On 6th January Neil Morrissey pledged his support for the plight of homeless dogs across the country as he helped launch The Pedigree Adoption Drive with The Big Walk. Neil joined forces with Pedigree, Battersea Dogs & Cats Home and over 50
re-homed dogs and their owners, as they walked together through Battersea Park, London, to highlight the issue of abandoned dogs in the UK.

The campaign aims to encourage people thinking about getting a dog to consider adopting a rescue.

All dogs should be part of a loving family but, every year, thousands find themselves abandoned. That's why The Pedigree Adoption Drive has been launched. Re-homing centres do a fantastic job, providing food, care and a safe haven for homeless dogs until they can be found a long-term, loving home. They depend entirely on private donations as they receive no government funding.

The campaign hopes to raise funds and also raise awareness of the wonderful work these centres do. They hope it will encourage dog lovers to support their local centre and let people know about the thousands of abandoned dogs who are looking for a loving home.

Can you give a dog a loving home?
Thinking about adopting. The Pedigree Adoption Drive website has a helpful set of questions you can ask yourself. Visit Ten things to think about first and take a look at their useful Adoption Questionnaire.

If you've never owned a dog before, you can read all about Becoming a responsible dog owner.

Show your support
Show your support and help spread the word by buying a t-shirt. If you want to donate food or blankets directly to a re-homing centre, fancy spending some of your free time helping out as a volunteer or would like to see what dogs are available for adoption, you'll need to get in touch with your local dog re-homing centre. The Pedigree Adoption Drive website helps you do that with their Find a dog re-homing centre page.

“I adopted Tiggy, my six year old rescue dog from The Mayhew Animal Home in Kensal Rise three years ago. I fully support The Pedigree Adoption Drive Campaign because it is a really worthwhile cause. Owning a dog is so rewarding and I’d recommend it to anyone. There are so many great dogs in rescue centres that deserve a loving home. Rescue centres are dependent on charitable donations that are run mostly by volunteers and they always have the dogs’ welfare in mind. My advice to anyone thinking of getting a dog is to do pay a visit to your local rescue centre. You can pick up any type of dog from the most mixed breed to a pedigree. The centres are great at giving you advice and helping you to choose the best dog for your family.”

Neil Morrissey with rescue dog Tiggy

www.pedigreeadoptiondrive.com