MANY of us have been yearning for the company of a dog, or other lovable pet, to help us through these troubled times.

The Kennel Club reports unprecedented demand for puppies, with waiting lists increasing four-fold and prices double what they were before the coronavirus outbreak.

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There are even fears of a shortage of some breeds. But buying from a breeder is not the only option.

There are plenty of dogs, cats and small pets waiting to be ADOPTED.

Many animal charities have adapted their rehoming processes to comply with Covid-19 rules, including video introductions and socially-distanced handovers.

Here, Kate Jackson meets folk who have found their perfect pet in lockdown – and highlights some of the animals still awaiting homes.

HOW TO ADOPT

CHECK out pet-homing charity Blue Cross at bluecross.org.uk, and the Cats Protection charity at cats.org .uk/hands-free-homing.

The Dogs Trust is arranging appointments. See dogstrust.org.uk – and remember, a pet is for life.

'Dixie and my daughter are inseparable'

DIXIE the Dachshund cross is nine months old and was found as a stray and taken to the Dogs Trust Rehoming Centre in Glasgow.

She has now been adopted by Kathryn Borland, 55, from East Renfrewshire, and her daughter Zara, 18. Kathryn says:

"Zara had been asking me for a pet dog for some time and after the lockdown I saw an article recruiting for foster carers at Dogs Trust Glasgow.

I asked her if she would like to foster a dog but there was no way she would be able to give it up once it was brought home.

The rehoming process was done digitally. We filled out the questionnaire and returned it via email and provided pictures of our home environment.

We also spoke with the centre’s behaviour team, who explained a little bit more about Dixie’s character and how she doesn’t like to be left alone for too long.

Although I adopted Dixie, she is most definitely Zara’s dog as they are completely inseparable. I can’t even hug Zara without Dixie snuggling in between us.

She is the best little companion we could have hoped for and I am so grateful to the team at Glasgow for their support and for making the rehoming easy for us."

'Willow is adorable, we're proud to be her owners'

WILLOW, a two-year-old husky, was lucky enough to rehomed last month.

She is now settling into life with her new family, Anita Paley, 57, an assistant store manager, husband Trevor, 58, an office manager, daughter Bekkii, 20, and son Matthew, 19, in Crewe. Anita says:

"Adopting Willow involved sending photos of our house and garden and having a detailed chat over the phone with staff at the Dogs Trust Manchester. By the end of it, they felt confident we were the right family for her.

Then two members of the team brought her to us and we met in the garden, maintaining social distancing. We were able to get to know Willow while the team waited in the car, and luckily it all went very well.

Willow is absolutely adorable and has settled in really well. She is so friendly, loves to go out for walks and is very playful and nosey too.

In the short time we have had her, we have started doing some training, teaching her the basics.

She is responding really well, which is lovely. When we are out on walks people comment on how beautiful she is, and she really is striking.

We are very proud to be her owners as she is beautiful inside and out."

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'Shy Sid came out of his shell and rules the house'

SHY 12-year-old cat Sid spent 226 days between the Blue Cross rehoming centre in Lewknor, Oxon, and a foster home after his previous owners moved house.

Now he has his forever home with Ben Thomas, 33, a software developer, in Swindon. Ben says:

"I had been thinking about adopting a cat for a little while and because I was working from home I decided that now would be the perfect time.

Adopting Sid has definitely made lockdown happier and has given me something to take my mind off the pandemic and the uncertainty that comes with it. He’s also helped me get back into some sort of a routine, which had slipped when lockdown started.

Being an older cat, Sid is very set in his ways. When he first joined me he was a very scared and shy cat. But he has quickly come out of his shell to rule the house.

He is a very chatty chap who loves watching the world go by from the window sill – and reminding me that it’s meal time.

As I live alone and was not able to see family and friends during the lockdown, I can thank Sid for giving me companionship, a purpose and, more importantly, someone to talk to!"

'We made welcome sign before gerbils arrived'

GERBILS Dumpling, Coconut and Marshmallow have found a home with Anke Hendricks, 49, a vet, her husband Sebastian, 55, a doctor, and their two daughters, Anna, 11, and Inka, ten.

Dumpling, who is a year old, and her 12-week-old babies spent 47 days at the Blue Cross centre in Lewknor, Oxon. Anke, from Welwyn Garden City, Herts, says:

"Just at the start of lockdown we sadly had to put our dog down. Isabel was a rescue greyhound, coming up to ten years old, so the girls had always had her in their lives.

Losing Isobel left a terrible hole in our lives. Being at home so much over the last few weeks, we are constantly reminded of her.

Both Sebastian and I kept gerbils when we were younger and as we’re not in a position to have another dog at the moment, we thought that would be a good option.

They’re so inquisitive and charming. In many ways, being at home in lockdown is a good time to rehome animals and make sure they’re settled in.

