On the sixth day of Christmas, Dogs Trust gave to me….

10,151 new homes, 389 puppies and a 22-year old staffie

Dogs Trust, the nation’s largest dog welfare charity, has revealed that in 2022 it rehomed more dogs called Bella than with any other name, with pooches named Poppy, Daisy, Milo and Buddy coming in close behind.

Over the last twelve months, the charity has rehomed 10,151 dogs, with cross-breeds being the most adopted dogs, and Jack Russells, Lurchers, Collies and Staffies also featuring high up the list.

In 2022, Dogs Trust canine lodgers stayed with the charity for an average of 46 days, with some being snapped up by new owners in just a few days and other staying for much longer. The longest-stay resident, Tucker the German Shepherd Cross, was adopted in 2022 after ‘first arriving at Dogs Trust Shrewsbury in April 2015 and being cared for by the charity for 2,542 days.

From the long-termer lodgers to the newcomers, Dogs Trust has seen 389 puppies born in its kennels this year. Dachshund puppies made up the majority of those born, with 119 Smooth Haired and 58 Miniature Smooth Haired Dachshunds. There’s also been 30 Golden Retrievers, 28 Spaniel Crosses and 20 Lurchers born at the charity’s 21 rehoming centres.

And from miniature to massive…. the heaviest dog cared for by Dogs Trust in 2022 was Titan the St Bernard who was adopted from Dogs Trust Manchester and weighed in at a whopping 83.5kg!

Staffordshire bull terrier Dalmatian cross Ty took the title of oldest dog cared for by the charity in 2022. At 22 years old he has been rehomed from Dogs Trust Bridgend and is seeing out his retirement on a very comfy sofa in Penarth. 

While Ty might be enjoying retirement, other dogs rehomed from Dogs Trust in 2022 have gone on to start brand new carers. TJ,  a 12-year-old Terrier cross adopted from Dogs Trust Merseyside, has gone on to start a new life as the faithful companion of a pub landlord on the Isle of Man, and Coco Chanel, a Chihuahua taken in as a stray by Dogs Trust Leeds has become a theatre star. She was adopted soon after coming into the rehoming centre, and earlier this year went on to play the role of Bruiser Woods in Legally Blonde: The Musical at Theatre Royal in Wakefield. And 13 dogs have gone on to be rehomed to working homes, including the police and prison services. Just last month, six dogs rescued by Dogs Trust graduated as assistance dogs, forming life-changing partnerships with veterans from the Armed Forces and Emergency Services with a clinical diagnosis of post- traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). 

With around 1750 dogs in its care at any one time that all need regular exercise, the charity’s Canine Carers have racked up over two billion steps throughout 2022 – that’s enough to get them to the moon and back….twice!

The experts at Dogs Trust have provided training to 14,304 dogs and their owners through Dog School and Dogs Trust Education Workshops, and in a year which saw Dogs Trust receive handover enquiries from more than 50,000 struggling owners, volunteer fosters stepped up to support dogs by providing a temporary home until they find their forever family. Thanks to the support of these volunteers, over 350 dogs spent their Christmas in a home setting in foster care.

Owen Sharp, Chief Executive of Dogs Trust, says:

“This year has seen a greater demand for our services than ever before. But alongside the difficult decisions we’ve seen dog owners forced to make, there’s been some real moments of joy too.

“Thanks to the amazing work of staff at our 21 rehoming centres, supported by a team of hard-working volunteers and foster carers, we have helped over 10,000 dogs to find new homes. Some of them have gone on to be family pets, some have found retirement homes. And others have gone on to find new carers as support dogs, police dogs and even theatre stars!

“On behalf of everyone at Dogs Trust, we’d like to wish our supporters and the nation’s dogs a very Happy New Year and look forward to helping many more four-legged friends to find their new homes in 2023.”