Shropshire kennels in crisis at overstretched sites

Be it young puppies or old dogs, they are filling up kennels across the county with many ready to burst.

"We have only got one space left at the moment," said Jacqui Downes, owner of Primchurch Kennels in Prees, near Whitchurch.

"But we didn't have any spare just a week ago. This time of year it is becoming a regular thing."

The kennels currently have 19 rescue dogs some of which have been there for as many as nine months.

Over Christmas, the rescue kennels were filled with about 26 dogs, so they began to takeover the separate boarding kennels.

Ms Downes said: "We have kennels for boarding and some for rescue dogs. But we have had to swap them over because we are just getting so many rescue dogs in for rehoming.

"We try to only put in one dog in each kennel, but we have to put two in sometimes when it gets so full.

"Some have been in here an awful long time now, and it is really hard to watch.

"But it is this time of year really – the weather makes people not want to go out for walks, people don't have the money and it's just not the time of year people are thinking about rehoming dogs."

And Ms Downes warned the situation is about to get worse.

She said that while many families take a dog into their home around Christmas, by spring a lot have realised they are not able to put the work in, or that having a dog is not what they thought it would be.

She said: "People will have had dogs for Christmas and they will go through the puppy stages, but they get to a point where it is not what they wanted.

"Either it is not ideal for them, or they haven't trained them properly, they haven't trained them to become a sociable member of society so they get dumped."

And it is not just Primchurch Kennels that appears to be struggling.

The Dogs Trust in Shrewsbury has more than 40 dogs up for adoption, with many more in the assessment period before being advertised to families.

The trust is so overwhelmed with rehoming dogs that it has a waiting list constantly for more animals needing to come in.

Ms Downes said: "It is upsetting, but the most upsetting times is when old dogs come in.

"When old dogs get dumped you really know it is going to be much harder to find a home for them.

"We had a puppy come in at the weekend, and he will get a home much quicker than some who will be with us for a long while.

"Small fluffy dogs are fine, but others that really need the homes that get overlooked.

"You just keep your fingers crossed really, but there are some that just don't seem to appeal to people.

"We just want to get them into the right homes."

But thankfully, national figures show that while the number of dogs needing rehoming might be on the rise, so is the number of loving families offering their homes.

Last summer, the RSPCA revealed it had rehomed 1,096 dogs in the first half of the year with it taking an average of 37 days for a rescue dog to be adopted.

Ms Downes said: "Baby Bianca has been with us for one of the longest periods at the moment – nine months.

"It is because she is a Staffie, it is the most abused breed and there are areas that we are always picking Staffies up from.

"And we've also got a male Rottweiler, he is called Bronson and he has been here about seven months."

And while there are some misconceptions about breeds, Ms Downes said it is important to be careful and ensure owners carry out the right research before choosing their dog.