THREE puppies are ready to be rehomed after being hand reared by staff at the Dogs Trust Salisbury centre.

The terrier-cross puppies were handed into the centre on January 20 at just seven hours old and weighing 25g, as their mother couldn’t look after them anymore.

The staff at the centre named them Mouse, Monkey and Meerkat, and they have been working round the clock to give them the best start in life.

Jacinta Browne, the rehoming centre’s manager, said: “We have been hand rearing these pups for the past eight weeks. In order to hand rear them, we have to simulate all the jobs that mum normally does, which includes feeding them every two hours, even throughout the night.

"The team take it in turns to look after the pups to do this. Hand rearing puppies is very difficult; sadly there was a fourth puppy that didn’t make it, which was devastating for the staff.

"We would stress that neutering your pets really is paramount to prevent unwanted litters like these poor little ones.”

The puppies are now eight weeks old and they will be looking for new homes this week. Staff are looking for very special homes for the puppies with families that are fairly experienced and used to terriers.

To find out more, visit the centre in Newton Tony, call 01980 629634 or go to dogstrust.org.uk.

For people thinking about getting a puppy, Dogs Trust and The Kennel Club have launched a puppy socialisation plan, which provides advice on how to give puppies the best start in life. Visit thepuppyplan.com.