A rescue dog from Dogs Trust Manchester has landed on her paws during lockdown with a family who say they have found a ‘friend for life’.
The Paley family, Anita and Trevor, son Matthew (19) and daughter Bekkii (20) had been wanting to adopt a dog for some time and a few weeks ago welcomed two-year-oid Husky, Willow, into their lives.
Anita says:
“We had had an elderly cat who passed away, so we felt now was the right time as with lockdown we had time to settle a dog in. We wanted to adopt a rescue dog and saw Willow on the Dogs Trust website. We really felt she was the dog for us. She was lively, happy to live with a family and have people coming and going and would benefit from lovely long walks and having a garden.
“We contacted Dogs Trust Manchester and had a detailed chat over the phone so they could assess if we were potentially the right family for Willow. We then moved on to sending photos of the house and garden, some further questions and then as everything had gone well, we were given the thumbs up.
“By the end of it we felt they were confident that we were the right family for Willow, which gave us confidence too, and they were right. She is fantastic. Sher is really playful; we have started doing training with her too and she is very clever! We’ve got a friend for life!”
A few days later, two team members from Dogs Trust Manchester drove Willow to the Paley’s home in Crewe so she could meet her new family in their garden, before they took the excited pooch into her forever home.
Dawn Bishop, Dogs Trust Manchester Manager, says:
“In normal circumstances of course, the family come to us, but at the time of Willow’s adoption we were taking dogs to families, as we still are, so it was quite unusual for us all, but it went really well. We stayed outside whilst Willow met the family and waited until she had started to settle in the house.
“When Anita came out smiling to tell us everything was going well, we waved Willow a fond farewell. It was lovely to find Willow her forever home despite the challenging times and we are sure she will be very happy.
“We have found homes for 80 dogs since lockdown which is fantastic, however, a dog is for life, not just for lockdown, and although they bring so much joy into our lives, dogs are a huge commitment. We would urge everyone considering welcoming a dog into their life to think carefully and do their research, then if you do decide the time is right, please consider adopting a rescue dog.”
Dogs Trust Manchester is closed to walk in members of the public but are rehoming dogs via the ‘handover at home’ service and the centre is also now offering an appointments-based system for dogs that need to meet their new owners more often to build a bond before heading home. Potential new owners will be able to meet the dog they are interested in rehoming at the centre in an outside play area, or in a spacious area that is separate from the main rehoming centre, whilst keeping two metres distance.
If you would like to find out more about all the dogs waiting for their forever homes at Dogs Trust, or would like to make a donation, please go towww.dogstrust.org.uk
