Dogs Trust Merseyside: 22 loving puppies and dogs looking for a forever home in Liverpool and Merseyside
Dominic Raynor
·7-min read
Beatrice is a Staffordshire Bull Terrier Cross and was found hiding under a bush and had appeared to have been there all night. Aged between 2 --5 years she is a medium sized dog. Beatrice can live with children around the age of 10, but will need to be the only pet at home. We believe she has lived in a home previously, and could be house trained. (Photo: Dogs Trust Merseyside)
A number of adorable dogs at Dogs Trust Merseyside are hoping to find their forever families, with many having troublesome lives so far.
Damning findings by the RSPCA show that cruelty towards dogs increased by 10% in Merseyside last year, with an average of four dogs treated poorly per day. Many of the dogs in the care of Dogs Trust have experienced abuse or have been abandoned by their owners, and the Merseyside centre is looking for people to care for them.
Currently, 60 pups are up for adoption at Dogs Trust Merseyside, with the charity seeing more people giving up their pets as a result of the cost of living crisis.
Gorgeous Glenda the Lurcher has been a big hit with staff at the centre as she’s so super friendly. She is a large and lively dog who can live with children aged 14 and over, but needs to be the only dog at home. Dogs Trust cannot guarantee that she is house trained, and she will definitely need some basic training. (Photo: Dogs Trust Merseyside)
Take a look at some of the rescue centre’s recent additions, who are extremely adorable and guaranteed to brighten your day. Could you provide them with a second chance?
Teddy is a Patterdale Terrier, aged 2-5, who needs a home with no other pets or children. He is an active boy, always on the go, and is not looking to be a lap dog! He loves to be out and about and would love a family who shares his love of exploring and adventures. (Photo: Dogs Trust Merseyside)
Pilot is a Greyhound around Merseyside. Pilot can live with children of high school age but will need to be the only dog at home. He is an ex-racer who has always lived in kennels and will need time to adjust to life in a home. He can live with secondary school age children. (Photo: Dogs Trust Merseyside)
Angel is an American Bulldog and a shy girl who lacks confidence, but over time she has warmed to her carers. When she knows you, she is always excited to see you. Angel enjoys her walks but she’s rather ploddy and will make frequent stops, so don’t take her anywhere you need to be in a hurry! She could live with children aged 14 and over. She will walk along side other dogs however doesn’t appreciate much interaction with them, therefore we would recommend her being the only dog in the home. (Photo: Dogs Trust Merseyside)
Athena is a German Shepherd puppy in search of a home around Merseyside. She needs an quiet environment free of other pets and ideally away from neighbouring dogs, but can live with children aged 14 and over. (Photo: Dogs Trust )
Brandy is a Jack Russell Terrier close, looking for a home where any children are over the age of 12. He will need somebody at home for most of the day to help with some basic training and cannot live with other pets. (Photo: Dogs Trust )
Bruce is a Boerboel cross who will need to be the only dog as his social skills are somewhat lacking. He is house trained, can live with children of high school age and be left alone for a couple of hours. (Photo: Dogs Trust )
Clifford is a Labrador Retriever who needs an adult only environment. He is very nervous and finds the outside world quite frightening at the moment. (Photo: Dogs Trust )
Daisy is a Jack Russell Terrier who is worried by other dogs and doesn’t like cats so will need to be the only pet at home. Daisy has a grade five heart murmur and will need medication for the rest of her life. (Photo: Dogs Trust )
Diesel is a crossbreed who needs to be homed with no other pets or children. Dogs Trust have no history on him so can’t guarantee that he is housetrained. (Photo: Dogs Trust)
Fern is a Lurcher, looking for a home as the only pet and where any children are confident and around the age of 10. She is fully house trained, but not used to being left for more than an hour or two, so will need somebody at home and able to build this time up gradually for her. (Photo: Dogs Trust)
Freya is a Terrier who needs a home where everybody is over the age of 16. She cannot share her home with any cats but she could potentially live with another calm dog, who won’t bother her to play too much. Freya is house trained but does not like to be left alone for too long so any leaving hours would need to be built up slowly once she has settled in. (Photo: Dogs Trust)
