First young dogs welcomed at special puppy unit

Please note that this was written in 2016. The pets are no longer available for rehoming.

Two homeless puppies have become the first to enjoy dedicated facilities at our newly reopened purpose built rehoming centre in Suffolk.

Sandy, a 16-week-old golden retriever and Blue, a 10-week-old Labrador cross Staffordshire bull terrier, came into Blue Cross care after their owners were unable to keep them.

Both are being looked after in the Ipswich centre’s special puppy unit, which has been specifically designed to give young dogs the best start in life.

Andrew Gillon, Centre Manager at Blue Cross in Suffolk, explains: “We didn’t have a dedicated puppy facility at our old centre so it’s a vast improvement for us and for the pets we care for.

“The unit offers spacious, comfy kennels that are located next to our team room, separated by a large sliding door which means when our staff and volunteers are in there, they can open the room up and help socialise the puppies.

“It means they can get used to lots of different sounds, a bit like they would living in a home – and it helps prepare them for their new life.”

As well as a dedicated puppy area, the rehoming centre, which is eight times bigger than the charity’s previous centre in Felixstowe, also offers exercise areas for the pups to play in while they wait for new homes.

Andrew added: “Blue and Sandy are lovely dogs and we won’t have any trouble finding them new homes. As cute as puppies are, they require a lot of time and effort and can be hard work, so we would urge people to do lots of research before getting one and make sure they can offer a young dog everything it needs. Taking on a rescue pet is hugely rewarding so if anyone is thinking about taking on new companion, do come and visit us!”

The new facilities also include an onsite veterinary clinic to treat centre pets, a dedicated kitten area, and 20 acres of neighbouring woodland for dog walking.

The new centre means the charity will be able to double the number of pets it can help each year from 400.

Pedigree’s Feeding Brighter  Futures fund kindly supported the build of the Puppy Unit in Suffolk with a grant of £20k.