Santa has come early to all the furry residents spending Christmas in the care of Dogs Trust Ireland while dreaming of finding their forever homes in 2023.
Supporters of the charity generously donated hundreds of toys which 'Santa Paws and his elves' kindly lined up for the dogs in the charity’s rehoming centre in Finglas, Dublin. Each dog was allowed in, one at a time and using methods known only to themselves, selected a toy to take back to their kennel.
Some dogs were straight in, immediately selecting their toy with an admirable decisiveness, while others were far more selective, sniffing, testing and picking up multiple toys before making that important final decision.
While we can marvel at how each dog chooses only one toy in the wholesome and uplifting video, a Collie cross called Queenie decided one toy was simply not enough for her in an hilarious escapade, somehow managing to play with multiple toys at once.
As many of the dogs featured in the video are nervous of unfamiliar people, Dogs Trust believes selecting a toy brings out their true personalities and allows potential adopters to see the ‘real them’ which may take a few months to emerge in a new home.
Last year’s video was shared worldwide and viewed over 20 million times on the charity’s social media platforms so, Dogs Trust is hoping it will be a similar success this year and "helps find each dog the loving adopters they deserve, so they can spend next Christmas with a family of their own".
As the charity receives no government funding and relies solely on the generosity of its supporters, you can donate via www.DogsTrust.ie/SantaPaws to help them continue their life-saving work and to care for as many dogs as possible, all around Ireland.
Find Dogs Trust on Facebook, and Instagram or follow the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #SantaPawsDay