Doggy daycare calls for donations to help give dogs at The Stubbington Ark their best Christmas ever

Staff at Pawswoof Doggy Daycare in Claybank Road, Portsmouth, aim to give back to pets who will be spending their Christmas at The Stubbington Ark RSPCA centre as they wait for their forever homes.

Operation Good Dog was an idea created by one of Pawswoof’s directors, Holly Bastow, when she saw the shops have started to bring out presents and decorations.

The 22-year-old said: ‘Being such a commercial time of year, I always go overboard with toys and treats for my own dogs, after all, in today’s day and age where we humanise our pets, they are in a sense like our children. I know a lot of others who are the same.

‘Then I started thinking about all the dogs who don’t have a home or a family to spoil them like they deserve... my heart was really breaking at the idea.

‘Christmas is supposed to be a time for family, and the dogs at the RSPCA don’t have a forever family to spoil them - but that doesn’t mean they should miss out, they are just as good and as deserving as our dogs at home.’

The centre is calling on the public to help with donations of shoe boxes, blankets, beds, treats, dog food, toys, towels, activity feeders, balls, brushes and everything in between.

Toys do not have to be new, and the Stubbington Ark is most in need of treats and enrichment toys but will gratefully receive any donations.

This is the first Pawswoof fundraising campaign since it opened in March this year, started by Holly with her fellow directors Vicki Campbell and Ben Standen.

The team will be packaging donations into gift boxes, wrapping them up and delivering them to the RSPCA in the final week leading up to Christmas.

Holly said: ‘All dogs matter. They have given myself and others so much joy in life, it only seems right we try and give them some joy back.

‘We would be incredibly grateful for any donations to help make their Christmas a little bit brighter.’