A BARRY family have shared their joy at adopting a puppy, during a time that dog surrendering had increased.

Kenni Mullet from Barry Island, his wife Clare, and stepchildren Ysobelle and Sam Williams gave Huntaway cross puppy Hunta a new home.

The four-month-old was one of numerous dogs handed over to Dogs Trust in Bridgend last month after his owner could no longer care for him.

Hunta (Picture: Dogs Trust)

Hunta (Picture: Dogs Trust)

Originally named Toggle, Hunta has now settled in with his family and has new four-legged friends - an Alaskan Malamute Mickey, Sheba the Chow Chow-Husky cross and rescue Chow Chow puppy Rufus.

Mr Mullet said: “We had been thinking about getting a new puppy for some time but were in no real rush.

“But as soon as Clare saw Hunta on the Dogs Trust Instagram feed, we knew he was the one for us.

“Hunta settled right into family life with us and the other dogs and we can’t imagine life without him now.

“He has had quite a lot of change in his short life, but luckily, we get post-adoption support for life through Dogs Trust - they have been fantastic and it’s great knowing they’re only a phone call away.

“We all love having Hunta as part of the family, but he has particularly helped Ysobelle by giving her a focus as she has struggled with anxiety during the pandemic – they have a lovely bond.”

IN OTHER NEWS:

Ysobelle and Hunta (Picture: Dogs Trust)

Ysobelle and Hunta (Picture: Dogs Trust)

Hunta is just one of many dogs that have been given up by their owners due to changing circumstances during the coronavirus pandemic.

As part of their Change the Tale campaign, Dogs Trust have released a heart-breaking video featuring some of the calls they have received - they have had a 41 per cent increase in web traffic to the Dogs Trust’s ‘giving up your dog’ page.

The advert - which you can watch here - has been released to show some reasons why people are forced to give their dogs up and to highlight the situations more owners could face in the coming months.

Dogs Trust are urging owners who feel they may need to give up their dog to contact the charity for help.

Dogs Trust Bridgend manager, Angela Wetherall, said: “The pandemic and its economic repercussions will have devastating effects on some people’s lives and ability to care for their pets.

“When people take on the responsibilities of dog ownership, they do so with the best intentions. But, in these extraordinary times, circumstances can change in a heartbeat.

“It is heart-breaking to hear someone having to choose between a roof over their head, or their dog and we’d like to thank the people who made these calls for allowing us to share their story and for coming to us.

“Unfortunately, we believe the worst is yet to come, but we will do all we can to help those in

need of our support.”