The girls met the gerbils over video and Inka made a welcome sign ahead of them being dropped off at a safe distance.

The gerbils have brought a lot of joy to our lives in what was a very sad time. They have also given the girls something to focus on, not only during lockdown.­"

'Molly is quite enchanting'

FIVE-year-old grey and tortoiseshell Molly has a new home with Frances Jeater, an actor from Richmond, Surrey. Frances says:

"I have always had cats but my beloved Bertie died in January this year. He was 13.

All of a sudden, this living creature has gone. You can’t go out and hug people at the moment, but you can stroke a cat and that is so calming.

I had decided I wouldn’t have another one as I didn’t really want a kitten, but I missed having a cat terribly. Cats Protection was doing hands- free rehoming and I saw Molly on the website.

I couldn’t go and meet her but I wasn’t worried because there’s no such thing as a horrible cat. She has settled in beautifully and I find her quite enchanting.

She’s also bringing joy to my neighbour’s little boy who can’t play with other children but is enjoying stroking Molly in the garden."

'We met over FaceTime call'

MARVIN, a terrier cross, has brought joy to electrical contracts manager Matt Lay, 52, and his wife Sharon, 48, at their home in Lowestoft, Suffolk. Matt said:

"We lost our last dog Toby, a Yorkshire terrier, last year from a heart attack. Then when lockdown happened we decided it was time to get a dog again.

Marvin was found dumped by the side of the road and the Blue Cross received 140 applications for him.

He was in Ipswich, about an hour away, and because we couldn’t travel in lockdown, we had a FaceTime call so we could “meet” him.

We also filmed our house so the staff could check everything was pet-friendly.

He has given us some focus through all this and it has been a breath of fresh air. Marvin is there to put a smile on our faces."

'He's bonded so well and follows son everywhere'

SEVEN-year-old Wilfey has made himself right at home with Claire Blekkenhorst, 49, an event manager for The Police Federation, her husband Willem, 47, a funeral director, her son Cooper, 11, and Willem’s daughter, Erin, eight. Claire, from Sutton, Surrey, says:

"We are so in love with our Wilfey. For a seven-year-old cat he is super-playful and inquisitive. He has loads of toys but, to be honest, his favourite game is to chase his own tail and we could watch him doing that for hours.

We lost our first cat, Boyd, in January. I honestly couldn’t imagine another cat coming into our lives and being adored so much, but it turns out it is possible.

When we realised we would all be home together in lockdown and not likely to go on holiday, we were desperate for a cat. We didn’t choose him, we asked Cats Protection to match us with a friendly older cat.

The drop-off was quite strange as he was brought in a carrier with a blanket over the top and put down on our drive while the handler moved back to the road so we could keep our distance.

He has bonded so well, especially with my son, and follows him everywhere, They have become firm friends and sleep together every night."

'We sat waiting at the window like kids for her'

EX-RACING greyhound Lily was at Dogs Trust Evesham, Worcs, for three months.

In April, she found her forever home with Sarah Arnott, 42, a PA, her husband Dean, 49, a bricklayer, and their 13-year-old son Charlie in Staffs. Sarah says:

"Earlier this year we unfortunately lost our pet American cocker spaniel, which left a huge gap in our lives.

We made our initial enquiries with Dogs Trust, completed a homefinder application and had a telephone chat with their rehoming team to make sure we were the right home for Lily.

Due to the current crisis and the new social-distancing measures, we sent the team a video of our house and garden so they could see that it would be suitable for Lily.

Lily was checked by a vet on the day she came to us and we sat waiting at the window like little children for her arrival.

Again, due to the social distancing, Lily was handed over to us in the garden on a long lead.

We received lots of online help and guidance and regular catch-ups and calls from the local centre and head office while she settled in.

Lily has only been with us a couple of weeks but she has brought enormous fun, joy and enrichment to our lives. And she is spoiled rotten."

'I was instantly smitten with crossbreed Hank'

HANK, a four-month-old crossbreed, was born as part of a litter at the Dogs Trust Leeds Rehoming Centre just before lockdown.

Out of 60 potential adopters, it was Kim Crossley, 56, a retired community nursery nurse, from Morley, West Yorks, who took him home. She says:

"After my last dog Ben sadly passed away, I swore I would never get another because of how heartbroken I was. However, in recent years my husband and I would go away to our caravan in the summer and I would comment on how idyllic the setting was for a dog.

In November last year we decided to take the leap and get a new pet after 20 years of not having a dog in our lives.

In February we decided to visit Dogs Trust in Leeds and were told about a litter of puppies that had just been born.

They sent us a picture of little crossbreed Hank. He was gorgeous and we were instantly smitten.
We received him two weeks after the lockdown began and we honestly can’t remember a time when he wasn’t a part of our family.
Hank is the most sensitive and affectionate puppy but has lots of energy and loves to play. Having a dog in the house again has brightened up our lives."

Still looking for a family…

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