Every dog deserves a second chance, and there’s plenty of pups in Manchester currently looking for their “forever homes”.
Dogs Trust Manchester’s rescue centre in Denton has been responsible for the rehoming of countless four-legged friends since it opened in 2014, and since lockdown alone, more than 350 dogs have found love with new owners – which staff say is “a real testament to how effective our virtual rehoming has been”.
But there’s always more dogs with love to give to those ready to receive it.
Reckon you’re a good fit and can provide a suitable home for these five dogs in Manchester currently searching for a place to call their own?
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Vinnie
Crossbreed | Male | 1 – 2 Years Old
Manchester
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Dogs Trust Manchester
Vinnie is a one-year-old large crossbreed looking for a patient, experienced, and confident family who is prepared to put some work to have a fabulous dog.
Giving an insight into Vinnie’s character so prospective owners can get to know him a little better, Dogs Trust Manchester said: “Vinnie is a sweet but sensitive boy who has lacked in socialisation so he can easily go from being very excitable – particularly around new people – to suddenly being unsure, and [he] shows this by mouthing his handler for reassurance.
“He loves his toys, so much so that he will happily play with them on his own, but is always up for sharing them with his human friends [and] he is keen to go and see hello to other dogs, but is actually a bit shy and quickly gets overwhelmed.”
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Vinnie is looking for an active, adult-only home with a large private garden and who have experience and are confident around large breeds.
You can find more about giving Vinnie a home here.
Luna & Ghost
Siberian Huskies | 1 – 2 Years Old
Manchester
Dogs Trust Manchester
Luna and Ghost are a sweet and intelligent pair of young pint-sized huskies who are searching for their new forever home.
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Typical of the breed, they are an active pair who love running around and playing with each other, and they both enjoy getting lots of fuss and attention from her human friends – but after a busy day, they will snuggle up with each other for a nice snooze.
Dogs Trust Manchester say: “Luna and Ghost are to be re-homed together, and because of this, a home with more than one person is needed and they will need a good sized secure garden with at least 6ft fencing for them to have lots of playtime off the lead. They have been friendly with other dogs and could meet with doggy friends out and about [but] they can just be a little shy at times, so will need to be the only dogs in the home.”
The pair can live with children aged 11 and older, but unfortunately cannot live with other dogs.
You can find more about giving Luna & Ghost a home here.
Barry
Crossbread | 2 Years Old | Male
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Manchester
Dogs Trust Manchester
Barry is an adorable two-year-old American Bulldog Cross with bags of love to give and on the lookout for his forever family.
His “goofball personality” has made him a firm favourite amongst his handlers at Dogs Trust Manchester who say: “Barry adores his favourite humans and loves to lean in for a fuss and a cuddle. He has loads of energy and enjoys playing with his toys and hopping in the car to go off on adventures where he can have a good sniff and explore everything – he’s sure to provide his new family with plenty of love and entertainment.”
Barry can be over the top and will need patient owners that have experience with strong / big dogs, and experience with bull breeds is essential.
He cannot have any young visiting children, and although he is dog friendly and has mixed with multiple dogs at the rescue centre, he can be over the top with them and so will need to be the only dog and pet in the home to allow him all the focus to settle.
Three-year-old crossbreed Dobby is a very active boy who loves to be out on long hikes in quiet areas and would be a great addition to an active family that can give him the stimulation he needs.
Dogs Trust Manchester say “there’s never a dull moment with Dobby around”.
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“He loves to chase his favourite toys around or spend his time playing food games… and once he’s all tired from a day of running about and showing us his tricks, Dobby loves a nice gentle fuss with his favourite handlers.”
Dobby is looking for a home with a private secure garden with no neighbouring dogs where he can relax and play, and adopters that are able to build his leaving hours and confidence at his pace. He can live with children aged 16 years and over who are comfortable around large dogs, but will need to be the only pet in the home as heis a bit worried by certain dogs – particularly larger males – but has been friendly towards some smaller dogs and females.
Macie is a beautiful nine-year-old Cocker Spaniel that loves nothing more than a couple of tasty treats, going on walks, and having sniffing adventures, and although it takes her some time to get to know people and will therefore need her adopters to be patient, Dogs Trust Manchester say she loves having a fuss and cuddles from her well-known handlers at the centre.
“She is such a sweet girl and one of her absolute favourite things to do is roll around in the long grass or in a sand pit on a lovely sunny day.”
Macie is looking for a female single owner that can keep visitors to a minimum, no visiting children as she can be uncomfortable around some people, and a secure garden with the facility to separate her from the front door so she doesn’t meet people she doesn’t know.
