STAR is a little dog whose warm and affectionate nature shines out as brilliantly as her name.
And her desperate need for a loving forever home is being highlighted thanks to the caring community role of a store in Shrewsbury’s Darwin Shopping Centre.
The Body Shop recently re-opened after undergoing a major refit which has seen it relaunched as one of the company’s flagship Pulse stores.
One of the main aims of the new-look store, with its modern décor and bright boutique feel, will be to champion the cause of local community groups and charities such as Dogs Trust’s Shrewsbury Rehoming Centre in Roden Lane, Telford.
There, one of the dogs in need of a loving permanent home is Star, an eight-year-old female crossbreed Staffie.
She came to the centre a few years ago after being brought in by the dog warden from the Shropshire area and has since captured the heart of the dedicated members of staff at Dogs Trust, according to Supporter Relations Officer Lee Pogson.
Lee said: “Star is just like her namesake because she has a huge character which just radiates out from her.
“She is so affectionate and friendly with everyone and loves playing with tennis balls.
“Star has recently had some health issues after being diagnosed with Spondylosis, which is a degenerative condition of the spine, but she has dealt with it amazingly well.
“Due to her condition Star is now on the Dogs Trust shared adoption scheme which means the charity will help with future vet bills.”
Lee added: “Star loves all the attention so would prefer to be the only dog in the home.
“She desperately needs a forever home with a quiet family. She can live with children 12 years old and above.
“We are so grateful to The Body Shop for highlighting Star’s case and for supporting Dogs Trust Shrewsbury.
“The staff there are a great bunch and couldn’t have been more supportive. Two of them have volunteered for extra duty with us and we’re always pleased to see them.”
The Pulse Store concept, which is currently being rolled out in The Body Shop’s 2,700 stores in 63 countries across the globe, was launched to complement the brand’s new campaign, Beauty With Heart.
The campaign aims to encourage consumers to look at beauty in a new way, in tune with the slogan “look good, feel good, do good” and to create stores which are part of their local community, including posting local notices and volunteer opportunities in store.
That’s exactly what staff at The Body Shop in the Darwin Centre are doing for their local Dogs Trust.
They’ve taken the idea to their hearts and apart from helping to find a home for Star two senior members of the team have started volunteering at the centre themselves.
Becky Smith, 28, who has been manager of the store for the past three months and with the company for 11 years, explained: “During the short period when our store was closed for the refit and as part of the Pulse community concept all five members of the team, including myself, were given the opportunity to become volunteers for the day at Dogs Trust’s Shrewsbury Centre.
“We all had a great day and loved working with the dogs. All the dogs are amazingly well cared for and get lots of love and attention from the staff.
“It’s lovely to think there are places like this where animals are so well looked after and where dogs get the chance to find a permanent home.”
Becky, who lives in Shrewsbury, added: “Myself and my assistant manager Laura Tellwright, who is 22, enjoyed the time we spent there so much that we’ve decided to go back and help there on a regular basis.
“We’ve already been there once since the volunteering day and we’re now looking forward to going back again soon.
“I’m not a dog owner myself but I hope to be in the future. Laura is a dog lover too. She lives in Shrewsbury with her parents and they have two dogs.
“I think the Pulse concept is a very good one as it helps us to get involved in helping with community schemes such as Dogs Trust Rehoming Centres.
“Apart from our help with the Trust we’re now doing lots of other things such as having stalls at local community events and doing free makeovers with Body Shop cosmetics. We’ve also donated raffle prizes to events and we have a community noticeboard up in the shop which we update all the time.”
Kevin Lockwood, Manager of the Darwin, Pride Hill and Riverside Shopping Centres, said: “That’s a really heartwarming story and I hope it helps Star get the loving home she deserves.
“The shopping centres here are very much part of the community, employing local, and that’s demonstrated by the way they get involved with local causes and charities.”
