Fashion guru swaps catwalk for dog-walk

Fashion guru Trinny Woodall swapped the catwalk for a dog-walk in April as she welcomed the first rescue dogs to London's newest rehoming centre.

The Dogs Trust West London, in Harvil Road, Harefield, opened its doors on Monday, April 3, and Trinny, led by rescue dog, Connie, walked the first wave of dogs to their new state-of-the-art kennels where they will wait, in the hope of finding new homes with Hillingdon's dog lovers.

Trinny, co-presenter of hit BBC fashion show, What Not to Wear, said: "The state-of-the-art facilities mean that every dog can enjoy their stay at the rehoming centre in a relaxed and calm atmosphere.

"There are so many different dogs to choose from and each one has his own individual style. My own rescue dog, Honey, is a Dogs Trust dog and I wouldn't be without her for the world."

The brand new centre, set in 16 acres of farmland, has 75 kennels which include features such as underfloor heating and glass-fronts. Research has shown that installing glass-fronts to kennels dramatically reduces noise and stress while allowing visitors to approach and interact with the dog through specially positioned "sniffer holes".

A behaviour suite with one way glass viewing will help with behavioural assessments for the dogs and the veterinary suite will ensure that all dogs receive prompt veterinary treatment.

Clarissa Baldwin, Dogs Trust chief executive said: "Such care and attention has been paid to every aspect of the centre, from the heated, glass fronted kennels, to fantastic visitor facilities, to the real life rooms and puppy play areas. By changing the way people view rescue centres and providing the best possible facilities for the dogs, visitors and staff alike, we can hopefully rehome more dogs."

Latest figures show that there were over 105,000 stray and abandoned dogs collected by local authorities across the UK last year. Of those around 8,000 were destroyed by local authorities that is the equivalent of 150 dogs a week being needlessly destroyed.

Reference: www.watfordobserver.co.uk

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