Gentle giants of the canine world cheered up weekend Angus shoppers as a local group took the lead on raising awareness of rescued Saint Bernards.
Increasing numbers of the breed famed for its Alpine rescues are now finding themselves at the centre of a search for a new home, and Arbroath dog lover Phil Pudney is involved with the Scottish branch of Saving Saints Rescue UK, which he revealed is gathering in dogs from as far afield as the Baltic states and beyond.
At a Saturday fundraising event outside Arbroath’s Pets at Home store, Phil said many owners were simply finding the dogs too big and costly to look after, with growing numbers finding their way to the rescue charity.
“They are big dogs and are quite hard to re-home because they need a lot of space, a big vehicle and eat a lot of food,” said ex-soldier Phil.
“But they are a very satisfying pet because they are such gentle, loving animals.”
Phil is one of six trustees of the charity across the UK who work together to find new homes for Saints, after becoming involved with the breed when he got his dog Rory nine years ago.
“I have two of my own dogs and two rescue dogs just now so they take up a lot of room.
“Rory is such a great dog, I got him when he was just one he is a registered Therapet and it is such a pleasure to see the joy he brings to people when you take him into the hospital.
He added: “We are trying to raise the profile of the group through events like this because it costs a lot of money to rescue St Bernards throughout the UK, Europe and even farther afield.”
Phil also revealed the sad story behind one dog which was rescued from a working life as a sheep dog in Russia where its ears and tail had been cut off to stop wolves from getting at them while it protected the flock.
“We’re looking at three or four rescue dogs coming in a month so it’s great when we are well received by everybody at events like this and we are going to do more of them,” added Phil, who can be contacted on 07718 405233 or through the Saving Saints Rescue UK Facebook page.