Six pooches and their owners were invited to Village Pizza in Bramhope to taste the new ‘Village Paws’ menu, carefully designed for dogs.
The charity re-homes pugs who are surrendered when their previous owners are unable to care for them.
Animal lover and Village Pizza owner, Liam Kenrick-Bailey, designed the Village Paws menu with his own dog in mind.
The menu includes beef and chicken dinner boxes, a frozen yoghurt dessert and even beer and ‘pawsecco’ designed for pooches.
PDWRA’s Yorkshire re-homing coordinator, Lisa Butland, told the Yorkshire Evening Post: “We loved the idea that Liam was launching these doggy takeaways and he invited us to go along and try them.
“My pug Bruce loved it, especially the ice cream – he had his nose stuck in the tub for a long time!”
Liam has donated doggy beer and prosecco to a pug wedding organised by the charity in August, where loved-up Percy and Mabel will tie the knot after meeting at a PDWRA event.
Working with local businesses has been a lifeline for the charity this year, as it has been left without the cash flow of its usual fundraising events.
No one at the charity is paid and volunteers such as Lisa juggle full time jobs while giving up their time to help.
Lisa added: “As a volunteer you get so much out of it, I’ve been the Yorkshire re-homing coordinator for three years and I’ve re-homed more than 70 dogs.
“The families bring the dogs along to our fundraisers and it’s so rewarding to see them and the families so happy.”
The charity has taken its fundraising online this year, hosting virtual parties, a Christmas calendar, virtual yoga and raffles.
PDWRA’s lead fundraiser for Yorkshire, Amanda Brook, said: “No pug gets left behind and every single penny goes towards the pugs.
“Pugs are flat-faced and they always have breathing difficulties, but surgery alone can cost £1,000.
“The pugs often get surrendered in quite a bad way. We’ve got one at the minute with a really bad skin allergy – he’s bald. It’s heartbreaking and we all cried when we saw him.
“We wouldn’t be able to fund that little man’s treatment without these donations.”
What is the role of the PDWRA?
The Pug Dog Welfare & Rescue Association (PDWRA) has been rescuing and re-homing pugs in the UK since 1973.
The charity connects pugs to foster carers, or new owners, as well as taking in pugs from owners who are struggling to care for them.
Unpaid volunteers lead the work of the charity and it relies on donations to provide veterinary care for pugs.
The Yorkshire fundraising team has so far raised more than £4,300 to help the charity’s work.
Applications to adopt a pug are currently closed, but there are plans to reopen them in the next week.
Support the YEP and become a subscriber today. Enjoy unlimited access to local news and the latest on Leeds United, With a digital subscription, you see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Click here to subscribe.
