Welsh stars narrate video promoting dog adoption

Stephen Price

Some of Wales’ biggest stars have lent their voices to a new campaign video to encourage the Welsh public to consider adopting dogs instead of purchasing them from breeders.

With guest voices from Charlotte Church, Sam Warburton, Wynne Evans, Matt Pritchard, Rhys from GLC, Jess Davies, Katie Owen & Jonny Owen, the playful video features dogs currently available from Cardiff Dogs’ Home, supported by the Rescue Hotel.

Dog lovers

The Rescue Hotel is no stranger to celebrity support. Dog lover, Sam Warburton is an Ambassador for the Cardiff dog rescue centre, alongside TV presenter Lucy Owen, singer and actress Lucie Jones and DJ Katie Owen.

Despite its heartwarming tone, the video conveys some sobering statistics, including the fact that the shelter took in 659 dogs last year alone – with 455 of those being strays.

The shelter relies on donations from the public to feed over 40 dogs each day – adding up to over 4 tonnes of food per year. And with the cost of living hitting food and energy costs, and sadly leading to an increase in pet abandonment, the charity needs all the support, both celebrity and supporter, alike.

As well as the shelter’s dogs, the video also shines a light on the work of the Rescue Hotel’s many volunteers who help clean, walk and care for the dogs who are in desperate need of love and affection as much as their very basic needs.

Staggering costs

Another overlooked cost for the shelter, which the video makes clear, is the staggering cost of veterinary treatment.

Unfortunately, many dogs that are abandoned are relinquished to the shelter due to the dogs’ owners being unable to afford vet treatment. Often, treatment runs into thousands of pounds, and unfortunately the shelter is left to pick up the bill.

In 2023, the shelter paid for over 3,000 procedures – all of which were only made possible through the support of donors.

Cardiff Dogs Home isn’t alone with the impacts of a steep rise in dog abandonment. The number of unwanted family pets being abandoned is soaring, according to the RSPCA which says it faced a “winter crisis”.

RSPCA Cymru says incidents of animal abandonments are now at a three-year high – in October 2023 there were 1,800 incidents of abandonment reported across England and Wales, a 48.1% increase on October 2020 (1,215).

Watch the video above or via this link and see if you can recognise any of the famous Welsh narrators.

Find out more about Cardiff Dogs Home and the dogs currently available for rehoming here.