Linda Barker has adopted an abandoned dog.
The former ‘Changing Rooms’ star has been working with the Dogs Trust for their ‘A dog is for Life, not just for Christmas’ street art campaign and fell so hard for the lurcher puppies, George and Angelina, she posed with for promotional photographs, she decided to take the female dog – who is named after actress Angelina Jolie – home to care for her.
The 53-year-old presenter is proud to be supporting the campaign, which urges the nation to think twice about giving puppies as Christmas presents only to be given up later.
Linda said: "This campaign is important to me because I want to help raise awareness of the importance of choosing a dog for the right reasons. It’s vital to choose a dog from a reputable source such as the Dogs Trust who always have the dogs’ welfare at heart".
The Dogs Trust launched the initiative – which has seen street artists Id-iom create 12 unique designs across the UK – after hearing some shocking reasons for animals given over to their 20 rehoming centres, including "he wagged his tail too much", "he looked different after we walked him in the rain" and "all the puppy did was sleep".
Giles Webber, responsible for rehoming at Dogs Trust’s 20 rehoming centres commented:"With more and more puppies flooding the Christmas market, all available at the click of a button -it is more essential than ever that our iconic message "A Dog is For Life, Not Just For Christmas" is ingrained in people’s minds.
"We hope that this visually striking campaign will encourage people to think twice about the commitment of dog ownership before impulsively buying a puppy. Our aim is to ensure that the artwork will be the only abandoned dogs the British public will see on their streets this Christmas period."