Macie can walk with other dogs, but prefers to do her own thing and doesn’t like them in her face so will need to be the only dog in the home, and also cannot live with cats.
Despite a rocky opening month or so, Manchester’s Co-op Live made the ultimate instant recovery and has now been named the number one arena not just in the UK but all of Europe.
Manc music venues being best in class? Sounds about right.
Yes, even despite some obstacles, delays and early hiccups, Co-op Live‘s debut year as a live music and indoor entertainment venue has seen it beat out the likes of the long-established and iconic O2 in London to take the top spot.
The inaugural 12 months of the arena have not only seen it welcome all manner of music legends, as well as live sporting events such as the UFC and WWE, but the arena welcomed more visitors than any other venue across the continent during that time.
Names to have graced the industry-leading stage so far include Liam Gallagher, Stevie Nicks and Take That; Peter Kay, Elbow, Sabrina Carpenter, Paul McCartney, and so many more.
Commenting on the successful start, Tim Leiweke (CEO and chairman of the Oak View Groupbehind the venue) said: “Our ambition was to bring the world’s best music arena to one of the world’s greatest music cities and we are thrilled with the reaction from fans and artists alike over this past year.
“Co-op Live’s revolutionary acoustics investment has already attracted some of the world’s biggest artists and events to Manchester, with many more to come. And our sustainability commitment will ensure we remain responsible contributors to Manchester and the planet for years to come.
“We believe that amazing venues can transform cities for the better, and Co-op Live has done just that.”
It’s fair to say we’ve had some truly unforgettable nights in there already – and that’s just in the last month alone. Case and point:
With a continued commitment to achieving ‘Net Zero’ status too, the venue’s carbon reduction technologies, solar panels, heat pumps and rainwater harvesting, not to mention the recently refreshed CityLink walking in partnership with the Climate Pledge, are all things we can be proud of.
Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, went on to add: “We are delighted with the success of Co-op Live’s first year, and to see it taking the top spot off London.
“It shows Manchester is the home of live music in the UK, with Co-op Live bringing so many exclusives from artists like Bruce Springsteen to the city and Oasis playing massive hometown shows this summer – 2025 is going to be one of the biggest ever for our city’s music scene.”
Meanwhile, things are feeling less fortunate at the grassroots end of the spectrum, as the Music Venue Trust is imploring people to get behind a vulnerable Manc music institution.
A total of 25,000 free footballs are up for grabs this month as part of a new scheme from Barclays, who are giving them away to mark a special anniversary.
The British multinational universal bank, which boasts over 850 branches and more than 48 million customers worldwide, has been supporting the beautiful game for a quarter of a century now and has been the primary Premier League sponsor since the 2001/02 season.
Approaching 25 years helping fund and promote English football, they’ve come up with a new initiative to celebrate, simply called the ‘Lost Ball Project‘.
We’ve all seen scenes like these before.
Credit: Barclays (supplied)
Tapping into the national and generational memory of losing a ball to a pond, up a tree, over a fence or on a roof and so on, Barclays are making up for those heartbreaking little losses – one ball at a time.
Lost Ball will see the bank give away 25k footballs across the UK, with Barclays customers able to claim a free ball for themselves or someone else who has lost theirs.
Already up and running, the scheme is off to a flyer and free footies will be available until Thursday, 22 May, so we wouldn’t wait around.
The bank has played an integral role throughout the British football pyramid for decades now, sponsoring to only the Premier League but also the WSL, Barclays Women’s Championship; the Northern Irish Women’s Football Association, Scottish Women’s Championship and the Scottish Women’s League One
They’ve even put together this emotive, albeit a bit tongue-in-cheek video:
As they put it, the mission of the Lost Ball Project is simple: “Let’s keep the nation playing the beautiful game. Because there’s no football without grassroots football.”
In addition to backing established leagues, they have continued to support the country’s footballing community at large, especially in terms of the women’s game.
For instance, the Barclays Girls’ Football School partnership with The FA has seen the number of participating schools rise from 3,000 in 2019 to 20,000 in 2024, helping more than 2.5 million schoolgirls access football.
Important work done from the ground up.
Credit: Supplied
Barclays’ Group Head of Sponsorship, Tom Corbett, said in a statement: “We are immensely proud of our pioneering work and funding to grassroots football over the past 25 years.
Giving away 25,000 balls to replace our customers’ ‘Lost Balls’ means they will never be without the one thing you need to be able to play the game we’ve supported at Barclays for all these years.”
If you bank with the group, you can find out how to claim your free football HERE.