maggie Roberts and Dr Vanessa Howie, who have worked in both veterinary practice and major charities, are keen to use their experience to enable people to give pets a better life.
