Aston Villa have been supporting the work of a local charity – and were recently surprised by some special visitors.
Six female Staffordshire Bull Terrier-cross puppies were dumped in a bin in mid-October, and were spotted by a local resident in Aston. Birmingham Dogs Home took the puppies in – and the six are now named Daly, Ellie, Stan, Océane, Kirsty and Gabi, in honour of Villa players Rachel Daly, Ellie Roebuck, Lucy Staniforth, Océane Deslandes, Kirsty Hanson and Gabi Nunes.
The puppies were surprise guests at a training session at Bodymoor last week.
Aston Villa player Hanson: “Hoping they find a loving home”
Goalkeeper Roebuck, one of the players who now shares her name with a puppy, said in a press statement: “This was such a lovely surprise, and it lifted the squad’s spirits. Knowing what these pups went through and seeing how safe and content they are now made me feel really emotional. Birmingham Dogs Home have given them an incredible level of care.
“Meeting my little namesake made my day, and I am planning to visit the centre soon to spend time with even more of the dogs. We hope this encourages people to support Birmingham Dogs Home and helps more dogs find the loving homes they deserve.”
Hanson added on Instagram: “Hoping they find a loving home they deserve, thank you for visiting.”
And in a positive update, Birmingham Dogs Home replied to Hanson, saying: “They are just doing meets! Fingers crossed they will be in new homes next week.”
The puppies are expected to be adopted once they are fully weaned, vaccinated and healthy, and Birmingham Dogs Home and Aston Villa are expected to work together more in the run-up to Christmas.
Birmingham Dogs Home, founded in 1891, cares for stray, abandoned and unwanted dogs 24 hours a day, receiving no government funding and caring for more than 2,000 dogs annually.
