The Dogs Trust has responded to concerns about the difficulty in adopting a dog through the service, citing the great amount of interest that each dog may receive.

The concerns were raised by Hindon resident Dorothy Graham, who wrote a letter to the Journal in response to data released by the Dogs Trust that the Salisbury location was at “full capacity” as of Sunday, August 27.

Dorothy explained that in 2021, her 13-year-old border collie died in 2021, after which she applied to rehome a seven-year-old collie from the Salisbury Dogs Trust.

Dorothy said: “I am very familiar with the breed and am a member of a Dog Obedience Team and would take any dog I re-homed for training by our behaviourist.”

She further explained that she was retired so there would be little need to leave the dog alone for extended periods of time. She also has a garden with a fence tall enough to prevent a dog from escaping.

Dorothy’s application was met with a rejection, with no explanation or right of appeal.

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Dorothy further claimed that the dog she had tried to rehome remained on the organisation’s website months later and after discussing it with others, her experience did not seem unusual, with “20 people” telling her that they had been turned down by the Dogs Trust for an adoption.

She said: “In fact all the people I spoke to had resorted to applying to centres bringing in dogs from abroad and in most instances were successful as these centres were happy to engage and help in any way possible.”

In response, the Dogs Trust issued a statement detailing its adoption selection process and citing the high interest that some dogs can receive.

The Dogs Trust said: “Our rehoming requirements are considered on a case-by-case basis to ensure that we find the right home for each and every dog in our care.  We are committed to rehoming as many dogs as we can, as safely as we can.

“Many dogs may receive dozens of applications, particularly puppies and popular breeds. Every application is reviewed, in the order they are received, against each of the dog’s needs, and we must always choose the most suitable application. We fully believe in our rehoming process, and every decision is made with the best interest of the dog at heart.

“Many factors are taken into account when reviewing applications, including working hours, regular holidays, and other commitments. Additionally, some of our dogs have specific lifestyle requirements, ongoing training needs, and location requirements, which must be considered. This could mean an individual is not the best fit for a particular dog, however this doesn’t mean we won’t have another dog in the future that could suit that person.

“Sometimes a home might not be the right fit for a particular dog, but we believe there is a dog for everyone.”