A BROMSGROVE veterinary surgery has collected more than 100 shoe boxes full of items to help dogs owned by homeless people this Christmas.
The packages, created by Clent Hills Vets, contain dog coats, collars and leads, dog food and biscuits and Christmas toys or treats.
Some of the festive hampers also include a Christmas card for the dog’s owner and a voucher for coffee shops or food chains which accept dogs.
The vets, which has practices in Bromsgrove, Rubery and Hagley, took part in the StreetVet scheme, which was set up in London in 2016 to provide veterinary support services to the homeless and their dogs.
It now runs support programmes in eight cities across the UK with plans for expansion in 2019.
Clent Hills Vets put out an appeal on social media at the start of November for shoe box hampers to be donated at its practices.
All the boxes collected were sorted by veterinary nurses Sarah Male and Chrissie Poke.
They then distributed them to homeless people in Worcester, Kidderminster and Birmingham where they worked with the StreetVet team and the charity Hope.
A StreetVet spokesperson said: “Homelessness is a growing problem in the UK and an increasing number of homeless people have dogs.
“The bond between many homeless people and their dogs is profound and the health and wellbeing of their canine companions is often a major priority for their owners.”
Sarah Male, registered veterinary nurse from the Hagley Clent Hills Vets, said: “The sheer number of shoe boxes dropped off at our three practices was overwhelming.
“Being able to give pets and their owners living on the streets a box of essential items plus some treats was an incredibly rewarding things to do.”
