Donations keep homeless dogs warm in winter

The collection was organised by Simon Booth, managing director of Astute Motoring in Poulton, after he and his partner, Jodie Prenger, paid a pre-Christmas visit to the new Dogs Trust Manchester Rehoming Centre, which has rehomed more than 400 dogs since opening last October.

Mr Booth said: “We were so inspired when we visited, we just wanted to do our bit to help.

“The centre can have up to 88 dogs there at any one time so they are always in need of extra blankets and coats to keep the dogs cosy, especially the older ones.

“When I got back to work we decided to put some posters up and ask for donations, but I never imagined people would be so generous.

“We promoted it to businesses based near us and then word spread.

“Donations just kept coming in and at one point we had so much in reception we could hardly move!”

Supporter relations officer for the charity, Lucy Marsh, who went along with a colleague to collect the donations said: “We are overwhelmed.

“We, and our dogs, are so grateful. Being able to snuggle into a lovely blanket or big quilt helps us make them as comfortable as possible whilst they are with us.”

Dogs Trust is the UK’s largest dog welfare charity and cares for nearly 17,000 dogs each year through its network of 20 rehoming centres across the UK and one in Dublin.