Ho Ho (Home!) - New appeal to find homes for dogs ahead of the festive season

Dogs Trust Leeds is currently home to 87 dogs, and the charity is on a mission to find homes for as many of them as possible ahead of the festive season.

This comes as Dogs Trust reveals it has received over 32,000 handover enquiries so far this year from owners no longer able to care for their dogs. Thankfully, 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 ahead of the festive season is Ho Ho, the loveable Greyhound.

This handsome three-year-old ex-racing Greyhound is looking for a Ho Ho Home to put his paws up and settle into. Ho Ho is friendly with dogs and humans alike and loves to chase his toys (which is a great way to get him to show his affectionate side).

Although Ho Ho was once a racing Greyhound, these days he is very laid-back, and while he loves a big zoom around, he is also content having a sniff and explore before curling up for a snooze.

Kelly Walker, Manager at Dogs Trust Leeds 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.

“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.

“One of these dogs is Ho Ho the Greyhound, who is looking to find a forever home where he can curl up and snooze away the day. As an ex-racing Greyhound, he’s never really enjoyed the comforts of a sofa on Christmas day, so nothing would make us happier than seeing Ho Ho find a loving family who can give him the home he deserves.”

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 over 50,000 handover requests, with a further 45,000 last year, and over 32,000 so far this year.

Kelly continued to say: “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.”

For more information about Ho Ho or the other dogs in the care of Dogs Trust Leeds, visit www.dogstrust.org.uk/leeds .