Part of the reason I love working at Dogs Trust is that I get to see at first hand the great love our staff have for the dogs in our care. 

This week I visited our rehoming centre at Harefield, West London and was moved to tears by a story of a very special dog and the great love being lavished upon him by our staff.

The dog, called Buster, was a German Shepherd Dog but he looked more like a Chinese Crested as he had hardly any hair on his body and was very small for a GSD. Whilst he looked an adorable character, he was a somewhat unusual sight - especially as he was wearing a woolly jumper!

A brief chat with his walkers revealed that he was affected by “pituitary dwarfism” – a rare condition that affects growth and the ability to grow a normal coat. But despite his strange appearance, it was clear that his carers at the Centre regarded him as a very special dog and were lavishing him with love and affection. Unsurprisingly considering the attention he was being shown, Buster was a very happy dog.

At moments like that, I feel enormously privileged to work for Dogs Trust. It really is great to know that our staff care so much about all of our dogs – the great and the small, the sick and the healthy, the smart and the scruffy, the angels and the rascals.

At the Harefield centre, we have some of the best rehoming facilities to be seen anywhere in the world. Facilities that will allow us to give the very best care possible for Buster. And I know that, somewhere in London, there is a special owner who will want to take him home. 

This year we’ll look after over 14,000 dogs at our 17 centres. Whilst most are perfectly healthy, we’ll also see dogs suffering from a whole range of medical conditions – diabetes, epilepsy, arthritis, skin allergies, heart and thyroid problems, even irritable bowel syndrome. But each of these dogs is safe with us because of our non-destruction policy. They’ll receive the very best of veterinary care and we’ll go to great lengths to find them an owner who is right for them.

Our slogan at Dogs Trust is “A dog is for life, not just for Christmas”. But we could equally say, “A dog is for life, even when he’s diabetic, epileptic, allergic or, in Buster’s case, undersized and hairless”! At Dogs Trust, we love them all.

If you feel that you could offer a home to a dog that needs some special care, please contact your local Dogs Trust centre – you’ll find the details at http://www.dogstrust.org.uk/.

Best wishes to dog lovers everywhere

Clarissa