A rescue dog who for the last two years has been cared for by Dogs Trust Newbury found a home for Christmas after being adopted by a new family.

Six-year-old Pickles has been in the care of the Hamstead Marshall-based centre since September 2016, but after almost 800 days in their care his wish has come true.

Pickles enjoyed Christmas Day with Kathryn and Tim Hooper, who live in Abingdon and have been searching for a dog for a while.

They took a trip to Dogs Trust Newbury, where they were introduced to Pickles by his canine carer.

Kathryn said: "We took a liking to him straight away and he seemed to like us, so it was a match made in heaven."

During Pickle's time at the centre, staff fell in love with his endearing personality and worked hard to make him feel at home.

They soon discovered how clever he was, and he loved spending time with his favourite carer Victoria, who taught him lots of tricks including a dance routine to the Foxtrot. She also helped prepare him for the day he would eventually find his forever home.

Nicki Barrow, Dogs Trust Newbury's centre manager, said: "Waving goodbye to Pickles was bittersweet day for everyone.

"He was so well-loved here so naturally we were sad to see him go. But knowing he was going to a perfect home and got to spend Christmas with his very own family made it all worthwhile for us.

“We truly believe that a dog is for life and there really is an owner out there for every single dog.

"We couldn’t have wished for a more perfect home for Pickles and his new owner absolutely adores him, and he does her. Pickles was known to take a while to build bonds with new people but after a number of visits from Kathryn and Tim and the hard work his canine carers put in with making him feel comfortable, it really was a match made in heaven and we couldn’t be happier.”

Kathryn added: "It took around five weeks of visiting Pickles before everybody felt he was ready to come home with us - but he was worth the wait!

"We were determined to make the relationship work and so put in lots of time and effort in order to build a strong and trusting bond with him. We’re going to be very happy and I can’t wait to give him a wonderful life.”

If you think you could provide a ‘paw’fect home for a dog at Dogs Trust Newbury call 0300 303 0292 or visit www.dogstrust.org.uk.