Pets at Home offers helping hand to dog rescue centre

The store has raised the money for its partnered charity, Helping Hands Dogs Rescue, in a number of creative ways.

These have included assistant manager Chris Fox having his beard and ponytail shaved off, which contributed £500 to the overall amount on its own.

Nigel Holmes, founder of Helping Hands said: “I run Helping Hands single-handedly. We rescue dogs that have been left in effect on death row.

“Without Pets at Home my rescue centre would not exist. Their support is vital in allowing me to save as many dogs as possible, which is my aim.”

The centre is currently home to 15 dogs. On top of that, Nigel has 17 dogs of his own, which has come at a cost to his personal life.

“I’ve lost my home, my wife, but saving dogs is my life - hopefully there will be a day when I’m not needed because no dogs will be abandoned or treated badly.

“If I was to make a comparison to people, I would be the one picking up those sleeping rough in doorways or on the street, without a home to go to.”

Store manager Craig Gamble said: “We have an excellent relationship with Nigel and we’re so pleased to be able to support such an important cause.

“We put pets before profits. No matter what’s wrong with an animal, we’ll pull out all the stops.”