Dogs Trust Merseyside seeks doggy foster 'pawrents'

DOGS Trust Merseyside is calling on local dog lovers to consider opening their hearts and their homes to give a dog a temporary home as part of the charity's fostering scheme. Dogs Trust's Home from Home scheme finds foster homes for dogs that need a little extra TLC and time out from the hustle and bustle of the rehoming centre. This includes:- young puppies, older dogs and those who have lived in a home all their life.

Now the charity is looking for more volunteer foster carers across Merseyside to take in a hound housemate so that rescue dogs can continue to enjoy a home environment while they wait for their new owners. So far this year, 35 dogs have been rehomed through the Home from Home scheme and there are currently 14 dogs in foster, including:- 8 year old Crossbreed, Defa.

Kim Rowlands, Home from Home Co-ordinator at Dogs Trust Merseyside, says:- "Defa is a perfect example of why it's fantastic to be able to place dogs in foster. Defa was 1st with us as a puppy and has found himself back with us eight years later due to a change in his family's circumstances. He is a gorgeous boy, but can get a little anxious around other dogs, so to be able to settle him into a foster home has been wonderful for him and it means we can learn so much more about him and the type of home he'd be best suited to. Fostering is perfect for people who would love to have a dog in their life, but who can't commit to having a permanent canine companion or can't take on the cost of a dog as volunteer foster carers are provided with everything the dog needs such as food, bedding, and toys, and Dogs Trust will cover the cost of any necessary vet bills."

Foster carers need to be over the age of 18, preferably have an adult only home and be around for most of the day. As the dogs will need to visit the rehoming centre in Huyton to meet potential new owners, fosterers need to have their own car and live within an hour's journey of the centre.

Kim says:- "Our foster families go above and beyond for the dogs they care for, encouraging them to reach their full potential and giving them a safe and loving environment to enjoy whilst they wait for their new families. But we always need more. Fostering a dog is extremely rewarding and I strongly urge anyone who has a dog sized hole in their life, but who isn't able to commit to having a permanent furry friend, to contact us to find out more about the scheme and if it's right for them."

If you're interested in becoming a foster carer, please contact the team on:- HFHMerseyside@DogsTrust.Org.UK, or call:- 01519495526. To find out more about Defa and other dogs waiting for their forever homes, visit:- DogsTrust.Org.UK 

Campaigners deliver powerful message to National Highways' door

ON Friday, 26 August 2022, campaigners travelled from Liverpool to deliver letters, pictures and materials prepared by School children from Sefton to the door of National Highways' North West headquarters in Manchester City Centre.

It was the latest action in efforts to highlight their opposition to National Highways' controversial A5036 Port of Liverpool Access Road proposal, which would sever Rimrose Valley Country Park and surrounding communities in two.

Campaigners as young as six represented Schools from South Sefton, handing over the documents to Stewart Jones, National Highways' Regional Delivery Director for the North West. They requested that plans to destroy their park be cancelled.

Speaking after the event on behalf of Save Rimrose Valley, Stuart Bennett said:- "The amount of effort children put into preparing these materials and then giving up a day of their summer holidays to deliver them shows just how much they care about Rimrose Valley and green space in general. The letters highlighted pollution from HGVs, the climate emergency, the destruction of wildlife and talked about just how important the park is to them and their families. Whilst it was to their credit that National Highways agreed to come out and accept the materials, we sincerely hope that Stewart Jones and the entire Port of Liverpool Access team take the time to read and digest the materials. These convey the hopes and fears of our children; the generation that would have to live with the impact of yet another polluting road; far better than we ever could. If they do, they might just begin to understand how insane their plans are. They are trying to put a road where one doesn't belong. We need better solutions which respect our local environment, our communities, our health and wellbeing and the planet. Roads do none of these things. Continued delays to this project are an indication of just how toxic it has become, but we must keep up the fight until this scheme is cancelled."

Estelle Worthington, North West campaign organiser for Friends of the Earth added:- "Building new roads through parks like Rimrose Valley that offer access to nature in the middle of urban areas, leads to more traffic, more planet heating emissions and more pollution. With communities in Sefton already suffering from high levels of air pollution, we must protect our vital green spaces. As this demonstration shows, there is huge opposition to these plans locally. The Metro Mayor, Council and local MPs have all backed campaigners' calls for sustainable solutions to port access to be prioritised."