West End star Jodie Prenger joins us at St Mungo's for Hope Project

West End star and Dogs Trust supporter, Jodie Prenger, visited a St Mungo’s hostel this week to hand out the first of 850 Dogs Trust Christmas Hampers being given to the dogs of homeless people and those in temporary accommodation across the UK. Receiving one of the hampers today was Sam the Samoyed, belonging to Michael Lyon, a current resident at a St Mungo’s hostel in Covent Garden.

These were the very same hampers that over 1,000 volunteers helped to stock with hand-knitted dog coats, so we're pleased to be able to show you all just how your hard work is being put to good use.  We now know that we received over 3,000 coats, which ranged in size from Chihuahua to Great Dane. They've been included in the special hampers with a variety of essentials such as new leads, collars, treats and toys, some of which were also bought by Dogs Trust supporters through an online wish list.

Jodie, who kindly also tweeted about her visit, said:

“As a dog lover myself, I am delighted to deliver the first of the 850 Dogs Trust Christmas Hampers. Homeless people love their dogs and many would rather go without to be able to feed their best friend, so these goodies will be well received and ensure that the dogs get everything they need to stay warm and happy over the winter months.”

Hampers for dogs whose owners are homeless or living in temporary accommodation have been distributed for the last 11 years as part of our ongoing Hope Project. As well as the hampers, the project offers subsidised veterinary treatments and encourages homelessness hostels and day centres to accept clients with dogs as well as helping them put in place practical guidelines. Often homeless people choose to stay with their dog on the streets if a hostel doesn’t allow dogs to stay as well.

St Mungo’s is one of the few charities that allows homeless men and women to keep their pets with them in its hostels.

Homelessness organisations or veterinary surgeries interested in finding out more information about the Hope Project should call Dogs Trust on 020 7837 0006 or email us.

Hope Project Christmas Hampers

Dogs Trust made Christmas 2010 a more festive and cosy time for homeless dogs across the UK by providing them with canine Christmas hampers of collars, leads, coats, treats and toys.

We set up the unique Hope Project in 1994 and offer free and subsidised veterinary treatment to dogs whose owners are homeless or living in temporary accommodation.

Clare Kivlehan, Hope Project Manager, explains:

“The bond between any dog and owner is a strong one but for homeless people their dog is often their only friend and comfort. Alongside offering subsidised veterinary treatments and doggy Christmas hampers the Hope Project also encourages homelessness hostels and day centres to accept clients with dogs and helps them put in place practical guidelines. We’ve found that if a hostel does not accept dogs, then the owner will stay on the streets in order to keep their companion."

A record number of 600 dogs belonging to owners in housing crisis received special hampers this Christmas, almost double the 2009 total of 350 dogs. We supplied doggie coats for all of the dogs that stayed in the shelter over Christmas and although the weather may have tried to ‘hamper’ our efforts, deliveries did arrive in time for the festive period.

It’s always great to hear our work is appreciated and the Hope inbox has started to fill up with thank you emails from the various projects we support:

“I would just like to say thank you so much from the staff and residents at John Baker House and Denis House for the Christmas parcels which we received for the residents who own dogs. It makes all the difference! We all feel the Dogs Trust is a fantastic organisation and we all wish you a very happy Christmas, and a happy new year. Thanks again for all your work.”

We also had a big bonus this week – a £500 donation from a company in Cambridge who saw a newspaper article about our work. Thank you all for your wonderful support!

For more information about the project, please check out the video above. Homelessness organisations or veterinary surgeries interested in finding out more information about the scheme should call Dogs Trust on 020 7837 0006 or email hopeproject@dogstrust.org.uk

Eager dog walkers needed for St. Mungo's charity walk

We've received the following message from the lovely folks at St. Mungo's. Although they're not an animal charity, they are seeking dog walkers for their latest fundraising drive and asked us if we could help spread the word. Only too happy to do so! And in case you're wondering what Dogs Trust has to do with homelessness, do read more about our Hope Project.

The release is as follows:

Put on your walking shoes, switch off the World Cup coverage and hit the streets with your canine companion on Sunday 20 June to help St Mungo's support homeless people on their journey back into work.

