Vote now: which dog should Wendy and Lucy viewers sponsor?

You might remember reading about Wendy and Lucy, a brand new film released on March 6th, which had an advanced screening at which viewers donated enough money to sponsor a dog for a year. The guests were also invited by Soda Pictures to vote on which dog they should support; that's where you come in!

The results came to a tie, with Mr. Magoo, Digby and Chad all going neck-and-neck. Of course I think they're all deserving and couldn't possibly decide, but if you have opinion, head over to the Wendy and Lucy website to cast your vote! You can also check out the trailer, clips and images so you know what to expect when you head out to see the film.

I'm looking forward to finding out who wins!

Don't forget you can also sponsor a dog for you or give a gift sponsorship to a friend or relative. You'll get three updates a year and we have lots more online interactive features planned for finding out about your new friend once our website re-launches later in the year.

Our dogs in the snow

We couldn't resist bringing you these two pictures of our sponsordogs Leah and Peter Pan in the snow in Darlington

Arnie, Barney and Kurt join Dogs Trust as new sponsor dogs!

Three new sponsor dogs have been named at Darlington, Glasgow and Leeds Rehoming Centres; supporters can now help Dogs Trust offer a safe and happy home to three more dogs who might otherwise never be rehomed.

Dogs like Arnie (Glasgow), Barney (Darlington) and Kurt (Leeds), pictured left to right above, might have great difficulty finding a home due to a difficult past or the need for specialist medical treatment. Just £1 a week from a sponsor will mean that Dogs Trust can give them a comfortable life for the rest of their days.

Introducing the new dogs:

Arnie

Age: 4
Breed: Staffordshire Bull Terrier (Brindle & White)

Brown-eyed Arnie has a penchant for carrying big sticks and he loves to paddle in the pond near the Centre, although he hates having to come out of the water again.

Barney

Age: 5
Breed: Springer Spaniel (Liver & white with extremely droopy jowls!)

Found as a stray in Ireland before coming to Dogs Trust. He's a typical Springer; this hyperactive fellow loves his walks, toys and food!

Kurt

Age: 7
Breed: Crossbreed (Brindle)

Kurt - or Kurty - is a nervous dog; he was found wandering the streets as a stray. However, he loves his carers and is learning to trust again thanks to their attention.

To learn more about our sponsor dogs, or to sign up to the scheme, just visit our website.

Dog of the Week: Bouncer @ Dogs Trust Leeds

Introducing... Bouncer!

Breed: German Shepherd Cross (female)

Age: Around four and a half months

Likes: Gentle care and attention. I was thrown out of a van onto a busy road and need lots of TLC but I am quite friendly and happy.

Dislikes: Sudden, strange situations; I'm a little nervous.

Needs: Amazingly, I sustained no physical injuries - hence my name! - but I will need a little help building up my confidence with people. I'm ready for a loving family!

Contact: Call Dogs Trust Leeds on 0113 281 4920 or visit www.dogstrust.org.uk.

Black cabs go sunshine yellow to promote Dogs Trust

Buster hails a cab...

London's black cabs are set to mirror today's glorious sunshine as Dogs Trust, the UK's largest dog welfare charity, launches its very own fleet of 18 yellow taxis.

The cabs are designed to raise awareness of our work, in particular the Sponsor a Dog scheme, and will be spotted cruising all over the capital over the next 12 months.

Do you know why Dogs Trust has a sponsoring scheme? In the words of our Chief Executive, Clarissa Baldwin:

"Whilst we make every effort to find the perfect home for all our dogs, some - who may have hd a particularly bad start in life - are simply happiest living outside the normal home environment. We take care of these dogs too under our Sponsor a Dog scheme.

"Our work of rescuing and rehoming is only made possible by the support of the public so spreading the word is incredibly important to us. We are very excited to be able to use these bright, cheerful taxis to help raise awareness of these special dogs."

Sean Hogg, a black cab driver from Barking (honest!), is keen to get behind the wheel as he already sponsors Shane at Dogs Trust. All Dogs Trust taxi drivers are keen dog lovers who will explain to any interested passenger about the benefits of sponsorship and adopting a rescue dog.


Sponsor a Dog - The Knowledge

How much? As little as £1 a week!

What do I get? Regular news and updates, a sponsorship pack of fabulous free gifts and the knowledge that you're helping Dogs Trust give a dog all the TLC he needs. You can even sponsor a dog as a gift for a friend.

Where can I sign up? Call Dogs Trust on 020 7837 0006 or visit the Sponsor a Dog website.

Dog(s) of the Week: Bella and Rex @ Dogs Trust Evesham

Introducing... Bella and Rex!

Breed: Rottweiler Labrador Cross (Bella) and Brindle Bulldog Staffordshire Cross (Rex)

Age: Bella is 3 and Rex is 2

Likes: Training - we're both recent graduates of Evesham's one-to-one training programme. We were both very nervous initially but we've made huge strides in just four months.

Dislikes: Rex isn't keen on other dogs, but Bella has developed a liking for Collie types! Neither of us is fond of cats.

Needs: Rex is extremely sociable and friendly while Bella is still quite shy though improving rapidly. We'd both require homes without children.

Contact: Call Dogs Trust Evesham on 01386 830 613 or visit www.dogstrust.org.uk.

Dogs Trust fundraising: can you lend your support to our fans?

Recently I've been reading our social networking sites and forum with a big smile on my face. Why? Because many supporters have come forward with a range of creative ways that they've decided to support Dogs Trust (and for a variety of reasons). Here are just some of the events going on over the next few months to give you some inspiration if you were stuck for ideas:

Adele's eBay Pet Portrait Auctions (end 09 June 08): Adele contacted us about publicising her auction on our Facebook page, and we're very glad she did. Guaranteed by Mission Fish, 10% of the proceeds from the auction for these portraits goes straight to Dogs Trust, so the more you bid, the more you raise. It's much appreciated, Adele.

