Dogs Trust Manchester is celebrating its fifth birthday – and finding forever homes for more than 4,400 rescue dogs.
Nine-year-old Collie Cross, Oliver, got the celebrations underway by taking the first bite of the doggie birthday cake, with staff making a wish that he will be heading home with his new family soon.
Since opening on 23 October 2014 the Denton-based rehoming centre has found homes for 4,448 dogs of all shapes and sizes, including 424 puppies and 513 Older Age Pooches.
Dawn Bishop, Rehoming Centre Manager, says:
“Thousands of dogs are in loving homes thanks to everyone who has come to us to give a dog a second chance. We want to say a huge thank you to everyone that has adopted a dog from us but also to our volunteers, people who donate everything from toys to treats and everyone that supports our events. Without their support we wouldn’t be able to make sure our dogs have everything they need whilst they are with us.”
The most popular breeds to have been rehomed have been Crossbreeds, followed by Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Jack Russells, Lurchers and Collie Crosses with Max, Jack and Charlie being the top male names and Bella, Poppy and Molly being the most popular names for females. 360 Collies and Collie Crosses have found loving homes since the centre opened and the team are hoping that Oliver will be the 361st.
They say he is a clever boy who loves food so he’s happy to learn lots of new things in return for a tasty treat. He would like a secure garden to play in and adores a game of fetch for however long people are willing to play.
He isn’t keen on car travel or traffic so he would love a home where quiet walks are on his doorstep for the time being. He likes to take his time to get to know people and would therefore need an adult only home with few comings and goings, but he has happily lived with a cat previously so could potentially have a feline friend in his forever home.
Dawn says:
“Oliver is a beautiful, sensitive boy and we are really hoping he’ll find his ideal home soon. As he’s a bit of a foodie it was wonderful to see him tucking into the birthday cake! It’s absolutely fantastic that so many people choose to adopt a rescue dog and although we have waved goodbye to thousands of dogs, the joy of seeing them head home with their loving families never fades. Here’s to many more years finding loving homes for our gorgeous dogs!”
