A CANINE carer from Kenilworth will swap pooches for pucks after being selected for Team GB’s Women’s Ice Hockey team.
Michelle Franklin usually spends her days walking, feeding, and training homeless hounds at the Honiley rehoming centre near Kenilworth.
But away from the kennels the 30 year-old dog lover is a goalkeeper for the Solihull Vixens ice hockey team, and has been selected to represent Team GB at the World Championships in South Korea.
Michelle said it was “a dream come true” when she got the call to say she had been selected for the national team.
She added: “When I was really little I remember watching ice hockey on TV, but my parents weren’t keen on me playing because they thought it was too brutal! But I finally got my first proper pair of ice skates aged nine and I’ve been playing ever since.
“I’m over the moon to have been selected for Team GB, I still can’t quite believe it. We’re a really strong squad and I just hope all the training and hard work pays off and we come back with the gold medal!”
Michelle and her teammates will come up against hosts South Korea, as well as Australia, Netherlands, Slovenia and North Korea in the tournament, which starts on Sunday (April 2).
Visit www.dogstrust.org.uk to find out more about Dogs Trust rehoming centres.
