Dogs Trust Evesham is appealing to the public for help. It hopes to rehome as many dogs in its care as possible before the festive season.

This comes as Dogs Trust reveals it has received more than 32,000 handover enquiries so far this year from owners no longer able to care for their dogs.

In 2024 so far, the charity has also found new homes for more than 6,000 dogs across the UK.

One of those dogs hoping for a new home before Christmas is Cobbler, a sweet and affectionate Newfoundland.

Cobbler would like to live in a calm and relaxing home environment Cobbler would like to live in a calm and relaxing home environment (Image: Dogs Trust) The four-year-old dog would love nothing more than a calm and relaxing home environment where he can rest his paws and snooze on the sofa.

Dogs Trust Evesham says although Cobbler is big, he’s a real softie with a sensitive side, especially around cars and traffic. Due to this, he is looking for adult-only owners who are happy to go slowly and give him space where needed.

He loves his food and is working on building up his confidence. Cobbler is fully housetrained and is happy to be left home alone for a few hours once he’s settled into a new environment.

You can learn more about Cobbler and see all the dogs looking for new homes via the Dogs Trust website.

Chris Slight, Manager at Dogs Trust Evesham, said: “Christmas is fast approaching, and we are hoping to find forever homes for as many dogs as possible ahead of the festive season.

“While the Dogs Trust team will make sure that the dogs in our care over Christmas are well looked after, with festive treats and gifts galore, we all know there’s nowhere quite like home.

Things to consider before adopting a pet

“We are certain that there is a fantastic forever home for each and every one of our dogs, and we’d like to see as many as possible settled in their new happy places ahead of Christmas.

“Welcoming a dog into your home is a wonderful experience, but it requires commitment, both in terms of time and money.

“We work closely with prospective adopters to ensure they’re fully prepared to welcome one of our dogs into their home, and our team carefully matches each dog with a family and home that suits them best.

“And our care doesn’t stop at rehoming – we offer ongoing support and guidance to owners throughout their dog's life. At Dogs Trust, our dogs are part of the family for life, not just for Christmas.”

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'A dog is for life, not just for Christmas'

For almost fifty years, Dogs Trust has been linked to Christmas thanks to the famous phrase “A Dog is for Life, Not Just for Christmas”, penned by the charity’s team in 1978 in response to the large number of puppies bought as Christmas gifts and then abandoned in January.

Since then, it has gone on to find homes for thousands of dogs each year.

While the charity no longer sees a large number of pet-shop-bought puppies handed over in January, the last three years have been some of the busiest on record for Dogs Trust.

In 2022, it received more than 50,000 handover requests with a further 45,000 last year and more than 32,000 so far this year.