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To hear the interviews Katie did, to see the photographs she took, and to make your comments, head down to the bottom of this page...

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I had a rather rose tinted idea that the staff at the City Dogs Home would spend their days playing with the dogs and talking them for walks. The reality is very different.

There's a lot of mucking out and it's pretty much non stop with the dog warden and members of the public coming in with strays that have been found on the streets.

Some are abandoned but others have simply escaped, and although some were claimed by their rightful owners, many of them need a new home.

The phone rang all the time, with people asking if their animal had been bought in, and the home had a thick file of reports of lost dogs.

Attention seeking

I also saw a steady stream of people coming in to take a look around, hoping to find the dog for them. When people came in all the dogs would erupt and try and bark the loudest to get attention. It's certainly not the place to be with a headache!

Some of the stories are sad but on the plus side I saw several dogs being picked up by their new owners who couldn't wait to give them a loving home, and people registering their interest in particular dogs.

People are not allowed to take the dog they want straight away, as the City Dogs Home organises a home check before any animal leaves to make sure their potential new home has a secure garden and the owners could cope. But for every dog that leaves, their empty kennel is soon filled again.

Do you want to see photos?
These (click on the link below) are just a selection of the dogs that I met at the Home. Some were wearing name tags but most of them don't have a name, and the Home get far too many dogs to give them all one...

To hear all the interviews I did and fly-on-the-wall recordings, just click on the links below...

Katie Ingram

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Contact City Dogs Home on 01782 304130

Other dog rescue contacts in Staffordshire are:
Animal Lifeline - www.animallifeline.org.uk
RSPCA Animal Centre in Hillfield Lane, Stretton, Burton on Trent - 01283 569165
RSPCA Staffordshire North Branch - www.rspcanorthstaffs.co.uk