A NEW pet rehoming and advice centre has opened its doors in Newport.

Pet charity Blue Cross aims to help around 700 pets each year from its centre in Willenhall Street, Lliswerry - which is the charity’s first rehoming and advice centre in Wales.

Hannah Wiltshire, Blue Cross Rehoming Manager in Newport, said: “We are very excited to be here.

“We know there are lots of pets in the area in need of our help and can’t wait to get started matching them up.”

The centre will be using innovative ways of looking after the pets.

After spending the night in boarding kennels, the dogs will have access to the facility’s home rooms during the day, which are fitted with furniture and are individually matched to each dog.

They will get one-on-one attention, and care from the team while meeting potential new owners.

“For instance, if we know they’re going to be moving into a house with children, we can get them use to children’s toys,” said animal welfare assistant Sophie Sheerwood.

“Especially for dogs who have been in kennels for a while, this is good.

“We’ve had an excellent response so far, it’s very exciting.

“We’re the first Blue Cross centre to have home rooms.”

At the moment, the centre has two female dogs, Audrey, an eight-year-old Greyhound, and Teasel, a 13-year-old Jack Russell Terrier.

Both of them are very sociable and could live with children and other dogs.

“We have a brilliant team already on board, including some local volunteers,” added Ms Wiltshire. “We’ve had a wonderful response to our appeal for donated furniture for our home rooms, so we know that there are lots of animal lovers in Newport.

“We’re really looking forward to becoming part of the community.

“Anyone thinking of getting a new pet, or who might be struggling to care for their pet, should get in touch to find out how we can help.”

As well as working closely with other local rescues, Newport’s Blue Cross will also run their Home Direct Scheme, which means they can help people find new homes for their dogs, cats and small pets without the need for kennels.

To find out more, visit Newport’s Blue Cross Facebook page at Facebook.com/BlueCrossNewport

You can also visit their website at bluecross.org.uk/