Kennel has happy hounds this winter

Dedicated volunteer dog walkers are set to brave the cold this winter to help the dogs in need of homes

A sign for a dogs home is signalling the way to find it down a road

Friends of the Dogs can be found on Penarth Road, Llandough, Cardiff CF11 8JQ

Cardiff Dogs Home, Friends of the Dogs are under no shortage of volunteer dog walkers this winter despite the recent plunge in temperatures.  

Friends of the Dogs Cardiff are still welcoming volunteer dog walkers who want to help care for the dogs that are in need of a home by taking them out on walks, despite the large number of dedicated walkers already volunteering.

Rebecca Rankmore, kennel assistant at Friends of the Dogs, said: “On record we’ve got over 1,000 volunteer dog walkers currently. We do a volunteer dog walking induction once a month, on the first Friday of the month, and we get around about 60 people coming down for each induction.”

Friends of the Dogs Cardiff have over 26 dogs of various breeds currently available for rehoming, and without the volunteers the staff would struggle to provide adequate care for the dogs in need.

 

“The staff would have to get them out and that would put a lot of stress on us,” Rebecca added, “we haven’t got many staff in and the dogs have to go out for at least half an hour a day, according to the RSPCA. So the volunteers are very important as they get the dogs out and they give them a break from the kennels.”

Rebecca went onto say that without the volunteers, this stress on the staff would have a large effect on dealing with members of the public who want to rehome dogs.

The staff wouldn’t be able to spend time with them to help choose the right dogs, or assist with members of the public who wish to introduce their own dogs to prospective new pets.

This, as well as the basic necessities such as cleaning the kennels, cleaning the dogs and feeding the dogs, would largely be impacted.