Give a dog a home

This year has been one of the worst ever for many dog and animal shelters, and those in the Gainsborough area are no exception.

Heidi Treble is the manager of Lincolnshire Dog Rescue at Ingham.

“We’ve had a really bad year, but I think all rescue kennels have,” she said.

“We’ve been full most of the time and don’t seem to have had any down time. We’re at capacity.”

“I have been working here for 20 years and unfortunately the stray dog situation never gets any better.”

Heidi said that there were a number of factors having a negative impact on the adoption of dogs.

“This time of year tends to be difficult, approaching Christmas,” she said. “People haven’t necessarily got the money to be getting a new dog. And at the same time dog owners are kicking their pets out because they can’t afford them.”

She continued: “The recession has also had an impact and people haven’t been able to donate as much as they usually would. Some people have even phoned to say they are losing their house and can’t take their dog with them.

At Lincolnshire Dog Rescue, when you adopt a dog they ask for a minimum donation of £90 - which That includes their first vaccination, worming treatment, an ID chip and a voucher which reduces the cost of neutering to £30, making a saving of around £100.

Heidi went on: “The main message we try to send out is about responsible dog ownership. We want to let people know that having a rescue dog is an option. We have some beautiful dogs here.

Jennu Foxall-Lord from the Mayflower Animal Sanctuary at Bawtry said: “This year we’ve homed about 100 dogs less than last year - that’s about two dogs a week, which is a lot.”

“Everyone’s feeling the pinch at the moment. We ask for a £150 donation to adopt a dog, which comes neutered, vaccinated and micro-chipped. That’s a small price to pay for the companionship and loyalty that they give. They ask for so little but give back so much.”

She added: “It costs us £500 a day to stay open, and we can’t survive without donations. If they stop then we can’t be here and a lot of these dogs would be abandoned on the street or put to sleep. We need people’s generosity.”

- For more information, to adopt a dog or to make a donation, you can call the Lincoln Dog Rescue centre in Ingham on 01522 730502 or call the Mayflower Animal Sanctuary in Bawtry on 01302 711 330.