Pet store supplies 5,000 cans to homeless dogs charities in Milton Keynes and beyond

Jolleys, a nationwide pet store, is supplying 5,000 cans worth of food supplies to charity, Dogs on the Streets (DOTS).

The food will be supplied via 'street stations' across Milton Keynes London and other areas of the South of England. Street stations set up by the charity, hostels and the charity’s sanctuary in Essex will all benefit from this donation.

All Jolleys 67 stores took part in a scheme to donate food to local animal charities and the company pledged to top that up with donations to its charity partners, including DOTS.

Founded in 2017, DOTS supports rough sleepers with dogs to provide free vet care and a regular and healthy diet for their pets.

During the pandemic, the challenges facing DOTS have been greater than ever, as many homeless people were placed in accommodation that did not accept pets and it had to distribute food despite the temporary closure of some street stations.

Jollyes commercial director, Chris Burns, said: “On behalf of all our colleagues and customers, we wanted to show our appreciation for the fantastic work that DOTS does, not just in feeding and looking after the pets on the streets, but also in the vital support it offers to their owners.”

Michelle Clark, DOTS founding director, added: “We couldn’t provide support for the homeless community with pet dogs without the generous help of donors such as Jollyes.

“We’ve needed that support more than ever during the pandemic so that we could continue to offer street outreach or take in dogs at the sanctuary while their owners were placed in temporary accommodation.”