A four-month-old Lhasa Apso/Havanese cross puppy has landed on her paws after being adopted by TV and Radio presenter and People’s Postcode Lottery Ambassador Judie McCourt.
Following an event at Dogs Trust, the UK’s largest dog welfare charity, Judie’s heart was set on finding a new four-legged friend of her own. On meeting Winnie at the West Sussex Rehoming Centre it was love at first sight.
Judie says: “I’m so thrilled to have Winnie in my life. She melted my heart as soon as I saw her, and I knew I couldn’t head home without her. Thankfully she seemed to like me too! She’s been settling in so well, it feels like she’s always been part of the family.
“We’re working on the basics at Dog School puppy classes at Dogs Trust Darlington, they’re really helping us learn lots together. Fingers crossed we’ll make lots of new doggy friends too! It’s so important to me to understand what Winnie wants and needs and I think having this quality time with her in classes will really help.
“I can’t wait to introduce her to the rest of the People’s Postcode Lottery family – I know they’ll fall in love with her, just like I have!”
Dogs Trust’s rehoming centre teams work tirelessly to match dogs in their care with suitable owners, taking into consideration all aspects of the dog’s personality and the type of home each individual or family can provide. Each year the charity cares for over 15,000 dogs through its network of 21 rehoming centres in the UK and Ireland.
In 2017 Dogs Trust also launched Dog School throughout the UK, offering low-cost training and behaviour support for dog owners. The series of six-week class programmes supports a dog’s ongoing development and equips owners with the tools they need to ensure their pets remain in happy homes as valued members of the family.
Since 2014 Dogs Trust has received over £9.5million in funding from players of People’s Postcode Lottery, which has benefited hundreds of dogs just like Winnie. This funding has meant that all dogs being looked after by the charity are cared for by the very best staff who can ensure that they have plenty of TLC whilst they wait to meet their new families.
Whilst Winnie was only in the care of Dogs Trust for a couple of weeks, the average dog will spend around a month waiting for their special someone. In this time staff will find out as much as they can about them in order to help match them with their own winning family.
