Wigan animal lover gives home to oldest dog

Snowy, a 20-year-old West Highland Terrier, arrived at the rehoming centre of the Dogs Trust after his owner sadly became ill and could no longer care for the much-loved pet.

And at the grand old age of 140 (in dog years), Snowy has coped amazingly well with the change in his life and is happily settled with owner, Margaret Millar.

Margaret said: “He is lovely and is doing really well.

“He is partially sighted but has soon found his feet and knows his way around.

“Most of the time he just likes to potter about but he definitely livens up when it’s time for food.

“His age hasn’t affected his appetite and he’s quick off the mark when the bowls go down which is great.

“Before Snowy arrived my oldest dog was my 16-year-old Yorkshire Terrier, Ben. They get on very well and Snowy has fitted in wonderfully.

“It is like a retirement home for dogs. We all enjoy a cosy afternoon nap!”

The average age of the 970 dogs currently being looked after by Dogs Trust is just four.

But more than 150 of the homeless hounds waiting to find their special someone are over the age of eight.

The charity finds that Older Age Pooches (OAPs) often get overlooked, but staff are delighted Snowy has firmly landed on his paws.

Manager of Dogs Trust Merseyside, Georgina Lowery, said: “We know he’ll be very, very happy with Margaret who will make sure he has everything he could hope for in his twilight years.”