Players and coaching staff from Birmingham Bears and Warwickshire County Cricket Club recently met a special group of fans by spending an afternoon with four-legged friends at Birmingham Dogs Home.

Players, including Tim Ambrose, Oliver Hannon-Dalby and Ian Bell, joined Birmingham Dogs Home’s Canine Carer team as part of a special volunteer day where they got to meet a stray dog called Bear – named in the team’s honour – who staff hope to reunite with its owner in the coming days.

The session included walking, bathing, feeding and providing lots of fuss and attention to the stray dogs housed at the centre, before taking part in a photo shoot.

Tim Ambrose, said: “As a dog owner myself, it’s heart-breaking to learn about the number of dogs that are abandoned or go stray every year, and it’s been great to see the fantastic work that Birmingham Dogs Home is doing in caring and finding new homes, and loving families for so many dogs.”

It’s been great to see the fantastic work that Birmingham Dogs Home is doing in caring and finding new homes, and loving families for so many dogs.

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Birmingham Dogs Home’s 12.45-acre centre in the countryside in Catherine-de-Barnes opened in 2015 and has 128 large kennels with under floor heating, a veterinary suite and an education and community centre.

The charity is funded thanks to generous donations and benefactors from the local community, whilst volunteers also play a key role in supporting staff by walking the dogs in the open countryside.

Rachel Frost, Community Fundraiser for Birmingham Dogs Home, said: “It has been great having Warwickshire CCC volunteering at our centre; they have been fantastic with the dogs and have really enjoyed their time with us.

“To be able to show them the hard work that our canine carers do 365 days a year has really highlighted to importance of peoples support to all our dogs. We hope to see them again very soon.”

For further details about Birmingham Dogs Home please visit www.birminghamdogshome.org.uk.