Greta is a Saluki cross looks for a home with another dog. She can live with children of high school age and needs a secure garden with a high fence. She needs someone to be home with her all day. (Photo: Dogs Trust )
Lily is an Alaskan Malamute who can live with children over the age of 10 but needs to be the only pet as she can be very picky with dogs. She is house trained abut will howl if left for more than a couple of hours or so. Lily has some pain in her hips and will need pain relief for the rest of her life. She is also intolerant to wheat. (Photo: Dogs Trust )
Luka is a Pomeranian cross in need of an experienced and active, adult only home. He could potentially live with a well matched female dog and a confident cat. He is house trained and once settled could be left for a couple of hours without worry. (Photo: Dogs Trust)
Max is a nervous little crossbreed, looking for a home without children or other pets. He struggles if left by himself even for a short time, so needs someone there all day with him. (Photo: Dogs Trust)
Niko is a Siberian Husky who enjoys quiet walks. He needs a home where any visiting or resident children are teenage, and where he is the only pet. He is house trained and once settled could be left for two hours. (Photo: Dogs Trust)
Opie is a Lurcher cross, who will need somebody at home for much of the time whilst he settles in. He can live with any children who are over the age of 12, but no pets. (Photo: Dogs Trust )
Parsnip is a Border Collie who can live with children of high school age but needs to be the only pet as he can be reactive to some dogs. He will most likely need someone at home with him during the day whilst he gets used to a new life an builds up his confidence. (Photo: Dogs Trust)
Sonny is a Belgian Shepherd who needs a committed, active family who are wiling to keep him mentally and physically fit. He must be the only pet at home, and any children resident or visiting over the age of 14 (Photo: Dogs Trust)
Thor is a Dogue De Bordeaux who needs an adult only home with no other pets. He was previously house trained and can be left alone for a few hours once he’s settled back into home life. Thor has issues with his skin that require daily medication. (Photo: Dogs Trust )
South Yorkshire’s police and crime commissioner says he ‘doesn’t agree’ that owners of XL bully dogs are the problem rather than the breed, ahead of a government ban on such dogs.
The dad of a toddler whose face was "ripped off" by a pitbull says there should be tighter restrictions around "dangerous" breeds - including the XL bully. JJ Rodriguez, now three, was playing outside in his front yard with his older sisters just before he was brutally attacked by a neighbour's pitbull on February 20, 2022. The tot was left in a critical condition after the attack with his face ripped apart, his skull exposed, and his jaw torn apart. His injuries were so severe a priest was called to his bedside. JJ had to stay in the Oklahoma Children's Hospital for three-and-a-half months and has since had 12 surgeries - including extensive facial reconstruction. JJ's dad, Jose, 34, believes "when you own a pitbull, you’re putting everyone around you at risk". Jose, a forklift operator, from Spencer, Oklahoma, US, said: “JJ was a dog lover - but these pitbulls scalped him - they took his nose, jaw and cheekbones off. “People have tried to say it was our fault for allowing JJ to play around the dogs - but the reality is, when you own a pitbull, you’re putting everyone around you at risk.” The incident happened when Jose and his wife, Cassandra, 33, a stay-at-home mum, let their seven children play outside. Cassandra watched them from the front door as they played with teddy bears and sat down by some flower beds, while Jose was showering before work. After he got out of the shower, he spoke to Cassandra - who picked up their youngest child, Olivia, then five months old, and took her inside for "a minute". In the time it took for Cassandra to turn her back - the pair heard JJ begin to scream - and came out to find three pitbulls dragging him along. Jose said: “I started screaming 'no' and I just ran towards the dogs. “I was fighting with them - trying to physically put myself between them and JJ. "I got injured too - but it was like nothing compared to what happened to him. “These dogs did not want to stop - it was like a pack mentality. They wanted to kill my son.” After 30 seconds of struggle between Jose, JJ and the dogs - Jose saw his opportunity when the “leader” opened its mouth - and threw his arm in there, giving JJ time to escape. They ran off but JJ was left with