Dogs home in Wolverhampton to offer pooches a chance to meet 'Santa Paws'

Branches of the Birmingham Dogs Home are hosting popular Santa Paws meet and greets, where supporters can bring along their four-legged friends for a festive photo with Father Christmas.

Santa will be making an appearance at the Wolverhampton centre on Saturday before travelling to the Solihull centre on December 10 from 10am – 4pm.

These festive events are supported by dog-loving Midlands company, Yale, who will be providing lots of prizes and gifts for visitors on the day.

Tickets are available to purchase via the Birmingham Dogs Home website, with the charity also welcoming visitors to its centres throughout December to drop off gifts for residents.

Why the funds are so important

The Santa Paws meet and greet will raise vital funds to help them bring local homeless dogs in from the cold this winter.

Birmingham Dogs Home has been caring for homeless dogs at Christmas for 130 years. This year, the local charity needs your help more than ever.

With dog abandonment at an all-time high, its dedicated team is facing one of the most difficult winters in its history.

The anticipated perfect storm for dog welfare has now reached its height, with the cumulative impact of the ‘pandemic puppy’ impulse buying, high veterinary costs for poorly dogs bred by exploitative back-street breeders, and now the cost of living crisis.

Rescue centres are experiencing a tsunami of abandoned and relinquished dogs and understandably, with so many people facing financial worries themselves, fewer families are willing to make the commitment to adopt a new pet.

For dog lovers who want to give back this Christmas, Birmingham Dogs Home has options to make a donation online as a gift for a loved one, and are also selling dog-themed stocking fillers and Christmas cards.

Areika Bickerton, centre manager, said: “Our kennels at Birmingham Dogs Home are full and we’re expecting this to be the case throughout the winter.

“The costs of heating, veterinary care and providing care and shelter at their kennels will soar, especially as we care for hundreds of dogs at our Birmingham and Wolverhampton rescue centres for much longer than usual.”

Jo Rush, Yale’s marketing director, said: “We are delighted to be supporting Birmingham Dogs Home again this Christmas. We share so much with this lovely Midlands charity.

“Our UK HQ is not far away in Willenhall and just as we provide the very best security and safety through protected homes, Birmingham Dogs Home provides the highest standards of shelter, safety and care for their canine residents. We are so pleased to be part of this year’s festive Santa Paws celebrations.”

For more information about dogs that are currently at their centres, waiting for new homes and to support the charity this winter, visit birminghamdogshome.org.uk.