To kick start its Action Week (20-27 June), St Mungo's is asking people to step up and take part in a five mile Action Week Walk.

The theme of this year's Action Week is Just the Job - supporting homeless people's journey back to work.

This is the charity's third annual sponsored walk but the first time it will head into the City of London. The walk starts and finishes at St John's Church in Waterloo, where St Mungo's homeless volunteers help tend the church gardens. The route then links in with other areas where St Mungo's provides homelessness services in Southwark, Lambeth and Westminster.

Last year more than 160 people joined in our Action Week Walk to support our campaign to improve the mental health of homeless people. Not only did we raise £15,000, but we also made the Government take action by including homeless people in their new strategy for improving mental health services to people in the UK.

This year the charity is hoping for 300 people to sign up and boost funds for its Pathways to Employment programme which supports activities, education, training and work opportunities for St Mungo's hostel residents.

Tanya English, Executive Director for Fundraising and Communications, said:

"Only 4% of our residents are currently working. Some of our clients have not worked in a decade, and others not at all.

"The money raised by generous supporters and donors on this year's walk will go towards supporting St Mungo's clients on their journey of recovery and into work. By taking part in this Action Week Walk, you are actively helping someone to walk away from their old life and towards a new one.

"It's also Father's Day so perhaps an opportunity to get dad away from the World Cup for a while to do something active in a worthy cause!"

How you can show your support for Action Week:

• Sign up for the St Mungo's 2010 Action Week Walk. Registration is £12 in advance or £15 on the day, under 16s (and dogs!) walk for free. A free T-shirt is provided, as well as a lunch pack when you finish, kindly donated by Pret a Manger

• Sponsor St Mungo's resident Jamie and his dog to do the walk

• Show your support by shopping at the St Mungo's online gift shop

• Find out more about St Mungo's Just the Job Action Week 2010, other events and ways to show your support.

Blog Action Day: Poverty, Homelessness and Hope

Today is Blog Action Day, when bloggers around the world take a moment to raise awareness about helping the rest of the world. This year's topic is poverty.

In the current climate, fears of a rising number of people living in poverty are increasing. We have new terms in our daily vocabulary, 'fuel poverty' being one of them. People are also falling behind on spiralling mortgage payments, and some of those people lose their homes.

It might seems strange for a blogger from an animal charity to be writing about poverty and homelessness. But people often have to face the heartrending decision to rehome their pets. Aside from being here to help with that, Dogs Trust also runs Hope Project, which helps those who have taken their dog onto the streets with them maintain that bond.

The friendship of a dog can be the only thing that sustains some people when they find themselves without a home. Dogs are a source of comfort, and Dogs Trust's Hope Project team have had first hand experience of how well these dogs are treated by their owners.

Hope Project works in a variety of ways to help those owners. The Veterinary Entitlement Card Scheme offers some free veterinary care, and people can turn to us for advice in finding a shelter that will accept their pet or how to best look after their dog. We also work alongside other organisations that provide temporary accommodation to encourage them to see the benefits in allowing pets onto the premises.

You can find out more about Hope Project online.

Poverty is such a huge and complex issue. Today is about taking just one little bit and thinking about it or offering a solution.

Video: Dog Trust reaches out to homeless dog owners and families escaping domestic violence

I'd like you to take a moment out of your day to watch this video:



I wonder how many people out there who are dedicated supporters of Dogs Trust realise that there are successful outreach programmes like Freedom Project providing help to families escaping domestic violence? I didn't until shortly before I came to work here, and I thought I knew perfectly well what the charity did.

There are other people in housing crisis too. For many homeless dog owners, their four-legged companion is their best friend, and they will do whatever they can to keep their pals healthy and happy. Dogs Trust Hope Project offers a Veterinary Care Entitlement Card scheme, which enabled homeless dog owners to access free or subsidised vet care including some preventative treatments.

At Dogs Trust we are always looking for foster carers in Freedom Project regions (currently London and Yorkshire) and participating veterinary practices for Hope Project (across the country). Please follow the links to learn more about the projects and offer what support you can.

If you or someone you know could benefit from these projects, contact the relevant office by email:

Freedom Project: freedomproject@dogstrust.org.uk
Hope Project: hopeproject@dogstrust.org.uk