life-threatening injuries. His sister, Khloe, 13, dialled 911. “I turned JJ around,” Jose said. “I thought he was dead. But then, he started crying and I was filled with hope. “I looked at his face, and there was just nothing there. I could see into his throat - and he was choking on his own blood. “I’m usually such a highly-strung, stressed-out kind of guy. But I was extremely calm. I kept rubbing his back, telling him he was going to be OK.” The family did exactly as the 911 operator instructed - wrapping JJ’s entire head up in order to keep his wounds clean. But when the firefighters - who were first on the scene - arrived, they immediately called for back up. Jose said: “I heard the firefighter say ‘oh f**k. This baby’s dying.’ “We drove to the hospital, after the ambulance took him away. It was the longest ride of my life.” JJ was rushed into surgery - and his parents were told his chances of surviving were low. “The nurse told us about dog attacks on toddlers and how 70 per cent of the time, they’re fatal,” Jose said. “And we knew JJ had been attacked by multiple dogs. “The surgeon even asked us if we’d like to call a priest.” JJ was in surgery for 16 hours - he had a tracheostomy, “his face stitched back together”, and a feeding tube inserted. He was placed into an induced coma for four days and stayed in hospital for three months. JJ says Jose became frightened of dogs after the attack and even struggled with dogs barking on cartoon Paw Patrol. “A psychologist came in and said he now has a fear of dogs which will be detrimental to his life,” Jose said. “We had to make the difficult decision to let him try exposure therapy - which involved working with a therapy dog. “It’s been very effective - and JJ is now fine with dogs, for the most part.” JJ is still in recovery - and surgeons have predicted he’ll need a further 30 to 40 operations in his lifetime. He continues to be treated with recreational, exposure and occupational therapy - and has needed to learn to walk, talk, sleep and eat again from scratch. Jose said: “JJ is extremely confident - in fact, he radiates confidence - he has a very loud and charming personality. “He agrees with people when they say he’s a hero - and he’s obsessed with the idea of becoming a policeman when he grows up. “He’s goofy, he’s silly, he loves to prank people - and he’s intelligent, too.” Alongside JJ’s rehabilitation, Jose and Cassandra are fighting for more legislation surrounding dangerous dogs - and they believe the current laws in Oklahoma are “archaic”. Jose said: “In the state of Oklahoma, dog bites are very outdated. "We have this thing called the ‘One Bite’ law - in which country dogs are allowed one free bite. “I didn’t know any of this until it happened to my son. “The jaw-dropping thing is - nurses told us he was the 35th dog bite case they’d seen so far that year. It was February.” Since the government in the UK announced plans to ban the XL bully by the end of the year, Jose said his family’s activism has been partially blamed by social media users - despite being US-based. “We got a ton of hate as soon as the XL bully ban was announced,” he said. “We’ve had to block hundreds of people over the last five days alone. “They say JJ’s story makes these breeds ‘look bad’ - but we need to be realistic. "It’s clear as day that all dogs have inherent genetic traits. “Golden Retrievers retrieve, right? So why is it that when it comes to breeds like pitbulls and bullies, it’s suddenly all about how they’re raised? “We have to address the main issue. "I want people to be cautious around all dangerous breeds. "Of course, all dogs attack - but these seem to be the problem children.”
These dog breeds can all make wonderful family pups but they may not always do exactly what they are told – and you certainly wouldn’t trust them with your snacks.
Taken from their mother, shut in a container, dumped in the woods - just a few hours old and probably with only a few hours left, if they didn't get help.
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St. Bernard dogs, one of Switzerland's national symbols that were internationally renowned for helping in alpine rescues, are now saving people in other ways. The Barry Foundation - a non-profit that took over breeding of the dog in 2005 from the world's oldest St. Bernard kennels high in the Swiss mountains - has helped the dogs transition to their new role as therapeutic and educational support dogs for vulnerable people. "The St. Bernard today is a breed that works on the social front," Andrea Zollinger, spokesperson for the foundation, said during a visit of its kennels in the city of Martigny, near the borders of Italy and France.
