Abandoned dogs facing being put down in Dundee are finding new homes – thanks to the power of social media.
Brown Street Kennels, which takes in dogs that have been abandoned or which their owners are no longer able to look after – set up its own Facebook page in June to help with their appeals for new homes.
Photographs of each dog taken in are posted, along with descriptions of their personalities.
The site has now attracted thousands of followers and has now helped re-home dozens of dogs.
At one point, the kennels were emptied entirely of strays and waifs because the response was so great.
More than 1500 dogs have been found roaming the streets of Dundee since 2010. Most find new owners but over 100 have been put down over the past five years because they could not be re-homed.
However, the new Facebook page is helping to make that fate less likely.
Craig Melville, convener of Dundee City Council’s environment convener, said new dogs are still coming into the kennels all the time but the Facebook page has led to an increase in interest.
He said: “We decided to set up a Facebook page to help maximise the exposure for the dogs that have, unfortunately, been abandoned and there has been an upsurge in interest.
“I think the kennels have sometimes been overlooked and the page was a way to tackle that.”
Mr Melville said that anyone who sees a dog they want to take in on the Facebook page still has to be vetted to ensure they can provide a suitable home.
“People are vetted in exactly the same way. They need to be an appropriate home,” he said.
“It also works both ways. People who find they are struggling to look after a dog or where their circumstances have changed see there is somewhere it can be re-homed.”
Mr Melville added: “The sad reality is there will always be abandoned dogs.”
He also paid tribute to staff and volunteers at Brown Street Kennels.
“They do an excellent job,” he said.
“There are some quite challenging dogs but they take great care of them all. They are great professionals.”
The page can be viewed at Facebook.