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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
National
Alexandra Rucki

Manchester Dogs' Home is still caring for dozens of abandoned pooches - but needs your help

Despite the coronavirus lockdown, life has gone on as normal for the 100 homeless dogs currently being cared for at Manchester Dogs' Home.

Staff have been continuing to look after the pooches around the clock, while maintaining social distancing measures.

Due to the restrictions in place the home, in Harpurhey, is shut to the public and at the moment the dogs are not available for rehoming.

Those on furlough have been in touch offering to foster dogs while they are not working.

But a decision has been made to not allow fostering, as it would become distressful for animals then having to return back to the home again.

Steve Mapley, manager at the home, said like a lot of charities at the moment, the shelter has seen a drop in donations.

Manchester Dogs' Home remains shut to the public (Sean Hansford Manchester Evening)

With the home being shut, there have not been visitors popping in to make cash donations and people have been unable to leave their homes to drop bags of food off.

Staff at the home have said they recognise there are people struggling to find spare cash at the moment due to furlough and pay cuts.

However, they are appealing for anybody who has a little bit of money left at the end of the month to make a donation to help them continue to care for the dogs or to add a bag of dog food to their weekly shop.

To make a donation online visit here.

Staff have been continuing to look after the homeless dogs during lockdown (Manchester Evening News)

Steve told the M.E.N: "We are in a similar situation to most other charities, our donations have taken a major hit.

"But we do recognise this is because people are on furlough.

"We had a great buy a dog a Christmas meal campaign. We are coming out of the other side of that, and still need food donations.

"If people want to help with food donations, that is great. We are desperate for food. The best way to help is to give us a call or visit the Justigiving page and donate money online.

Operations will be different when Manchester Dogs' Home can re-open again (Manchester Evening News)

"If they do want to come out, we have measures in place so people can drop it off the gate. The staff will go out and pick items up at the gate.

"We understand people don't want to go out and understand people are on furlough. But we are grateful for any spare pennies."

When the home is eventually allowed to re-open, Steve said operations will be a bit different.

He said: "We are still closed to the public. We have no definite answer on when we are going to be able to open.

"There will be social distancing measures in place. We can't have people coming in en masse like we used to.

"People will have to be understanding when we do open, it will be a bit of a different set up to what we had previously."

Only two people have not been able to work during the lockdown due to health reasons and family members falling ill with coronavirus.

Steve praised the staff for continuing to take care of the dogs, who are also enjoying getting more attention than usual.

He said: "I have been incredibly lucky the team have been absolutely amazing.

"In a crisis the team are amazing. We are to just trying to get on with it really.

"The staff do have more time to spend with the dogs, they are getting more attention and they are loving getting to spend more time with us. We would normally be running around speaking to adoptees.

"The staff have just been getting on with it. The key workers have been recognised, but the guys in animal welfare still working have been overlooked a bit.

"They are getting on with it and making sure the animals are looked after."

To make a donation online visit justgiving.com/dogshome.

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