Dogs Trust Ballymena reveals plans to welcome public back

As public health restrictions are eased in Northern Ireland, the team at Dogs Trust Ballymena are excited to announce plans to welcome the public back for the first time in months to the local rehoming centre.

Since the pandemic hit in early 2020, Dogs Trust Ballymena has been continuing to take in, care for and rehome dogs, thanks to our amazing team and local supporters. During this time, the team established a virtual rehoming process which has been a huge success, levelling the playing field for many dogs who have been previously overlooked by potential new families.

Conor O’Kane, Rehoming Centre Manager at Dogs Trust Ballymena, said:

“Amid the upheaval of the past year, we have been incredibly proud of how our team has overcome the challenges faced, to do the best by our dogs. The pandemic has allowed us to try new things and take valuable learnings away to inform new processes.

“As restrictions lift, we will be continuing with our successful virtual rehoming process to match dogs with their new owners.

Explaining plans to welcome the public back at the Centre, Conor explained:

“We love being part of the local community and want to start welcoming people back to the centre, while continuing to put the wellbeing of our dogs and staff first. From June 20th, members of the local dog-loving public can book a slot to visit the centre on one of our Information Days, held every Sunday between 12-4pm.

“Visitors will be able to meet our friendly staff, see the best of Dogs Trust Ballymena including our state-of-the-art kennels and – most importantly – see some of our gorgeous dogs spending time with their canine carers. Information Days will not have a rehoming focus, and anyone who is interested in rehoming a dog from us will be directed to the virtual rehoming process to begin their rehoming journey.

“We believe these more intimate visitor Information Days will help our dogs to start to feel comfortable again in the presence of members of the public, while helping us to keep staff and visitors safe.”

Concluding, Conor said:

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank local dog lovers for their continued support and for helping us do what’s best for the dogs in our care!”

To book a slot on one of the Dogs Trust Ballymena Information Days, please visit www.dogstrust.org.uk/ourcentres.

If you are interested in rehoming a dog, please visit http://www.dogstrust.org.uk/rehoming to find out more about the virtual rehoming process.