Paw-se for thought urged in festive dog toys plea

Animal lovers are being urged to paw-se for thought and donate festive treats and toys for 80 dogs waiting in a rescue centre to be rehomed.

Dogs Trust Shrewsbury, in Telford, has set up an Amazon wish list for people to donate and visitors can also call into the centre with gifts.

Assistant manager Thomas Livings said the centre was full, and there was a "huge waiting list" for more dogs to come in.

He said toys and treats would be put into large, postal sacks and Santa Paws would deliver them to the centre's seven kennel blocks on Christmas Day.

"Rehoming slows down at this time of year, so we're always full over the Christmas period," he said.

He said there was a continual flow of dogs needing to be rehomed for many reasons including people's ill-health and financial situations.

Staff were taking extra care over dogs being rehomed as Christmas, to make sure they were going to suitable homes and were "not just Christmas presents", Mr Livings continued.

"We do make sure we do lots of checks and home visits," he said. "We make sure that nobody is adopting a dog just as a Christmas gift."

On Christmas Day, staff will take food to the centre at Roden Lane Farm to make Christmas dinner for the animals, he said.

But he said they were also looking for gifts for the pets, which could be new as well as reused.

"The dogs aren't fussy, as long as it's a squeaky toy, or something that they can chew on or play around with," he said. "The dogs don't mind."

Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.