Best future for our dogs?

Letter: I was absolutely astounded to hear that Dogs Trust is spending £5 million on the dog home at Roden.

I have rehomed 11 dogs over the years from various dog re-homing centres and I have supported and been to Roden's open days and fund- raising events on several occasions.

There are a lot of abused and homeless dogs out there that would jump at the chance of being accommodated at Roden as it currently is; I think it is more than adequate and far superior to a number of dog boarding kennels.

Far more sensible to spend £5 million on where it is really needed – neutering, micro-chipping, pet licensing and registering dog breeders to limit the number of dogs being born for profit.

One can always hope that common sense will prevail and the proposed veterinary centre will neuter, vaccinate and micro-chip every dog before it leaves for a new home, or is it just a nail clipping, worming and flea treatment centre – nothing would surprise me.

I really do think Dogs Trust has got its priorities all wrong and I was even more horrified to read that not only was it costing £5 million but the number of dogs was being reduced by approximately 50.

So where are the rest of the homeless and needy dogs going to go? They are not just going to disappear.

The pressure to take on more will end up on the doorsteps of people like Jenny Martinez at Grinshill who works tirelessly for stray, abandoned and abused dogs.

They are in dire need of funds and threatened with closure as a result but they have got their priorities right – dogs come first.

Christina Birch

Whitchurch