Canines in Care to Enjoy Festive Christmas Celebration

Canines residing in care facilities during the Christmas period will experience a complete festive celebration, organized by an animal charity located in Berkshire. Approximately 40 animals will be accommodated at The Dogs Trust’s Newbury facility this Christmas. Personnel and volunteers have committed to providing gifts, stockings, treats, and a Christmas dinner for these canine residents during the holiday season. To date this year, the organization has provided care for 303 dogs and successfully re-homed 248. Victoria Lisle, an assistant training and behaviour advisor, stated that the objective is to ensure Christmas is “a lot of fun” for the dogs. She added, “We do all sorts of activities with them, ranging from opening presents, they all have stockings outside their kennels, which is really exciting and they are all full by Christmas morning.” Diane Choules, a volunteer kennel assistant from Baydon in Wiltshire, is scheduled to be among the staff working on Christmas Day. “When I first come in the dogs are out on a toilet break and I quickly clean each kennel, there’s always feeds to do and then I do the laundry. Once all the house work is done I take the dogs for a walk.” “I love it so much – dogs wherever they have come from have such a great place and they’ve got the best care and they are guaranteed to have lovely future, once they find their home.” She acknowledged that a “sad” element of her regular kennel visits occurs when a favorite dog finds a new home. She commented, “It’s bitter sweet, because I know that its gone to a lovely home.” During the festive season, fifteen dogs from the Newbury kennels will be placed in foster care. Among them are Ned and Pop, two Chihuahua Dachshund crossbreed brothers, who will reside with Keith and Helen Picard of Reading. Mrs Picard remarked, “We get to experience lots of different dogs, they come in at various shapes and sizes. “It’s so lovely to see them improve and enjoy themselves with us.” Nevertheless, the Christmas season also brings customary advisories concerning neglect and canines acquired as gifts. The Dogs Trust is presently providing care for slightly more than 1,600 dogs, housed either in their re-homing centers or in foster homes across the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Victoria Lisle, who will be working at the Dogs Trust on Boxing Day, stated, “If you are considering looking in to getting a dog around this time of year, they are a long term commitment and not just a Christmas present.” Readers can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available.