PUPPY-LOVING staff have shown dogged devotion after working half their lives for Dogs Trust.
Combined, canine carer Jo Poyner and supporter relations officer Jane Hirons, have given almost five decades to help care for thousands of unwanted and abandoned dogs.
They have helped find new homes for around 30,000 dogs and even taken on countless four-legged friends themselves.
Jo joined the trust in 1994 when it was a much smaller operation with some 20 staff rehoming around 800 dogs a year – nearly half the size it is now.
Over the years she has adopted or fostered around 100 dogs. She currently shares her home with Luca the German shepherd and Bingo the crossbreed.
Jo said: “The last 24 years have flown by and it’s safe to say I have loved every minute of it. No two days are ever the same and even though a lot has changed since I started, the one thing at the front of my mind every day is to give every single dog I care for everything they need before they go on to find their forever homes.”
Her colleague Jane has worked for the charity for 25 years, providing talks in the community, tours of the rehoming centre in Honiley and dealing with donations in memory of a loved one – to name a few.
Jane has also let temptation get the better of her over the years and has adopted six dogs in total, but currently lives with four dogs including Lola the pug and Precious the chihuahua.
She said: “I am definitely of the opinion that a house is not a home without a dog or two and through meeting so many members of the local community through my job, it’s clear that there are so many people who feel exactly the same.
“We really are a nation of dog lovers and I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has either adopted a dog from us or supported us with donations – we really couldn’t do it without you.”
Visit www.dogstrust.org.uk or visit the centre in Honiley to find out more about some of the dogs looking for homes or donate to the charity.