Auction 1: 10" x 14" portrait from photo
Auction 2: 12" x 16" portrait from photo

David's Northern Rock Cyclone Event (14 June 08): DoggySnaps regular David McGarry must be in the last stages of training now as there are just eight days to go before he straps on his trainers and cycles 31 miles in aid of Dogs Trust. Phew! You can sponsor him here. Thanks, David.

Stacy's Great Scottish Run (07 Sept 08): On our bebo page, Stacy told us about the 10km run she is fervently training for in memory of her best friend who was a committed supporter of Dogs Trust. You can sponsor her here. Good luck Stacy!

Keep Bilbo on the Beach Facebook Group: A group set up for a very different doggy cause has been urging its members to make donations to Dogs Trust in order to show their support for dogs in general. This is very generous and we're most grateful.

We're incredibly grateful to every single supporter who has made a donation, carried out a fundraising event, sponsored or adopted a dog or just spread the word. It all counts and the dogs in our care are very glad you did what you could to help them.

Louise the Terrier enters sponsored Swimathon for hospital!

When we said "sponsor a dog", this isn't quite what we meant...! Energetic Terrier Louise just had to put her talents to the test by taking part in a sponsored swim for Hillingdon Hospital. The Peter Pan Children's Ward at the hospital is benefitting not only for the money Louise will raise practising her doggy paddle, but from her company and cuddles which will cheer the young residents.

The swim will take place at Dipping Dogs in Cowley on the 26th of June. For more information on sponsoring Louise, call Harefield Rehoming Centre on 01895 453 951.

You see, the talented Terrier, who is just 18 months old, has been living at Dogs Trust Harefield (West London) while she seeks her forever home. She's an affectionate, fun loving, free spirited bundle of energy who loves a good run, game of football or, of course, swim.

Despite her good nature, Louise has remained at Harefield for almost a year waiting for the right, experienced, action-packed owners to take her home. Owners who would be willing to spend plenty of time playing and introducing her to activities like Flyball would be ideal; she's naturally great with children and gets on well with other dogs and cats.

If you love the keep fit lifestyle, Louise would be a brilliant challenge, motivation and friend. Interested? Make an appointment to meet the team, and Louise, by calling 01895 453 951.

A visit to a Rehoming Centre: Harefield, West London

Our flagship Rehoming Centre, West London's Harefield branch, has a lot to live up to. As a fairly new member of the Dogs Trust team, I was invited down to take a look at the day-to-day goings on at the centre on Friday, and I have to say that it quite clearly exceeds expectations.

Along with two other newbies, we were welcomed warmly by the dedicated team there, headed up by the brilliantly friendly centre manager Richard. Harefield was a particularly tricky site to develop, as there were a great deal of planning regulations that meant the careful restoration of sixteenth century farm buildings (one of which is now rented out as a conference centre and houses a popular weekend tea room!) and the inclusion of various water features. The advantage of being able to design the kennel buildings from scratch, however, was that both the dogs and their human carers have a peaceful, safe and secure environment in which to spend their days.

Kennels are at an angle, with glass doors. The doors keep visitors safe from finger nips and make the dogs feel happier as they're able to see what's happening around them. However, the angle of the kennels also provides an extra feeling of security as they can't overlook any dogs - this could unsettle some of our charges. Human visitors, on the other hand, are able to easily see a lot of our residents at once, giving everyone the opportunity to spot their new forever dog quickly and reducing the chances of any single dog being forgotten.

The puppy area is kept separately to ensure our older sponsor dogs get the best possible chance of a home, and only those owners who are able to take on the responsibilities of puppy ownership are able to meet the tiniest centre residents.

Admissions kennels, where new dogs are health checked and processed are blocked off into sections to ensure that any incidence of communicable disease can be quickly isolated. The state-of-the-art vet suite is a favourite place for student vets to observe and learn alongside the resident trained professionals who carry out the entry and exit health checks, vaccinations, neutering and microchipping that every dog will undergo.

Three sets of exercise compounds (concrete, sand and grass) complement the many acres of ex-farmland that can be used to walk the dogs and play with them. In addition, an on-site training centre where new owners can be supported in creating a bond with their eager pet means that the number of people finding themselves unable to cope with dog ownership is greatly reduced.

Visiting Harefield brought home to me more than ever why we at HQ do what we do on a daily basis. Sitting in our London office, it could be easy to forget what a difference can be made to the lives of abandoned, unwanted and mistreated dogs, but the excited welcoming bark of a happy, hopeful dog waiting in the centre to find his forever home reminded me of how little dogs ask for and how much they give in return.

From petting a silky-soft Border Collie pup as he turned his chocolate eyes towards me and snuffled into my palm, to seeing a volunteer being greeted with grateful affection by the Golden Retriever he was taking out for a walk, I was reminded of how very passionate and committed our staff, volunteers, sponsors and donors are. It's a humbling experience, and I hope I can serve them well.

You can visit a centre any time, but an ideal way to see West London Rehoming Centre at its best is to attend the annual Open Day. This year it is on Sunday 8th June. Starting at 11am, it will include the annual Fun Dog Show, judged by none other than Graham Norton and his canine companions, a Kids Activity Area packed with go-karting, football and facepainting fun hosted by CBeebies presenter Sarah Jane Honeywell and an absolute host of other fun activities and events. Call (01895) 453 951 for more information.