A Dalton dog lover has created a Santa’s Grotto for dogs and their owners to take the paw-fect festive picture with.

Laura Curtis has set up a canine Christmas stop outside her home on Market Street where you can make a donation to Dogs Trust, who care for homeless dogs at centres across the UK.

From Friday December 1, passers-by and their four-legged friends are invited to visit for a festive photoshoot.

The grotto will be there throughout December, and every day running up to Christmas. After posing for a picture, dogs can choose a present for themselves.

Laura, 35, said: “I absolutely adore dogs and have two which I can’t imagine living without. To think that many dogs don’t have families of their own and won’t be spending Christmas in a loving home is really sad, so I wanted to do something fun for dogs and their owners whilst raising money to help Dogs Trust give their dogs everything they need throughout the year, not just at Christmas.

“I have bought around 100 presents so wrapping them has been a mammoth task but it will be worth it to see lots of waggy tails and smiling faces and know that dogs without a home are benefiting too.”   

Dogs Trust Cumbria opened in January last year and thanks to a network of foster carers has gone on to find forever homes for more than 400 dogs in need. The UK’s largest dog welfare charity, cares for around 14,000 dogs every year.

Lisa Spence, manager at Dogs Trust Cumbria, said: “This is such a lovely idea. Laura will bring joy to local dogs whilst helping others that are less fortunate than them. The fact that she is fundraising on Christmas Day itself too is amazing.

“We always make sure our dogs have a very special Christmas, but we can only do what we do all year round because of incredible people like Laura. We want to say a huge thank you to her and all the Dalton-in-Furness dogs and owners that support her over the next few weeks.”

If you would like to support Laura, please go to https://www.justgiving.com/page/laura-curtis-1697289602718