Dickensian dogs find festive love
DOGS who found themselves in rescue kennels in the run-up to Christmas were given Dickensian character names to mark the season.
Tiny Tim, Bob Cratchit, Mr Fezziwig, Belle, Ebby, Jacob and Humbug - inspired by characters from A Christmas Carol - were among the monikers given to four-legged friends who ended up at Leicester Animal Aid’s (LAA) Huncote kennels in December.
The literary labels seemed doubly appropriate as the cast of Scrooge the musical, at Leicester’s Curve paid a visit to the Forest Road centre, where LAA fundraising manager Izzy Tutcher is the great-great-greatgranddaughter of Dickens himself.
Most of the festively named furries including Carol, Jingle, Star and Eve have already been re-homed.
But Tiny Tim, a five-year-old male Chihuahua, and Bob Cratchit, a threeyear-old male German Shepherd, were still looking for their forever homes at the time of going to press.
LAA staff describe long-haired Tiny Tim - who is not at all frail like his fictional namesake - as small and lively with “bags of personality”.
He would need to be an only dog in a household but would be comforta- ble with older teenage children.
Bob Cratchit was so matted when he arrived that he couldn’t even be groomed by kennel staff.
He needed to have his fur shaved, under sedation, and is now wearing Christmas jumpers to keep warm.
LAA staff describe him as a “family man” who would prefer not to be left alone for long hours and travels well in a car.
Lots more information on these and other dogs looking for forever homes can be found on the LAA website.
Dogs at the kennels can be seen, without an appointment, between 10am and 2.30pm every day apart from on Wednesdays when potential human and canine matches are given time to meet each other on a one-to-one basis to assess compatibility.